We look to bounce back from a rare tough day with our NBA betting tips on Wednesday as we attack the juicy eight-game slate on Thursday. Check out our selections here!
Also, be sure to check out our NBA tips page regularly to find our previews and best bets for every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday slate for the entire NBA regular season!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday 29th December
Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks
State Farm Arena, 11:30am AEDT
Meeting for the second time this month, the Hawks will host the Nets at the State Farm Arena in one of the earlier games on Thursday. The Hawks will start as the underdogs on their home deck ($2.93 vs $1.41).
The Nets won the reverse fixture just over a fortnight ago in what was the second win of what’s become a nine-game winning run. They’re finally at near full-strength and it’s certainly showing with their consistency from game-to-game.
In contrast, the Hawks are in horribly form at the moment and don’t really have many excuses for it. They’ve lost 10 of their last 16 games and are now in danger of falling under 500 for the first time this campaign.
The Nets are flying right now and should have no trouble getting the better of the current version of the Hawks. I’m happy to back the road team into get the win and cover the small spread for a couple of units.
Brooklyn Nets -5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
United Center, 12pm AEDT
The Bucks will continue their lengthy road trip when they take on the Bulls in Chicago. Despite riding a three-game losing streak, the Bucks are currently priced as the clear favourites ($1.47 vs $2.70).
After giving up a whopping 139 points on Christmas Day, improvement on the defensive end will undoubtedly be the focus for Mike Budenholzer’s squad. In fact, the Bucks have given up over 110 points in six of their last seven games.
Likewise, the Bulls have struggled to connect on defensive and haven’t kept a team below 100 points since the start of November.
Neither team would be happy with their play this month and that makes it tough to predict a winner; however, all signs lead towards this being an entertaining, high-scoring affair.
Over 231.5 Points
$1.90 (2 Units)
Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans
Smoothie King Center, 12pm AEDT
Two teams with opposite form line will meet at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Thursday. The Timberwolves ($3.29), who have lost three games on the spin, are set to start as the big underdogs against the Pelicans ($1.34), who are riding a three-game win streak.
The Timberwolves continue to trade win streaks with losing streaks and are now in the midst of the latter. They started off the season playing well on the road but have struggled to do so without Karl-Anthony Towns in recent weeks. They enter Thursday’s game having lost five of their last six road games.
The Pelicans have also struggled on the road this season (7-8) but have been one of the best home teams (14-4), which is why they’re currently sitting second in the West. They will be full of confidence after destroying a decent Pacers outfit by 20 points last start.
These teams are yet to play each other this season, but with how they’ve both been trending over the past couple of weeks, it’s fair to say the Pelicans are the deserving favourites to draw first blood in the season series. I expect them to have the edge on their home deck and to cover the spread in the process.
New Orleans Pelicans -6.5
$1.81 (2 Units)
