Another strong day in the NBA for Before You Bet and followers on Tuesday as we went 2-1 for a profitable performance. That takes our season tally to a very health 38-20 and we’ll be hunting more winners this Thursday as we give our best bets for the 10 game slate.
NBA Betting Tips Thursday 4th February
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
Fiserv Forum, 11.00am (AEDT)
The Pacers will be on the second night of a back to back on Thursday after defeating the Grizzlies easily on Wednesday. They put up a season high 134 points in the win as forward Domantas Sabonis exploded for 32 points and 13 rebounds. The win snapped a two game losing streak for the Pacers and moved them into 5th place in the Easter Conference standings.
The Bucks sit two spots above them in 3rd place in the East standings, maintaining a 12-8 record through their opening 20 games and recorded a win against the Blazers at home in their last game. They also put up 134 points in their win as six players recorded double digit points.
The Bucks start as 8.5 point favourites here, which is a little too high for my liking. The Pacers have covered in three of their last five games and have a 5-3 record against the spread on the road. Of their nine losses this season, only one has come by double digits, expect them to keep this one relatively close on the road.
Los Angeles Clippers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Quicken Loans Arena, 12.00pm (AEDT)
The Cavaliers have been one of the surprise packets of the season so far this year, maintaining a 10-11 record through their opening 21 games and going 7-4 at home. They’ll be at home on Thursday against the Clippers, who currently have one of the best records in the NBA at 16-6. The Cavs are coming off a solid win over the Timberwolves on Monday, but couldn’t cover the spread, meaning they have failed to cover in their last three games.
The Clippers have been great this season despite the absence of their two best players for a period of time due to positive COVID-19 tests. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are back in the line-up now, but that didn’t help against the Nets on the road on Wednesday as they went down by four points in a high scoring game. They are 16-6 straight up and 12-9 against the spread this season.
The Clippers start as heavy favourites on the road and depending on their line-up, which is always susceptible to late outs, we think they have the ability to cover on the road. Their only listed out at the moment is Patrick Beverley while the Cavs could be without Andre Drummond (back) and Larry Nance Jr. (wrist) for this clash. Back the Clippers to cover here.
Phoenix Suns at New Orleans
Smoothie King Center, 1.30pm (AEDT)
It’s been a tough road for the Pelicans so far this season, going just 7-12 straight up and losing their last two games on the trot. They are also just 9-10 against the spread, having lost 8 of their 12 games by double digits. They will host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday and desperately need to bounce back to maintain some sort of relevancy in the Western Conference.
The Suns have won their last three games in a row, surging up the Western Conference standings and now sitting in 5th place with an 11-8 record. They also have an 11-8 record against the spread, but they are 7-4 ATS on the road, which is where they will be on Thursday.
Love the look of the Suns here. Devin Booker was out of the Suns line-up for four games with a hamstring injury but returned to the line-up in the win over Dallas on Tuesday, scoring 24 points in the process. With Booker in the line-up, they should be too strong here.
