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NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Tuesday, Jan. 23

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
2 minute read

The NBA regular season continues with a relatively small 5-game slate today. But no need to worry, there will be no shortage in action as TNT tees up a pair of crosstown rivalries for us -- with Knicks vs Nets tipping off the nationally televised doubleheader at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Lakers vs Clippers capping it off at 10 p.m. ET.

Let's dive into our NBA best bets and expert picks for Tuesday, January 23.

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NBA Best Bets | Expert Picks for Tuesday, Jan. 23

Nuggets vs Pacers

by Michael Crosson

Denver earned the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 53-29 last year. However, the Nuggets may have a little bit more trouble getting back to the top of the mountain this time around as the defending champs currently boast a record of 30-14, which is actually a better winning percentage than they finished with last season. But this year, there’s a few more horses in the race as the Thunder and Timberwolves hold a narrow lead over Denver in the conference standings.

On the flip side, the Pacers have been a flashy betting option up to this point of the season as Indy enters this contest ranked 1st in the league in scoring and offensive rating – and they continue to outperform their expectations with a record of 24-19 on the year.

All things considered though, you would think the Pacers would be a little bit better given they’ve had the best offense in the league thus far. However, the fact of the matter is the Pacers have played so poorly at the defensive end that it’s negated a ton of their success on offense – and it’s finally starting to catch up with them.

The Pacers are 1-4 in their last five games, while surrendering 121 PPG during their latest skid. I think we’ll see them continue to struggle in tonight’s matchup against a well-balanced Denver squad (Off Rtg: 7th, Def Rtg: 12th) that just played a pair of really tight road games in Philly and Boston last week.

Pick: Nuggets -4.5 (-110)

Knicks vs Nets

Brooklyn Nets +4.5 (-110)

Nets +4.5

New York has won 3 in a row (26-17, 12-12 AWAY, 24-18-1 ATS), and they want to continue their winning streak. They play Brooklyn (17-25, 10-10 HOME, 20-20-2 ATS) at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. You can watch this game on TNT. The initial odds favor the Knicks by 4, and the total is 225. The Knicks are the 16th-best scoring team in the NBA, averaging 115.2 PPG, and they also have the 3rd-best defense, allowing 110.6 PPG. On the other hand, the Nets are ranked 17th in the league for points allowed, giving up 115.8 PPG, and they have the 19th-best offense, scoring an average of 114.2 PPG. It's been rough sleddin' for the Nets vs. NYK of late. The Knicks took out Brooklyn 121-102 in their last matchup on 12/20/23 and have won the past 3 vs. the Nets by a combined 61 pts. NY won last game out vs. Toronto on Saturday vs. the Raptors 126-100. The Nets lost their last game out, allowing the final 22 points of the game to lose to the Clippers 125-114. A crazy ending to be honest. They won the game before 130-112 over the Lakers. I think Tuesday night will see a close game between these two NY teams. They know each other well, and both are playing 1/2 way decent ball right now. Both are top 5 rebounding teams, so we'll have to look elsewhere for advantages because I think they'll cross each other off in the paint. One area I'm looking at is the # of FG's attempted per game. The Nets are 4th, they really shoot the ball a ton, and get after it. They also attempt the 7th most 3-pointers per game. NY's #3 defense will be tested in this one. As will their depth. One positive for Brooklyn is over the last 5 games they've really stepped things up on the defensive side of the ball. Monitor Hartenstein's injury status for this one. He could miss this game with ankle soreness. Ben Simmons is still OUT for Brooklyn. Trends, NY are 3-9 SU L12 vs. Brooklyn, and they're 1-6 SU L7 on the road vs. the Nets. The Nets will get up for this game and they'll play NY tough on Tuesday night. Grab the +4.5 with the Nets. You know what to do. Hop ON!

For more daily expert predictions, check out our NBA Free Picks page!

Lakers vs Clippers

VegasInsider NBA betting expert Nick Parsons is on fire! Parsons is a perfect 3-0 in his last three NBA picks -- returning a profit of +300. Click here to purchase Nick's top play for Lakers vs Clippers tonight.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson
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