We kicked off the year in winning fashion as we hit on two of our three best bets on January 1st. Both the Hawks and Rockets covered their spread relatively comfortably, but the Suns were never really in it against the Warriors. We now shift our focus to Thursday’s NBA slate and provide previews and our best betting tips. Good luck to everyone following!
NBA Betting Tips Thursday January 3rd
Atlanta Hawks @ Washington Wizards (11am AEDT)
The first game of the day sees the Hawks travel to Washington to take on their Eastern Conference rivals in the Wizards. This will be the third time this season that these teams have met. The series is currently tied at 1-1.
The Hawks seemed to have turned the corner in recent weeks, winning five of their last seven games and covering the spread in six of them. It’s been a great stretch for a young team that found themselves on the receiving end of countless beatings early on.
Meanwhile, things have gone from bad to worse for the Wizards this season, with news coming out recently that John Wall may opt to undergo surgery that would end his season effective, immediately. The Wizards have won just three of their last 12 games.
We’re surprised to see this one not priced closer to even odds considering their respective form. We feel that the Hawks have every chance of winning this one, so we’re more than happy to take them with a five point start.
Dallas Mavericks @ Charlotte Hornets (11am AEDT)
Second up in our best bets we have the Dallas Mavericks travelling to take on the Charlotte Hornets. This will be the first of two meetings between these teams this season. Last season the series was tied at 1-1.
The Mavericks endured a really tough stretch of games over the past three weeks that saw them go 2-8 during that span, which included a six game losing streak. The young Mavericks just haven’t been able to find enough road wins to keep them in the playoff picture as it stands. In fact, they’ve won just two of 18 games on the road this season.
On the other hand, the Hornets continue to keep their head above water in the Eastern Conference, and currently hold a record of 18-18, which has them in sixth position. They too have had their struggles on the road, but luckily for them they’re at home for this game against the Mavericks where they’re 14-7 on the season.
Although the Mavericks have been impressive at times this season, especially rookie sensation Luke Doncic, we just can’t trust them on the road. They’ve been easy money to back against so far in that respect, so we’ll continue to do so here.
Charlotte Hornets -1.5
$1.91
New Orleans Pelicans @ Brooklyn Nets (11:30am AEDT)
Our final tips of the day comes from the cross-conference battle between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Brooklyn Nets. This will be the second and final meeting this season for these teams. The Pelicans won the first meeting by two points at home (117-115).
The Pelicans are yet another team that wins the majority of their games at home. They’ve gone 13-6 at the Smoothie King Centre, compared to just 4-15 on the road. Unfortunately for them, they need now head on the road for a two game Eastern Conference road trip.
Meanwhile, the Nets have turned their season around over the past month with seven wins from their last 10 games. This impressive stretch has propelled them into ninth position in the Eastern Conference standings at 17-21 and just half a game behind the Pistons in eighth.
Taking into account Anthony Davis’ ongoing niggling injuries and a poor road record, we expect the Nets to be too good at home here.
