THURSDAY brings a swathe of NBA games for punters to sink their teeth into with 22 teams in action across 11 games.
The day kicks off at 11am AEDT with a pair of Eastern Conference tussles. The league-worst Philadelphia 76ers visit sunny Florida for a date with the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat jet away from Florida to take on the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital.
The action stays in the east with the Cleveland Cavaliers – fresh off being obliterated by the title favourite Golden State Warriors – heading to Brooklyn for a much easier battle with the Nets.
The Utah Jazz also head east to Madison Square Garden to take on the almost .500 New York Knicks, while the Boston Celtics cross the northern border for an important clash with the Toronto Raptors.
The dominant Warriors take to the Windy City in a must see match up with the Chicago Bulls that should be the game of the day, while the Houston Rockets welcome the Detroit Pistons to Texas.
After dropping 52 points on the Jazz, the Hornets face a much stiffer opponent in the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home court as the developing Minnesota Timberwolves visit Dallas for a turn agains the Mavericks.
The day winds down with a pair of 2.30pm AEDT games, the Atlanta Hawks visiting the Rose Garden to take on the Portland Trailblazers and Californian rivals Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers squaring off on the revered Staples Centre floor.
We’ve had a look around and tried to sniff out a few winners for you that you can parlay into big dollars.
Good luck.
Suggested multis for Thursday, January 21
Morning melodies:
Washington Wizards to beat Miami Heat ($1.67)
Cleveland at the line -12.5 vs. Brooklyn Nets ($1.91)
Golden State Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls total game score over 215.5 ($1.91)
Multi odds: $6.09 @ Sportsbet.com.au
Afternoon delight:
Dallas Mavericks at the line -8.5 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ($1.91)
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers total points over 215 ($1.91)
Portland Trailblazers at the line +2 vs. Atlanta Hawks ($1.91)
Multi odds: $6.96 @ Sportsbet.com.au
Miami Heat at Washington Wizards
Our tip: Washington Wizards to beat Miami Heat ($1.67)
The Washington Wizards are very good at frustrating our tips, but we’re having another stab at their game this week. They actually possess a better record away from home and are coming off a pair of home stinkers against the Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers. Fortunately, they welcome a Miami Heat side that has lost five of its past seven and only beaten the lowly Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. It’s hard to pin point why Washington has been so maddeningly inconsistent this season, but there are a variety of factors that have contributed, not least the debilitating injuries suffered by up and coming two guard Bradley Beal. A slow start to the season for the Polish Hammer Marcin Gortat did not help and a bench that has been less than satisfactory has hurt them in recent weeks. Don’t expect a repeat of the nine points 4/17 performance by John Wall he rolled out against the Blazers. With no Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade struggling with injury (surprise), the Heat will find it hard to contain him. Wizards in a close one.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets
Our tip: Cleveland at the line -12.5 vs. Brooklyn Nets ($1.91)
The Cavs can’t win the 2016 NBA title. There, we said it. They don’t have the skill or the athleticism to beat the Warriors or Spurs over seven games, even with Lebron James. Any side that relies on 20 minutes a night from the corpse of Richard Jefferson is in big trouble. They were like deers in headlights against the Warriors yesterday, humiliated 132-98. The King had just 16-5-5, but he was by no means disgraced when you compare it to Kevin Love’s three points – that’s not a typo – and Kyrie Irving’s eight. Fortunately for the Cavs, they get to let off some steam against one of the league’s worst franchises, the Nets, who have lost eight of their last nine games and are stinking it up in a bid for plenty of draft lottery balls. Expect the Cavs to come out with a vengeance and whack Brooklyn on its home turf.
Golden State Warriors at Chicago Bulls
Our tip: Golden State Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls total game score over 215.5 ($1.91)
Oh, man, we can’t wait for this one. After the Warriors turned their clash with Cleveland into an absolute fizzer, making a mockery of the team that it defeated in last season’s NBA Finals to snare the title, they will face a stiff test against a Chicago Bulls side that has transitioned from being led by terminally injured star Derrick Rose to the devastating combination of gun two-way swing man Jimmy Butler and old, but effective Spanish big man Pau Gasol. Both are guns, and, with Rose seemingly embracing his role as third fiddle, and a bunch of role players doing their jobs to perfection, the Bulls are a force to be reckoned with. Do we need to say much about the Warriors? They have the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player in Stephen Curry a nightly triple double threat in Draymond Green and a support staff that is the envy of every other team (except perhaps the San Antonio Spurs). The Warriors possess the number one offence in the game at over 114 points per game, while the Bulls eclipsing 100 points in 14 of their last 15. This one is going to be high scoring. Bank on it.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks
Our tip: Dallas Mavericks at the line -8.5 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ($1.91)
We love the Timberwolves, but they can’t win this one. For all their prodigious talent, the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio are still finding their way in the league and should be no match for the seasoned Dallas Mavericks, who have surprised many on their way to sixth in the West. While Dirk Nowitzki is still the heart and soul, his fading star has been propped up by a bunch of wily veterans who just get the job done, night in, night out. Point guard Deron Williams was an absolute monster with 10 over time points in the Mavs’ 118-113 win over Boston last time out. Big man Zaza Pachulia has been a revelation and swingmen Wes Mathews and Chandler Parsons know their roles. Expect a heavy road loss for the Wolves.
Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers
Our tip: Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers Louis Williams total points over 215 ($1.91)
As with most Los Angeles Lakers games these days, this is a game of very little consequence. They have become a bit of a joke, with living legend Kobe Bryant’s retirement tour overtaking the team’s importance. The Kings are struggling for relevance, although they will have designs on sneaking into the last playoff spot in the west, thanks largely to the sublime play of Rajon Rondo and gun big man DeMarcus Cousins. The Lakers’ hired gun Louis Williams is on a ridiculous tear, scoring at least 18 points in 10 of his past 11 games, including outbursts of 44, 30, 24 and a quartet of 20 point performances. Neither of these two teams put too much time into defence, so we think it’s going to be a scoring fest.
Atlanta Hawks at Portland Trailblazers
Our tip: Portland Trailblazers at the line +2 vs. Atlanta Hawks ($1.91)
After losing superstar big man LaMarcus Aldridge to the San Antonio Spurs and gun swingman Wes Mathews to Dallas, many tipped the Portland Trailblazers to be battling it out for lottery balls near the bottom of the east. But, led by a stunning back court partnership of Damien Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Blazers are all of a sudden challenging for a playoff spot, sitting just half a game out of eighth in the west. Despite a woeful effort against the 76ers, the Blazers have now won four of their last five games, including a brilliant 115-110 result over title challengers the Thunder. The Hawks are a tough ask for any team, with the likes of Al Horford and Paul Millsap up front, but the Blazers’ workmanlike bigs will keep them honest and keep the scores close.
