NBA Expert Tips and Best Bets | Jan 16

There are only five games across the NBA on Friday, but what the day’s action lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. There are admittedly a couple of uninteresting games, but that is compensated for by another clash between the Cavaliers and the Thunder, the two best teams in the league so far this season. Later, the Kings host the Rockets in what should be another high-quality game to round out the day, and those two blockbusters make up two of our best bets of the day. Check out our reasoning for all three of our best bets for Friday’s action below.

Suns -10.5 @ $1.90 with QuestBet

The Wizards are probably the worst team in the NBA, and it has been showing lately. Realistically it’s been showing all season – they are 6-32 on the year – but even for them their recent form has been bad. They have lost seven games on the trot, with six of those coming by at least 12 points, and their last three defeats have been by 14 points, 41 points and 33 points. Overall their average losing margin over that seven-game span is more than 20 points, which makes the 10.5-point line set for this game by NBA betting sites look pretty meek. Not that the Suns are exactly setting the world on fire themselves. They are coming off a disappointing five-point loss at the hands of the Hawks, and while they had won three in a row prior to that, those were all relatively close games – two of them against the Hornets and the Jazz. But up against a team as bad as the Wizards, the talent of the Suns should be able to do plenty of damage. The gap between the Suns’ stars in Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and even Bradley Beal, and the best players on the Wizards team (Jordan Poole? Kyle Kuzma?) beggars belief, and should see the Suns be able to impose themselves on this game relatively easily. They should put up a big score on the hapless Wizards’ defence, and while the Suns are not exactly renowned for their defensive prowess themselves, the Wizards probably wouldn’t be particularly efficient even against a set of witches’ hats. This looms as a big victory for the Suns, who should be able to waltz past the 10.5-point line.

Thunder -2.5 @ $1.95 with Unibet

For the second time in a little over a week, we will be treated to a matchup between the two teams with the best record in the NBA when the Thunder host the Cavaliers. Both sides have been winning at a rate of knots and are on track for 70+ win seasons, the Thunder having suffered just a solitary loss in their last 19 games (excluding the NBA Cup Final, which doesn’t count towards their regular season record) and the Cavs having endured just one in their last 14 games. That solitary Thunder loss, of course, came in the clash against the Cavaliers in a game which was every bit as good as promised, the Cavs ending up 129-122 victors. The major difference between that game and this one, however, is that this time it will be on the Thunder’s home turf, where they are 17-2 on the season. The Thunder have also responded to that rare defeat to the Cavs with some dominant form. Since then, they have beaten the Knicks, another contender in the East, by 25 points, smashed the Wizards by 41, and pumped the Sixers by 16. The Cavaliers, in contrast, have taken the foot off the gas a little bit. In their last three games, they have beaten the Pacers once and lost to them once, and beaten the lowly Raptors by just six points. That’s certainly not cause for alarm, but they will need to be at their absolute best to beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City. This should be another fantastic game and could easily be a preview of the NBA Finals, but the Thunder will be keen to avoid consecutive losses to the team vying with them for the title of the best team in the NBA. It should be a close one, but with the home crowd behind them they can sneak away from the Cavs in the final quarter and cover the very short line set by betting sites.

Rockets to win @ $2.20 with PlayUp

This game won’t get the same level of hype as the Cavaliers/Thunder matchup, but it will still garner plenty of attention from the NBA world. Both the Kings and the Rockets are in fantastic form, the Kings having won seven of their last eight games and the Rockets five of their last six. Sacramento, of course, sensationally fired former Coach of the Year Mike Brown just a couple of weeks ago following a run of losses, and while that move may have been a little rash and certainly drew the ire of plenty around the league, the players did seem to respond, winning seven on the trot before finally having that streak ended by the Bucks in their last game. But as well as they have been playing, the Rockets have been one of the best teams in the league all season and been notching up wins against better teams than the Kings of late. They enter this game having won four on the trot, the last two against the impressive Grizzlies and another against the Lakers, while a few days earlier they also knocked off the Mavericks by 11 points. They are ranked third in the league for defence this season, while their offence is above league average and has been significantly better than that of late thanks in no small part to a dominant run of form by the undoubtedly talented but frustrating Jalen Green. While the Kings have plenty of talent and have been playing very well, the Rockets are a better team and look like great value as the underdog with NBA betting agencies. The Kings’ short odds are a product of their good form as well as the fact that this game is being played in Sacramento, but the Kings have a worse record at home than on the road this season, while the Rockets’ respective home and road records are much the same. The visitors should be favourites in this one, and at $2.20 with PlayUp look like a really good bet to round out the day.