Sports Illustrated's Peter Dewey breaks down his favorite bets for the NBA action on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Sunday’s NBA action features a massive eight game slate, giving bettors a ton of ways to bet on the action all afternoon, with the first game tipping off at 2:00 p.m. EST.Even with Nikola Jokic out of the lineup, I’m eyeing the Denver Nuggets as one of my favorite targets on Sunday, along with a total and a two-team parlay.
I’ll also have some player prop picks coming out later today on SI Betting for the day’s slate, but today’s Peter’s Points is all about the games!Denver Nuggets Moneyline vs. Brooklyn Nets There’s a chance that Denver gets both Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun back in the lineup on Sunday, as they’ve both been upgraded to questionable against Brooklyn. That’s a great sign for a Nuggets team that hung around without both players in a recent game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Denver is not nearly as good of a team with Nikola Jokic out, but Jamal Murray has played at an All-Star level this season and the Nuggets would benefit in a big way from Gordon and Braun returning. Meanwhile, the Nets have lost three games in a row, and they are just 4-13 straight up at home while going 6-10 against the spread when set as home underdogs.Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies OVER 240.5 The Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies combined for nearly 250 points in their meeting on Jan. 2, and I’m expecting another high-scoring affair on Sunday night. The Lakers are just 27th in the NBA in defensive rating over their last 10 games, and they’ve gone 21-11 to the OVER this season – the highest over percentage in the NBA. Meanwhile, Memphis ranks eighth in the NBA in pace, and could turn this game into a track meet on Sunday. The Grizzlies are slightly better defensively , but they’ve fallen into the bottom half of the league over their last 10 games. Overall, both of these teams are allowing around 117 points per game in the 2025-26 season. Given the Lakers’ recent defensive struggles, I think the OVER is a great bet on Sunday.Oklahoma City Thunder Moneyline vs. Phoenix SunsOklahoma City Thunder Moneyline vs. Phoenix Suns The Oklahoma City Thunder have two wins over the Phoenix Suns this season, one by four points and one by 49 points. While I’m not expecting a massive blowout on Sunday, I do think the Thunder are a great bet on the road. The Thunder are 8-8 against the spread as road favorites this season, but they’re posting an average scoring margin of +13.5 points in those games. While Phoenix was able to compete with OKC the first time these teams played, that was also in Jalen Williams’ first game back in the lineup. The Thunder have won four games in a row entering this matchup while the Suns have fallen to 16th in net rating over their last 10 games.Detroit Pistons +10.5 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers The first game of the day in the NBA features two Eastern Conference contenders, but I’m moving the spread six points to get the Detroit Pistons at +10.5. Detroit is down Jalen Duren and is an underdog in this game, but I think it can keep pace with a Cavs team that could be down Jarrett Allen and is an NBA-worst 12-24 against the spread this season. The Cavs only beat the Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets by five points in their last game, and they’ve covered the spread just six times in 20 tries as a home favorite. Detroit, on the other hand, is a perfect 3-0 against the spread as a road underdog and ranks No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating.Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.
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