The NBA season is now back in full swing and the 22 invited teams to the Orlando bubble are now fighting for seeding within the playoff race! The action continues on Tuesday with a six game slate. As usual, we have you covered with a preview and best bets for our favourite matchups of the day below.
We’ll be bringing you three articles a week for the rest of the regular season, which will span just 15 days before the playoffs get underway straight after! Make sure you continue to check out our dedicated NBA Betting Tips page for regular updates.
NBA Betting Tips Tuesday 4th August
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, 6am (AEST)
It’s an extremely tight race in the Western Conference at the moment as 3rd place through 7th place are separated by just three games. Two of the teams in that mix are the Thunder and Nuggets, who will be facing off on Tuesday from 6am. The Nuggets were comfortably beated by the Heat in their first game in the Orlando bubble, going down by 20 points as they struggled offensively.
On the contrary, the Thunder captured a fantastic win over the Jazz in their first game as four of their players surpassed the 15 point mark in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris paul, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari. The Thunder can pull to within just one game of the Nuggets with a win here, and they’ll no doubt have their eyes on that coveted third seeding in the West.
Tough game to call either way here so we are looking towards a player point line instead. Chris Paul scored 18 points in the win against Utah but we were more interested in the amount of scoring options the Thunder possess. They had the top four scorers in the game and six players in double figures. We can see Paul acting as more of a playmaker moving forward and carrying lesss of the scoring load.
Paul Under 16.5 Points
$1.81
Philadelphia 76ers vs San Antonio Spurs
Tuesday, 10am (AEST)
Many thought that it would be the Blazers or the Pelicans that would challenge the Grizzlies for that eighth seed in the Western Conference, however, with those two teams losing three of their four combined games so far, the San Antonio Spurs now look to be in the box seat to force the two game play-in against the Grizzlies.
The Spurs currently sit in ninth place just two games behind the Grizzlies and only need to finish within four games of the eighth seed to force the play-in. They have won their first two games since the restart, downing the Kings and the Grizzlies and have another winnable matchup against a struggling 76ers side on Tuesday.
The 76ers start as 6.5 point favourites here despite a disappointing loss to the Pacers in their only game in Orlando so far. They could potentially move into the top four but don’t have a lot to play for as they sit seven games clear of the trailing Magic in the Eastern Conference standings. Love the look of the in-form Spurs here with the 6.5 point head-start.
Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
Tuesday, 11am (AEST)
The Lakers got their resumed season off to a fantastic start when they downed the Clippers on opening night, however, they were dismal in their next game, losing to the Raptors by 15 points as they failed to find any offensive rhythm. Fortunately for the Lakers, they don’t have much to play for, as they currently sit five games clear of their nearest opponents in the Western Conference standings and need only a few more wins to lock up the first seed.
The Jazzare right in the mix of the Western Conference battle for seeding, currently sitting in fourth place in the standings with a 42-24 record and a 1-1 record since the season resumed. They were solid in their night one win over the Pelicans but failed to back it up as they went down to the Thunder by 16 points.
Tough game to call here because we aren’t really sure how interested the Lakers are in these seeding games. One thing that is for sure is that LeBron James looks to be in cruise control at the moment as he prepares himself for what will no doubt be a deep playoff run. He has scored just 16 and 20 points in his two games so far and has acted much more as a distributer. Back his unders on total points here.
James Under 24.5 Points
$1.82
