NBA Betting Guide: Lines, Trends & Picks For Tuesday, Jan. 3

Today's NBA Betting Lines, Odds & Picks

Tuesday's NBA slate is rather small, but there are two plays that I am very confident in. Scroll down to see where I think we can find some value as well as which picks our BetQL model likes for today.

One trend to note is that the BetQL NBA model is on fire, going 151-108 (59%) combined on spread and total picks rated ⭐⭐ and higher in the last 30 days for a total return of $2,927! Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best NBA bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NFL, NHL, and NCAA football and basketball games! Start your free trial today!

Celtics at Thunder Prediction

Both the Boston Celtics (26-11 SU, 20-16-1 ATS, 17-17-3 O/U) and Oklahoma City Thunder (15-21 SU, 21-15 ATS, 19-16-1 O/U) look to bounce back from losses when they meet tonight at Paycom Center.

There are a few different scenarios in which I think we could see an under tonight. First, the Thunder's defense at home is actually pretty good with the seventh-best defensive rating over their last five home games. On the other side of the ball, things aren't going so well. OKC is just 25th in offensive rating over the last five home games and has struggled to put up big numbers against mediocre defenses. While the Celtics' road defense hasn't been great as of late, they still have the fourth-best road defense on the season. Plus, coming off a loss to the Nuggets, I'd expect Boston to tighten things up on D.

This game also points to the under if you look at recent trends. The Celtics are 2-8 to the under in their last 10 games away from home, while the Thunder are 4-5-1 in their last 10 home games.

My pick: Celtics-Thunder Under 233.5

Wizards at Bucks Prediction

The Washinton Wizards (17-21 SU, 18-19-1 ATS, 19-19 O/U) and Milwaukee Bucks (23-12 SU, 18-16-2 ATS, 19-17 O/U) meet for the second game of their two-game mini-series at Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee has been pretty bad lately, but I still like this spot for the Bucks. They are coming off a home loss to the Wizards on Sunday without Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo. It almost felt like Milwaukee was fine throwing that game away and focusing on tonight’s matchup. I’d expect Giannis and Holiday to play tonight, which sets up nicely for a bounce-back revenge spot. The Bucks are typically great in the first quarter at home, so I'd look for them to try and pounce on the Wizards early. 

My pick: Bucks 1Q -2

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Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best NBA bets, including player props, plus what the model is projecting for every NFL, NHL and NCAA football and basketball game this week! Start your free trial today!