Tough day Tuesday for NBA tips as we just missed on all three of our bets by the smallest of margins. We’ll look to bounce back this Thursday as we give our preview and tips for some of the key matchups in the massive 11 game slate the NBA has to offer!
NBA Thursday 25th October Betting Tips
Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets (11am AEDT)
The Jazz opened the season with a solid win over the Sacramento Kings away from home but have since lost their last two games to the Warriors and Grizzlies respectively. They were, however, super competitive in the home game against the Warriors, eventually going down by just one point. There have been more promising signs on offence for the Jazz so far this season, scoring 123 points in both of their first two matches, however, an 84 point performance against Memphis on Tuesday brought back some of last season’s offensive woes.
The Rockets will once again be without starter Chris Paul for the clash against the Jazz, after the point guard was suspended for two games following a fight with Rajon Rondo in the Rockets win over the Lakers on Sunday. Paul served the first game of the suspension in the Rockets 112-115 loss to the Clippers on Monday, which sent Houston to 1-2 on the season.
Tough match to call here. Paul is a big out for the Rockets, and Utah one of the few teams capable of stemming the high-powered offence of the Rockets over the past few seasons. We think the Jazz keep this as bit of a slugfest at home and we like them with the slight handicap.
Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks (12.30pm AEDT)
The 76ers suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons away from home on Wednesday as Blake Griffin scored 50 points and made the game winning shot to send Philadelphia to 2-2 on the season. Ben Simmons looks likely to remain on the sidelines for the second night of the back to back in Milwaukee on Thursday. The star Aussie point guard went down with a back injury during the 76ers win over Orlando on Sunday.
The Bucks have started the 2018-19 season perfect after wins over the Hornets, Pacers and Knicks. They will get their toughest test this Thursday in the 76ers before back to back games against the Raptors and Celtics should give us a better indication of their seriousness next week. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing on another level for the Bucks, averaging 27.3 and 16 rebounds per game through his first three.
With Simmons in the line-up, this game would be a lot more even but I think the Bucks have a slight advantage at home here with the 76ers down a man and on the second night of a road back to back. It looks as though the bookies agree, starting the 76ers as 6-point underdogs. We like the Bucks but not that much.
Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (1pm AEDT)
It’s been a tough start to life in LA for LeBron James. Unlucky scheduling meant that the Lakers had three playoffs teams from 2018 to start the season in the Blazers, Rockets and Spurs, and while they were competitive in all three, they currently sit 0-3 on the season. LeBron and the Lakers will get a great chance to get their first win on the board Thursday against the Suns, who are 1-2 on the season and have lost their last two.
The Suns were fantastic in their season opener against the Mavericks las Thursday, scoring 121 points as Devin Booker went off for 35 points in just 33 minutes. They have since lost their last two games to tough competition in the Nuggets and Warriors but return home on Thursday to face the Lakers.
The Suns have allowed 121 points per game over their last two contests and the Lakers have opened the season as the fastest pace team in the league, putting up 125.2 points per game over their first three. We think this will be a high scoring game as both teams love to run and shoot early in the clock.
Total points OVER 237.5
$1.91
