The NBA is less than a month away from the Play-In tournament and Playoffs, as Thursday, March 26 (AEDT), sees a massive slate of 12 games. A couple of the highlight matchups across the slate include the Lakers at Pacers, Thunder at Celtics, and Rockets at Timberwolves. We bring you our previews and best bets for those Thursday NBA games below!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, March 26th 2026
Los Angeles Lakers at Indiana Pacers (10:10am AEDT)
A nine-game winning streak by the LA Lakers (46-26) came to an end against the East’s top seed, the Detroit Pistons last game. The purple and gold will be keen to bounce back when they face the worst team in the East, the Indiana Pacers (16-56). Some positive news for the Pacers is that Pascal Siakam is probable to play after his 37-point effort against the Orlando Magic. For the Lakers, Marcus Smart is unlikely to play and Rui Hachimura is questionable.
Indiana were one win away from winning the NBA championship last season, and this season, it has been the polar opposite sitting last with an NBA-worst 16-56 record. They are 10-25 at home this season while the Lakers are 23-14 on the road. Travel has not deterred this Lakers team led by Luka Doncic who has been on a tear in the month of March. This includes a 60-point game in a win over the Miami Heat one week ago. With every passing game, the Luka Doncic trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers is looking like one of the worst in NBA history. And that’s coming from a huge Anthony Davis fan!
This shouldn’t really be a matter of who wins the game, but likely, how many points the Lakers can win by. They won by 11 points earlier in the month but that was without LeBron James and Deandre Ayton. I think the LakeShow can cover here.
Lakers -11.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics (10:40am AEDT)
A heavyweight clash between the last two NBA champions as the defending winner, the Oklahoma City Thunder (57-15), are on the road against the Boston Celtics (47-24). Even though superstar Jayson Tatum missed the first 62 games of the season due to an Achilles injury, the Celtics are second in the Eastern conference which shows how well Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and co. played without the team’s best player.
Boston comes off a 102-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which is the first time the Celtics have lost at home against the Wolves since 2005. It was a poor shooting night with the Celtics shooting just 36% from the field. Expect them to play much better this time around and they will be hoping Tatum can find some rhythm prior to the postseason. He is averaging 19.1 points on poor shooting splits to begin the season, which is understandable given his serious injury and time off.
The Thunder will rely on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as always in a bid to try and win a 13th straight game. With both sides basically at full strength, minus Nikola Vucevic missing for the Celtics, this should be a close game and a look at what the NBA Playoffs will have in store for us. As slight underdogs, the Celtics appeal at a +3.0 line.
Celtics +3.0
$1.93 (1 Unit)
Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves (12:40pm AEDT)
A potential Western conference Playoffs matchup will see the visiting Houston Rockets (43-28) compete against the Minnesota Timberwolves (44-28). Every win counts at this stage of the season as teams try to secure a Playoff berth. Minnesota will be without their best player, Anthony Edwards, while Ayo Dosunmu is questionable with a calf injury.
The Rockets are almost at full strength, led by Kevin Durant who recently passed Michael Jordan for fifth on the NBA’s all-time regular season scoring list. There will be an added incentive to play better after the Rockets lost to the struggling Chicago Bulls last game. Durant scored 40 points on 15-23 shooting but received little support beyond Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
This should be a good contest as both teams are good defensively, but also, efficient from the field. Houston will rely on more mid-range and inside scoring, whereas the Timberwolves are a lot more deadly from deep. Expect Sengun to clean up the glass on both ends of the floor. With the absence of Edwards, the Rockets can capitalise.
Rockets -1.5
$1.95 (1 Unit)
