The NBA weekend action continues to come thick and fast, with another 8 enticing games on this Sunday slate. Ben Simmons and the Sixers play host to Detroit in our early tip-off, whilst Boston travels to Indiana in a matchup between two Eastern Conference contenders. LeBron and the Lakers round an exciting day of fixtures in Portland, where they travel to face Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers. Let’s take a look at our 3 best line bets and best multi in another instalment of our daily NBA preview.
Indiana Pacers
The 6-3 Indiana Pacers return home after a narrow 2-point road win in Chicago last night. Shooting Guard Victor Oladipo continued his strong start to the campaign, dropping in 25 points and an impressive 14 rebounds. He remains capably supported by a balanced starting five that is strong on both ends. Led by Cory Joseph and Tyreke Evans, the Pacers bench has also noticeably improved this season, playing a crucial role in last night’s win. Factoring in the travel and lack of rest, I don’t fancy the Pacers here against this talented Boston side.
Boston Celtics
The 6-2 Celtics travel to Indiana off the back of four straight wins, including an impressive home win over Milwaukee on Friday. Point Guard Kyrie Irving has definitely found form of late, dropping an impressive 28 points and 7 assists in this one. Other All-Stars Gordon Hayward and Al Horford chipped in with 18 apiece, whilst Marcus Morris added a much-needed 17 off the bench. The questionable status of SG Jaylen Brown is a minor blow for Boston, but I feel as though they’ve still got the talent advantage in this one.
Prediction: Celtics -2
With the Pacers coming off such little rest, I think the Celtics are great value to take this one out. They’ve been in great form recently and will need to keep piling up the wins to keep pace with the 7-1 Raptors. I expect their defensive versatility to slow Victor Oladipo, whilst Kyrie does enough offensively to bring home the W.
Chicago Bulls
The 2-7 Bulls enter this one off the back of a narrow 2-point loss to Indiana last night. Guard Antonio Blakeney led the way with 22 points off the bench, whilst Justin Holiday nailed 5 threes en route to 19 points. It was an improved performance from the usually poor Bulls defense that kept them in this one, limiting Indiana to 26% from 3. It doesn’t get any easier for the Bulls here as they welcome the Houston Rockets to town, whom they match up very poorly with.
Houston Rockets
The 2-5 Rockets travel to Chicago off the back of a nervy win in Brooklyn last night. Chris Paul finally broke out of his prolonged slump, leading the way with 32 points and 11 assists. Clint Capela was excellent as a secondary star, adding in 23 points and 12 rebounds of his own. The great news for Houston here is the projected return of Shooting Guard James Harden, who had been out with a hamstring injury. Harden’s return gives a great boost to a Rockets offense that has largely struggled of late and I expect a resurgent Rockets performance with their full complement now intact.
Prediction: Rockets -7
The return of Harden gives me confidence that Houston can win this one comfortably. Despite last night’s close game against Indiana, the Bulls are still well and truly one of the worst teams in the NBA. Their lack of backcourt defense could spell disaster against Houston and they don’t have anyone to hang with Clint Capela inside. Rockets by double digits here.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets enter this intriguing Western Conference matchup with one of the NBA’s best records at 7-1. Center Nikola Jokic has been on an absolute tear so far, registering impressive averages of 19 points, 10 boards and 6.6 assists. He has been capably supported by frontcourt mate Paul Millsap, who’s scored 16 or more in his last 3 games. Complimenting this partnership is the exciting young duo of Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, who have emerged as one of the best backcourts in the NBA. One area where Denver will need improvements is their bench, which has largely struggled so far this season.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz travel to Denver at 4-4 after a surprising home loss to Memphis last night. Rudy Gobert has firmly established himself as one of the best Centers in the Association, averaging over 18 points and 13 boards so far. The offensive development of Point Guard Ricky Rubio has also been good to see, and he complements young Shooting Guard Donovan Mitchell nicely. Forwards Joe Ingles, Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder add an element of toughness to this team and match up well against Denver.
Prediction: Jazz +3.5
Even with Donovan Mitchell questionable, I still feel as though the Jazz are good value here. Their depth and versatility mean that they won’t be as fatigued after last night’s game and should be able to hang in the Denver altitude. I can see Rudy Gobert containing Jokic in this one as the Jazz keep it close, with the potential of pulling off an upset win.
3 teams more than meet the criteria for our daily multi today. With a healthy Ben Simmons, the Sixers will be looking to atone for their Overtime loss in Detroit earlier this season. Charlotte have the significant edge over Cleveland here and I expect a dominant home victory, whilst the return of James Harden should comfortably lift the Rockets over the Bulls. At over even money, this multi represents excellent value. Note that the Sixers have an early tipoff time of 4:00 am AEST tomorrow, so get on this one quick.