The Rockets will travel to Oklahoma City this Saturday, the 10th of December for the first of an ESPN Double-Header to be followed by the Suns at Los Angeles Lakers.
See our preview and betting tips for the televised games plus other key matchups below!
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (12pm AEDT)
The Rockets head to Oklahoma Saturday for a clash between two teams who are well and truly cemented inside playoff contention. The Rockets currently sit 15-7 on the season while the Thunder are 14-8. OKC’s solid star to the season is on the back of Russel Westbrook having, so far, one of the best statistical seasons of all time.
Westbrook is averaging 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists per game and is the first person since Oscar Robertson to average a triple double this far into the season. His counterpart on Saturday, Houston’s James Harden, might be his only rival in statistical anomalies this season. Harden is averaging a ridiculous 28 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds per game. The two are currently 1st and 2nd in odds for NBA MVP and it’s not hard to see why. This could be a statement game for both of them going forward.
I think that Houston’s offence just offers more avenues to score than OCK’s does. The Thunder offence relies soley around Russel Westbrook and his ability to create shots for himself and his teammates, whereas the Rockets boast a few more scoring options in their lineup in the likes of Eric Gordon, who has had a return to form this year, Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza.
TIP: Houston Rockets -1 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers (2.30pm AEDT)
The Lakers have begun to come back to Earth a touch. After a surprising start to the season, they have lost the last four games in a row, two of them by over 30 points. While injuries have plagued them with PG D’Angelo Russel missing the last 10 games, this is more or less what we expected from the Lakers going into the season.
With all their youth, we knew they were going to be inconsistent, but Saturday provides a chance to get a W on the board against another NBA minnow. The Suns come to town on the back of a three-game losing streak which they will look to snap over the next two games before a tough schedule stretch begins.
The Lakers have proved that they can step up and take care of business in these types of games so far this season, with wins over Atlanta twice, Brooklyn and Phoenix already under their belt. However, with Russel and scorer Nick Young still sidelined for the match, I think this will be one the Suns believe they can steal away from home. The Suns record doesn’t reflect the talent they boast, with an All-Star caliber back court trio of Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker in the mix, I think they pull this one out and snap the losing streak. Or at least do enough to cover.
TIP: Phoenix Suns +1.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (11.30am AEDT)
This is the matchup of the day in my opinion. 2nd vs 3rd in what is becoming a more and more competitive Eastern Conference as every day passes. Some losses in recent games for the Cavs has a lot of Eastern teams chomping at the bit to assert their supremacy, and if records are anything to go by these two teams might be the next best and the Cavs biggest threat.
The Celtics have hit some form after a sluggish start to the season due to injury. They have won four of their last six in a favourable stretch of schedule. However, their real test will come over the next three when they face the Raptors and then take a two-game road trip to OKC and San Antonio. If they can come out of that stretch 2-1 or better, then we have to respect them as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender.
The problem for the Celts will be the heath of All-Star point guard Isiah Thomas, who missed Boston’s last matchup and has already been ruled out for the clash against the Raptors. Boston struggle to score the ball at the best of times, and with their leading scorer our for this one, it will certainly make it hard for the home team.
Toronto on the other hand have no such problem scoring the ball, they average 110.9 points per game on the season which is good for fourth in the league, and with the star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan fit and healthy all signs say they should have too much firepower for the Celts in this one. I’m sticking away from those markets however and looking towards Avery Bradley’s player performance market. With Thomas out last game Bradley exploded for 23 points with a much higher than normal usage rate. The Celts boast a very defensive back court which is handy when Thomas is in, but apart from him they have limited players who can handle the ball, Bradley being ultimately the only other one. Look for him to get plenty of touches in this one and handle is points line comfortably.
TIP: Avery Bradley OVER 18 points - $1.87 at Sportsbet
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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!
