NBA Betting Picks for Thursday 2/1/24: Will the Knicks Cover for the Eighth Straight Game?

The 82-game NBA regular season offers us a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. The Association features 1,230 regular season games, which can make sifting through the odds an overwhelming task.

However, various advanced statistics can help narrow the choices. numberFire's NBA power rankings and daily projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to winning big.

While utilizing some of the mentioned tools, which NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook look like the best bets today?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

NBA Best Bets

Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks

Knicks -3.0 (-112)

No team is rolling like the New York Knicks as they've won a league-best eight consecutive games. This has led to New York surging up the Eastern Conference standings as they currently hold the No. 3 seed and are only one game behind the No. 2 seed Milwaukee Bucks.

The Knicks play host to another potential playoff team -- the Indiana Pacers -- on Thursday. Indiana is starting to find their footing once again with a 3-1 record over the last four games, and Tyrese Haliburton returned from injury on Tuesday after missing five straight contests.

Even with the Pacers' recent play, I like New York's chances of coming up with another cover. During the winning streak, the Knicks are 7-1 against the spread (ATS), including seven straight covers. The defense has wrapped and suffocated opponents like a boa constrictor, limiting teams to only 99.3 points per game (PPG) and a 43.9% field goal percentage (FG%). They will need this elite defensive to continue against a Pacers offense that is first in offensive rating.

New York finding success on offense could be as easy as a slam dunk as Indiana has the fifth-worst defensive rating in the league. Attacking the rim could allow the Knicks to thrive as the Pacers give up the most points in the paint per game in the NBA. New York has also increased their production in the paint over the previous six games, totaling 59.3 PPG in the split, compared to their season average of 49.6.

The trick to covering the spread could be slowing Indiana's high-scoring offense. How can the Knicks accomplish this feat? Look no further than New York's interior defense and ability to slow the pace.

The Knicks allow the eighth-fewest points in the paint per game. Even with the frontcourt dealing with injuries -- including the absences of Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Julius Randle (shoulder) -- New York is still in good hands with Precious Achiuwa (107.3 defensive rating with the Knicks) and Isaiah Hartenstein (111.4 defensive rating).

Controlling the pace of play could be the even bigger key, with Indiana touting the second-quickest pace and attempting the second-most field goals per game. The Knicks give up the sixth-fewest shots per night thanks to the fourth-slowest pace of play in the Association. They have the best offensive rebounding percentage and ninth-best defensive percentage while the Pacers hold the seventh-worst defensive rebounding percentage.

With a big advantage on the boards, New York can ensure this is a slow-paced game, which plays right into their style of play. Indiana also has several key players who are questionable, including Haliburton (hamstring) and Bennedict Mathurin (toe). Give me the Knicks to stay hot and cover for the eighth consecutive contest.

Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics

Under 241.5 (-112)

While Thursdays in the NBA feature fewer games, TNT consistently delivers with intriguing primetime doubleheaders. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics renew perhaps the best rivalry in the NBA's rich history. However, this matchup lacks some luster due to the Lakers shaky play. LA owns a 5-5 record over the last 10, and the Celtics have separated themselves from the league with the top record in the NBA at 37-11.

Injuries for Los Angeles could cause this one to have a lopsided result as LeBron James (team-high 29.5% usage rate) and Anthony Davis (26.9% usage rate) are both questionable. Boston has been tabbed as 11.5-point favorites, which feels very reasonable if the Lakers are without their top two players.

With James and Davis looking uncertain, targeting the total could be the best bet, which we can utilize in FanDuel's No Sweat Same Game Parlay for an NBA game on TNT tonight. numberFire's game projections are leaning toward the under for the 241.5 total. Does this pick make sense? Should we back the under?

After digging into the stats, the answer is yes. Let's lay out the numbers.

First off, James (24.9 PPG) and Davis (24.9 PPG) are the Lakers' leading scorers; their potential absences should be taken into account and could lead to a low-scoring game.

Additionally, Boston has the 2nd-best defensive rating while L.A. has the 11th-worst offensive rating. The Lakers rely on attacking the paint, scoring the 3rd-most points per game in the painted area, but the Celtics give up the 11th-fewest paint points while touting the 4th-best mark in opponent two-point percentage.

Los Angeles could be forced to rely on D'Angelo Russell (17.1 PPG) and Austin Reaves (15.2 PPG) for more production if James and/or Davis are out. Boston features the best defensive backcourt in the league with Jrue Holiday (113.8 defensive rating) and Derrick White (110.3 defensive rating).

The Lakers' potential struggles on offense -- even if AD and James play -- is the biggest reason I'm picking the under.

Dive into the action with FanDuel Sportsbook's No Sweat Same Game Parlay for the upcoming Lakers vs Celtics and 76ers vs Jazz games on February 1st. See the promotions page for more information.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.