There is just seven days to go in the NBA regular season before the long-awaited playoffs get underway! Saturday, the 8th of August boasts a fantastic six game slate and as usual, we have a full preview and betting tips for some of our favourite matchups below!
We’ll be bringing you three articles a week for the rest of the regular season, which will span just 15 days before the playoffs get underway straight after! Make sure you continue to check out our dedicated NBA Betting Tips page for regular updates.
NBA Betting Tips Saturday 8th August
Oklahoma City vs Memphis Grizzlies
6.10am (AEST)
The Thunder have been solid since the season resumed, racking up a 2-1 record with wins over the Jazz and Lakers bookending a tough overtime loss to the Nuggets. They’ll face off against the Grizzlies on Saturday morning, who are 0-4 since the season resumed and are now fighting just to stay alive in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies were dealt a massive blow when young star Jaren Jackson Jr. went down with a knee injury. The injury to Jackson leaves them really slim on scoring options and the bulk of the scoring load will fall on the shoulders of rookie Ja Morant.
The Grizzlies are in a world of hurt at the moment and we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. With only 22 teams in the bubble, they have a really tough matchup every game and with their 2nd scoring option out for the rest of the season, we think they will really struggle to keep up with teams offensively. Back the Thunder to win this one comfortably.
Orlando vs Philadelphia
10.10am (AEST)
The 76ers got their restart off to a stinker when they went down to the Pacers by six points but have since bounced back to win their last two against the Spurs and Wizards. They’ll get another really winnable game on Saturday as they come up against the Magic, who are just 1-2 since the season resumed.
The 76ers have been dysfunctional to say the bare minimum throughout their first three games and that lack of chemistry will be compounded even more as star point guard Ben Simmons will be out indefinitely with an injured knee.
There is absolutely no telling how the 76ers will come out without Ben Simmons in the line-up. One thing that is for sure is that Shake Milton will get a massive bumb in minutes at the point guard position and will likely take a bunch more shots. In the eight game stretch where Ben Simmons was out just before the season stopped, Milton played 30.9 minutes per game and averaged 17.9 points.
Milton Over 13.5 Points
$1.93
Boston vs Toronto
11.10am (AEST)
The game of the day sees the 2nd and 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference square off as the Raptors play the Celtics. Boston is 2-2 since the season resumed, boasting fantstaic wins over Portland and Brooklyn but also going down to the Bucks and Heat. There is not a lot left to for in the seeding games for the Celtics, who sit four games behind Toronto and two games above the trailing Heat. One or two more wins would likely lock up the third seeding and a date in the first round with the Raptors.
After a win over the Magic on Thursday, the Raptors remain undefeated in the restarted season with a 3-0 record and they too look to be locked into the second seed, currently sitting five games behind the Bucks. There’s a strong possibility that both teams opt to play their bench a lot more in this game, as they wont want to give away anything in the lead up to their matchup in the first round of playoffs.
The Celtics start as 3.5 point underdogs here and we like them at that line. Kemba Walker will be back in the line-up after resting against the Nets on Wednesday, making the Celtics offence even more potent than the one that put up 149 points in the win.
