After a light Tuesday night of NBA action (six games), the stars are all set to come out on Wednesday, with an insane 12 pro basketball games hitting the schedule.

We used a six-game NBA slate to our advantage, going 4-2 with our NBA picks despite the Lakers and Blazers shocking us with home wins. It could be a lot more difficult to hide from the bad picks tonight, as this is a daunting lineup with at least eight of the games sporting spreads of 9-points or lower.

Let’s dive in to see which way we’ll want to be guiding our NBA bets tonight:

No gimme win is a sure thing for the Cavs anymore, as they’ve dropped four of their last six games and just got done losing to a bad Mavs team in Dallas. The good news, of course, is LeBron James and co. will be at home tonight, where they’re an elite 21-5 on the year.

There’s bad news, however. Big man Kevin Love (back) has lingering effects from back spasms that kept him out of his last game and he won’t be able to take the floor tonight:

#Cavs Kevin Love's MRI reveals no structural damage; will miss Wednesday's game against Minnesota https://t.co/r1kY57kiwY

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) January 31, 2023

Love’s absence sapped Cleveland’s offense in Dallas, but considering how well they play at home, it’s possible they won’t feel the loss as much tonight. Then again, Minnesota has been playing well (7-3 over their last 10 games) and has a beast down low in Karl-Anthony Towns that the Cavs probably don’t have an answer for. It will also be interesting to see how much revenge former Cavs #1 pick Andrew Wiggins feels like dishing out in this one.

Cleveland is lost right now and down a key player, so even though we like them to get the win, we can see this game being tight until the end. Look for the Timberwolves to beat the spread.

Thee second game of this mammoth-sized 12-game slate goes down in Orlando, where the Magic host the Pacers. Paul George has been absolutely on fire with four consecutive 30+ point efforts, while the Pacers have been in rare form by winning three straight and six of their last 10 games.

Indiana has noted struggles on the road this year (7-16 away from home), but they’re the easy favorite as they prepare to face an Orlando team that is just 8-15 at the Amway Center and 3-7 over their last 10 games.

The Magic are getting healthier with star shooting guard Evan Fournier returning to action last game, but have really not fared well in this series (Pacers have won 9 of the last 10 games) and don’t seem to be in a groove. Orlando could be a sneaky upset bid due to Indiana’s poor road record, but overall, the Pacers are probably too hot to deny right now.

Having fallen behind the Celtics in the race for the Atlantic Division, the Raptors are suddenly in a weird spot as they head to TD Garden. This could be a must-win game for the Raptors, one in which they’ll unfortunately have to try to win without star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan:

DeRozan out two games at least

— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) January 31, 2023

Toronto’s star scorer returned after a lengthy absence due to an ankle issue, but was immediately ruled out for his next two games. Now the Raptors are in a tough spot, as they need to take down the Celtics on the road.

Taking down Boston anywhere seems impossible right now, as Isaiah Thomas is ablaze and Boston is following suit during a four-game winning streak. Add in Boston’s home record (16-8), and this thing looks even dicier.

As bad as it looks on paper, Toronto still feels like the play here. Not only is this a massive game, but the Celtics are also down a key player (Avery Bradley) and Toronto has dominated this series (won 5 of the last 6 meetings). Look for a huge game out of Kyle Lowry as the Raptors step up and take back the division.

We get a battle of elite bigs in Detroit tonight, as Anthony Davis leads his Pelicans up against Andre Drummond and the Pistons. Detroit enters as the solid favorite due to a 12-10 home record, but the Pistons are going to be tough to back thanks to a three-game skid and a weak 4-6 record over their last 10 showings.

New Orleans isn’t a whole lot more reliable when they go out on the road (just 6-16), while they’ve slid recently with two straight losses and a shaky 4-6 run of their own. The silver lining, of course, is the Pels have owned this matchup, nabbing wins in six straight meetings.

That run could end tonight, as neither side is overly reliable and the home/road splits lean towards a Pistons win. Detroit tends to stiffen up defensively on their home floor and they do have the length and strength to give The Brow some issues. Look for the Pels to keep things interesting and beat the spread, but we like the Pistons to get the win.

Miami’s current 8-game winning streak boggles the mind, as Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters continue to carry a scorching hot Heat squad closer to a playoff spot. As amazing as the Heat have been, however, their hot run has to end eventually and this date with the Hawks feels as good a time as any.

Atlanta has looked pretty strong lately, themselves, as they’ve registered wins in 6 of their last 10 games and are also a respectable 14-10 on the road. Atlanta has a distinct matchup advantage, as well, as Dwight Howard can eliminate Hassan Whiteside down low and the Heat don’t really have anyone that can stop Paul Millsap.

On the flip side, the Hawks have the perimeter defense to potentially slow down Waiters and the returned Tyler Johnson. Needless to say, it may take a courageous effort from Goran Dragic to extend Miami’s hot run to nine straight wins. The matchup doesn’t look appealing on paper, while Atlanta is 2-0 in this year’s series already. Don’t be shocked if they get to 3-0 and snap Miami’s awesome winning streak tonight.

Carmelo Anthony leads a depleted Knicks team into Brooklyn tonight, as the Nets play host at the Barclays Center. This isn’t an ideal spot for New York, as they could be tired after playing (and losing) last night and could again be without star scorers, Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis.

The Knicks have been an impossible team to gauge this year, as they’re terrible (8-18) on the road and currently continue their struggles in the midst of a 3-7 run. Brooklyn isn’t a great opponent on paper, but the Nets actually play their best ball at home (7 of their 9 wins have come on their home floor) and they should be at close to full strength with Brook Lopez and Trevor Booker likely to suit up.

Playing the Nets in Brooklyn is always dangerous, but this is a game the Knicks can’t afford to lose. Chances are they get one of Rose/Zinger back and they run through a Nets team that is among the worst defensively in the NBA. The game should be high-scoring and will likely stay close, but we tentatively like the Knicks here.

The Philadelphia 76ers have slowed down a bit since a torrid run earlier this month, but T.J. McConnell and co. are still steady as they go, winning 6 of their last 10 games. The Sixers are considerable underdogs on the road against a weak Mavs team despite that fact, which could make them one of the more appealing NBA upset picks tonight.

Dallas can’t be ignored as the favorite, of course. The Mavs do have two massive wins over the Spurs and Cavs recently, and are really cooking lately (7-3 in their last 10 games). The weird thing, however, is how banged up they are while they’re winning. Deron Williams, J.J. Barea, Wesley Matthews, Andrew Bogut and Dirk Nowitzki have been in and out of the lineup, forcing the likes of Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry to step up with huge efforts.

It’s worked so far and Vegas like the Mavs’ chances to keep the ball rolling tonight. The main reason has to be hinging on the status of Sixers stud center Joel Embiid (knee), who sat out of Monday’s game and has missed five of his last six games.

Embiid starting would give the Sixers a serious boost as a nice upset play, but for now we’re rolling with Dallas. The Mavs are hot, they’re at home and they’ve taken seven straight in this series. Expect a close game, but Dallas should win.

Denver’s chances against the Grizzlies tonight likely hinge to the status of star center Nikola Jokic, who has been missing time lately with a hip ailment. Jokic hasn’t been ruled out yet, but even if he suits up he could be at less than 100% in a bad matchup with Marc Gasol.

The Nuggets have actually been good lately, but they could be tired after a bad loss to the Lakers last night and Memphis isn’t a good matchup for them on paper. The Grizzlies come in as winners of two straight and could be licking their chops toward a matchup they’ve dominated (won 6 of the last 7 meetings).

The Nuggets don’t have the defense to contain Mike Conley or Marc Gasol and their offense won’t be nearly as explosive without Jokic down low. Even if he suits up, we’ll take our chances with the Grizz on the road.

We could finally see a full game out of Blake Griffin tonight, as the Clipper stud big man has been limited in his first two games back. Griffin will be roaring to go after seeing his team get waxed by the Warriors their last time out and this date with the Suns is one where we could see Griffin and co. absolutely feast.

Phoenix does bring a serious bite offensively (averaging over 106 points per game) and it’s unlikely the Clips have much of an answer for Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe, but their defense lends favorable odds to L.A. in this spot. On top of that, the Suns are just 8-15 on their home floor and haven’t been in winning form recently (four straight losses). They’ve also struggled historically against the Clippers, losing 11 of the last 13 meetings.

Los Angeles is still without Chris Paul and they’re in a mini-slide with two straight losses, but this is a terrific spot for them to bounce back and get a big win.

The Bucks have a tough task on their hands tonight, as they try to take down the Jazz in Utah. Milwaukee has fallen apart across the board lately, as they’ve dropped three in a row and are just 2-8 over their last 10 games. Jabari Parker has become less reliable than he was earlier in the year and the Bucks’ lack of shooting is starting to show up.

None of that bodes well for them tonight, as they’ll put a shaky 8-14 road record on the line against a very good Utah team. The Jazz are elite at home (17-9) and maintain their lead atop the Northwest Division due to stingy defense and a balanced offense.

Milwaukee’s lone shot here is a huge game out of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it could be hard for him to find easy buckets with defensive ace Rudy Gobert roaming Utah’s paint. This is just a bad spot all around for the Bucks, who have dropped four straight in this series and simply are not playing their best basketball.

Dwyane Wade and co. gathered together to get a win in their last game, but serious questions remain for a fractured Bulls team. Chicago really doesn’t have good shooting or impressive talent beyond their top two players, so a schism promises to see things unravel quickly.

It feels like that’s already happened, but the Bulls remain in the playoff picture and aren’t awful (5-5) over their last 10 contests. They’ll have a tall order on their hands tonight, of course, as they’ll be on the road against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.

OKC is still shorthanded without big man Enes Kanter (arm), but they tend to be on top of things (16-6) at home and did win the previous meeting this year. With Andre Roberson shadowing Jimmy Butler and Chicago tending to struggle (9-14) on the road, this doesn’t look like a great spot to confide in the Bulls.

Kemba Walker leads his Hornets into the Oracle Arena tonight, as Charlotte and Golden State battle for the second time since January 25th. The Dubs won that game in Charlotte fairly easily (113-103) and are in a good spot to pull off the season series sweep.

The only issue at all for the Dubs is the iffy status of star point guard Stephen Curry (flu), who is yet to be declared active for this game. Due to the late start time, we may have to avoid betting on this game or at least assuming Curry is out or limited.

For what it’s worth, it does sound like he’ll be okay to play:

Steph Curry's back at practice looking no worse for wear. Stomach flu has apparently passed.

— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) January 31, 2023

That could still shrink this spread for the Hornets, even though they played last night and will probably be tired. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would also likely be plenty to get the Dubs the win, especially when you look at Charlotte’s shaky 8-16 road record, as well as their record lately in this series (lost 5 straight).

We’d prefer to know a healthy Curry will be on tap, but he probably ends up suiting up and we like the Dubs, regardless.