2/3 on NBA betting tips Tuesday for another profitable day. We'll look to back it up this Thursday, the 21st of March as we take a look at some of the key matchups in the nine game slate and give our best bets below.
NBA Betting Tips Thursday 21st March
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (10am AEDT)
The 76ers captured a good away win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday without their star centre Joel Embiid in the line-up. Embiid should be back for their big home game against the Celtics on Thursday, who the 76ers have struggled against in three games this season. The 76ers are 0-3 against the Celtics in the 2018-19 season, losing by an average margin of just over 8 points.
The Nuggets snapped Boston's two games winning streak on Tuesday, defeating them by nine points at the TD Garden. Boston currently sit i fifth place in the Eastern Conference, just 0.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers and will be keen to get jump into fourth to get the home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Celtics have won all three of their matchups against the 76ers and also covered the spread in those games. They start as 2.5 point underdogs at home here but will be without Gordon hayward due to concussion. Boston tend to find another gear when playing 76ers and centre Al Horford usually has Embiid's measure. We think the Celtics win this one.
Toronto Raptors at Oklahoma City Thunder (12.30pm AEDT)
The Raptors will go on the road Thursday as they look to extend OCK's losing streak to four games. The Raptors currently sit in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 50-21 record, three games adrift of the Milwaukee Bucks. They are likely locked into the second seed, with 11 games to play, so we could see them rest some key players down the stretch.
After a three game losing streak, the Thunder have dropped out of the top four in the Western Conference and slipped to sixth place. They are just 1.5 games behind the Blazers in fourth, so they'll be looking to bounce back and claim home court advantage in the first round with 11 games to play in the season.
At just 30-40-1 on the season, the Raptors are one of the worst teams in the league, against the spread, this season. They are particularly bad on the road at just 14-20-1 and come up against a OKC side that has been pretty dominant at home throughout the season. Look for the Thunder to bounce back at home at near full strength.
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers (1pm AEDT)
Portland have won six of their last 10 games to climb into fourth place in the EAstern Conference, maintaining a 43-27 record. They have a relatively easy run home in their last 12 games. With matchups against Dallas, Memphis, LA Lakers, Sacramento and Chicago still to come, they'll be looking to hunt down the Houston Rockets, who sit just 1.5 games above them in third place.
The Mavericks have lost eight of their last 10 games but they haven't come without excitement. All of the Maverick's last six games have been decided by single digits, including one point losses to the Rockets and Nuggets last week.
The Mavs and Luka Doncic in particular, have been shooting the lights out in their last couple of games. They racked up 121 points in their win over the Cavs on Sunday before posting 125 in the loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday. The Blazers last four games in a row have hit the under on total points, driving the line for this game all the way down to 217.5. We think the two teams clear that on Thursday, especially with Dallas so willing to get into shootouts lately.
Total points OVER 217.5
$1.91
