There’s a fantastic eight game slate in the NBA this Saturday, the 16th of November and we have a full preview and betting tips for some of the key games below! The Pacers will square off against the Rockets in the feature early game while the red hot Boston Celtics take on the Warriors from 2.30pm.
NBA Betting Tips Saturday 16th November
Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets (12pm AEDT)
The Pacers have had a strong start to the season, winning 7 of their first 11 games including good wins over the likes of Pistons, Magic and Thunder in their last three. Recruit Malcolm Brogdon has been a revelation for the Pacers, averaging 20.7 points while shooting 47% from the field and a ridiculous 98% from the free throw line.
The Pacers will get their toughest test of the season to date when they travel to Houston to take on the Rockets on Saturday. Houston has started the season 8-3 and currently sit in second place in the Western Conference. James Harden is making his case for MVP through the first few weeks of the season, averaging a mammoth 38.2 points per game as well as 8.2 assists.
The Rockets start as favourites here and rightfully so given their dynamic offence has helped them to five wins in a row by an average of 12.4 points. We think they cover against what could be an undermanned Indiana team with Jeremy Lamb and Myles Turner listed as game time decisions.
Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder (12pm AEDT)
Interesting matchup here between the 76ers and Thunder, with the former sitting at 7-4 on the season and the latter sitting at 4-7. Philly are coming off a tough loss at the hands of the Magic on Thursday, going down by 15 points as their stars failed to fire. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid in the loss due to rest, but the centre should be back in for the game against the Thunder.
The Thunder sit just outside the top eight in the Western Conference with a 4-7 record, but have fairly competitive in the majority of their losses. They went down to the Jazz, Rockets, Blazers, Spurs and Bucks by a combined total of just 23 points.
Tough game to call here, the 76ers start as slight favourites and we have to side with them, especially with the addition of Joel Embiid back into the line-up. The Thunder were absolutely punished on the road in Indiana on Wednesday to the tune of 26 points, so some concerns are starting to creep in after the competitive start to the season.
Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors (2.30pm AEDT)
The Celtics train is rolling at the moment. After losing their first game of the season, Boston is now on a nine game winnign streak and currently has the best record in the NBA. They were dealt a blow earlier in the week as Gordon Hayward went down with a broken hand, but it looks as through they haven’t missed a beat as they took care of the Spurs, Mavericks and Wizards in their last three.
The Warriors are still adjusting to life without their star players. While Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russel’s return to the line-up has made them much more competitive, they are still without Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, which should make it tough against an opponent as good as the Celtics.
Love the look of Jayson Tatum here in the absence of Gordon Hayward. Tatum had an awful shooting night in his first game without Hayward, but bounced back to drop 23 points in the win over the Wizards on Thursday. The Boston offence should continue to run through him for long periods of the game, which makes his point line seem a little low.
Jayson Tatum OVER 20.5 points
$1.89
