We went 0-3 on Thursday to take our NBA betting tips tally to 39-31 on the season so far. A decent 2-1 result on the first edition of our player performance tips made up for the poor game tips, however. We’ll hope to improve on both accounts today as we preview the a few of the key matchups with our NBA betting tips for Saturday, the 4th of February.
Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics (12pm AEDT)
What was once the fiercest rivalry in the league has simmered down over the past five years to an amicable hatred for one another. Both teams went through a rough patch after departures of superstars, with the Celtics being the first to bounce back this year with an above average season. While most of the sting has left the rivalry, there will still definitely be some tension in the air and both teams will be playing like they have nothing to lose. It’ll be an uphill battle for the Lakers, however, especially with star power forward Julius Randle only playing a limited role due to illness.
Boston’s only weakness is their rebounding, and we’ve regularly seen that weakness exploited by good rebounding teams throughout the year. The Lakers unfortunately aren’t a good rebounding team. With the Celtics being so dominant in every other aspect of the game, it should be an easy victory for Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics.
The Lakers have kept it close against the poorer teams in the league, but against the premier teams they have proven a tendency to get blown out. In their last 10 games alone they have suffered losses by 21, 40, 16 and 49 to the Blazers, Spurs, Clippers and Dallas respectively. I like the Celtics to cover the line here.
TIP: Boston Celtics -11.5 - $1.95 at William Hill
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trailblazers (2.30pm AEDT)
The second game in the ESPN Australia double-header sees the Mavericks travel to Portland to take on the Trailblazers. Dallas are slowly starting to become the team I thought they were going to be at the start of the season. Injuries have riddled the opening half of their campaign, but after winning 5 of their last 6 and with three of their best players still out, there’s a lot of good signs there if you’re a Mavs fan. Dirk Nowitzki has been playing some consistent basketball while Harrison Barnes has been on an absolute tear during their win streak. Seth Curry also looks to have cemented his spot in the starting line-up with some solid performances.
They come up against the Blazers Saturday, who have also been in a bit of a purple patch lately. After losing four games in a row in mid-January, they have bounced back to win 4 of their last 5 on the back of some great offensive play by star duo Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum. They seem to have switched their play style to an all-out attack, run and gun style to compensate for their lack of a interior defensive presence. The injection of Evan Turner into the starting line-up at the expense of Maurice Harkless has worked wonders and many teams struggle to keep up with the 3-guard combo.
I think these teams are fairly evenly matched and the home-court advantage could come into play in this one. Lillard and co. might just have a bit too much firepower. Comfortable taking the favourites at the line here.
TIP: Portland Trailblazers -4.5 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets (11.30am AEDT)
One of the most fun and profitable teams to bet on this year has been the Rockets. They lead the league in wins against the spread with an impressive 30-23 led by the MVP favourite James Harden. They live and die by the 3pt shot, so when they are on, they usually blowout teams as we saw a few nights ago, with an emphatic 22-point win over the Kings at home.
For all the off-court issues, they’ve had in the past week, it hasn’t affected the Bulls play. With dominant wins over the 76ers and Thunder in their last two, the challenge will get harder away from home against the Rockets in this one. Both Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler have been the catalysts in their wins this season, with some important contributions from Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez. Off season recruit Rajon Rodno has been a bit of a disappointment, and it will be interesting to see if Michael Carter-Williams can have an impact after returning from injury in the Thunder game.
They’ve beaten up on some weaker teams in the past few weeks, with wins over the Pels, Kings, Magic and 76ers, it’ll be a much tougher challenge for the Bulls in this one, however. Both teams have been scoring freely over the their past few games which makes the total point line of 223 a bit low in my opinion. Both of Chicago’s last two games have gone over this total, and Houston score 120 for fun. I like this one to go over.
TIP: Total points OVER 223 - $1.91 at Sportsbet
Player Line Plays for Saturday, 4th of February
Andre Drummond UNDER 16.5 points
James Harden OVER 28.5 points
Al Horford OVER 6.5 rebounds
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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!
