The first day of NBA action is in the books as we now shift our focus to day two and the big Thursday slate that’s on offer. Again, we’ve analysed the games with the most value and provided a preview and best bet. Good luck to all following!
NBA Thursday 18th October Betting Tips
Milwaukee Bucks at Charlotte Hornets (10am AEDT)
The first of our best bets for Thursday’s slate is on the Milwaukee Bucks to defeat the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Centre. There’s always a little bit of unknown surrounding each team as they play their first game of a new season, but we’re quietly confidently that the Bucks have what it takes to make light work of the Hornets here.
The Bucks have a great new head coach in Mike Budenholzer who is a former Coach of the Year winner (2015). They also have arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is one of the shortest MVP fancies this season. Alongside Giannis they bring back the core of Bledsoe, Middleton and Brodgon, while adding spacing and shooting with Brook Lopez joining the roster. On the other hand, we have the Hornets who we have struggling this season and potentially blowing it up for a rebuild.
If the Bucks are going to contend in the East this season like many experts predict, they simply must win these types of games. We have them winning here by 5-10 points.
Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (10:30am AEDT)
The second tip of the day is a play on the New York Knicks to cover the line (-3.5) against the Atlanta Hawks at MSG. It’s not the most exciting game of the Thursday slate, but we feel the Knicks line represents great value here.
Both of these sides are going to struggle in the 2018-19 season, there’s no doubt about that. The Hawks have one of the worst starting five units we’ve seen in quite a while and have been open about their ambition to tank this season and get a top pick in next years stacked draft. Meanwhile, the Knicks still have a few quality players in Tim Hardaway Jr and Enes Kanter, who will have to carry the load while Kristaps Porzingis recovers from injury.
We have the Hawks being the worst team in the league and finishing the season with anywhere between 15-20 wins. Look for their tank to get off and running in game 1 as the Knicks cruise to victory.
Knicks at the line (-3.5)
$1.93
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (1:30pm AEDT)
Our final tip for Thursday is on the Denver Nuggets to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Centre. Similar to the Bucks, we have the Nuggets improving this season, and similar to the Hornets, we have the Clippers sliding.
The Nuggets have a terrific roster and could be the team that makes a real jump in the Western Conference this season. Their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris are still extremely young and will continue to improve, while Paul Millsap is back to full health and will seem like a brand new recruit this year. On the other hand, the Clippers lost their final remaining player of their once ‘big 3’ with DeAndre Jordan joining the Mavericks.
We have the Nuggets making a real statement in their season opening fixture and taking care of the Clippers on their home deck.
