Another profitable day in NBA betting tips on Thursday as SmitsTips hit on two out of three bets. We’ll be looking to carry on the momentum here as we take a look at some of the key games in the NBA this Saturday, the 20th of January below.
San Antonio Spurs at Toronto Raptors (11am AEDT)
The Spurs will play their final game of a three leg Eastern Conference road trip on Saturday as they face off against the red hot Toronto Raptors. The Raptors currently have the second best record in the East, behind only the Celtics, and their 16-3 home record is one of the best in the league. DeMar DeRozan has been playing at an all-NBA level and the Raptors bench is arguably the most damaging in the Eastern Conference.
San Antonio have a similar record to the Raptors, currently sitting at 30-16, but have plenty of issues at the moment with superstar Kawhi Leonard struggling to find fitness. The small forward has been battling calf problem all season long and with the reoccurrence of the injury, he has now been ruled out for an indefinite period. Rudy Gay and Manu Ginobili are also out of the Spurs line-up at the moment, leaving them extremely thin on the wings.
The Raptors start as 5.5 favourites for the clash, which is a little low in our opinion. Their ridiculous home record combined with a great 24-19 record against the spread this year, not to mention the injury problems for the Spurs at the moment has us thinking the Raptors will take this one comfortably.
TIP: Toronto Raptors -5.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons (12pm AEDT)
After a hot start to the season, the Pistons have fallen away dramatically and now sit just 8th in the Eastern Conference. They have lost their last three games and won just three of their last 10 as they stare down the barrel of being ousted from the East playoff race. Injuries to Avery Bradley, Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson have really stunted their progress and while Andre Drummond is still playing at a high level, he doesn’t have the backcourt support that he did at the start of the season.
Washington are ambling along in 5th place in the Eastern Conference with a 25-20 record. They have won 6 of their last 10 games and come into this game with a completely clean bill of health. John Wall and Bradley Beal are a menacing backcourt duo while Otto Porter Jr is having a career year. Currently just one game behind the Heat in 4th place, the Wizards will be hunting wins in the back half of the season in an attempt to get home court advantage in the first round of playoffs.
In Washington we’d have no problem picking the Wizards to win this game comfortably. Due to Detroit still possessing an above average defence with Andre Drummond in the middle, we were sceptical as to whether to take the Wizards here but with the line at just 1.5, we think it’s a bit to low to say no to.
TIP: Washington -1.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
New York Knicks at Utah Jazz (2.30pm AEDT)
The Jazz might have lost seven of their last 10 games, but they are still in with a slight chance of making the playoffs, currently sitting 10th in the Western Conference. All-Star centre Rudy Gobert has been out for the Jazz’ last 15 games but is listed as probably for Saturday’s clash against the Knicks. Getting Gobert back will completely change the Jazz’ defence and likely turn them into a playoff calibre team heading into the back half of the season.
The Knicks also sit in 10th place in their respective conference, currently maintaining a 20-25 record. Their 5-16 record away from home is one of the worst in the league and even with star forward Kristaps Porzingus playing at an extremely high level, the Knicks just can’t string multiple wins together.
Even though they are 10th in the conference, the Jazz’ home record of 13-8 is one of the better marks going around and they are currently 13-8-0 against the spread at home. The Knicks can’t win away from home and Utah is always one of the toughest places to play in the NBA. With Gobert back in the line-up, the Jazz should cover a 4.5 point line here.
TIP: Utah -4.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
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