Although ESPN is only giving us one televised game this Saturday, the 31st of December, there’s still a massive slate to have a punt on and hopefully kick off our New Year celebrations in style. We are 25-15 on our NBA Betting Tips so far this season with each tip paying at least line prices. We’ll be looking to add another 3 wins today as we preview the ESPN marquee game in the Warriors vs Mavericks plus two others below.
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors (2.30pm AEDT)
Dallas will travel to Golden State in the marquee matchup of the day on Saturday. The Warriors bounced back from a disappointing Christmas day loss to the Cavs by dismantling the Raptors by 10 points at home on Thursday. The Raptors never looked in the game on Thursday, with the lead at one point being stretched out past 20 points. I questioned Golden States ability against the premier teams in the league, but they seem to be only a bit wary against their biggest rivals, the Cavs. They have proved they are more than capable against the leagues other top teams, along with the win over the Raptors, they have beaten the Jazz, Clippers and Celtics all very convincingly.
Dirk Nowitzki recently returned to the Mavs lineup, although he’s still on a minutes restriction of around 15 minutes per game for the foreseeable future. Regardless of Dirks minutes, I think the Mavericks lack the firepower to go with the Warriors in this one, they average only 94 points per game, which is good for the worst in the league. They’ll also be on the second night of a back to back, coming off a match with the Lakers on Friday. With high lines all year, the Warriors are only 16-16-1 against the spread on the season so far, but I like them to win by over 20 in this one, covering the line in the process.
TIP: Golden State Warriros -19.5 - $2.07 at CrownBet
Milwaukee Bucks at Minnesota Timberwolves (12pm AEDT)
These two teams were supposed to be the two young, exciting and upcoming teams in their respective conferences this year. However, only one of those fortunes has proved correct. The Bucks are having somewhat of a resurgence this year, sitting at exactly .500 on the season so far, they have enjoyed some wins over some quality teams including the Cavs. The Wolves on the other hand have all but continued their horrid run that has seen them miss the playoffs the last 11 years running.
With the inevitable improvement of stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, many thought the Wolves were going to be the big movers this year, but it seems the losing culture that has been ingrained in them the last 11 years combined with their lack of experience and consistency has them 10-22 on the season so far. Anything could really happen in this game, while they have a much better record going into the matchup, the Bucks have also had their fair share of inconsistency littered throughout the season so far. With some big wins over good teams like the Cavs, Bulls and Wizards, they’ve also had some bad losses to minnows like the Heat, Pelicans and Mavericks.
I’m taking the home court advantage to be the deciding factor in this one.
TIP: Minnesota Timberwolves to Win - $1.93 at CrownBet
Portland Trailblazers at San Antonio Spurs (12.30pm AEDT)
The Spurs have quietly continued their winning ways over the last few weeks. With a record of 26-6, they have been rolling through the competition winning their last 3 by an average of 20 points. One of those wins came at the hands of the Blazers back on the 23rd of December, where they dismantled by 20 points in Portland.
The slide in performances was inevitable for the Blazers this year, they managed to stay afloat last season without their star power forward LaMarcus Aldrige, finishing 44-38 on the season. However, with the Western Conference continuing to get better every year, the Blazers look destined for at least a few years out of the playoffs. I’m going to ride the Kawhi Leonard wave in this one, no one who plays on him seems to be able to reach their over/under for points this year, and since there’s no real value in the H2H markets I’m backing the 2-time defensive MVP to get it done again.
NOTE: Kawhi Leonard was a late withdrawal to the game, due to that, we will be withdrawing this tip.
TIP: Maurice Harkless Total Points UNDER ? – Check closer to tip for price
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
