NBA Betting Tips 2024-25: Tuesday January 21st

The long and gruelling 2024-25 NBA regular season continues on Tuesday with an eight-game slate. There are a lot of early tip-offs scheduled this Tuesday, however, we’ve focused on the three later games on the slate, with the first of those getting underway from 9:00am AEDT. As always, we have you covered with three free game previews and best bets below. Good luck to everyone following!

Also, make sure to head over to our NBA Tips regularly, as we’ll be providing free tips for all the major slates for each and every week of the 2024-25 season!

NBA Betting Tips: Tuesday, January 21st 2025

Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors (9:00am AEDT)

The Celtics head to Golden State for a game that looks tilted in Boston’s favour. With a 29-13 record, the Celtics are sitting second in the East and have been fantastic on the road, boasting a 13-5 record—one of the best in the league. They’ve got a fully healthy roster and a solid mix of offence and defence that’s been hard for teams to handle this season. They’ll be looking to take advantage of a Warriors squad dealing with a lot of issues.

The Warriors, on the other hand, are 21-20 and struggling to find consistency. They’re 11th in the West and dealing with a heap of injuries. Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green are out, and Steph Curry is questionable. Without those key players, Golden State has had trouble keeping up on both ends of the floor. They’ll need to rely on their depth and home-court energy, but even that might not be enough against a Celtics team playing this well.

Boston should have the upper hand here. Their ability to dominate in the paint and on the boards could cause real problems for the shorthanded Warriors. Unless Golden State can get some big performances or find a way to slow Boston down, this one looks like it’ll go the Celtics’ way pretty comfortably.

Utah Jazz at New Orleans Pelicans (12:00pm AEDT)

The Jazz and Pelicans face off again in New Orleans, and if their last matchup is anything to go by, we’re in for another wild one. The Jazz are at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 10-30 record, firmly in tank mode this season. Their defence has been non-existent lately, and they’ve struggled to keep games competitive. With little to play for, Utah’s focus seems to be more on developing young players than winning games.

The Pelicans aren’t much better at 11-32, but their struggles have been more about injuries than effort. The good news for New Orleans is they’re starting to get healthy, and it’s showing in their results. They’ve won four of their last five games, including a 136-123 victory over the Jazz just a couple of days ago in the same building. That game was a shootout from start to finish, and it continued the trend of high-scoring games involving the Pelicans—they’ve now had five straight games with at least 232 points.

Given the recent history between these two teams and the Pelicans’ uptick in form, we can probably expect another fast-paced, offence-heavy game. The Jazz don’t have the defensive tools to keep up, while the Pelicans’ growing confidence and healthier roster give them the edge. This one should be fun to watch, and I’m expecting the overs to salute once again.

Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Clippers (2:30pm AEDT)

The Bulls head to Los Angeles in a tough spot, clinging to 10th place in the Eastern Conference with an 18-25 record. They’ve lost five straight, including four at home, and the team looks like it’s stuck in a rut. Trade rumours swirling around key players like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic might not be helping, as the Bulls seem out of sync and struggling to find consistency on either end of the floor. They’ll need something special to snap out of their funk here.

On the flip side, the Clippers are rolling. Sitting at 24-17 and fifth in the West, they’re hitting their stride with four straight wins, all by double digits. Their home form has been excellent lately, with six consecutive wins at the Intuit Dome to improve to 15-6 at home this season. That’s especially impressive considering they started the year 0-4 on their new home court. The Clippers’ balanced attack and improved defence have been key to their recent success, and they’ll look to keep that momentum going against a struggling Bulls team.

This matchup feels one-sided, with the Clippers in great form and the Bulls stuck in reverse. Unless Chicago can put together a complete performance and quiet the noise surrounding the team, the Clippers should cruise to another comfortable win.