The NBA season continues this week with 10 matches to be played on Thursday with the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics battling it out on the Australian ESPN televised match. Continue reading for all our January 14th NBA Preview and Betting Tips.
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Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics (Thursday 12pm AEDT)
Australians will be blessed with an entertaining Eastern Conference match up on Thursday with both of these sides destined for the playoffs where they could meet each other and have a very interesting series. However, in recent weeks the Celtics have played below their standard and have dropped out of the playoff picture. Their defence has worsened over the last few weeks and they allowed the Knicks to score 120 points against them yesterday and that was with Carmelo Anthony injuring himself early in the third quarter and not returning.
Meanwhile the Indiana Pacers are sitting in fifth position and their defence, three point shooting and rebounding makes them a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. Their leader Paul George who has made a tremendous return from injury leads them and he is the vocal point on the majority of their possessions whilst he is also a lock down defender. The Pacers are 9-11 on the road whilst the Celtics are 9-10 at home – making their home stadium not much of a fortress – because of this we will back the Pacers on the road at the juicy odds.
TIP: Pacers @ $2.14 with Sportsbet
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets (Thursday 11am AEDT)
The Hornets were cruising at 17-13 and in the playoff picture but since then they have lost seven straight matches and are now in the bottom quarter of the Eastern Conference. The team is still yet to win in 2016 and we don’t think that will change when they take on the Hawks, despite being at home. The Hawks have a positive record on the road and are coming off the back of a huge victory against the Chicago Bulls who were on a seven game winning streak. The team has been able to be efficient despite Kyle Korver’s dip in production – he recently missed 20 straight three-point shots. The Hawks big men should be able to combine well and lift their team in this one.
TIP: Hawks -3 @ $1.95 with WilliamHill
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder (Thursday 12pm AEDT)
The Thunder are still scoring and rebounding at an incredibly high level as they are in the top three in both. However, they are allowing over 100 points per game in defence – this is expected though as they play at an up-tempo pace and often take a quick shot. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are playing at an extremely high level and if they can continue to put their egos to the side then this side is a true title contender with the supporting cast they have. Enes Kanter needs to improve on the defensive end if he wants his minutes to increase but Serge Ibaka is proving to be the third player in the much needed “big 3” for a championship team.
Meanwhile the Mavericks are flying a bit under the radar as they are in fifth position in the Western conference with 37-year old Dirk Nowitzki still leading the team in scoring. They pushed the Cavaliers to the limits as they went into overtime but they unfortunately lost the match. This could come to haunt them as the extra minutes on the legs of their key players will see this match blow out in the favour of the home side.
TIP: Thunder -9.5 @ $1.88 with Crownbet
Miami Heat at Los Angeles Clippers (Thursday 2.30pm AEDT)
The Clippers have been without Blake Griffin for over two weeks and the side has managed to win eight straight games. Any victory without him should give the team huge credit, however they have came against sides that are under .500. Chris Paul has lifted his game and was rewarded with the Western Conference Player of the Week as he averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists. They will take on the Heat at home and put their 9 game winning streak on the line.
The Heat has lost their last two matches and they were unlucky in their last match to lose to the Warriors as they kept the score close for the majority of the match. They need to find more on the offensive end but their defence is one of the best in the league. If the Clippers continue to get the production out of Chris Paul then they will win this one on home court but it will be close and they won’t clear the line.
TIP: Heat +5 @ $1.91 with Sportsbet
