There’s only a small three-game slate of NBA action on this Wednesday but all three have the potential to be great games. Jake Smit previews the day and brings you his best bets right here!
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NBA Betting Tips: Wednesday January 4th
Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks
Fiserv Forum, 12pm AEDT
The Wizards (17-21) head to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks (23-13) in one of two 12pm games on Wednesday. The Wizards will start as the massive underdogs in the head-to-head market ($3.70 vs $1.28).
This will be the second meeting between these teams for the week and for the season. They met in the final day of 2022 and it was the Wizards who cruised to victory against the severely depleted Bucks.
The Bucks are expected to have Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo this time around, although Khris Middleton will remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal is expected to suit up for what will virtually be a full-strength Wizards outfit.
Regardless of the team the Bucks fielded in their previous meeting, the Wizards will take some confidence from their ability to win easily in Milwaukee. They’re also now riding a five-game win streak and have beaten four teams over 500 during that stretch. In that sort of form, I expect them to at least cover the big spread on Wednesday.
Washington Wizards +8
$1.90 (2.5 Units)
Boston Celtics at OKC Thunder
Paycom Center, 12pm AEDT
The Thunder (15-21) and the Celtics (26-11) will do battle for the second and final time of the season when they take to the court in Oklahoma on Wednesday. The Thunder will have to overcome the odds ($3.90 vs $1.26) if they’re to breakeven in the season series.
The Celtics won the opening game in the season series 126-122 in Boston. It was anything but a regulation win for last season’s runners-up who trailed by seven points heading into the final frame.
More recently, the Celtics were no match for the Nuggets on the road (111-123) in a loss that snapped a four-game winning run. That loss wasn’t a big surprise considering their road form in recent weeks. The Celtics have lost three of their last four away from the TD garden and their only win was in overtime against the Lakers.
While the Celtics are obviously the far better team in this matchup, their struggles on the road give the Thunder a chance to remain competitive enough to cover the big spread. I’ll be backing them in to do just that for one unit.
OKC Thunder +9.5
$1.80 (1 Unit)
Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz
Vivint Arena, 1pm AEDT
Meeting for the second time in less than a week, the Kings (19-16) and the Jazz (19-20) will lock horns at Vivint Arena in the final game of the day. The Jazz are the slight favourites to defend home court ($1.73 vs $2.11).
The Kings were able to hold off the fast-finishing Jazz by one point (126-125) in their recent meeting thanks to a huge clutch three from Kevin Huerter. He was hot all night and finished with 30 points, while Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with a highly efficient 36 points.
That loss was the third of what’s now become a four-game slide. They’ve been extremely unlucky during this stretch as they’ve lost those four games by a combined 13 points.
Although they went down to the Heat by three points last start, the Jazz have proven to be tough to beat on their home court this season (12-6) and have fared a lot better than on the road (7-14). At near full-strength, I like their chances of avenging their heart-breaking loss against the Kings and getting back onto the winners list.
Utah Jazz -2.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
