The 2021-22 NBA season continues on Thursday with another big nine-game slate. Catch all our best spread and player prop bets for the day right here and good luck to everyone following!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, 2nd of November
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 11am AEDT
Atlanta had their impressive seven-game win streak snapped last time out in a home defeat against the Knicks. It was an uncharacteristic performance for the sharpshooting Hawks who managed to score just 90 points after hitting 110+ in the seven games prior. Regardless, it’s been a fantastic couple of weeks for the Hawks who are now 11-10 on the season.
Indiana were unable to go with the fast-finishing Timberwolves in their most recent game which they lost by two points after leading by double-digits. It’s been another difficult season for the Pacers to date as they’ve won just nine of their 23 games thus far. The bulk of their issues have come on the road where they have a 3-10 record, so they’ll be relieved to returning home (6-4) for the next six games.
Both teams are in need of wins in order to get into the playoff picture, albeit still really early in the season. The Hawks are certainly the better form team of the two and will be looking to bounce back from an off shooting night against the Knicks. We expect them to do just that and are more than happy to be on them at the small underdog price.
Denver Nuggets at Orlando Magic
Amway Center, 11am AEDT
Denver welcomed back reigning MVP Nikola Jokic after a few games off which helped spark a nine-point road win against the Heat. That win snapped a worrying six-game losing streak for the Nuggets that saw them slip outside the top eight in the West. On another sour note, star wing Michael Porter Jr. recently underwent back surgery for the third time and will now miss the remainder of the season.
Orlando managed to push the talented 76ers all the way to the final buzzer on the road in their most recent outing. Despite ending up on the wrong side of the scoreline by five points, it was an improved showing from the Magic who have now lost 10 of their last 11 games. Unfortunately, they now have the worst record in the entire league at 4-18.
The Nuggets form certainly isn’t a sight for sore eyes, however, they’re a completely different beast when Nikola Jokic is on the floor and he’s expected to suit up on Thursday. Simply put, the Magic have no one near the talent level of the Joker and as long as him and his team play somewhere close to their best, then they should be winning this by double-digits.
Houston Rockets at OKC Thunder
Paycom Center, 12pm AEDT
Houston have found some form seemingly out of nowhere and come into this slate with three wins in a row under their belt. Prior to their current streak the Rockets had lost 16 of their 17 games and their record had them dead last in the league. It’s been their offence that has seen a spike over the last week, with the Rockets averaging 122 points over their last three games compared to 103.5 per game for the season.
OKC have been trending in the opposite direction to their opponents after losing each of their last six games. They’ve put up just 97.8 points a night during that stretch which is the worst offensive production in the league. It was always going to be a tough season for the rebuilding Thunder and most pundits would say that their current record of 6-14 is actually overachieving.
These teams have already met three times this season which means this will be their fourth and final contest for the season. All three games to date have been decided by at least a dozen points with the Rockets winning two to the Thunders one. On current form, we’re surprised to see the Rockets start as the slight underdogs here and as a result, we’re keen to back them into cover the small spread.
Player Props
11am Nuggets at Magic – Wendell Carter jr. 24+ PRA ($1.95 TAB)
11am Nuggets at Magic – Franz Wagner 21+ PRA ($1.90 TAB)
11am Hawks at Pacers – Clint Capela 14+ Points ($1.95 TAB)
11:30am 76ers at Celtics – Joel Embiid 23+ Points ($1.80 TAB)
11:30am 76ers at Celtics – Tyrese Maxey 5+ Assists ($2.19 Sportsbet)
11:30am Cavaliers at Heat – Jarrett Allen 28+ PRA ($1.95 TAB)
12pm Hornets at Bucks – Terry Rozier 18+ Points ($1.81 Sportsbet)
12pm Rockets at Thunder – Kevin Porter Jr. 29+ PRA ($1.93 Sportsbet)
