We’re back with our NBA betting tips for another week, starting with the six-game slate on Tuesday. It certainly isn’t as big as the usual slates we attack, but we’ve still been able to identity plenty of value in the market. Check out our best plays for Tuesday below and good luck if following!
NBA Betting Tips: Tuesday, 23rd of February
Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets
Toyota Center, 12pm AEDT
Chicago Bulls are trying to make something of their season after getting off to a slow start. They’ve won five of their last eight games and a lot of that has to do with the stellar play of Zach LaVine. He’s on an absolute tear at the moment, averaging 32 points across 11 games in February.
Houston Rockets showed some promise with their new-look roster early in the season, but it’s been an uphill battle of late. They come into this having lost seven games on the spin and are rumoured to be moving on from centre, DeMarcus Cousins, which will make things even tougher in the paint with Christian Wood sidelined with injury.
It was always going to be a tough season for the Rockets with the huge amount of turnover on their roster. They still have plenty of talent at their disposal but you wouldn’t know it with how they’re playing at the moment. We’ll be backing the in-form Bulls to cause the Rockets more hurt on Tuesday.
The high-volume shot taking and shot making of Zach LaVine over the past couple of weeks has meant there’s less plays ran for other key players, namely Coby White. He’s struggling for rhythm on the offensive end and will find it difficult to cover his points line again here.
Prop: White U16.5 Points ($1.88)
Miami Heat at OKC Thunder
Chesapeake Energy Arena, 1pm AEDT
Miami Heat have had the worst of all Bubble hangovers as they come into this game at 13-17 after making it to the NBA Finals last campaign. To be fair, injuries have certainly played their part in their demise, but they still have most of the same guys that made such a fantastic run last season.
OKC Thunder parted ways with nearly all of their veteran players last season and are now in a full rebuild. They’ve battled away pretty well so far this season, but are now starting to go on extended losing runs. On a positive note, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has returned to the floor and is in some red-hot form.
This isn’t the sexiest matchup on the slate but we do see some value here in taking the Heat at the spread (currently -4.5). They’re coming off a tight win over the Lakers and have now won six of their last nine games. As long as they play something close to what they’re capable of, then this should be a relatively easy win for the travelling team.
Charlotte Hornets at Utah Jazz
Vivint Smart Home Arena, 1pm AEDT
Charlotte Hornets have remained competitive this season for a lot longer than we imagined they would. They come into this off a narrow win over the Warriors to make it four wins from their past six outings. Now at 14-15 and sitting in eighth spot in the West, it’s important they remain focusses in the remaining games leading into the All-Star break.
Utah Jazz finally had their winning streak snapped by the Clippers in a close finish last time out. They still put in a great effort and can’t really complain having won 19 of their last 21 games. The Jazz are now 24-6 on the season and will likely have two All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
Utah have a fantastic opportunity to bounce back from a rare defeat with a big win at home against the Hornets. The 11.5-point spread might look a little long at first glance, but the Jazz have won seven of their past 10 games by 12+ points. We’re expecting this to be a straightforward win for the home side.
We’re a big fan of ROTY front runner LaMelo Ball, but expect him to have a tough time scoring against this elite Jazz defence. Also, in the event of a Jazz blowout it’s like Ball won’t feature much in the fourth quarter, so there’s added incentive to play his unders here.
Prop: Ball U16.5 Points ($1.96)
