We continue our coverage of the 2021-22 NBA season with previews and betting tips for the six-game slate on Sunday. Catch all our best plays for what should be an exciting day of action right here!
NBA Betting Tips: Sunday, 9th of January
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers
Crypto.com Arena, 7:30am AEDT
The Grizzlies are absolutely flying at the moment with wins in each of their last seven games, four of which have been by 13+ points. Most recently they destroyed the lowly Pistons in Memphis by 30 points, improving their overall record to 26-14, which is the fourth best mark in the West and the fifth best in the NBA.
The Clippers continue to play without their two superstars in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and the results are starting to show that. They’ve lost each of their last two and eight of their last 11, which has seen them fall below .500 for the season at 19-20. Despite all of that, the Clippers remain in the top eight in the West standings.
These teams have already played each other twice this season and the Grizzlies were victorious on both occasions, winning both at home and on the road. Both teams are expected to be without a number of their key players in their third meeting, which will favour the Grizzlies who have proven to be a far deeper team. They should be a lot shorter in the H2H market and are certainly worth having something on here in our opinion.
Memphis Grizzlies H2H
$1.92
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons
Little Caesars Arena, 11am AEDT
The Magic have managed to stay competitive against some good opposition in recent games without getting any reward. They’ve lost each of their last three games by 10 points or less and have seen their losing streak extend to seven. The Magic are now 7-32 on the season, which is the worst mark in the entire NBA.
The Pistons reeled off back-to-back upset wins against the Bucks and the Spurs to start 2022, but have since gone back to their old ways with a couple of blowout losses in a row. They were always going to struggle this season with how their roster is constructed and will likely be content to just get big minutes into their young studs for the rest of their campaign.
These teams have the 29th and 30th best records in the NBA this season, combining for just 14 wins against 62 losses. They’ve only played each other once this season which very early on in Detroit when the Pistons were able to negotiate at seven-point win. Both teams will be fielding weak teams in their matchup on Sunday due to injuries and health and safety protocols, but the Magic do look the stronger of the two and should be able to level the season series at 1-1 providing they play with the intensity they’ve shown over the past week.
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
TD Garden, 11:30am AEDT
The Knicks enjoyed some much-needed success in their mini two-game homestand, knocking off both the Pacers and the Celtics in close games. They’ve now won five of their last seven games and look to be building some solid momentum as the season progresses. The Knicks are now just one game back from .500 at 19-20 and one game behind a playoff position.
The Celtics are having a horrible season by their standards and it doesn’t look like getting better any time soon. They’ve now lost 10 of their last 15 games which has seen them fall to 11th in the East at 18-21. Devastatingly, the Celtics have lost their last two games by a combined three points and were in strong winning positions on both occasions.
What a thrilling finish these teams played out when they met on Friday at the Garden, with the Knicks securing a huge come-from-behind victory courtesy of a RJ Barrett buzzer-beater. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Celtics recover from such a heartbreaking defeat a couple of days ago. They’ll start as the short favourites on their home deck to bounce back with a win, which doesn’t make much sense to us considering the Knicks are the form team in this matchup. With that said, we’re happy to back the visitors into cover the big spread.
New York Knicks +7.5
$1.84
Player Props
7am Grizzlies at Clippers – Marcus Morris 19+ Points $1.95 TAB
11am Bucks at Hornets – Miles Bridges 19+ Points $1.89 Sportsbet
11:30am Knicks at Celtics – Marcus Smart 12+ Points $1.90 Picklebet
11:30am Knicks at Celtics – Robert Williams 9+ Rebounds $1.99 Sportsbet
1pm Heat at Suns – Devin Booker 5+ Rebounds $1.95 TAB
