Expert NBA Picks and Player Props: Best NBA Bets Today Jan. 7

Wednesday’s NBA schedule is absolutely loaded, with marquee matchups scattered across the evening and plenty of potential edges on the board. With so many teams in action, this is the kind of night where shopping lines across sports betting apps and using the best sportsbook promotions can really help isolate value and build out your card.

Below are three game lines, four player props and one three-leg parlay that stand out as some of the best NBA bets today.

Game Lines

Denver Nuggets +9.5 (-110) at Boston Celtics

🏀 Odds via BetMGM 📈

Denver is still without Nikola Jokic as he works his way back from a knee issue, which is a big reason this number is inflated toward Boston. Even so, the Nuggets have shown they can stay competitive behind Jamal Murray’s on-ball creation and Aaron Gordon’s two-way impact, and Michael Malone tends to shorten the rotation in tougher road spots.

Toronto Raptors -2.5 (-110) at Charlotte Hornets

🏀 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook 📈

Toronto’s length on the perimeter should bother a Hornets team that leans heavily on Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball to generate halfcourt offense. The Raptors play a more physical style, push the pace in transition and have enough rim pressure to consistently test Charlotte’s thin interior rotation. Over four quarters that physicality edge plus the Hornets’ tendency to turn it over makes laying the short number with Toronto appealing.

Los Angeles Lakers +7.5 (-114) at San Antonio Spurs

🏀 Odds via bet365 📈

San Antonio’s young core with Victor Wembanyama has raised the Spurs’ ceiling, yet they are still learning how to manage big-favorite roles. The Lakers can be inconsistent, but they still have the experience and firepower to hang within a few possessions if they take care of the ball and get enough shooting around their stars. In what profiles as an up-and-down game, grabbing the points with a veteran group that can manufacture late scoring is a sensible way to attack one of the best NBA bets today.

Player Props

Aaron Gordon over 4.5 rebounds (-156)

🏀 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook 📈

Aaron Gordon’s role as a small-ball big and primary defender ensures he is around the rim on both ends of the floor. Against a Boston team that takes plenty of jumpers and can struggle on the offensive glass, Gordon should see enough rebounding chances to clear this modest number if he plays his usual workload.

Matas Buzelis over 16.5 points (-114)

🏀 Odds via BetMGM 📈

Matas Buzelis has steadily grown into a larger scoring role for Chicago with Josh Giddey sidelined, using his size on the wing to shoot over smaller defenders and attack mismatches. Detroit’s defense still bleeds points to versatile forwards who can handle and create, making this a strong spot for Buzelis to get into the high-teens in scoring again.

D. Harper over 0.5 made threes (-250)

🏀 Odds via bet365 📈

Harper’s perimeter shooting has become an important release valve in San Antonio's offense, especially in lineups where the Spurs need spacing around their primary creators. The Lakers' defense struggles with quickness and is willing to concede outside looks to non-stars, so one clean make from beyond the arc is a realistic expectation at home.

Deni Avdija over 8.5 assists (-124)

🏀 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook 📈

Deni Avdija continues to function as a jumbo playmaker for Portland, initiating offense in transition and operating as a pick-and-roll passer in the halfcourt. Houston's defense should emphasize collapsing on him, and with shooters spaced around Avdija, he should have multiple paths to piling up nine or more dimes.

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Today’s Best Parlay

🏀 Combined Parlay Odds: +588 (via BetMGM) 📈

• Leg 1: Brandon Miller over 19.5 points (-122)

• Leg 2: Amen Thompson over 18.5 points (-112)

• Leg 3: Kevin Porter Jr. over 17.5 points (+100)

Brandon Miller has become Charlotte’s primary scoring option on the wing and draws a Toronto defense that has been vulnerable to dynamic shooters who can score at all three levels. Amen Thompson’s downhill aggression and ability to live in the paint should play well against a Portland team that has struggled at the point of attack all season. Kevin Porter Jr. remains a high-usage combo guard for Milwaukee, and a fast-paced matchup with Golden State sets up an environment where all three of these young scorers can push past their totals, creating one of the more enticing NBA parlay picks today for plus-money upside.

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As always, be sure to check the injury report before making any plays and consider the opponent when making player prop bets. It's also important to check multiple sportsbooks to ensure you're getting the best odds.

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All Odds as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Jan. 7