The exciting NBA season continues on Thursday, the 19th of December with a big nine-game slate on the cards. We had another positive day last time out hitting 2/3 of our plays and are confident we have more winners on the way on Thursday. As usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for the key games of the day below.
NBA Betting Tips Thursday 19th December
Chicago Bulls @ Washington Wizards
11:10am AEDT
The Bulls haven’t had the best of season’s to date, but they have been fairly competitive in most of their games, particularly in their last 10. They’re 4-6 during this stretch and all six of their losses have been by 10 points or less. The Bulls come into this with a 10-19 record and are 11th spot in the East.
The Wizards managed to snag a 14-point win on the road over the undermanned Pistons last time out, snapping a four-game losing streak in the process. It’s been a tough season for them to date and they currently sit in 12th spot in the East with an 8-17 record with little hope of things turning around.
The Bulls have been fairly impressive of late and bring some solid consistency into this game. On the other hand, you never really know what you’re going to get from the Wizards and they’re certainly susceptible to a blowout loss or two. All things considered, we’re keen to be on the Bulls to win this matchup.
Charlotte Hornets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
11:10am AEDT
The Hornets were impressive winners at home against the Kings on Wednesday and will now hit the road for the second game of a back to back. The Hornets have certainly exceeded expectations so far this campaign, securing 13 wins from their first 30 games to sit in ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers were unable to back up their impressive win over the Spurs three games back. They’ve been blown out by the Bucks and the Raptors in their two games since and have now lost 10 of their last 11 games. It’s going to be a very long season for Cavs fans and their team currently sits in second last place in the East with a 6-21 record.
The Hornets are the better team in this matchup and shouldn’t be too phased by playing the second leg of a back to back. The Cavs aren’t a team that can blow you away on the Fastbreak and with the way they’ve been playing of late, we see no reason why they should go in as favourites and are more than happy to oppose them.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Minnesota Timberwolves
12:10pm AEDT
The Pelicans looked like they were finally going to break their 12-game losing streak when they hosted the Nets on Wednesday. However, it wasn’t to be as they went on to lose another heartbreaker in overtime. The Pelicans 13-game losing streak is easily the longest in the NBA and their 6-22 record would be the worst in the league if it wasn’t for the Warriors.
The Timberwolves were looking good when they were 10-8 and sixth in the Western Conference standings, however, they’ve since gone on to lose seven on the spin and are now down in 11th spot. Although this has been a very tough stretch, they have had plenty of opportunities to win some of their recent games and will feel a win is right around the corner.
Here we have a matchup between two teams with the biggest current losing streaks in the NBA. One team will finally get to taste success again and we believe it will be the Timberwolves. They’re the more talented of the two teams, particularly with all the Pelicans injuries, and should be able to negotiate an easy win at home.
Minnesota Timberwolves -8.5
$1.91
