The 2018-19 NBA regular season is one of the closest in recent memory as we enter the second half of the campaign. There’s another big eight game slate of action on this Thursday with some of the best teams in the league set to go head to head. As usual, we’ve analysed all of the games and have come up with our three best value plays. Good luck to everyone following!
NBA Betting Tips Thursday January 17th
Toronto Raptors @ Boston Celtics (12pm AEDT)
Our first play of the day comes from the Eastern Conference heavyweight battle between the Raptors and the Celtics in Boston. This is the third meeting between these teams this season. The Raptors won the first at home, but the Celtics returned the favour in the reverse fixture.
The Raptors come into this game with wins in each of their past five games. Their most recent win came against the Wizards in a thrilling 140-138 overtime victory. This impressive stretch has seen them reclaim top spot in the East, and has them with the best record in the league at 33-11.
The Celtics enter this big game in contrasting form to the Raptors, having lost each of their past three games. Their most recent was at the hands of the Nets, who proved to be too good down the stretch. The Celtics now sit fifth in the East with a 25-18 record and have plenty of catching up to do if they’re to claim a top four spot.
We’re not quite sure how the bookies can justify pricing the Celtics as favourites here. They’re in poor form and come up against the current best team in the league. We have the Raptors winning this on the road at juicy odds.
Brooklyn Nets @ Houston Rockets (12pm AEDT)
Second up in the Thursday slate we’re looking at the Brooklyn Nets at Houston Rockets match-up. This is the second and final meeting between these teams this season. The Rockets won the first clash in Brooklyn by eight points.
The Nets enter this game coming off a solid home win against the Celtics last time out. That win made it three wins in their last five and puts them into seventh spot in the East with a record of 22-23. They now hit the road where they’ve certainly had their struggles this season.
The Rockets are flying at the moment and are making a serious push towards the top of the Western Conference standings. James Harden is playing like a man possessed and is averaging just shy of 35 points per game this season. The Rockets are now fourth in the West and are coming off an easy home win against the Grizzlies.
We’re very confident in a Rockets win and cover on Thursday. They’ve won 12 of their last 13 at home and have won 18 of their last 19 home games against Eastern Conference opponents. They seem like great value here.
San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks (12:30pm AEDT)
The third and final game we’re making a play on is the Western Conference match-up between the Spurs and the Mavericks in Dallas. This is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Spurs won the first contest by five points in overtime at home.
Coming off a poor home loss to the Hornets, the Spurs will be looking to turn things around in Dallas in Thursday. They’ve now lost three of their last four games and look to have lost the momentum they had in the back end of 2018. As it stands, the Spurs are in seventh spot in the West at 25-20.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are also looking to bounce from a home loss, however theirs was against the defending champion Warriors. The Mavs have lost three of their past five, but return home where they’ve been red hot all season, winning 16 of their 21 matches there.
The Mavericks are a terrific home team and come up against a Spurs unit that have lost 11 of their past 12 road games against Western Conference opponents. Further, the Mavs have covered the spread in eight of their last nine meetings against the Spurs. All of this points to great value for the Mavericks at home.
Dallas Mavericks Win
$1.90
