At the onset of the week, the team with the best record in the NBA is the defending world champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder remains a heavy favorite to win the 2026 NBA championship. Most importantly, Oklahoma City has begun to reclaim some of the betting value it lost in late December and early January.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are quietly showing they can be an upstart team come playoff time. Denver is keeping its head above water while 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic recovers from a hyperextended left knee injury. The Nuggets are hopeful that Jokic will return at the end of January or early February. But they are exercising extreme caution to ensure their top asset can finish the job when he returns.
The Detroit Pistons remain the best team that nobody is paying attention to. The Pistons continue to lead the Eastern Conference standings, and yet fans and gamblers continue to ignore them. Head coach JB Bickerstaff has proven to be one of the best rebuilders in the NBA coaching ranks. Last year, Bickerstaff led the Pistons to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2019, improving Detroit’s record of 14-68 in 2023-24 to 44-38 last year. So far this season, the Pistons have the second-best record in the NBA.
Speaking of injuries to an MVP, 2-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with a right calf injury that could sideline him for 4-6 weeks, adding fuel to the NBA betting fire that the Greek Freak will be the biggest prize at the NBA trade deadline of February 5. The marquee man of the Milwaukee Bucks is reportedly frustrated with the losing. Despite his deep feelings for the franchise, would be open to an escape trade to a contending team.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Perhaps the worst is over for the Oklahoma City Thunder in terms of its betting value. To show, OKC covered four of its most recent six games, going over the total in seven of its last nine matchups. Oklahoma City stands at 37-9 straight up, 23-23 against the spread, and 24-22 over the Offshore betting total. Of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder with 32.3 points and 6.2 assists per contest. Last year, he was the NBA and NBA Finals MVP.
On January 27, the Thunder hosts the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET. Next, on January 29, Oklahoma City hits the road to play the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9:30 p.m. ET with coverage on Amazon Prime. And then on February 1, the Thunder end a 2-game road trip with a matchup against the Denver Nuggets at 9:30 p.m. ET and coverage on NBC.
Detroit Pistons
At the beginning of the week, the Detroit Pistons lead the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-11 and 23-19-1 against the NBA betting spread. Detroit leads the 2nd place Boston Celtics by five games in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Detroit covered the spread in five of its last nine games, with 11 of its most recent 12 games going under the total. Bickerstaff is engineering a well-balanced, full-court team. Overall, Detroit ranks 12th in the NBA for scoring offense, 5th for offensive rebounding, 2nd for fewest points allowed, and 4th for defensive rebounding.
Cade Cunningham leads the Pistons with 25.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. Cunningham was the first overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State. Including this season, he is a 2-time NBA All-Star. Cunningham is coming off the best season of his career and is in a position to top that performance this year. Also, Jalen Duren gives the Pistons a credible force at center. Duren is averaging 17.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Duren was the 13th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Memphis by the Charlotte Hornets.
The Pistons open a 3-game road trip on January 27 against the Denver Nuggets at 9 p.m. ET. Next is a January 29 matchup against the Phoenix Suns at 9 p.m. ET. On January 30, the road trip ends with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN. And then on February 1, the Pistons will host the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m. ET.