Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NBA Best Bets Today- Our Top Picks for Monday, January 5

Our best bets for today, Monday, January 5, 2026.

Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The week starts off with a busy eight game NBA slate, featuring some exciting matchups like the Pistons visiting New York to lock horns with the Knicks, while Oklahoma City being hosts to the Charlotte Hornets. The day also features face-offs between Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets against the Philadelphia 76ers. The day looks good but injuries and form play a crucial role in creating edges for some teams.

Rather than breaking down every game, we have picked our NBA Best bets today- which consist of a few spreads. These are the plays we would prioritize while looking for only a couple of spots to bet upon on tonight’s card.

In case of a full game preview, we suggest you head over to our NBA picks and predictions page. Otherwise, you can scroll down for our favorite NBA best bets of the day and a quick breakdown of each play, driven by stats, information and the latest injury updates.

Our NBA Best Picks of the Day

Tag	Game	Market and Line	Odds and Book
Best Bet	Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks	Under 234.5 (total)	-110 at FanDuel
Play #2	OKC Thunder vs Charlotte Hornets	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 Points (player prop)	-104 at FanDuel
Play #3	LA Clippers vs Golden State Warriors	Stephen Curry Over 4.5 Threes (Payer Prop)	-112 at FanDuel

Odds from FanDuel, accurate as of Monday, January 5, 2026 at 8:01 am ET. Lines may move throughout the day.

Game 1- Best Bet: Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks Under 234.5

Pick Type	Market	Odds and Book
Best Bet	Under 235.5 points (total)	-110 at FanDuel

Both the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks play games with a defensive front. The Pistons are seeded fifth in points allowed while the Knicks have occupied themselves the 12th position. In addition to it, both teams have maintained decent defensive ratings, the Pistons sitting amongst the top, while New York somewhere in the middle.

Considering their elite defense, the overall total at 235.5 looks high for this defense-powered matchup. In addition to it, the top two teams in the East play slow.

We think the under 235.5 points total is a safe bet for the Pistons vs Knicks on Monday.

Game 2- Play 2: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 Points vs Charlotte Hornets

Pick Type	Market	Odds and Book
Play #2	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 Points (player prop)	-110 at FanDuel

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the 2025-26 season as an MVP and a historic campaign the last season, and has maintained his form. He is the second-leading scorer in the league, dropping over 32 points per game, and converting 56.1% of his field goals and 42.5% of the three-pointers. Though he was restricted to 25 points against the Phoenix Suns in the last game, SGA’s average goes up to 31.9 points at home.

The Hornets, on the flip side, sit amongst the bottom ten teams in points allowed, highlighting their defensive struggles.

This line is accurate for him considering his recent setback but overall form and home dominance.

We like SGA to score over 32 points against the Hornets.

Game 3: Play #3: Stephen Curry Over 4.5 Threes vs LA Clippers

Pick Type	Market	Odds and Book
Play #3	Stephen Curry Over 4.5 Threes (Payer Prop)	-112 at FanDuel

Stephen Curry, the leading Golden State Warriors scorer, is scoring 28.8 points per game, while shooting 39.8% from the deep. The average goes up to 40.8% on the road. The Clippers struggle defensively, and Curry has been dropping five threes or more since the last three games.

The line is accurate for him considering his streak and we would like Curry to exceed over 4.5 threes tonight.

How We Are Betting Tonight’s NBA Slate

Elite defense of the Detroit Pistons and the Oklahoma City Thunder keeps the under low and projecting a tight clash. High usage players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry stand out. We are targeting value in total and props where injuries or form creates edges.