The second NBA Thursday slate of the 2023-24 season rolls around and what a monster slate it is! A whopping 26/30 teams will be in action across the day with the first set of games beginning just after 10am (AEDT). We bring you all of our best bets for Thursday below!
Also, make sure to head over to our NBA Tips page regularly, as we’ll be providing free tips for all the major slates for each and every week of the 2023-24 season!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, November 2nd 2023
Portland Trail Blazers at Detroit Pistons
Little Caesars Arena, 10am AEDT
The Trail Blazers secured win #1 for the season last outing when they upset the Raptors on the road. Deandre Ayton had his first meaningful game for the club with 10 points and 23 rebounds in the win. They now continue their travels as they head to Detroit to take on the young Pistons who have begun the season with plenty of energy. The Pistons are 2-2 so far under new coach Monty Williams, and both losses came on the road against quality opposition. I’m impressed with what I’ve seen from the Pistons to date, particularly the play of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. Their only game at home this season netted a 16-point win against the Bulls, and now up against arguably the worst team in the league this Thursday, I have faith that the Pistons can make it 2/2 in Detroit and cover the small spread.
Detroit Pistons -3.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics
TD Garden, 10:30am AEDT
The Pacers added their first blemish to their record last start when they fell to the Bulls at home due to a fourth quarter collapse. Regardless, it’s been a positive start for the Pacers and they look to be a team that could make a significant rise in the standings this campaign. A big test for the up-and-coming Pacers will come on Thursday when they travel to Boston to take on the star-studded Celtics. The Celtics are a perfect 3-0 to start the season and were easy winners last game against the woeful Wizards. The Celtics are the deserving favourites in this upcoming matchup, although the 11.5-point spread is a bit disrespectful to the Pacers in my opinion. The Pacers have covered that line in three of their last four meetings with the Celtics and are only improving. There’s always the chance of a backdoor cover at such a big spread, too.
Indiana Pacers +11.5
$1.91 (1.5 Units)
Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks
State Farm Arena, 10:30am AEDT
From what we’ve seen from the Wizards so far it’s clear their games will either go one of two ways - they’ll either be highly entertaining or totally embarrassing. They enter this slate with a 1-2 record and both losses were blowouts. In contrast, the Hawks have been competitive in all four of their outings to date and enter this game on a mini two-game win streak, both of which were impressive considering the circumstances. The Hawks are currently listed at 7.5-point favourites at the time of writing and that’s a line I’d expect the Hawks to cover 8/10 times at home against the current version of the Wizards. As long as the Hawks land the first blow, they should be cruising to victory in Atlanta.
Atlanta Hawks -7.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Chicago Bulls at Dallas Mavericks
American Airlines Center, 11:30am AEDT
The Bulls continues to be one of the great enigmas. You just never know what to expect from them from game-to-game and this season has been no exception. The Bulls have traded losses with wins in their opening four games, with their most recent result being a seven-point win over the Pacers. A little bit more reliable have been their upcoming opponents in the Mavericks. Led by what looks to be an MVP-driven Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are a perfect 3-0 and are yet to put a foot wrong. Doncic is averaging splits of 39/12/10 and that’s the reason why they’re currently ranked as the #1 offence in the NBA. As long as their form stays true, they shouldn’t find too many obstacles on the way to covering the spread at home against the Bulls.
Dallas Mavericks -5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers
Crpyto.com Arena, 1pm AEDT
Is it finally time for the Lakers to break their hoodoo against the Clippers? The bookies certainly think so as they’ve priced them as the red-hot favourites in the battle of LA on Thursday. The Lakers are listed as the home team for this one, and such a listing has been kind to them this campaign as they’re 2-0 at home compared to 0-2 on the road. Meanwhile, the Clippers are 3-1 overall and their only loss was away to the Jazz in their second game. Regardless, the Clippers have won a ridiculous 11 straight games against the Lakers and will take a lot of comfort and confidence from that stat. And currently priced at $2.70 at some bookies, there’s clearly value in backing them in to make it a dozen.
Los Angeles Clippers to Win
$2.70 (1.5 Units)
