ESPN Australia are treating us to another solid NBA Double-Header this Saturday, 21st of January - for which we have NBA betting tips. The early game is a blockbuster between two West Conference juggernauts as the Golden State Warriors travel to Houston to take on the Rockets. That game is followed by the young and upcoming Lakers hosting Paul George and the Pacers in LA. We’ll take a look at both games and to round out the day we’ll also give tips on the big East coast clash between the Raptors and Hornets.
Another 2-1 day on Thursday meant our tally for the season moves to 34-23, with all bets coming at a minimum of line prices. Hopefully we can get 3 wins on the board today as we preview the best of Saturday’s 9 game slate.
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets (12pm AEDT)
If you’re a fan of offence, tune into this game. The number one ranked offence in the league will play the number two ranked offence as the Warriors travel to Houston to take on the Rockets. The Warriors are in the midst of a demolition tour of some of the best players in the NBA, first knocking over LeBron and the Cavs on the 16th of January before taking down Russel Westbrook and the Thunder by 21 points a few days ago. Next in line, it seems, is MVP favourite James Harden, who is the head of an offence that if not for the Warriors would be the most efficient in history.
The Warriors lead the league in nearly every major offensive stat, including shooting and true shooting percentage, three point percentage, points per game and offensive efficiency. It’s hard to string together many losses when your offence is capable of performing at such a high level on any given night. The only team that comes close to them in most of these stats is the Rockets. Led by Harden and a resurgence of sharpshooters in Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza, the Rockets have been shooting the lights out. However, with losses to the Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Heat over their last five games, many wonder if the shine is wearing off a touch.
The Warriors just have too many options on the offensive end, and it takes something truly special to stop them from scoring 120 in a canter. I think their firepower will be too much for the Rockets to handle and I’m comfortable taking them at the line in this one.
TIP: Golden State Warriors at the line (-5.0) - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers (2.30pm AEDT)
After being around .500 for the first quarter of the season, the Lakers seem to have fallen off the face of the earth. It was to be expected, with a young core their consistency and dedication to a long, grueling season was always in question. They now sit at 15-31 on the season and are currently on a 5 game losing streak. Their inability to put the ball in the basket is becoming a real concern, of their 5 losses, they have failed to score 100 in four of them, and bench scoring options Nick Young and Lou Williams have not been firing lately.
The Pacers on the contrary, are on a fair hot streak. They have won 7 of their last 8, and while their wins haven’t come against the strongest of opponents, you can only beat who the schedule puts in front of you. Their task shouldn’t get too much harder on Saturday against the Lakers. Even away from home, they should take a comfortable victory in this one, as Paul George has been firing on all cylinders, averaging 22 and 6 on the season and the Lakers lack a true perimeter defender.
TIP: Indiana Pacers at the line (-3.0) - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Toronto Raptors at Charlotte Hornets (11am AEDT)
The Hornets will host the Toronto Raptors in a East coast clash that might have had a bit more mustard on it had the two teams met about a month ago. The Hornets got their 2-16-17 campaign off to a flyer, and sat as high as fourth on the East conference standings, however, they have been in a rut of late, losing 7 of their last 9 games. They are one of those teams that you don’t watch a whole lot throughout the year, so when they get off to a good start and look alright, you can be sucked into betting on them over and over even when they are going through a bit of a dry spell.
While the Raptors suffered a shock loss at the 76ers on Friday, they are still well above .500 and in a race for the title of 2nd best team in the East with the Boston Celtics. The contest will be even hotter now, however, with the Cavs losing 4 of their last 7 games and some of their air of invincibility in the process. Toronto should be pushing hard for victories now as they only sit 2 games back from Cleveland. I like them to come out firing away from home and bounce back after a disappointing loss to the Sixers.
TIP: Toronto Raptors to Win - $1.94 at Sportsbet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
