NBA Betting Guide: Odds, Predictions For Jan. 18; Back Mavericks, Nuggets & More

Best NBA Bets Tonight: January 18, 2023

Nine games occupy Wednesday's NBA slate. Scroll down to see where I've found some value as well as what our BetQL model likes for tonight.

One trend to note is that the BetQL NBA model has been crushing spread bets, going 30-14 (68%) on all spread picks in the last seven days for a total return of $1,327 on $100 bets! 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!

Hawks at Mavericks Picks & Prediction

The Atlanta Hawks (22-22 SU, 18-25-1 ATS, 23-21 O/U) hit the road for a quick one-game road trip over to Texas to take on the Dallas Mavericks (24-21 SU, 15-27-3 ATS, 26-19 O/U).

The Hawks are on a three-game win streak and enter tonight’s game after an impressive shooting performance against the Heat on Monday. The Mavs have been struggling lately, losing four of their last five, all of which were on the road. However, Dallas returns home tonight where it performs much better. This is also a nationally televised game that’s receiving a ton of attention because of the trade that went down in the 2018 draft when the Hawks selected Luka Dončić third overall before trading him to the Mavs for Trae Young. In games where Luka has something to prove, he shows up, which will be the case tonight. Dallas could also get Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Green back in the lineup tonight, giving Dallas a big boost on both sides of the floor.

My Pick: Mavericks -2.5

Timberwolves at Nuggets Picks & Prediction

The Denver Nuggets (22-23 SU, 19-25-1 ATS, 22-23 O/U) look for their 15th-straight home win tonight when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-13 SU, 22-20-2 ATS, 19-24 O/U).

The Denver Nuggets have looked unstoppable lately, winning seven straight games and 14 of their last 16. Not only are they winning, but they're also covering, going 9-2-1 ATS over their last 12 games. They beat the Blazers last night, so Minnesota comes into this game as the more rested team having played the Jazz on Monday, but Denver is 9-4 ATS this season when playing at a rest disadvantage. Minnesota's offense has also struggled over its last five road games, ranking 23rd in the league. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have a top-five offense and defense over their last five home games. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert are also listed on the Wolves injury report. It would be great if they do end up sitting tonight, but either way, I like the Nuggets to cover at home.

My Pick: Nuggets -8

Kings at Lakers Picks & Prediction

The Los Angeles Lakers (20-24 SU, 19-22-3 ATS, 26-18 O/U) look to try and even the season series when they meet the Sacramento Kings (24-18 SU, 25-17 ATS, 21-20 O/U) for the fourth and final time tonight.

This total is absurd, which is exactly why I'm going to take the over. These teams have faced each other three times already this season and each of those meetings has been extremely high-scoring, finishing with 234, 254 and 270 points. The Kings have shot over 50% from the field in every game while the Lakers have surpassed that percentage in all but the first game, which LeBron James didn't play in. Typically I would think that those types of numbers would eventually regress back to the mean, but that just doesn't seem to be the case based on the lack of defense these teams play when facing each other. LeBron is also nearing the all-time scoring record, so I expect his numbers to be high tonight. Take the over on this massive total.

My pick: Kings at Lakers Over 245

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!