We’ve had a great week in the NBA so far, going 4-1-1 in our last two days of action. We’ll look to continue the trend as we preview the value games in Thursday’s 7-game slate and offer our NBA betting tips.
Toronto Raptors At Detroit Pistons (12pm AEDT)
The Raptors enter their matchup with the Pistons in unbelievable form. They have won their last 5 and 11 of their last 12 to lead the Eastern Conference standings by 3 games to the Celtics. Their trip to Detroit on Thursday will be their only game in a quick road trip.
The Pistons have really struggled since the All-Star break and have lost 3 straight and 8 of their last 10. They are still in the playoff race, currently sitting in 9th position in the East, however, they are 5 games behind the 8th placed Heat and urgently need to find some form to make a push towards post-season basketball.
The Raptors are 18-13 ATS on the road this season and the Pistons are a measly 13-18-1 ATS at home. We’ll be backing the in-form Raptors to cover the line in this one.
TIP: Toronto Raptors at the line (-5.5) - $1.95 at CrownBet
New Orleans Pelicans At Sacramento Kings (2pm AEDT)
The New Orleans Pelicans have been absolutely flying lately on the back of some huge performances from superstar Anthony Davis. Davis was recently named the Western Conference Player of the Month for February after leading his team to an 8-3 record while averaging 35 points per game. The Pelicans are most recently coming off a huge road win against the Clippers and will travel to Sacramento full of confidence.
It’s no secret that the Kings season is over and that the remaining 20 games will be used to give their younger players a chance to gain more experience at the top level. Winning is no longer of concern for the Kings this season, which has resulted in a lot of blow out losses since the All-Star break and potentially many more to come for the remainder of the season.
The Pelicans are in a tight battle for a playoff spot and simply need to win the games against non-playoff teams. We are backing them in to cover the line against the Kings.
TIP: New Orleans Pelicans at the line (-5.5) - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Orlando Magic At Los Angeles Lakers (2:30pm AEDT)
Like the Kings, the Magic’s season is done and dusted and the remaining games will be used to give their future stars some more NBA experience. Orlando have lost 8 of their last 10 games and will face a tough task on Thursday when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers.
The Lakers looked like they were going to make it 6 wins in a row on Tuesday Night when they led the Blazers by 10 points with 3 minutes remaining. However, Lillard went on to hit 4 3-pointers in a row and snapped the Lakers winning streak in the process. Although they lost, the Lakers played great basketball once again and are making an unlikely push towards the playoffs.
The Lakers are still a chance of post-season basketball and are giving 100% in every contest. We think they’ll bring too much intensity and fire power for the Magic to handle.
TIP: Los Angeles Lakers at the line (-7) - $1.91 at Ladbrokes
