Best NBA Betting Lines January 18: Timberwolves Cover the Short Number; Detroit Severely Outmatched vs Warriors

There are only two NBA games to choose from tonight as Tuesday gets sandwiched between a mega Monday and wild Wednesday of professional hoops action.

Minnesota travels to New York, while the Warriors host the Pistons. They might not be Lakers-Celtics, but basketball is basketball – especially if you’re a bettor and can find a good NBA line. We like these two: 

Minnesota @ New York

The Bet: Timberwolves -1 (-110, FanDuel)

These teams last met at the end of December when the Knicks traveled to Minnesota and won 96-88 as five-point favorites. But the Wolves were without both Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards in that game, and since then, Minnesota has gone 6-3 ATS and 5-2 ATS on the road. 

The Knicks are the only team of the four playing tonight that also suited up last night. (They lost by ten to Charlotte as 2.5-point favorites.) On the season, they’re 5-6 ATS when they have less rest than their opponents. They’re also just 10-13 in MSG against the spread on the season. 

Minnesota’s 13-8 season-long ATS mark on the road should improve to 14-8 when they cover this short number against an improved but still fallible Knicks team.

Detroit @ Golden State

The Bet: Warriors -14.5 (-110, Fox Bet)

It’s been feast or famine for the Pistons over the last two weeks. They’ve won five games since January 1, which doubled their total for the entire season. But they’ve lost four games, and their average losing margin across them is a breathtaking 33 points. They either win outright or get obliterated. 

The Warriors have not been very good lately. Steph Curry is in the midst of one of the worst shooting slumps of his career, and Klay Thompson isn’t quite at full strength following his return after two years away with leg injuries. They’re only 2-6 ATS in their last eight games, which means we’re getting them on a slight discount vs. their normal market value, and that’s enough to get back on them against this Detroit team, which should find itself severely outmatched on both sides of the ball. Take Golden State, who’s 14-6-1 ATS at home this year.