Is this the week that LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer? The answer now is likely no because LeBron will get Monday night’s game at the Brooklyn Nets off as will Anthony Davis. Thus, James is likely to break it at some point next week with the first most likely chance on Tuesday, Feb. 7 vs. Oklahoma City. Here are two intriguing games early this week. Check back for NBA odds.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week (January 30th, 2023)

The updated NBA standings after Sunday's action!

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Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks

• When: Monday, January 30, 2023, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• TV: BSSW-DAL, BSDET
• Radio: 590 The Fan (Pistons) // 97.1 The Eagle KEGL (Mavericks)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Pistons (8.5) // Mavericks (-8.5)

It’s an 8:30 PM ET tip and the big question is whether Mavericks star Luka Doncic will play – obviously, that will have a huge effect on the spread. Doncic did not play in Saturday’s loss to the Jazz with an ankle injury, with the Mavericks dropping to 0-6 on the season when their MVP candidate doesn’t play on the year. Doncic is in the middle of his best season with averages of 33.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.

In six career games against Detroit, Doncic is averaging 32.8 points (.488 FG%, .403 3FG%), his highest career scoring average against any team, to go along with 8.3 rebounds and 10.5 assists. He has recorded at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in all 6 of those games and the Mavericks have gone 5-1 in those contests.

Doncic had 41 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in just 33:39 against the Pistons in Mexico City on Dec. 12, 2019, becoming the first player to record a triple-double in a regular-season game played in Mexico City while setting a new individual scoring record for a game played there. The 33:39 logged by Doncic were the second-fewest minutes needed to record a 40-point triple-double in the past 35 seasons.

Dallas for sure will be without starting center Christian Wood again as he deals with a left thumb fracture. Wood spent the 2019-20 campaign with Detroit and averaged 13.1 points (.567 FG%, .386 3FG%, .744 FT%), 6.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 blocks and 21.4 minutes in 62 games (12 starts) with the club.

The Pistons aren’t very good but lead the NBA in free throws attempted per game at 27.2. They lead the NBA in attempts and makes (21.1), the most attempts (28.5) and makes (22.6) by any NBA team since the 2018-19 Clippers. Bojan Bogdanovic leads the team with 4.6 makes in 5.3 attempts from the line.

Isaiah Stewart scored 19 points with 14 rebounds in his last game against Dallas (4/6/22), his only time reaching such minimums in a game in his career. He is averaging 17.6 points and 13 rebounds over his last four games against the Mavericks.

Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak against Dallas with a 131-125 overtime win at home on Dec. 1. During their five-game win streak against the Pistons (2019-20 to 2021-22), the Mavericks won each of those games by double digits and an average margin of 15.8 points. Dallas will look to make it 23-of-24 season series with at least a split against Detroit by prevailing in the final meeting at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks have taken each of the last four showdowns in Dallas.

NBA Betting Pick: Pistons

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets

• When: Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 10:00 PM ET
• Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
• TV: TNT
• Radio: WRNO 99.5 FM (Pelicans) // Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM (Nuggets)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: TBA

Potential Western Conference playoff preview at 10 PM ET on TNT. New Orleans doesn’t look like a playoff team right now, though, as it has lost eight in a row and badly misses star Zion Williamson, who probably won’t return to the lineup before the All-Star break.

After missing the entire 2021-22 NBA season due to a foot injury, injuries have continued to mar his anticipated dominant comeback this year. The 22-year-old sat out multiple games early this season because of a nagging foot injury and then was again sidelined in December after being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Williamson has since been out since Jan. 4 after suffering a hamstring injury. He was named an All-Star starter but probably won’t play in that game.

On Sunday, the Pels rested fellow starters Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum but only as it was the second of a back-to-back. Both should play Tuesday. McCollum is shooting 38.8% from three-point range, which is ranked 6th in the NBA (min 7.5 3PA per game). Ingram recently returned after missing 29 consecutive games due to injury. He is one of seven NBA players to average 20.0-plus points per game and shooting at least 40.0% from three-point range.

Denver is on a rare two-game skid after falling 126-119 in Philadelphia on Saturday in a great game and potential NBA Finals preview. MVP favorite Nikola Jokic had 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The two-time MVP had missed three of the prior four games due to hamstring trouble. Jokic saw his triple-double streak end at four.

Jamal Murray had 22 points in the loss and has scored 16+ points in 12 straight games, his longest streak of the season and the second longest of his career. His key number is 25: The Nuggets are -1 this season when he records 25+ points.

These teams have split two meetings this season in New Orleans. They played there last Tuesday and Denver won 99-98. Jokic capped a 25-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist performance with a go-ahead floater in the paint with 16.9 seconds left. Murray scored 25 points for the Nuggets, who led for nearly the entire game and by as many as 19 points before New Orleans stormed back in the fourth quarter to take its only lead of the second half at 98-97 with 36.9 seconds left.

NBA Betting Pick: Nuggets

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READ MORE: Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – February 6th, 2023