NBA Thursday is upon us and there’s another massive slate of games to look forward to. We’ll look to wrap up the final day of NBA action in November by offering our value picks of the day, so join us here where we preview our NBA betting tips for Thursday, 30th November!
2017-18 NBA Preview & Betting Tips for Thursday, 30th November
Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers (11:00am AEST)
The Wizards will travel to Philadelphia fresh from their win against the Timberwolves that went right down to the wire. Without John Wall running the point and with Beal having an off night they managed to steal the win in the dying seconds. This takes the Wizards to 11-9 on the season and seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Coming off a tiring back-to-back and with Wall expecting to miss again it will take a special effort to knock off an improved 76ers outfit.
The highly anticipated duel with the Cavs didn’t exactly go to plan for Brett Brown’s 76ers. They were dominated by an inspired LeBron James from the outset and were never able to gain control of the match. Perhaps more worrying was the incident in the fourth quarter that resulted in Ben Simmons leaving the court with a limp and a sprained ankle. However, the 76ers are clearly an improved team this year and won’t let one game derail their season.
The 76ers are now very aware of the work they have to put in if they’re to contend with the top dogs in the Eastern Conference. We see them giving 110% and blowing the Wall-less Wizards out of the water in this one.
TIP: Philadelphia 76ers at the line (-3.5) - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Memphis Grizzlies At San Antonio Spurs (12:30pm AEST)
The Grizzlies became the second team to fire their Head Coach this season when they sacked David Fizzdale on Tuesday. After going 7-11 during their first 18 games of the season it was their 19th game that proved to be Fizzdale’s swansong. They went down to the Nets by 10 points at home in an extrememly disappointing performance. It was their 11th loss in their last 13 games, after starting the season at 5-1. There are also a few questions being asked about Marc Gasol’s role in the firing, after being benched for the entire fourth quarter of their latest defeat. It’ll be interesting to see how the players perform in their first game under interim coach J.B Bickerstaff, where they’ll have their hands full against the evergreen San Antonio Spurs.
The grass is a lot greener over in Texas, where the San Antonio Spurs will welcome back future hall-of-fame Point Guard Tony Parker to their starting line-up. Parker hasn’t suited up for the Spurs this season after undergoing treatment on his quadriceps. It’ll be a big boost for Coach Popovich and the Spurs, who are coming off a huge 20-point away win against the Hornets. This takes them to 13-7 for the season and third place in the Western Conference Standings.
With the Grizzlies organisation undergoing a transitioning phase it’s hard to see them being competitive against the Spurs on their home deck. We expect San Antonio to win comfortably.
TIP: San Antonio Spurs at the line (-7.5) - $1.87 at CrownBet
Golden State Warriors At Los Angeles Lakers (2:30pm AEST)
The Warriors have had a day’s break to assess their unexpected loss at home to Sacramento on Tuesday. Although they were without both Curry and Durant they will look back at that game as one that they shouldn’t have dropped. However, in an 82-game season there are a lot of opportunities to bounce back and this game against the Lakers looms as just that. It’s their first meeting of the season and the reigning champions will be looking to set the tone. With both superstars likely to return to the line-up we expect them to be back to their best.
The Lakers lost to their cross-town rivals for the second time in as many meetings when they went down to the Clippers by 5 points on Tuesday. The shooting struggles continued for Lonzo Ball, where he shot 1-of-7 from the field to end with 3 points. He is now dead last in the league in FG% 3PT% and FT% for players averaging over 30 minutes a game – not exactly what everyone expected from the no.2 overall pick! It won’t be any easier for Ball and the 8-and-12 Lakers when they host the reigning champions on Thursday.
The equation for this game is pretty straight forward – if the Warriors decide to show up then they will completely outplay the Lakers and cruise to an easy victory.
TIP: Golden State Warriors at the line (-11.5) – 1.95 at Sportsbet
