The NBA regular season continues on Sunday with another huge slate. There are 10 games on the cards, plenty of which have the capacity to be fantastic viewing and we have previews and betting tips for those games right here!
NBA Betting Tips: Sunday, 2nd of May
Washington Wizards at Dallas Mavericks
American Airlines Center, 11am AEST
The Wizards have found a gear no one thought they had as they come into this having won 12 of their past 14 games. Both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal having been putting up huge numbers on a nightly basis and as a result, the Wizards now sit in the box seat for a top 10 finish.
The Mavericks have also hit their straps in recent weeks albeit to a lesser level to their opponents here. They’ve now won five of their past six games to soar into the all-important sixth spot in the West, which if the regular season finished as is, would see them qualify for the playoffs automatically.
Both of these teams are playing great basketball at the moment and that’s set up a juicy matchup for us to watch here. With that said, we’re expecting a lower-scoring game than we’ve come accustomed to between these teams, as defence has taken a real priority for both of late, which should see the total points go under the big 232.5 line.
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers
Staples Center 12pm AEST
The Nuggets were expected to fall off a cliff when Jamal Murray went down with an ACL injury a couple of weeks ago, but that certainly hasn’t happened as they’ve now won four in a row and eight of their past nine, proving to everyone once again that they’re one of the deeper teams in the league.
The Clippers have been in sensational form since the All-Star break, but now find themselves in what could be a mini funk after losing two games in a row. They’ve struggled on the offensive end in their recent losses against the Suns and the Pelicans, which has seen them slip 2.5 games back of the first seed in the West.
This could prove to be a vital game in the scheme of these teams’ season, with the loser being in fourth place in the West at the conclusion of the games, which would see them match up with the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs if things stand as is. Unfortunately for the Clippers, the Nuggets have been playing the much better basketball over the past week or so, which makes us give them the edge to at least cover the spread.
One of the big reasons the Nuggets have continued to churn out wins in the absence of Murray is due to the play of Michael Porter Jnr. He’s been on an absolute tear over his past five games in particular, covering his 22.5-points line on all five occasions and there’s no reason to jump off him now.
Prop: Porter O22.5 Points ($1.85)
Denver Nuggets +6.5
$1.90
Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz
Vivint Smart Home Arena, 12pm AEST
The Raptors have had a nightmare season under bizarre circumstances and it looks as though it will cost them a playoffs berth. As it stands, the 2019 NBA Champions are three games back from the 10th seed in the East and on current form, that’s exactly where they belong.
The Jazz lost a crucial game against the Suns on Saturday that saw them cough up the first seed in the West after they’ve had a strangle hold on it for virtually of this season. They’ve currently dealing with injuries to both of their All-Star guards in Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, which has put a ton of pressure on their depth.
With the Raptors almost giving up on their season and the Jazz playing on the second night of a back-to-back, we aren’t expecting much defence to be played in this one. There were 227 points scored on the only other occasion these teams met this season and we’re expecting a similar amount again on Sunday.
We mentioned above that Conley and Mitchell have been missing some time with injury and both stars will be out again on Sunday. As a result, we love the odds of Bojan Bogdanovic to continue his great form scoring the ball. He’s scored 22+ points in six of his past 10 games, including two games of 30+ plus and the bookies are yet to adjust.
Prop: Bogdanovic 20+ Points ($1.91)
