The match of the season to date and a couple of mouth-watering games are ahead for the NBA on Thursday.
We’ve dug deep to into the Philadelphia 76ers clash with the Utah Jazz and an all-important match between playoff contenders the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors.
Let’s slam dunk those best bets!
utah @ philadelphia
march 4th 11:00am
First in the East versus first in the West.
The 23-12 Philadelphia 76ers welcome the Utah Jazz into its lair on Thursday morning in a clash that sees two of the most talented squads in the league do battle.
Philadelphia will have their sights set on revenge after suffering a 134 to 123 defeat to Utah the first time they met each other this season on February 16.
MVP candidates Joel Embiid and Donovan Mitchell will prove vital cogs in the match with both teams looking to assert its authority on the competition.
After an incredible streak beginning on January 9 which saw the Jazz put together 19 wins in 20 games, the leaders of the West have stumbled in recent fixtures.
A four-game road trip has seen the Jazz lose to the Miami Heat and New Orleans with those defeats split by a comfortable win over Orlando.
A loss against the 76ers would do no major harm to its credentials at the top of the Western Conference, however, it would mark the end of what has so far been a disappointing road trip.
The 76ers bounced back strongly on Tuesday with a 130 to 114 victory over the Indiana Pacers after a shock overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Embiid’s minutes on the court have been managed throughout the Sixers last three games and it has led to his numbers on the court taking a slight drop.
However, he went bonkers from the field again with 42 points, 13 rebounds and six assists against the Cavaliers prior to only playing 27 minutes in the win over the Pacers which was – the equal lowest amount of time he has spent on the court in a single game this year.
Ben Simmons had a career high game against the Jazz last month when he dropped 41 points and dished up 12 dimes in the 11-point loss and will need to produce something similar.
In a match that looks like a flip of the coin, we will side with the 76ers to cover the spread who have not had to travel and are likely to unleash Embiid after reduced minutes.
Suggested Bet: Philadelphia 76ers to cover the +3.5 spread at $1.84
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Philadelphia 76ers to cover the +3.5 spread
Leg 2: Total points scored over 229.5
Leg 3: Joel Embiid over 29.5 points
Combined Odds = $5.25
golden state @ portland
MARCH 4th 2:00pM
After squashing its four game slide against the Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Golden State Warriors to the Moda Centre on Thursday.
It was a much needed 123-111 victory for the Trail Blazers who now sit in sixth spot on the Western Conference table and now face a Warriors team coming off a 117-91 shelacking received from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stephen Curry going toe to toe with Damian Lillard will be the main reason fans flick this one on with both players scoring at a rate of knots this season.
Lillard just shades Curry for points scored per game this season averaging 29.6 points compared to Curry’s 29.5 points.
The pair are ranked third and fourth in the scoring charts this season and continue to be the backbone of their respective squads.
Having split two games at one win each this year, it was Curry who stole the limelight early in the season with a mesmerising 62-point career high score in the 137-122 victory over the TrailBlazers in the second of back-to-back games.
Portland got the better of the Warriors the first time round with a 123-98 win at the Chase Centre and now get a big chance with home court advantage to reverse the result of the second outing against the Warriors.
Overall, this season, Portland is averaging 114.4 ppg, while allowing 115.1 points per contest.
It is a team which takes joy in shooting in pushing the ball and, as such, ranks third in shots per game (91.4) and second in three-point attempts per game (42.2).
The Trail Blazers hit on 38.5% of their three-point shots, sixth overall in the NBA, and are fourth in free throw accuracy at 81.9%.
Meanwhile, Golden State is averaging 114.0 points per game, while allowing 112.8 points.
The Warriors shoot at 46.5% from the floor and 36.8% from the three-point range while leading the NBA for assists per game with 28.
From a point spread perspective, the Trailblazers look to be in good nick going 5-1 at the spread in its last six games that have followed a win.
Golden State has clearly struggled when playing off a two day break this season and has lost five games out of six when facing that situation.
Portland looks the value here.
Suggested Bet: Portland Trail Blazers head to head at $2.02
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Trail Blazers head to head
Leg 2: Damian Lillard under 31.5 points
Leg 3: Damian Lillard over 7.5 assists
Combined Odds= $6.75
