The Boston Celtics are suddenly on top of the NBA‘s Eastern Conference. Thanks to a six-game winning streak and coupled with the Miami Heat cooling off, the Celtics have claimed the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Although, that top spot will be immediately under threat as they take on the tough Toronto Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back.
Meanwhile, over in the West, the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies will look to tighten their grip on the No. 2 seed as they face the floundering Golden State Warriors.
Read on below as SBOTOP takes a closer look at all nine exciting games on the upcoming NBA schedule.
Denver Nuggets @ Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are buzzing once again. They’ve won seven of their last eight games, including last night’s 119-110 win over the Nets to spoil Kyrie Irving‘s home debut. LaMelo Ball, who had 33 points and 9 assists in the win, is averaging 21 points and 7 assists over his last 10 games.
Ball and co. must now take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, who beat the Thunder 113-107 last time out. Jokic had another huge game with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, while Aaron Gordon (18 PPG, 6.8 RPG over his last five games) continued his strong play with 20 points and 9 rebounds.
Betting Tip: Nuggets Asian Handicap -3.50 @ 1.88
Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs desperately need a win as a three-game losing streak has sent them down to the No. 7 seed in the East. Luckily for them, they will next face the East-worst Magic, who are coming off back-to-back defeats to the Thunder and the Kings.
Cavs All-Star Darius Garland, who is averaging 26 points and nearly 11 assists over his last 10 games, had 26 and 11 in Cleveland’s 105-92 win over Orlando back in November.
Betting Tip: Magic Asian Handicap +10.00 @ 1.90
Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers
Trae Young had another terrific outing with 33 points and 15 assists to lead the Hawks to a 121-110 win over the struggling Warriors. And Young will fancy his chance of having another huge game when he takes on the tanking Pacers.
Young is averaging 38 points per game in three games against Indiana this season, including 47 in their most recent meeting a few weeks ago. Thanks in large part to Young’s brilliance, the Hawks have won the first three games against the Pacers this season.
Betting Tip: Hawks Asian Handicap -7.00 @ 1.88
Sacramento Kings @ Miami Heat
The Heat are no longer No. 1 in the East as a four-game losing skid has seen them slide down the standings. Miami suffered a 110-95 home loss to the Nets last time out, with All-Star Jimmy Butler scoring just 7 points.
But the NBA 2022 odds back the Heat to end their slump against the Sacramento Kings, who are on a surprising two-game win streak after beating the Pacers and Magic. With stars Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox both out, rookie Davion Mitchell has stepped up, averaging 25 points and 8.3 assists over his last three games.
Betting Tip: Kings Asian Handicap +13.50 @ 1.90
Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks
After back-to-back blowout defeats, the Bulls got back to winning ways with a 98-94 win over the Cavs. Zach LaVine led the way with 25 points, while DeMar DeRozan returned from his one-game absence to drop 20 points.
But the Bulls must be wary of the streaking Knicks, who have won three games in a row – all on the road. Julius Randle continues to fuel the Knicks’ resurgence, averaging 26.4 points and 10 rebounds over his last seven games.
Boston Celtics @ Toronto Raptors
The Celtics are now on top of the East standings after thumping the Timberwolves 134-112 last night to get their sixth straight win. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum had 34 points, his fourth 30-point game in the last five.
However, Boston could be without Tatum, as well as big men Robert Williams and Al Horford, for their visit to Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Raptors are a tough team with their impressive defensive ability, which has been a major factor in their 8-2 record over the last 10 games.
Betting Tip: Raptors Asian Handicap -3.00 @ 2.00
San Antonio Spurs @ Houston Rockets
The Spurs are sneaking back into play-in contention thanks to their recent three-game road win streak. All-Star Dejounte Murray had another triple-double in their win over the Pelicans; his 13 triple-doubles this season are second only to MVP Nikola Jokic.
However, the suddenly streaking Rockets will be keen to slow down their Texas rivals. Houston are coming off back-to-back wins over the tanking Trail Blazers. Rookie Jalen Green starred in both games with 48 total points on well over 50 per cent shooting.
Betting Tip: Spurs Asian Handicap -7.00 @ 2.04
Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies
The Warriors’ run of poor NBA 2022 results continued with last night’s awful 123-115 road defeat to the Wizards. It was Golden State’s fifth loss in their last six games as they are now four games back of Memphis for second and only two games ahead of Dallas for third.
The Grizzlies will look to continue their latest impressive run against the Warriors. The Grizz have won each of their last four games, all of which have been without All-Star Ja Morant. Desmond Bane has been excellent in Morant’s absence and is averaging 24 points during the win streak.
Betting Tip: Grizzlies Asian Handicap -10.00 @ 1.88
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers’ quest to lose as many games as possible is back on track. They have lost their last three games, including two to the West-worst Rockets, by an average of 24 points.
They now face the second-worst Thunder, who have been competitive recently despite the absence of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to an ankle injury. Theo Maledon has stepped up to average 22.5 points over his last two games.
Betting Tip: Thunder Asian Handicap -2.50 @ 1.98
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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