We continue our coverage of the 2021-22 NBA season by bringing previews and best bets for some of the key games on this Thursday. Catch them all for free right here!
Also, make sure to check out our NBA Tips page regularly to find our best betting tips for all slates we cover each week. Additionally, we provide NBL betting tips for every round of the season for those of you who can't get enough of our quality basketball bets!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, 17th of March
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards
Capital One Arena, 10am AEDT
The Nuggets come into this clash having just pulled off one of their best wins of the season last time out. Nikola Jokic got the better of fellow MVP fancy in Joel Embiid and the 76ers by four points on the road, which also snapped a two-game losing streak. That was an important win for the Nuggets as it keeps them in sixth spot in the West, one game clear of seventh.
The Wizards recently finished up their four-game road trip with a 112-126 loss to the Warriors. They lost all four games in the trip by 6+ points, making it five straight losses on the road. Thankfully, they return home to Washington now where they’ve won two of their last three games and are an even better 17-17 on the season.
The only other meeting between these teams this season was back in the middle of December in Denver when the Nuggets won by six points. They’ve only gotten better since then and the Wizards have gotten far worse, which makes this an easy play for me. I have the Nuggets getting the chocolates and covering the small spread on the road.
Denver Nuggets -5.5
$1.90
Portland Trail Blazers at New York Knicks
Madison Square Garden, 10:30am AEDT
The Trail Blazers have had a season from hell and have decided to pack it all in and go into full rebuild mode. They’ve uncovered a shining light in young guard Anfernee Simons, but apart from him there have been very little positive to report. The Trail Blazers lost their most recent outing against the Hawks, which was their seventh loss from their last eight games.
The Knicks have had some of their momentum stalled in the last week after suffering back-to-back road losses against the talented Grizzlies and the stacked Nets. These results came after they put together a three-game win streak on the road, all of which were by 16+ points. The Knicks are now 5.5 games back from the 10thspot, which is the final position to earn a place into the Play-In tournament.
Although they lost each of their last two games, the Knicks still played very well and certainly didn’t do anything to make me believe they aren’t still giving it a red-hot crack. They now return to their home deck where they get a very easy kill against the inexperienced and undermanned Trail Blazers who they should be able to take full advantage of. I have them winning this one in a blowout at the Garden.
New York Knicks -11
$1.90
Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors
Chase Center, 1pm AEDT
The Celtics have been in terrific form but weren’t able to get over the line against the Mavericks in their most recent outing, going down 92-95 in a grind. That loss snapped a four-game win streak on their home deck and a five-game win streak overall. The Celtics now hit the road where they’ve won eight of their last nine, which has helped them climb into fifth in the East standings.
The Warriors are building some important momentum again after they suffered that really poor stretch where they lost nine of 11 games, in no small part to injuries. They most recently defeated the Wizards by 14 points at home, making it four straight wins, three of which were against teams currently in the playoff picture. The Warriors are now only 0.5 games back from the Grizzlies in second spot in the West.
This will be the second and final meeting between these teams this season. The Warriors solved the Celtics in their first encounter back in December despite being the travelling team. The Celtics have certainly become a stronger and more consistent outfit since that battle, but I suspect they will find it tough to overcome the in-form Warriors on their own deck.
Golden State Warriors -3
$1.85
Player Props
10am Nuggets at Wizards – Kyle Kuzma 20+ Points $1.90 TAB
10am Nuggets at Wizards – Will Barton 15+ Points $1.90 Picklebet
10am Hawks at Hornets – Trae Young 29+ Points $1.85 Sportsbet
10:30am Trail Blazers at Knicks – Evan Fournier 3+ Assists $2.40 TAB
1pm Celtics at Warriors – Steph Curry 25+ Points $1.82 Picklebet
