NBA

Weekend Betting Tips

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Miami Heat @ Washington Wizards

The Wizards are one game ahead of the Miami Heat and have been much better than expected this season. They were seconds from making it 9 wins, but a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander buzzer beater condemned them to a 121-120 loss to the OKC Thunder last time out.

Last season’s Eastern Conference finalists Miami Heat are sub .500 with 7 wins and 8 losses coming to the capital.

Kristaps Porzingis leads the Wizards in scoring, rebounds, and blocks, while Monte Morris has excelled in the starting point guard role, averaging 5.0 assists per game.

While the Heat have struggled sometimes so far this season, they can be excited about the production they are getting out of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo so far. Butler leads the team in scoring averaging 20.9 points in 13 games, while Adebayo is the team’s third-highest scorer and best rebounder so far.

What will be of concern for Erik Spoelstra when his team plays the Wizards is the absence of Tyler Herro and the niggling injury to Bam Adebayo. Herro and Adebayo are the team’s second and third-highest scorers respectively and most of the scoring burden will have to be on Jimmy Butler’s shoulders.

Bet on:

Wizards to win @ 1.85
Wizards to win by 6-10 points @ 3.48

Charlotte Hornets @ Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers downsized a little and got a whole lot better. They are 4th place in the Eastern Conference and have the conference’s second-best points differential only behind #1 placed Milwaukee Bucks. However, they are in a mini slump at the moment, losing 5 successive games.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have struggled this season and have won only 1 in their last 10 games, with 4 wins all season.

Donovan Mitchell has fit in perfectly with the Cavs, and runs endless pick and rolls with his bigs, whether it is Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen. Combine that with the scoring from Darius Garland and Caris LeVert, and Bickerstaff has a team in playoff contention.

The Cavs defense will need to step up against the Hornets, they have surrendered 122 points per 100 possessions in their last 5 games, the worst defensive rating in the league during that span.

Bet on:

Cavaliers to win @ 1.20
Over 224.5 points scored @ 2.17

Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia Sixers

The Bucks are putting together another great season behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s exceptional play. The Greek Freak has tallied 29.9 points and 11.8 rebounds. They have the Eastern Conference’s third-best points differential and had the longest unbeaten streak in the entire league. While that streak has since ended, they have only lost three times this season, even when they have rotated the roster, like last time out against the Cavaliers.

The Sixers also have a phenom of their own, Joel Embiid put together a staggering 59 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocks in 36 minutes to give the 76ers a 105-98 victory over the Jazz.

That performance made him the first player with at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a game since blocks became an official stat in 1973-74. The challenge here is that while the Bucks have been winning without Khris Middleton and have shared the scoring between Giannis, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday, with James Harden sidelined the 76ers seem to have no other outlet but Embiid.

The Bucks will let Embiid feast but do their best to limit the rest of the Philly team from doing them any real damage. Philly’s biggest challenge will be finding offense from anyone else not named Embiid.

Bet on:

Bucks to win @ 1.76
Bucks to win the fourth quarter @ 1.80

Orlando Magic @ Chicago Bulls

A severely short-handed Orlando Magic head to the Windy City hoping to overcome the odds and pick up their fifth win of the season.

The Magic will be without Cole Anthony Wendell Carter Jr, Mortiz Wagner, Gary Harris Jr, and perhaps most crucially, Paolo Banchero.

Orlando have been led in scoring by the rookie who has justified his number 1 pick status by averaging 23.5 points in just 11 games this season. However, he will be unavailable for at least a week with a knee injury.

The Chicago Bulls have not been much better either, they are only two wins ahead of the Magic and lie outside the play-in positions. They have had to rely on Demar Derozan for scoring but are thin in the point guard position with both Lonzo Ball and Coby White unavailable.

While this could swing anyway, the Bulls have the more experienced team and should be able to grind out the win

Bet on:

Bulls to win @ 1.25
Bulls to score first 10 points @ 1.63

Indiana Pacers @ Houston Rockets

Losing record or not, the Rockets are an exciting team to watch this season. With highflyers in every position, the Rockets can upset any team on their day. Unfortunately, it doesn’t all click together as often as they would like. They have only 3 wins this season but took advantage of a Doncic-less Mavericks to hand them a 101-92 loss last time out. That was only their second win in 10 games.

The Pacers have quietly put together a decent run of wins, 6 in their last 10 games sees them sit in the last automatic playoff spot.

Tyrese Halliburton has led the Pacers in scoring assists and field goal percentage.

Kevin Porter Jr is day-to-day for the Rockets, if unavailable, his 19.1 average points will be sorely missed.

Bet on:

Pacers to win @ 1.51
Under 237.5 points @ 1.84

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies

It is the battle of two of the best point guards this season as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC head to Memphis to play Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies have picked up where they left last season with high-flying dunks, efficient 3-point shooting and lots of dancing.

The Grizzlies want to bounce back from their 102-113 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Thunder are coming off a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander buzzer-beater win over the Washington Wizards.

The Grizzlies will have less offensive firepower with Desmond Bane out. Meanwhile, OKC have scored 130.4 points in their last five games.

What will separate the two teams will be defense. Memphis are the better defensive team and the Thunder will struggle to continue their high-scoring streak against a very good Memphis defense.

Bet on:

Grizzlies to win @ 1.46
Grizzlies to win the fourth quarter @ 1.65

Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks

The notable takeaway from the Dallas Mavericks loss to the Rockets without Luka Doncic was that Dallas’ offense could only manage 92 points against the Rockets. That’s how dependent the Mavs are on Luka Doncic.

The Mavericks shot 12-55 from three (21.8%) against the Rockets and struggled to generate any quality looks without their superstar.

With Doncic back against the Nuggets, their offensive efficiency should return, and a good shooting night is expected against a Nuggets side that has defended the three-point line poorly.

Jokic was also missed by the Nuggets as they struggled to move the ball against the Knicks. While the Serbian should play against Dallas, the Mavericks should do a good job stretching that Nuggets defense from the three-point line.

Bet on:

Mavericks to win @ 1.23
Over 214.5 points @ 1.85

New York Knicks @ Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have been poor and have struggled away from the Chase Centre this season with zero road wins so far. They are also outside the play-in places and have struggled to find an ideal rotation that complements Steph Curry’s strengths.

What has been most apparent is the drop-off in offense when the starters go to the bench. James Wiseman has struggled to adjust to the NBA and has been relegated to the G-league for now.

Jordan Poole has only been impressive in flashes while Klay Thompson seems to have regressed and is so often a ball stopper in the worst way.

However, they are back in the familiar surroundings of San Francisco where they have only lost once this season.

They should be good for the W against the Knicks, especially with Steph Curry playing some of his best basketball and coming off a 50-point performance last time out.

Bet on:

Warriors to win @ 1.35
Warriors to score over 120.5 @ 1.79

Detroit Pistons @ Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers play a Detroit Pistons team that will be without Cade Cunningham in the second game of Detroit’s LA back-to-back. Without their #1 pick, Detroit lost last night in a keenly contested game against the Clippers.

The better-rested Lakers team are tied for last place in the Western Conference, while the Pistons are in last place in the East, this means the loser of this game could be the NBA’s worst team by the end of the day.

The Detroit Pistons will also be without Isaiah Stewart, while LeBron James is listed as questionable along with Juan Toscano-Anderson. Anthony Davis is also probable to be in the lineup.

This game is a true bottom of the table scrap and will make for dreary watching. However, we think the Lakers just shade this one, especially in light of Westbrook’s improved effort from the bench.

Bet on: