The NBA season is nearing the end of November and remarkably the Golden State Warriors remain undefeated and now hold the best record to start an NBA season. In the East it is the Cavaliers leading the way and they will be highlighting Thursday’s NBA action as they take on the Raptors. Continue reading for a look at the Cavaliers vs Raptors game in our November 26 Preview and Betting Tips article as always, our NBA betting tips focus on Thursday games, including any games that are featured on Australian TV.
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors (Thursday 11.30am AEDT)
After a slump towards the end of last week, the Cavaliers have won three in a row and a lot of that can be contributed to the lift in production of Kevin Love. Lebron James called out his teammates and said they weren’t playing like a championship side and Love has certainly responded. He scored a career high 34 points for the Cavs with 11-18 shooting and 6-9 from downtown.
Meanwhile the Raptors will be fresh after a three-day break. They will head into the match on the back of two big victories against the Los Angeles sides as the side looks to put its inconsistencies behind them. Kyle Lowry will need to attack as the Cavs are required to start Matthew Dellavedova at point guard with injuries to Kyrie Irving and Mo Williams. It is an area where the Raptors will need to exploit to challenge the Cavs, however with
TIP: Cavs -1.5 @ $1.92 with Palmerbet
New York Knicks at Orlando Magic (Thursday 11am AEDT)
The Knicks have improved drastically this season and they were on a four game winning streak before falling to the Miami Heat in their last match. Number 4 overall pick in the latest draft Kristaps Porzingis has continued to prove his doubters wrong as he has been a double double machine and his ability to spread the floor as a big man has created plenty of space for his team mates around him. The upside for the Latvian is enormous as he has proved his worth on the defensive end picking up seven blocks in his last match, which has contributed, to the Knicks allowing only 97.7ppg which is 8th best in the league.
The Magic are another side that is improving, however the difference making in this match will likely be Carmelo Anthony as the superstar will look to make up for a poor performance against the Heat and he will lead his side to a victory in this one.
TIP: Knicks @ $1.99 with Sportsbet
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (Thursday 11.30am AEDT)
The Celtics suffered a shock loss in their last match to the Brooklyn Nets, however it can be largely attributed to the loss of Marcus Smart. This puts a large amount of pressure on point guard Isiah Thomas, however he is more than capable as he is averaging over 20 points this season.
Meanwhile the 76ers are still winless despite taking leads into the fourth quarter in their last two matches. Their lack of ability down the stretch to score points when the opposition defence tightens up has been evident as they scored just 17 points in their loss to the heat in the fourth quarter. They won’t get their first win in this match but with Smart out they will be able to beat the line.
TIP: 76ers +10.5 @ 1.88 with Crownbet
Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets (12pm AEDT)
Kevin McHale paid the price for the Rockets slow start to the season as he was fired last week despite leading the team to the Western Conference Finals last year. Since then they were able to pick up an overtime win against the Trail Blazers but they will head into their next match on the back of two losses including a 96-84 loss against the Grizzlies. They are currently sitting in 12 position in the Western Conference and their numbers are lacking across the board as they are ranked in the bottom 15 in points, rebounds, assists and points allowed per game.
Meanwhile, the story isn’t much better for the Grizzlies who are also struggling this season, however they have been able to rely on their defence to pick up more victories but their offence is still struggling. The trade that gave them Mario Chalmers has improve this area though as they were able to go on a four game winning streak before losing to the Spurs in their last start. They will be able to shut down the Rockets offence similar to last week and pick up the victory.
TIP: Grizzlies @ $1.83 with William Hill
Brooklyn Nets at Oklahoma City Thunder (Thursday 12pm AEDT)
The Nets have started the season 3-11 and are 1-8 on the road. The team is allowing over 104 points per game whilst they are 26th in the league in scoring averaging just under 96 points.
Meanwhile former MVP Kevin Durant has returned from injury for the Thunder and he scored 27 points and grabbed 6 rebounds as he led his side to a 111-89 win against the Utah Jazz. They are second in the league in points averaging just under 110 points per game which suggest they will be able to put up a huge number against one of the worst defences as OKC run away with it.
TIP: Thunder -12.5 @ $1.91 with Sportsbet
