The 2015-16 NBA season continues this week with an important match between the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets being televised in Australia and New Zealand on ESPN. Continue reading as we offer our NBA March 17 Preview and Betting Tips.
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Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets (Thursday 12.30pm AEDT)
The Rockets have been in turmoil all season long but they have been able to turn things around recently and have moved into a playoff position. Their reliance on James Harden to create and score points is normally their downfall as they have lost a lot of games this season when he has scored 30 or even 40 points. Dwight Howard finds it hard to get involved on the offensive end whilst he is depended on the defensive side as a lot of their players, especially James Harden doesn’t exert enough energy on defence.
Chris Paul has put the Clippers on his back since the injury to Blake Griffin whilst DeAndre Jordan has been more involved on the offence. He had a big 20-20 game last week and it will be a big challenge for him in this one as he goes up against Howard. The Clippers will be playing their second match of a back-to-back which will hurt them down the stretch but with they have a great road record and we believe they will come out on top in this one.
TIP: Clippers @ $2.16 with Sportsbet
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Boston Celtics (Thursday 10am AEDT)
The Celtics suffered a loss to the Pacers on the road but they were in the contest until the final minutes of the match. It was a tough loss for them but they have been in great form and have won seven of their last 10 matches. They have been great at home this year and have a 23-11 record, which makes it hard for them to be beaten.
Meanwhile the Thunder are in a form slump and have won just 4 of their last 10 matches. However, in their last match they blew the Trail Blazers off the court with a 34 point victory on the back of a Russell Westbrook triple double. If it wasn’t for Stephen Curry’s incredible season there would be a bigger discussion about the stats Westbrook is putting up and he will almost certainly finish in second place for the MVP of the season. His partner in crime Kevin Durant is also having a great season as he is slowly building nicely coming off his season last year where he was hampered by injury. With the Celtics playing their second tough match in two days we are backing the Thunder to find a way to win this one.
TIP: Thunder -3.5 @ $1.92 with CrownBet
Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland Cavaliers (Thursday 10am AEDT)
It seemed as if the Cavaliers had finally started to click as they defeated the Clippers in a dominant 24-point victory but the next night they were held to just 95 points and were defeated by the Jazz. They return home in this one to take on a Western Conference team and we expect them to bounce back strongly like a Lebron James side always seems to do – in the regular season anyway.
The Mavericks are on a downward slide and have been leap frogged by the Rockets and are now sitting on the brink of missing the playoffs. The side has lost its shooting form and needs more of a spark off the bench. Kyrie Irving will be hard to stay in front of whilst Dirk Nowitzki will have his hands full defending Kevin Love on the perimeter. Meanwhile Lebron James will be force to be reckoned with as always.
TIP: Cavaliers -9.5 @ $1.95 with William Hill
New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors (Thursday 1.30pm AEDT)
The Knicks season is officially over, as they won’t make the post season. They have won four of their last six with Carmelo Anthony lifting his level of play whilst the rest of the team has grown around him. However, they have the depth required to continually challenge the top sides and they will be in a lot of trouble as they head to the Warriors home stadium where they are 31-0 for the season.
The splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have returned to form in the last week and the basket is starting to look large again. Meanwhile Draymond Green, Andre Bogut and Andre Igoudala are playing their part in the team perfectly. Green has notched up 11 triple doubles this season and is constantly involved with the ball in his hands playing as a point forward. It will be far too much for the Knicks to handle and this score line could turn very ugly.
TIP: Warriors -15 @ $1.92 with Palmerbet
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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!
