Best NBA Betting Picks and Parlay Today - Thursday, January 26, 2023

We're locked in with our three NBA best bets for a Thursday, January 26 slate that features the New York Knicks facing the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Phoenix Suns in a TNT doubleheader. We have plays for you on both of those games, and we also see a meeting between the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets as a way to make a little coin. These picks were made with a combination of our expert's matchup analysis, our predictive analytics model and our world-class artificial intelligence. All season long, these picks have been profiting for us, so you shouldn't turn away from them now. We'll also have an NBA player props parlay for you, and that's something you won't want to miss. We have hit so many of those this season that we have nearly guaranteed a profit on the season, which is only halfway over. 

RELATED: Check out our favorite NBA player props for tonight's slate

As always, we've simulated all of the night's NBA games 10,000 times each to determine where the value lies for sports bettors across the United States.

Best NBA Bets Today

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics, 7:30PM ET

The Celtics had the best offense in basketball for the first half of the season, but they have slowly shifted back to being a defensive-minded team. Over their last 15 games, Boston is just 16th in the NBA in offensive rating, but the team is up at fourth in the league in defensive rating. Now, the Celtics face a Knicks team that is 30th in the NBA in pace of play over the last 15 games, and the Celtics don't exactly play much faster. That makes it hard to believe this will be anything but a rock fight. 

The Under has also hit in each of the last four games that Boston has played, and it's also 6-1 in the team's last seven. On Tuesday, the Celtics faced the Miami Heat in a game in which the teams combined to score only 193 points. With that said, it's just hard to see this turning into a high-scoring affair. 

DID YOU KNOW? Boston's Al Horford has scored fewer than 8.5 points in 16 of his last 21 appearances? That and more in our NBA Trends section.

BET: Under 223.5 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Knicks vs. Celtics Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Knicks vs. Celtics

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Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets, 7:30PM ET

The Hornets are coming off a game in which they gave up 128 points to a Phoenix Suns team that was missing Devin Booker. They have now allowed at least 120 in six of their last eight games, and an argument can be made that they're currently the worst defensive team in basketball. On the season, they're 27th in the league in defensive rating. So, we're expecting the Bulls to hang a rather large number on them, as Chicago has been a top-15 offensive team over the last 15 games. 

These teams did play a low-scoring game back in November, when the Bulls earned a 106-88 win over the Hornets, in Chicago. But the oddsmakers still put this line all the way up at 234, so they might be trying to trick bettors into taking the Under. 

Also, throughout Billy Donovan's career, the Over is 25-8 when his teams have played road games against teams with winning percentages of 25% to 40% in the second half of the season. 

SAY WHAT? Chicago's Nikola Vucevic has collected more than 12.5 rebounds in nine of his last 13 appearances. You can find more stats like this in our NBA Trends section.

BET: Over 234 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Bulls vs. Hornets Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Bulls vs. Hornets

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns, 10:00PM ET

All it took for the Suns to get back on track was the return of a few key rotation pieces. Who would have thought? Phoenix has now won four games in a row, with Cam Johnson providing a huge spark with his ability to space the floor and guard multiple positions. Chris Paul is looking like Chris Paul again. And Mikal Bridges has seemingly made a massive leap on the offensive end, as he is growing more and more comfortable as a playmaker and shot creator by the day. 

Now, the Suns get to host a Mavericks team that has been downright miserable this season. Sure, Luka Doncic is one of the best players in basketball, so it'll hurt for Phoenix not to have Devin Booker out there to match his star power. But Luka's supporting cast is worse than ever, and the team is just 25th in the league in defensive rating this year. Having said that, we expect Phoenix to have no trouble creating good shots in this game, and playing at home should allow the Suns to have a little extra juice on the defensive end. The Mavericks are also just 7-16 ATS on the road this year. 

TREND: We've also identified an NBA trend for Dallas' Luka Doncic that's worth consideration. Luka has scored fewer than 35.5 points in seven of his last 10 appearances.

BET: Suns -1.5 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Mavericks vs. Suns Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Mavericks vs. Suns

Your game not here? Find out who we're betting on for every basketball game on Thursday via our NBA Bet Hub, where we deliver you NBA predictions and suggested bets, or check out the NBA Betting News section.

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Best NBA Bets Today

There are numerous different ways you can wager on NBA games in 2022, such as the moneyline, spread, total, player and team props, and, of course, parlays. While we normally suggest taking our picks on their own, we recognize the need to service a parlay-loving audience! With that said, check out the fat payout you can get by throwing all of our best bets together tonight. Also, feel free to make your own parlays using our NBA best bets page! 

🔥 Knicks-Celtics Under 223.5
🔥 Bulls-Hornets Over 234
🔥 Suns -1.5

*All odds and lines correct at time of publishing