{"id":2635,"date":"2026-01-17T04:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/todays-top-games-to-watch-cavaliers-at-76ers-timberwolves-at-rockets-and-more\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T11:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T03:45:07","slug":"todays-top-games-to-watch-cavaliers-at-76ers-timberwolves-at-rockets-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/todays-top-games-to-watch-cavaliers-at-76ers-timberwolves-at-rockets-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Today’s top games to watch: Cavaliers at 76ers, Timberwolves at Rockets and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

What is the best thing going to the Houston Rockets right now? The Houston Texans.<\/p>\n

Because if the Texans weren’t in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, there would be a lot of attention in H-town on the Rockets and their recent miserable stretch. Houston, which entered the season as the favorite to dethrone the NBA champion Thunder after the team added Kevin Durant in the offseason, has lost five of its last seven games, including losses to the Mavericks and Kings. The team dropped to sixth place in the Western Conference standings.<\/p>\n

The Rockets could not find the Gulf from Galveston. Over the last seven games they shot just 41.0% from the field, which is last in the league at the time. In comparison, the Nuggets shot just 41.3% on 3-pointers during the same period.<\/p>\n

And on Friday night, Houston will play the second half of a back-to-back, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, at the Toyota Center in Houston. On Thursday, the Rockets shot just 33.7% in a 111-109 loss at Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

Houston is a 4.5-point favorite over Minnesota.<\/p>\n

While Rocket vs. The Timberwolves are the marquee attraction on Friday, and there are other options in the sports arena that include five more NBA matchups and a seven-game college basketball schedule. Below is a summary of what to watch and bet on Friday, Jan. 16. All Eastern times.<\/em><\/p>\n

The best NBA betting, where to watch<\/h2>\n

The Cavaliers are the 76ers<\/h3>\n

Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m Location: <\/strong>Philadelphia | TV:<\/strong> ESPN | Broadcast: <\/strong>Fubo (Try it for free)<\/p>\n

SportsLine Selection — Model: <\/strong>Cavaliers +2.5 | Expert:<\/strong> 76ers -126 (Matt Severance)<\/p>\n

The Cleveland Cavaliers (23-19) and the Philadelphia 76ers (22-17) play the second half of a baseball-style series at Xfinity Mobile Arena. On Wednesday, the Cavaliers beat the 76ers 133-107, but Cleveland guard Darius Garland, who scored 20 points, left the game with a foot injury and was ruled out Friday night. SportsLine’s Matt Severance notes that the team that loses the first game of this baseball-style series usually has a chance in the second game. “I expect a big response tonight from the home side,” he said. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, says the Cavaliers have a 67.0% chance of shutout and gives a ‘B’ grade to Cleveland +2.5. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/sportsline-free-expert-pick><\/p>\n

Timberwolves at Rockets<\/h3>\n

Time:<\/strong> 9:30 p.m Location: <\/strong>Houston | TV:<\/strong> ESPN | Broadcast: <\/strong>Fubo (Try it for free)<\/p>\n

SportsLine Selection — Model: <\/strong>Rockets -4.5<\/p>\n

Despite Houston’s shooting woes, the Rockets are still favored over the Timberwolves (27-14). The main reason is that Anthony Edwards has already been ruled out for the second straight game with a right foot injury. Edwards leads the team in scoring (28.9 points per game) while also averaging 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists. His pressure on the ball also fuels Minnesota’s defense, which ranks eighth in the league (112.4 points per 100 possessions). The SportsLine Projection Model says there is a 67.0% chance Houston closes and gives the Rockets a ‘B’ grade of -4.5.<\/p>\n

The best bets for college basketball, where to watch<\/h2>\n

Baylor in Kansas<\/h3>\n

Time:<\/strong> 8 p.m Location: <\/strong>Lawrence, Kan. | TV:<\/strong> FOX | Broadcast: <\/strong>Fubo (Try it for free)<\/p>\n

SportsLine Selection — Model: <\/strong>Kansas -7.5<\/p>\n

The Kansas Jayhawks (12-5, 2-2 in the Big 12) have been up and down all season while dealing with No. 1 overall pick Darryn Peterson on and off the roster. But Tuesday’s 84-63 blowout of No. 2 and previously unbeaten Iowa State showed what the Jayhawks can accomplish this season if they continue to learn how to play alone and if Peterson stays in the lineup. Kansas ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense (38.3%) and is 20-1 all-time against Baylor at Allen Fieldhouse. The Bears (11-1, 1-3) are coming off a 94-79 victory at Oklahoma State, which ended a three-game losing streak. The SportsLine Projection Model says there is a 59.0% chance the Jayhawks cover and assigns a ‘B’ grade to Kansas -7.5.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/h2>\n

NFL: Bills at Broncos<\/h3>\n

Time:<\/strong> 4:30 pm Saturday | Location: <\/strong>Denver | TV:<\/strong> CBS | Broadcast: <\/strong>Fubo (Try it for free)<\/p>\n

SportsLine Selection — Model: <\/strong>Broncos -1.5 | Expert:<\/strong> Bills +1.5 (Brady Kannon)<\/p>\n

One season after meeting in the Wild Card round, the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills will play again in the playoffs, this time in the AFC Divisional Round game on Saturday at Empower Field in Mile High. Last year, the Bills went 31-7 to beat the Broncos in Buffalo. This year’s game pits the reigning NFL MVP, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, against one of the league’s top defenses. Allen led all quarterbacks in rushing yards (539) and ranked second in total touchdowns (39) during the regular season. Meanwhile, Denver’s defense had 68 sacks this season (tied for fifth most by an NFL team all-time) and ranked second in completion percentage (57.8) and yards per attempt (6.1). The SportsLine Projection Model says the Broncos have a 51.0% shutout chance and gives a ‘C’ grade to Denver -1.5. But SportsLine’s Brady Kannon disagrees. He believes Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is \u200b\u200bjust average. \u201cThe power of debt in defense [against] pass. which will make the game difficult for Nix, and the Broncos’ rushing attack is just average,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

NFL: 49ers at Seahawks<\/h3>\n

Time:<\/strong> 8pm Saturday | Location: <\/strong>Seattle | TV:<\/strong> FOX | Broadcast: <\/strong>Fubo (Try it for free)<\/p>\n

SportsLine Selection — Model: <\/strong>49ers ML | Expert:<\/strong> 49ers +7.5 (Emory Hunt)<\/p>\n

This NFC Divisional Round game between NFC West rivals Seattle and San Francisco got a twist on Thursday when Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold came off the injury report with a groin injury. However, Darnold said he still expects to play on Saturday. The 49ers won’t hurt Darnold or Seattle; San Francisco has dealt with more than its share of injuries this season, most recently losing George Kittle for the season. Interestingly, the 49ers have won their last four games against the Seahawks in Seattle. The SportsLine Projection Model says San Francisco has a 35.0% chance of winning and assigns a ‘B’ grade to the 49ers’ money line. Meanwhile, SportsLine’s Emory Hunt likes to cover San Francisco. “There is a similarity here.” [the 49ers] they entered the game [against] Their team rival Seattle will help them be in a position to keep this tighter than the spread, which they will do,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the best thing going to the Houston Rockets right now? The Houston Texans. Because if the Texans weren’t in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, there would be a lot of attention in H-town on the Rockets and their recent miserable stretch. Houston, which entered the season as the favorite to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2637,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635\/revisions\/2637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}