The 2021-22 NBA season continues on Thursday with a massive 10-game slate. Catch all of our best spread and player prop bets for the key games right here. Good luck to everyone following!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, 27th of January
Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 11am AEDT
The Hornets would be disappointed with their performance in their last two games against the Raptors and the Hawks, particularly on the defensive side of the ball where they gave up a combined 238 points across those losses. Prior to those games the Hornets had won seven of their last eight in a stretch that saw them into seventh spot in the East.
The Pacers would also be disappointed with their performance in their last two games, losing on the road against the Suns and the Pelicans. In saying that, poor performances have been a constant theme for the Pacers all season long, as they’ve now lost 31 of their 48 games to date, which has them sitting in third last spot in the East.
These teams have already met each other twice this season, firstly in Charlotte and secondly in Indiana. The Hornets won both of those meetings by a combined 11 points and they’ve now covered the spread in five of their last six against the Pacers. We expect that trend to continue on Thursday and for the Hornets to secure a relatively comfortably victory.
Charlotte Hornets -1.5
$1.87
Sacramento Kings at Atlanta Hawks
State Farm Arena, 11:30am AEDT
The Kings have put together another lacklustre season and it got a whole lot worse on Wednesday when they were thumped by 53 points against the Celtics. They shot just 30% from the field and 18% from three-point range in what was one of the worst losses in franchise history. On top of that, the Kings have now lost four straight and nine of their last 11 games.
The Hawks have finally found some hot form in recent weeks with wins in each of their last four games, all of which were against quality opposition. This streak came after they lost five straight to start the year in a stretch that threatened to derail their playoff aspirations. Still, the Hawks have plenty of work to do as they enter this slate at 21-25 and 2.5 games behind the #8 seed in the East.
The Kings are coming off an utterly embarrassing defeat last start and it won’t be easy for them to back up the following day on the road. In contrast, the Hawks will have had three days off since their most recent game and are in some of the best form they’ve been in all season. That doesn’t bode well for the struggling Kings here who we expect to suffer another big defeat.
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz
Vivint Arena, 2pm AEDT
The Suns have been in great rhythm in recent weeks and the season as a whole. They were too good down the stretch for the Jazz in their most recent outing when defeating them by six points and making it seven wins on the spin. Impressively, the Suns are now three games clear at the top of the West and have the best record in the entire NBA.
The Jazz have been uncharacteristically awful to start 2022 where they currently have a 4-9 record. As mentioned above, they were unable to match it in crunch time against the Suns in their last outing, making it two losses from as many games in their quick road trip. As a result of their poor form, the Jazz have now slipped to fourth in the West.
Meeting for the second time in only a couple of days, the Jazz will be looking for revenge when they host the Suns in Utah. Unfortunately, their recent form gives them very little hope of accomplishing that, especially with stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell both absent. Simply put, we expect current form lines to hold up and for the Suns to be too good once again.
Player Props
Bucks at Cavaliers 11am – Giannis Antetokounmpo 28+ Points $1.85 Sportsbet
Knicks at Heat 11:30am – Evan Fournier 13+ Points $2 TAB
Knicks at Heat 11:30am – Jimmy Butler 19+ Points $1.85 TAB
Suns at Jazz 2pm – Mike Conley 16+ Points $1.93 Sportsbet
