There’s still plenty of NBA action on every day as we approach the New Year! Here, we take a look at what’s expected to be a six-game slate on Tuesday and bring you all our best bets!
NBA Betting Tips: Tuesday, 21st of December
Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls
United Center, 12pm AEDT
The Rockets returned to the winners list in their most recent game against the Pistons to snap a mini two-game losing streak. They’ve now won nine of their last 13 games since snapping their 15-game losing streak with a win against the Bulls. Young guns Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green continue to miss with injury, while sparkplug Armoni Brooks is questionable for Tuesday’s game.
The Bulls were able to hold off a determined Lakers outfit on Monday in what was their first leg of a home back-to-back. DeMar DeRozan continue his fantastic season with 38 points and six assists to guide his new team to their 18th win from 28 games. The Bulls remain in second spot in the East and just two games behind the Nets in first.
These teams will be meeting for the second and final time for the season when they face-off in Chicago on Tuesday. Interestingly, the Rockets won their earlier season matchup in Houston 118-113 but will start as huge nine-point underdogs in their rematch. While we do believe the Bulls deserve to be the favourite and should be winning this on their home deck, the Rockets current form should be good enough to see them cover the big spread.
OKC Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies
FedExForum, 12pm AEDT
The Thunder stole the win from the Clippers in their most recent outing, courtesy of a buzzer-beating step-back three from star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That shot saw the Thunder win by one point in a game where rookie Josh Giddey came desperately close to that elusive triple-double. The Thunder now have three wins from their last six games in what’s been one of their better stretches so far this season.
The Grizzlies entered their most recent game against the Trail Blazers having won 10 of their last 11 games, which included two streaks of five consecutive wins. Unfortunately, they were unable to get the job done against a red-hot Damian Lillard and Norman Powell, who handed the Grizzlies just their second loss for the month so far.
The Thunder have certainly had some growing pains this campaign but have shown the ability to be a competitive outfit when they have a full complement of players, which is currently the case. They’ll take a lot of confidence from their thrilling win against the Clippers last time out and should be able to give the Grizzlies a run for their money here.
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
Staples Center, 2:30pm AEDT
The Spurs failed to match it with the undermanned Kings in their first leg of a road back-to-back on Monday. Dejounte Murray had another fantastic game with a 25/7/9 split but didn’t get enough help from his supporting cast. Despite the loss, the Spurs have won seven of their last dozen games and are looking a lot more potent on the offensive side of the ball.
The Clippers looked a sure thing to secure a win on the road against the Thunder last time out, but some missed free throws coupled with a clutch shot from Gilgeous-Alexander saw them cough up the lead on the buzzer. That loss was the Clippers second in a row to start this road trip, both of which have been without Paul George who remains sidelined with an elbow sprain.
The Clippers are by far the better team in this matchup when fully healthy, but that isn’t the case at the moment which opens up the door for the Spurs to push for the win on Tuesday. We see value in them in the head-to-head market but are content to play it a bit safer and back them into cover the 5.5-point spread.
San Antonio Spurs +5.5
$1.90
Player Props
12pm Thunder at Grizzlies – Josh Giddey 8+ Rebounds $2.25 TAB
1pm Hornets at Jazz – Donovan Mitchell 27+ Points $1.86 Sportsbet
1pm Hornets at Jazz – Mike Conley 14+ Points $1.95 Sportsbet
2pm Kings at Warriors – Draymond Green 8+ Assists $1.85 TAB
2:30pm Spurs at Clippers – Keldon Johnson 15+ Points $1.96 Sportsbet
