NBA Best Bets Today: Free Picks for Monday, January 8

NBA Best Bets Today: Free Picks for Monday, January 8

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

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Best Bets

Giannis Antetokounmpo over 36.5 points (-115) vs. Jazz

DraftKings, 4:07 PM CT

Alex Barutha: What a number! Damian Lillard is out for Monday's game, which will funnel more usage to Giannis, who averages 1.9 more points per 36 minutes with Lillard off the floor.  Not only that, but Utah allows the most points in transition, while the Greek Freak scores 7.5 PPG on the run. Giannis has been cooking lately too, averaging 34.6 PPG over his past nine games.

Derrick White over 19.5 points (-114) at Pacers

FanDuel, 4:15 PM CT

Alex Barutha: This is a good setup for White regardless of opponent, as Jayson Tatum (and Sam Hauser) is out for Monday's game. White sees a boost of 7.0 points per 36 minutes with Tatum off the floor, up to 23.8 points per 36. Not only that, but this is a huge pace-up spot for the Celtics, who rank 21st in pace compared to Indiana's 1st. Plus, the Pacers allow the second-most points to pick-and-roll ballhandlers, and 29.9% of White's usage comes in those actions.

Ivica Zubac under 21.5 points + rebounds (-125) vs. Suns

DraftKings, 4:27 PM CT

Alex Barutha: Zubac has 20.4 percent of his usage come from putback attempts, and the Suns allow the third-fewest putback points. Not coincidentally, Phoenix is also allowing the fourth-fewest rebounds to centers over the past 30 days. Last time these teams faced off, Zubac had six points and three rebounds in 27 minutes.

OKC Thunder -10.5 at Washington Wizards

DraftKings Sportsbook, 3:30pm CT

Nick Whalen: We are once again going back to the well with the Thunder, who've dropped two consecutive games straight up to the Hawks and Nets. They continue their road swing in Washington tonight but will come in on two days' rest against a Wizards team that last played Saturday against the Knicks (a 16-point loss). OKC's recent struggles may be a bit concerning, but this should be a fantastic bounceback spot. Washington has only covered six times this season, while OKC is 7-3 ATS after a SU loss, 9-6 ATS on the road and 6-2 ATS with the rest advantage. On the props side, I also like Chet Holmgren O8.5 REB (-135 at DK) tonight.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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