The 2016-17 NBA season continues this week and we have our Thursday, November 23rd betting tips including the Australian televised Spurs at Hornets.
San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets (Thursday at 11:10am AEST - ESPN Australia)
The Hornets head into this key clash with the Spurs on the back of two losses, but are still one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, sitting 8-5 after a very strong start to the season. Much of their success can be attributed to the elite playmaking of Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum and once again they are going to be key if their team is going to defeat the Spurs on Thursday. It's not going to be an easy task for the Hornets, but considering they have one of the best defenses in the NBA (despite struggling against the Grizzlies yesterday), you can't ride them off.
This game could come down to a battle between Kawhi Leonard and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Much of the Spurs offensive prowess comes on the back of Leonard and MKG's defensive pressure will be key to a Hornet win. While the Spurs deserve to be favourites, taking the Hornets plus the points in Charlotte might be value. They can't afford the slow start we are used to seeing from them, but interestingly they do lead the league in 2nd half score differential, so don't be surprised if they claw back to within a few buckets late in the game and give themselves a real chance.
Tip: Charlotte Hornets at the line (+4.5) - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers (Thursday 11am AEST)
The Hawks will enter this match after a back-to-back and this will be one of the only times they consider themselves lucky that there is only a short time between games. They will want to wash the stink off their skin from their humiliating loss against the Pelicans on their home soil. To make the defeat worse, it came against a side that had their superstar Anthony Davis on the sidelines for the majority of the match.
Meanwhile the Pacers have improved in their recent games and a lot of that can be credited to Jeff Teague beginning to find his feet in Indiana. He put up back-to-back strong games but the side was clearly no where near the standard of the Warriors. Paul George is likely to remain on the sidelines for this one which is a huge loss but we are predicting the Hawks to come out with a lot more energy in this one but ultimately the road game, as well as playing a back-to-back will be their downfall.
TIP: Pacers to win - $3.09 at Sportsbet
Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas Mavericks (Thursday 12.30pm AEST)
The Woes of Dallas continue to get worse as Chandler Parsons joins a long list of injured players which includes Deron Williams and Dirk Nowitzki. The side has just two wins to its name this season, meanwhile their opponents have suffered just the two losses. The Clippers are 13-2 and are ranked number 1 on the ESPN power rankings. The side has been playing lock down defence while their offence hasn’t lost any speed from the previous seasons. They are geling perfectly and this is an easy match to predict with the Clippers to blow out their opponents, despite playing on the road.
TIP: Clippers at the line (-9.0) - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets (Thursday 12.30pm AEST)
It will be an entertaining match up between these two highly offensive sides. The Rockets have excelled under Mike D’Antoni and they have been scoring a lot of points per game. It is no surprise that a large majority of those points come at the hands of James Harden in both assists and points scored himself. He has recorded three triple doubles this season and has led the side to a strong 4-1 home record.
The Raptors have hit a bit of a slump since they jumpstarted out of the blocks. DeMar DeRozan has also begun to slow down, which was expected because he was playing at such a high level. They have a 4-3 record on the road but are coming off a tough loss against the Clippers in LA. We are predicting the home team to race out to an early lead and continue to hold that for the majority of the game.
TIP: Rockets at the line (-3.0) - $1.89 at Ladbrokes
Oklahoma City Thunder at Sacramento Kings (Thursday 2.30pm AEST)
The Thunder will be backing up in this match and it will be tough on their superstar Russell Westbrook. The point guard already has a huge load and a burden to carry but the back-to-back games will be extra tough as he doesn’t slow down for a minute.
Meanwhile the Kings will have enjoyed a day of rest heading into this one. DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t quite peaked this season but he is still putting up huge numbers. They need more out of their point guard position as Ty Lawson hasn’t been the player they were hoping while Darren Collison has had his off court issues. We are predicting this to be an area where the Thunder can quite clearly exploit as they have Westbrook calling the shots and looking to destroy everything in his path. We are predicting the away side to earn a narrow victory.
TIP: Thunder by 1-10 points - $2.22 at CrownBet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
