There are nine games in the association on Saturday, highlighted by a massive clash in the afternoon between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.
First up, we see if the Warriors can overcome their poor last up effort, as they continue to work Steph Curry back into the rotation in their matchup with the Spurs. At Midday, we take a look at whether the Phoenix Suns can snap their poor run of late, as they head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. To cap it all off, we preview the big clash between the Clippers and the Nuggets in LA, in a massive day of NBA action.
Also, make sure to check out our NBA tips page regularly to catch our best betting tips for multiple slates for every week of the 2022-23 NBA season!
2022-23 NBA Betting Tips: Saturday 14th January
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs
AT&T Center, 11:30am AEDT
The Warriors got Steph Curry back on Wednesday, as they lost at home to the sputtering Suns 125-113. Curry was rusty in his return, shooting 8 of 22 (36.4%) from the floor, managing 24 points in 31 minutes. He’ll be better for the run, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes the Warriors a little bit of time to acclimate with having their number 1 option back on the floor.
The Spurs have lost 6 of 7, however they have done a respectable job at keeping games close, particularly at home. Over their past 4 home games, they’ve managed two wins, whilst going down to the Celtics 121-116, and the Mavericks 126-125. They have a respectable 8-14 record at home, whilst the Warriors have been the worst road team in the league, with a 3-16 record.
I make the Warriors closer to a 4-point favourite in this one. Whilst there’s always a chance if the Warriors get hot, they could blow the doors of the Spurs, I’ll take the 8-point head start in the hope the Spurs can keep it close down the stretch.
San Antonio Spurs (+8)
$1.95 (1.5 Units)
Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves
Target Center, 12:00pm AEDT
Straight up fade of the Suns here, who’ve lost 10 of their past 12 matches. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves seemed to have finally turned their season around, winning 4-straight before a last start loss to the Pistons on Thursday.
Today, they kick off a 3-game home stand, where they have been impressive this season, winning 7 of their past 10 at home. The Suns on the other hand, have struggled away from home, winning just 7 of their 22 games on the road, and only 3 of their past 10.
The biggest area of concern for the Suns is their play without star guard Devin Booker. They have been without him for the past 13 games, losing 10 of them. 5 of those losses have been blowouts, and with the Timberwolves in such good form, I believe they cover the one score spread at home.
Minnesota Timberwolves (-2)
$1.84 (2 Units)
Crypto.com Arena, 2:00pm AEDT
This is a game where I have the wrong team favoured, with the Clippers currently 1.5-point favourites at home Against the Western Conference leading Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets are currently riding the wave of having the reigning two-time Most Valuable Player leading the charge, with Nikola Jokic once again having an MVP calibre season. Jokic is currently averaging 24.9 points, 11 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game, whilst shooting 61.8% from the field. His efficiency is off the charts, and as long as he is leading the way, the Nuggets will continue winning games.
The Clippers are an enigma. They came into the season as one of the genuine threats coming out of the west, but they have really struggled, holding a 22-21 record. They snapped a 6-game losing streak on Wednesday, with a solid 113-101 victory over the Mavericks. They were led by Kawhi Leonard who had 33 points and 9 rebounds. The question is, can the Clippers keep this sort of form up?
Crucially in this one, the Clippers will be without Paul George, and in games without George this season the Clippers have struggled, going 5-8. I like the Nuggets to keep up their momentum with an away win here over the inconsistent Clippers.
