{"id":416452,"date":"2026-01-16T08:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T08:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/416452\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T08:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T08:10:14","slug":"nba-pickem-today-jan-15-expert-picks-for-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/416452\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Pick’em Today (Jan 15): Expert Picks for Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thursday is a great NBA slate to fire up some pick’em contests, and RotoWire’s JP Aravena is here to deliver expert advice and leans.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"NBA<\/p>\n

NBA Pick’Em players on Sleeper, Underdog and PrizePicks can gain an edge by leaning on reliable\u00a0NBA projections<\/a>, updated\u00a0NBA injury reports<\/a>\u00a0and accurate\u00a0NBA starting lineups<\/a>\u00a0for today’s slate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether you’re tracking\u00a0fantasy basketball rankings<\/a>, consulting a\u00a0fantasy basketball cheat sheet<\/a>\u00a0or checking\u00a0NBA depth charts<\/a>, today’s matchups offer plenty of actionable angles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using tools like an\u00a0NBA lineup optimizer<\/a>, NBA player projections and the\u00a0latest fantasy basketball news<\/a>\u00a0can help shape smarter picks. As always, staying aware of\u00a0NBA rumors<\/a>, sleepers and breaking NBA news is key when evaluating today’s props.<\/p>\n

Get The RotoWire Picks App: Search “RotoWire Picks” on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.<\/p>\n

NBA Pick’Em Today (Thursday, Jan. 15)Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers: LaMelo Ball<\/a> over 26.5 points + assists, Underdog, 1 PM CT<\/p>\n

Ball is coming off a 25-point, five-assist performance in the loss to the Clippers on Monday, Jan. 12, and he’s been trending in the right direction of late. He has posted more than 26.5 points + assists in two of his last three contests, but he would’ve easily hit that mark again in the 150-95 blowout win over the Jazz on Saturday had he played more than 23 minutes. Ball is averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game over his last 10 contests, and while he’ll deal with a tough matchup in Luka Doncic<\/a> and the Lakers, Ball is likely to hover around this line easily as the Hornets’ main playmaking and scoring weapon. Ball is also averaging 19.8 points and 7.6 assists per game playing on the road, which should boost his chances of hitting this line, too.<\/p>\n

Phoenix Suns vs. Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham<\/a> over 31.5 points + rebounds, PrizePicks, 1 PM CT<\/p>\n

Cunningham is the Pistons’ leading scoring threat, and with a usage rate of 30.1, a top-20 mark in the league, he could easily reach the 25-point or even the 30-point mark with ease. Cunningham has missed the last two Detroit games due to a wrist injury but will be back Thursday and shouldn’t have issues hitting this line of 31.5 points + rebounds. Cunningham has recorded at least 32 P+R in each of his last six games and is averaging 25.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 1.7 steals per contest over his last 10 outings. Cunningham isn’t expected to have restrictions in this match, and given that the matchup against the Suns is favorable, Cunningham’s chances of hitting this line are pretty high on paper.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks vs. Portland Trail Blazers: CJ McCollum<\/a> over 2.5 assists, Sleeper, 1 PM CT<\/p>\n

McCollum has played just two games for the Hawks since he was acquired via trade in a move that sent Trae Young<\/a> (quadriceps) to the Wizards. McCollum has featured off the bench in both contests but has posted solid numbers — 12 points and four assists in a win over the Warriors on Jan. 11 and a 25-point, three-assist outing against the Lakers on Jan. 13. McCollum should continue to play off the bench for the Hawks until further notice, but he’s likely to continue seeing decent minutes and having a steady role in the playmaking department. Dating back to Dec. 1, which includes his tenure with Washington, McCollum has dished out three or more assists in 17 or 19 assists while averaging 3.9 dimes per game in that stretch. Don’t be surprised if McCollum hits that line once again.<\/p>\n

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including \u2013 but not limited to \u2013 games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thursday is a great NBA slate to fire up some pick’em contests, and RotoWire’s JP Aravena is here…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-416452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}