The New Year brings new opportunity, and we’ll be looking to take advantage of our opportunities in day one of 2019. There’s some great value games set to play out in the NBA, so we’ve provided previews and best bets for those games here. Good luck to everyone following and Happy New Year!
NBA Betting Tips Tuesday January 1st
Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers (7am AEDT)
The first of three games that we like today is the Eastern Conference match-up between the Hawks and the Pacers in Indiana. This will be the third of a four game regular season series between these teams this season. The Pacers won each of the first two meetings by eight points.
The Hawks have surprised a few teams in recent weeks with their solid and consistent play. They’ve managed to five of their last six games, defeating some solid teams in Minnesota and Detroit in the process. However, they’re still well out of the playoff picture with a season record of 11-24.
The Pacers have also been in great form lately with 11 wins from their last 13. They were especially dominant in their most recent outing against the Pistons where they put their foot down from start to finish to win by 37 points at home.
The Pacers are clearly the superiors team in this contest, but we feel the line is a few too many points here. The Hawks have kept both their losses to single digits against the Pacers this season and are in the best form they’ve been in all year. We’re happy to take them with an 11 point start.
Atlanta Hawks +11.5
$1.92
Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets (11am AEDT)
The second game we’ve focussed on today is the Western Conference battle between the Grizzlies and the Rockets in Houston. This is the third meeting between these teams this season in a series that the Rockets lead 2-0.
The Grizzles have gone off the boil in recent times, losing eight of their last 11 games. This has come after they surprised the league with a great start to the season where they were firmly in the playoff picture.
On the other hand, the Rockets have been quite the opposite. They started really slow but have turned into the hottest team in the league, winning nine of their last 10 games. Most, if not all of the heavy lifting has been done by reigning MVP James Harden, who is averaging 33 points and eight assists per contest.
We’re surprised to see the Rockets aren’t a lot shorter, especially with them being the home team. James Harden is absolutely unstoppable at the moment and should be too much for the Grizzlies here. We expect them to cover the line comfortably.
Houston Rockets -4.5
$1.84
Golden State Warriors @ Phoenix Suns (1pm AEDT)
The final game of the day features the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix, Arizona. These teams have met once this season, with the Warriors winning 123-103 on their home deck.
The Warriors continue be good without being great this season as they struggle with health and consistency. Through all their drama they’ve still managed to put together a 24-13 record, which has them in second spot in the Western Conference standings.
The Suns, who are the Warriors division rivals, have been in the best touch they’ve been in all season over the last couple of weeks. On the back of some strong play from star Devin Booker and rookie DeAndre Ayton, the Suns have won five of their last nine games, and have been competitive in all their losses.
Again, we understand that the Warriors are the far better team in this contest, but we feel the 10.5 line can easily be covered by the Suns here. They’ve surprisingly fought out their losses well this season and will be up for the challenge on Tuesday.
