Just five slates remain in the NBA regular season, which means nearly every game is of high importance! Jake Smit has cast his eye over the juicy eight-game slate on Thursday to bring you some quality betting tips to add to your entertainment and hopefully your wallet.
Let’s get stuck into our NBA betting tips for Thursday!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, April 6th 2023
Brooklyn Nets at Detroit Pistons
Little Caesars Arena, 9am AEST
This is a big game for the Brooklyn Nets – there’s no two ways about it. As it stands, they’re currently occupy the #6 seed and that would see them automatically make the playoffs, but they’re only one game ahead of the Heat in #7, which is the cut off point for the Play-In Tournament. Fortunately, the Nets are in great form and seemingly have an easy win on their hands.
The Detroit Pistons are in full tank mode and have been for some time. They’re doing just as their ownership would want and that’s lose every game possible. They enter this slate having suffered defeat in 10 straight games and will be finishing the season with the worst record in the NBA.
The Pistons have absolutely no interest in being competitive right now and that bodes well for the Nets who are desperately trying to hand onto a top six seed in the Eastern Conference. With that in mind, you have to expect the Nets to secure an extremely easy win in this matchup.
Brooklyn Nets -10.5
$1.88 (2 Units)
Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans
Smoothie King Center, 10am AEST
One of the more important games on Thursday’s slate will take place at the Smoothie King Center when the New Orleans Pelicans play hosts to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Pelicans are coming off a disappointing loss against a red-hot Kings outfit on Wednesday. They trailed from start to finish and just couldn’t find any serious momentum on the offensive end. Still, the Pelicans remain a legitimate chance of finishing in the top six in the Western Conference and clinching a playoffs berth.
The Grizzlies have split their last four games at 2-2 and now hit the road where they have struggled a bit over the last couple of months. In fact, the Grizzlies are a woeful 15-23 on the road for the season, which is a dramatic drop-off compared to their home record (35-6).
The Pelicans aren’t the most reliable team to bet on and we felt the full force of that on Wednesday, however, they still have it all to play for and I expect them to play with heightened intensity from the outset. They should be able to take advantage of the Grizzlies horrible road form and record a much-needed win on Thursday.
New Orleans Pelicans -5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers
Crypto.com Arena, 12pm AEST
What an absolutely pivotal matchup we have on our hands here, with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers locking horns. The winner will occupy the #6 seed at day’s end, while the loser will fall one game behind the top six and will most likely have to fight their way through the Play-In Tournament.
The Lakers have been one of the best form teams in the competition since the trade deadline and look determined to make some noise in the post-season. They’ve won four in a row (all on the road) and seven of their last eight games. Importantly, the Lakers have a near fully healthy squad which has been important to their success in games this season.
The Clippers were in good form a couple of weeks ago but have dropped the ball a bit in recent games, which has opened the door for other teams to steal the #6 seed. They enter this clash having lost each of their last two and five of their last nine games. On top of that, Paul George remains side-lined with injury and a couple of their role players are under injury clouds.
Los Angeles Lakers to Win
$2.30 (1.5 Units)
