A disappointing 0-3 day in our NBA betting tips on Tuesday after we missed on two of the three lines by just one point. We’ll look to bounce back this Thursday, the 4th of January as we take a look at some of the key games in the NBA’s 12 game slate.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (12pm AEDT)
Cleveland Cavaliers recruit Isaiah Thomas returned from injury in the Cavs game against Portland on Wednesday, although the star point guard is likely to miss Thursday’s clash against his old side due to a restriction on his workload. The Celtics have no such injury concerns to worry about, with Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris both back in the side and playing valuable minutes over the past week.
Boston have won their last three games and regained the top spot in the East in the process. Although Cleveland have played three less games, they are right on their tail in 3rd place. The Celtics have the advantage of being at home for this game, where they are 16-5 on the season so far. Cleveland’s away record isn’t the greatest either, at just 10-8.
The line has opened at just 1.5 in favour of the Celtics, and while the Cavs have won their last three games against Boston, the boys in green have a fully fit roster heading into this one and boast a league best 24-14-2 record against the spread. The Cavs spread record of 12-24-1 is the worst in the league.
TIP: Boston Celtics -1.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic (11am AEDT)
No James Harden, no Rockets? Houston will face the ultimate test on Thursday as they face the Magic without the services of their star shooting guard, James Harden. The MVP favourite suffered a hamstring injury in the Rockets double OT win against the Lakers earlier in the week and will be out for at least a few weeks. A capable creator in Chris Paul is in reserve, however, since his move to Houston, the Rockets have barely played a game without their best player, so a period of finding the feet could be in store here.
After a really surprising start to the season, Orlando have taken up residence where most experts thought they would, down the bottom end of the Eastern Conference table. They have won just one of their last ten games and their overall record of 12-26 is the third worst in the league. They are also one of the worst teams in the league against the spread, going just 14-24 after the handicap this year.
With Harden in the line-up, we’d expect this line to be well up over 10 points, but sans the star shooting guard, Houston are just 7.5 favourites. Houston won their last clash against the Magic by 24 points in a game where Harden scored 25. We think the Rockets are just a much better team than the Magic this year and Chris Paul should be able to guide them to a comfortable cover at a low line.
TIP: Houston -7.5 - $1.92 at Ladbrokes
New York Knicks at Washington Wizards (11am AEDT)
After some issues with injury to star point guard John Wall, the Wizards are now fully fit and are showing it. They have won 7 of their last 10 games and have been slowing climbing up the Eastern Conference table. They currently sit 5th with a 21-16 record, which doesn’t really reflect how good they are given their earlier injury problems.
The Knicks could be one of the most fun teams to watch in all of basketball. They are also an absolute horror to bet on. At 18-19 on the season so far, you never really know what Knicks team you are going to get from night to night, and their record against the spread of 20-17 isn’t much better.
One trend that is consistent with the Knicks, however, is their inability to play on the road. They currently sit in 9th position in the Eastern Conference, however, their away record of 3-12 is one of the worst in the league. No way they win this match against a fired up Washington team.
TIP: Washington -8.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Always Gamble Responsibly.
