The Pacers will travel to Miami this Thursday, the 13th of December for the first of an ESPN NBA Double-Header to be followed by the Celtics at San Antonio. We preview and give tips for the two games plus another big matchup below.
Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat (11am AEDT)
The Pacers have finally hit their straps after a really sluggish start to the season. With Paul George back in the lineup and firing on all cylinders Indiana have won six of their last nine games, scoring over 100 in eight of those games. The Heat sit on the other end of the spectrum, after a surprising start to the season, they have come back down to earth, with a win over Washington on Tuesday snapping what was a five-game losing streak.
To the Heat’s credit, of the five losses, the one to Cleveland by a whopping 30 points was the only defeat of over 11 points, so while they might struggle in crunch time of late, they seem to be keeping the games relatively close. Paul George has been balling since his return, average 26 points and 8 rebounds over the last week. With the offseason departure of Luol Deng and the injury to Justice Winslow the Heat lack a reliable wing stopper. They sit behind only six other teams on production allowed to small forwards, meaning PG13 could have a big one here.
I find it hard to believe the Pacers are getting points in this one given Miami’s recent form, so ill happily back Indiana to win this one outright as underdogs.
TIP: Indiana Pacers to Win - $1.99 at CrownBet
Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs (1.30pm AEDT)
Over the years, San Antonio has regularly been the hardest place to travel to. The Spurs home court has been a fortress, however, they seem to have lost some of their invincibility there this season. Their home record so far this season is 6-4 heading into a tough game against the Celtics. While the Spurs might be struggling at home, their record is still impressive thanks to a 12-1 season on the road so far, dismantling teams such as Warriors, Wolves and Wizards away from home. Kawhi Leonard is an underrated MVP candidate averaging 24 and 6 with 2 steals.
This will be the second game of a tough two game road stint for the Celtics. They went down to the Thunder by 3 points on Tuesday and will look forward to getting this one over with before returning home. The play of Avery Bradley has been inspired in starting point guard Isiah Thomas’ absence, averaging 20 points per game over the last 7 days. With Thomas out, however, the Celtics seriously lack scoring, Bradley has picked up some of the slack, but not enough, as Boston has failed to score 100 in their last two games.
Both teams play great defence and have plenty of limitations on offence, this should be a low scoring game and because of that I think the line is a few points to high. I like Boston getting 8.5 in this one.
TIP: Boston Celtics +8.5 - $1.84 at CrownBet
Cleveland Cavaliers at Memphis Grizzlies (12pm AEDT)
The Cavs and Grizzlies will play for the 2nd day in a row on Thursday. Wednesday’s meeting in Cleveland saw the Cav’s win comfortably 103-86, Kyrie Irving missed the game due to rest and will continue to rest, along with star teammates Kevin Love and LeBron James for the return leg in Memphis. Travelling to Memphis is a daunting prospect at the best of times, but doing so without your three best players should make this one a tough outing for the Cavs.
Their starting lineup will likely be DeAndre Liggins, J.R Smith, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Tristan Thompson, which doesn’t inspire confidence by any stretch of the imagination. Marc Gasol, who also missed Wednesday’s clash due to rest, looks set to return for this one, making it even harder for the depleted Cavs side. The bookmakers are wise to the situation, however, I still think a bit too much respect is being given to the reigning champs with a low line of 6 favouring the Grizzlies. I like them to take this one comfortably at home.
TIP: Memphis Grizzlies -6 - $1.94at Sportsbet
