We’re back with our best bets for this Thursday action in the NBA regular season. There are nine NBA games on Thursday’s slate, including a key matchup between the Lakers at Cavaliers which tips off at 11:00am AEDT.
Here are our best bets for Thursday’s NBA action. Why not get amongst the action with our friends at Dabble!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, January 29th 2026
Los Angeles Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers (11:00am AEDT)
The Los Angeles Lakers (28-17) travel to Ohio to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers (28-20) and it could be a historic matchup for the greatest basketball player in the modern era, LeBron James. This may be the final time that LeBron plays in Cleveland and he would love to leave with a victory. That won’t be easy as the Cavs have won four-straight games, including a 114-98 victory over the Orlando Magic, courtesy of 45 points from Donovan Mitchell.
A key battle will be at center with Jarrett Allen for the Cavs against Deandre Ayton. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been benching Ayton down the stretch and opting for backup big man Jaxson Hayes who brings a lot more enthusiasm. Ayton can often have huge lapses on defense, leading to easy buckets at the rim – if that happens, Allen can make the Lakers pay in the paint.
Luka Doncic will try and be the catalyst for the Lakers, as this is now his team, but the Lakers are just 5-5 from their past 10 games. It should be a close contest, but the edge should lie with the Cavaliers at home despite Evan Mobley’s absence.
Cavaliers -2.5
$1.90 (2 units)
Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers (11:00am AEDT)
The Chicago Bulls (23-23) are trying to make a Playoff run and this is a game they should be winning if they are to play in the postseason. They are on the road against the Indiana Pacers (11-36) who can forget this season without Tyrese Haliburton on the court. The Bulls showed some fight against the Los Angeles Lakers, before falling 129-118 at their latest outing.
This is a high-scoring Bulls outfit taking on the Pacers who struggle to score the basketball – the Bulls average 117.9 points per game (7th in the league), while the Pacers average 110.2 points (29th). Another big advantage for the Bulls is three-point shooting, as they make 36.9% from deep, while the Pacers shoot just 34% from beyond the arc.
On paper, the Bulls look a little stronger, as they play deeper. Seven Chicago players average more than 10 points per game compared to the Pacers with five. The likes of Ayo Dosonmu, Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter, those key Bulls role players, along with starters such as Josh Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic (Giddey may come off the bench for the time being), should be able to cover the small -2.0 line.
Bulls -2.0
$1.90 (2 units)
San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets (1:30pm AEDT)
This could easily be a Western Conference Finals match up later in the year as the San Antonio Spurs (31-15) take a small trip to take on the Houston Rockets (28-16). It doesn’t get much better seeing a future face of the league in Victor Wembanyama clash with a future Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant.
The battle on the glass could be crucial in this contest as the Rockets average 49 rebounds per game (best in the league) and the Spurs are tied for second with 46.3 boards per game. The Spurs need to stop the Rockets from grabbing offensive rebounds and second-chance points. Alperen Sengun will try and battle Wemby in the paint for extra possessions.
Both teams rank in the bottom half for three-pointers made, which makes this an intriguing contest as any cheap points near the rim or mid-range could determine the outcome. The Rockets are very good at home, so this may be fraught with danger, but I like the Spurs with a +3.5 head start.
Spurs +3.5
$1.85 (1.5 units)
