Six games in the NBA this Saturday, the 17th of March and after a decent 2/3 day on Thursday we’ll be looking to earn some more profits as we preview the key matchups of the day and give our betting tips below.
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic (10am AEDT)
The Celtics will be attempting to snap a two-game losing streak when they travel to Orlando Saturday to take on the Magic. Boston is currently dealing with a host of injuries will likely be without Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown for the clash but should get Al Horford back. Luckily for the Celtics, they are in a fairly comfortable position, currently six games clear of the Pacers and sitting pretty in second spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Magic had a fantastic win over Milwaukee on Thursday to give us our only loss of the fay and will be looking to make it two in a row when they host the Celtics. AJ Augustin and Jonathon Simmons combined for 67 points in the win while Nikola Vucevic added 22 as the Magic downed the Bucks by nine points.
Inconsistency has been the main theme of the season for Orlando. While they have been capable of some great wins on hot shooting nights, their form has rarely carried over multiple games. The Celtics won’t be extremely desperate for a win on the road here but with a tough schedule coming up including games against New Orleans, OKC and Portland, we expect them to earn the win here.
TIP: Boston Celtics – 6 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder (11am AEDT)
The Clippers put up a gallant fight against the Rockets on Friday but ultimately went down by five points. They’ll be on the road on the second night of a back to back against OKC Saturday and will be hoping for a win as they look to stay in the playoffs conversation in the Western Conference. At 37-30, they are currently just 2 wins behind the Spurs in the win column, with Denver also hot on their tail.
After winning their last four games, the Thunder went from being on the brink of missing the playoffs to now sit in 4th place in the Western Conference with a 41-29 record. They have won seven of their last 10 games but could be without superstar forward Paul George for Saturday’s clash.
OKC have won both of the games between the two teams this season by an average of 9.5 points and although they’ll be without Steven Adams and potentially George for this clash, we still expect them to earn a comfortable win over OKC, who should be spent on the second night of a B2B.
TIP: Oklahoma City Thunder at the line – Price not yet available
Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors (1.30pm AEDT)
Draymond Green will be back in the Warriors line-up Saturday, but Golden State will still likely be without a host of key players as Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are all battling injuries. It leaves their shooting stocks in disarray as the likes of Nick Young and Shaun Livingston will likely have to pick up the bulk of the scoring load.
The Kings captured a great win over Miami on Thursday and will be back can climb into the top 12 in the Western Conference with a win in Golden State. Some young guns in the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been lighting it up for the Kings lately but we’re not sure if they’ll want to keep winning to many games down the track in light of getting the best possible draft pick.
No markets for this clash yet and its likely that we won’t see any right up until game time. Tough game to call given the injury issues of the Warriors, but if all three of their top scorers remain out, look for the player point lines on both Nick Young and Shaun Livingston to be great value here.
TIP: Young/Livingston OVER total points – Price not yet available
