Best NBA Betting Lines January 9: Raptors and Timberwolves Cover; Blazers Are the Home Dogs

LeBron and Ja. The biggest name in basketball takes on one of the hottest young players in the league tonight as the Lakers host Memphis in arguably the most exciting contest of Sunday night.

In other action, the red hot Raptors host New Orleans. Cleveland battles Golden State in a rematch of the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018. And Kevin Durant and the Nets face off with Dejounte Murray and the Spurs.

It’s a ten-game card in all, and if you’re looking to place a few wagers consider these three spreads tonight:

New Orleans @ Toronto

The Bet: Raptors -7.5 (-110. FanDuel)

Death, taxes, and the Raptors covering January 2022 spreads. Toronto is coming into this game against New Orleans scorching hot. Ever since the team’s highest impact players – notably Fred VanVleet – returned from the health and safety protocols, they haven’t lost a game or failed to cover. It’s five straight-up Ws in a row, and ATS, the Raptors are working on six straight and 12-2 in their last 14. They’ve also won their last three home games by at least 14 points each.

New Orleans scored a nice home win against Golden State on Thursday, but that was their only cover in their last four, and on the year, they’re just 6-14 ATS, while as home favorites, Toronto is 10-6 ATS this year. Lay the points.

Minnesota @ Houston

The Bet: Timberwolves -5.5 (-110. Bet MGM)

Fading Houston has become another very profitable trend, as they’ve failed to cover in 11 of their last 13 games. In fact, outside of their two straight-up wins over that span (against Detroit and Washington), the Rockets haven’t lost a game by fewer than nine points. They aren’t keeping games close at the moment, and there’s no reason to assume they will in this one.

Minnesota has won three straight, and they’ve covered in ten of their last 13 games. On the road, the T-Wolves are 12-6 ATS, and they’re 2-1 ATS as a road favorite this season. They also beat Houston earlier this season by 18 points (as a 6.5-point favorite). They should torch the Rockets tonight. 

Sacramento @ Portland

The Bet: Blazers +2 (-110, Caesars)

It’s sort of the worst of times for both of these franchises. Portland has been without its big two – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum – for much of the last month. Sacramento has struggled to find ways to integrate its two best guards – De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton – for much of this season, and now both find themselves the subject of trade rumors. 

Ultimately, Sacramento isn’t good enough to be a road favorite against almost any team. They’ve lost and failed to cover in three straight, and they’re 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games. On the road, the Kings are 7-11 ATS, and while Portland hasn’t covered a ton of games this year, they’re much more reliable at home (10-13 ATS) than they are on the road, and they’ve covered (and won outright) in their last two home games vs. sub-.500 teams, like the Kings. Take the home dogs.