Best NBA Betting Picks and Parlay Today - Thursday, January 5, 2023

On Thursday, January 5, we are looking to attack the NBA's four-game slate with our best bets of the night. We're now back to having a Thursday night TNT doubleheader, with this one featuring the Boston Celtics taking on the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets hosting the Los Angeles Clippers. It should be a tremendous night of NBA action for basketball fans and bettors, and we have picks for both of those games. We're also taking a look at a meeting between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, so check out our play on that as well. We do a three-leg player props parlay every night in hopes of coming away with a big payday. We have hit quite a few in recent weeks. 

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

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Orlando Magic, 7:00PM ET

While the Grizzlies can be as explosive as anyone defensively, the Under is 3-1 in their last four games and 7-2 in their last nine. They just haven't been playing as many high-scoring games as the oddsmakers have been expecting, and they now take on a Magic team that has gone Under in two of its last three. Orlando also happens to be smart enough to know that it has no chance of winning this game if it turns into an up-and-down contest. 

Memphis is also third in the league in defensive rating this season, while the team is only 14th in offensive rating. So, this has been more of a hard-nosed team than expected — perhaps it's time to bring "Grit n' Grind" back. And considering Orlando is just 25th in the league in offensive rating, we probably don't need to worry about the Magic lighting it up here. It only helps that Orlando is just 20th in the league in pace.

DID YOU KNOW? Orlando's Paolo Banchero has collected fewer than 6.5 rebounds in 17 of his last 22 appearances? That and more in our NBA Trends section.

BET: Under 232 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Grizzlies vs. Magic Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Grizzlies vs. Magic

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Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks, 7:30PM ET

The Celtics are coming off a game in which they gave up 150 points in a road loss to the Thunder, and they now take on a Mavericks team that is fifth in the league in offensive rating. With that in mind, Boston is in danger of getting absolutely shredded by Luka Doncic in half-court situations — even with the Celtics having multiple capable wing defenders on the roster. But Boston will also do its own damage in this one, as the Celtics are still first in the league in offensive rating and the Mavericks have some attackable players in their lineup. 

The Over also happens to be 4-1 in the last five games that Dallas has played, and these teams combined to score 237 points when they met on November 23. Look for this game to land on a total in that range, with it comfortably going Over for bettors.

SAY WHAT? Boston's Al Horford has scored fewer than 8.5 points in 10 of his last 12 appearances. You can find more stats like this in our NBA Trends section.

BET: Over 231.5 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

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

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Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets, 10:00PM ET

It seems like Paul George is on the wrong side of questionable entering this game, which makes it a little hard to choose a side here. However, the Over looks like an enticing play with the way Denver has been playing offensively lately. The Nuggets are currently second in the league in offensive rating, and they have been even better on that end of the floor in recent weeks. Also, if George is out for this game, that's one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball being out for Los Angeles. 

The Over also happens to be 9-1 in Los Angeles road games after the team has played against an Eastern Conference opponent this year. The average total points scored in those 10 games was 236.1 points per game. On top of that, the Over is 33-16 when Denver has played in games with totals of 220 to 229.5 over the last two years. It just seems like this number is a little too low for an offense that is absolutely clicking with Nikola Jokic pulling the strings. The Nuggets are finally healthy and seeing their offense at full strength is something.

TREND: We've identified an NBA trend for Denver's Aaron Gordon that's worth consideration. Gordon has scored more than 16.5 points in 15 of his last 22 appearances.

BET: Over 228 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Clippers vs. Nuggets Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Clippers vs. Nuggets

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! 

🔥 Grizzlies-Magic Under 232
🔥 Celtics-Mavs Over 231.5
🔥 Clippers-Nuggets Over 228

MORE: Today's NBA Betting Trends