NBA Predictions, Picks, and Odds: Wednesday 31/01/24
Calendar icon Updated 31 Jan 08:29

NBA Predictions, Picks, and Odds: Wednesday 31/01/24

Kaleb Vanderhorst

Miami Heat vs. Sacramento Kings. Prediction, Odds

The Miami Heat will be looking to snap their losing streak, facing off against the Sacramento Kings at home on Wednesday. After taking seven straight L’s, they are more than desperate for a win at home.

However, the De’Aaron Fox-led Kings have been on fire over the last several games, putting down several decent teams, including the Dallas Mavericks. The duo of Fox and Domantas Sabonis has simply been too much for most teams to handle, especially with Sabonis averaging 13 rebounds and 7.9 assists a night.

On the other hand, most of Miami’s players have been playing well under their season averages over the last couple of weeks. Bam Adebayo is only averaging 15 points over the last five games, and Jimmy Butler isn’t picking up any slack with 20.2ppg over the same stretch.

Adding insult to injury, Miami’s leading scorer, Tyler Herro, is likely out for the NBA game against the Kings with an illness. The odds really seem to be stacked against the Heat.

There’s a decent chance Sacramento will come out of the gate swinging and potentially get a lead, and if they do, there’s a good chance they hold it for the rest of the game. Miami’s scoring just isn’t potent enough to get them out of a hole at this point in the season, with an atrocious offensive rating of 113.7.

That’s all to say, we have to give an edge to the Sacramento Kings going into this one. The Miami Heat just don’t look like the team they were just a couple of months ago – they seem sluggish and aren’t scoring at the same pace.

Brooklyn Nets vs Phoenix Suns. Prediction and Betting Tip

The Brooklyn Nets host the Phoenix Suns in the Barclays Center in what could potentially turn into a one-sided clinic. Brooklyn has won just three of its last ten matches, while the Suns have won eight of their last ten, only losing to the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers.

The raw scoring talent between Devin Booker and Kevin Durant has been too much for most teams around the league, especially with the duo dropping 28.3 and 28.4 points a night, respectively.

The only real issue the Suns have run into this year is on the defensive side of the ball, where they just don’t have any real stoppers. The big man, Jusuf Nurkić, simply isn’t a shot blocker, and Durant can’t pick up the slack, at least so far.

It also doesn’t help that Devin Booker is kind of a liability on defence – even to this day, inside and out, the Sun’s defence is just weak at 16th in the league.

Unfortunately for Nets fans, your defence isn’t any better, and your offence is substantially slower, especially in the half-court. The Nets ORTG is 16th in the NBA, while its defensive rating is 18th.

The Nets are also going to find themselves in a tough spot in terms of mismatches, as Brooklyn has nobody to lock down the perimeter. If you stick Mikal Bridges on Booker, Durant will light you up, and if you stick him on Durant, Booker will do the same – it’s a lose-lose.

With all of that considered, we have to give an edge to the Phoenix Suns coming into Wednesday’s game. Don’t get us wrong, Brooklyn will likely put up a decent fight, especially considering they are coming off a 2-game win streak, but the Suns are simply a better team.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets. Prediction and Betting Tip

While bookmakers may be giving the edge to the Oklahoma City Thunder coming into their match with the Denver Nuggets, if Nikola Jokić plays, it’ll be a different story. Denver Nuggets fans just need to hope that his lower back strain is okay for Wednesday.

Coming fresh off two back-to-back wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, the Denver Nuggets have proven they are still a real contending team.

That’s not to say the Young OKC roster hasn’t been fantastic this year, especially Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been averaging 32.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.6 rebounds for five games. 

However, over the last several games, the rookie Chet Holmgren’s stats have been slightly down across the board, and he would still struggle to slow down the big Serbian. If the NBA’s best inside defenders can’t slow down Jokić, the slimly built rookie will also have a rough time.

Jamal Murray will undoubtedly also have a rough time sticking to the shifty SGA, but the Canadian is a decent defender and should be able to at least slow him down. He may not be an athletic monster, but his lateral movement is strong.

All in all, if Nikola Jokić manages to make it to the game, it’ll likely go in Denver’s favour, however, without the big man, the Nuggets might be in hot water. It’s just that so much of Denver’s offence goes directly through Jokić, or at least uses his presence to create space.

As things stand now, we’re leaning in the direction of the Denver Nuggets, but the game is sure to be a real back-and-forth slugfest.

Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting. 

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