A five-game NBA schedule highlights New Year’s Day’s 2025-26 NBA slate. Among the notable NBA odds include Rockets (-11.5) vs. Nets, Heat vs. Pistons (-5.5), 76ers (-2.5) vs. Mavericks, Celtics (-9.5) vs. Kings and Jazz vs. Clippers (-12.5). The Los Angeles Clippers will look to extend their winning streak to six games, while Dallas looks to snap a three-game losing skid.
What are the NBA best bets for New Year’s Day, and which combination of picks should you target in a New Year’s Day NBA parlay? Before locking in any NBA picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model enters Week 11 of the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 32-14 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has scoured the latest NBA odds and locked in three confident NBA best bets. If you successfully parlay its picks, you’d be looking at a payout of well over +600. You can only see the model’s NBA picks at SportsLine.
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Top NBA picks for Thursday, Jan. 1
After simulating every game 10,000 times, the model is backing the Clippers (-12.5) to cover the spread against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Clippers have won four of the last five meetings with the Jazz, although Utah posted a 129-108 win in their last meeting on Oct. 22. Utah is 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games, while Los Angeles is 7-3 ATS in its last 10. The Clippers have also won each of the last three games against the Jazz played in Los Angeles.
The Jazz will be without Georges Niang (foot), Ace Bailey (hip) and Jusuf Nurkic (foot), while the Clippers will be missing Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) and Ivica Zubac (ankle). The Jazz (15-18) are fifth in the Northwest Division, trailing first-place Oklahoma City by 16 games, and have lost six of the past 10 games. The Clippers (11-21), who are fourth in the Pacific, are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
The model is projecting four Jazz players to score 11.4 or more points, led by Lauri Markkanen, who is projected to score 24.1 points. The model also says five Clippers players will score 10.3 points or more, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 28.7 points. The model is also projecting that this game will be decided by double digits as Los Angeles covers in nearly 70% of simulations. See which other NBA parlay picks to make here.
How to make NBA predictions for Thursday, Jan. 1
The model also has locked in two more picks, including another bet that hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s NBA parlay at SportsLine.
What are the model’s top NBA parlay picks for Thursday, and which best bets should you target for a chance at a payout of well over +600? Visit SportsLine now to see NBA best bets from a model that’s returned more than $10,000 on top-rated picks, and find out.