The 2024-25 NBA regular season continues on Thursday with a juicy eight-game slate for fans and punters to dive into. Action will get underway from 11:30am AEDT, while the last of the games are set for a tip-off time of 2:30pm AEDT. We bring you our three best bets for the day below!
Also, make sure to head over to our NBA Tips regularly, as we’ll be providing free tips for all the major slates for each and every week of the 2024-25 season!
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, November 21st 2024
Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets (12:10pm AEDT)
The Pacers have failed to recapture their form of a season ago so far this campaign, and enter this slate with a 6-8 record. They’ve also struggled immensely on the road with losses in six of their past seven outings including each of their last three. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith continue to miss with injury, while Myles Turner will be a game time decision.
The Rockets got off to a slow start this season with a few poor losses in the first week of action, but have quickly hit their straps and enter Thursday as one of the form teams of the competition. They lost last outing by a single point on the road against the Bucks, but now return home where they’ve won their past five games – all by comfortably margins.
The Rockets are flying and also have a clean bill of health, so it’s no surprise to see them as the clear favourites in this matchup. They’ve won five in a row at home and now face a Pacers side that has struggled on the road so far. With that said, I expect this to be all one-way traffic in favour of the Rockets and am happy to back them in to cover the small line.
Pacers -5.5
$1.82 (1.5 Units)
New York Knicks at Phoenix Suns (2:10pm AEDT)
The Knicks recently finished their four-game homestand where they won each of their last three games, all of which were against Eastern Conference rivals. They now hit the road and head over West to face a Western Conference opponent for just the second time this season. Their only other encounter came against the Rockets a couple of weeks ago which they lost by a dozen points. All up, the Knicks are 3-4 away from MSG this season.
The Suns have been dealt some injuries to key players in the form of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, which is a big reason why they enter Thursday’s slate on a four-game skid. Three of those losses were against quality teams on the road however, and their last outing at home against the Magic came down to the wire. The Suns now have a 5-2 record at the Footprint Center this season.
It's understandable why the Knicks have been priced as the favourites considering the injuries to key Suns, however I expected the H2H prices to be a whole lot closer than they are. The Knicks have had their struggles away from the Garden this season and Devin Booker and the Suns will be desperate to get back onto the winners list. With that in mind, I’m happy to back the home underdogs for a single unit.
Suns to Win
$3.20 (1 Unit)
Orlando Magic at Los Angeles Clippers (2:40pm AEDT)
The Magic finished up a highly successful five-game homestand a few days ago where they remained undefeated, which was the perfect response after losing five straight on the road. They also extended their win streak to six with a road win last start against the Suns, which was just their second road win of the season. The Magic will remain without Paolo Banchero on Thursday but are a chance to regain Wendell Carter Jr.
The Clippers managed to hold off the fast-finishing Warriors last start at home to make it two wins in row overall, and five in a row in front of their home fans at the new Intuit Dome. They’ve now improved their record at their new home to 5-4 after starting the season with four losses in a row. In lineup news, Normal Powell is set to join Kawhi Leonard on the sidelines, but all other key players are healthy and ready to suit up.
Powell’s absence for the Clippers will certainly be felt as he’s been in career-best form this season, but the Clippers still have a five-game streak at home to defend and come up against a Magic side who are also missing their superstar. The Magic also have a horrible record on the road this season, so I’m not quite sure why they’ve been given the favourites tag. I like the Clippers to get the job done here.
Clippers to Win
$2.22 (1.5 Units)
