The NBA hump day best bets for some cracking fixures across both the East and Western Conferences.
While it might not be the drawcard, the battle of the bottom against Minnesota and Detroit represents a great betting opportunity.
Minnesota @ Detroit
May 12th 9:00am
13th in the West faces 15th in the East when the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons do battle at Little Caesars Arena.
The Timberwolves buried the Orlando Magic with a 128-96 demolition job on Sunday after Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell combined for 27 points each.
In what was a confidence boosting victory for the battling Timberwolves they will have the added morale of having already accounted for the Pistons this year.
It was a 10-point 111-101 victory for the Timberwolves back on December 24 in 2020, and it was that man Towns who had a big say with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
The Pistons returned from a road trip loss against Philadelphia by falling short 108-96 at home against the Chicago Bulls.
Doubt that form is good enough to beat the Timberwolves but the line does look a bit inflated.
Suggested Bet: Detroit Pistons +7.5 at $1.94
Miami @ Boston
May 12th 9:30am
A fourth-straight road win is on offer for the Miami Heat when it makes the trip to TD Garden for an Eastern Conference clash against the Boston Celtics.
The Heat got the better of the Celtics on Sunday in a bucket-for-bucket shootout which ended 130-124.
Boston did start the slight favourite in that game but struggled to handle Jimmy Butler and three-point efficiency of the Heat.
Butler managed 26 points and 11 assists while the Heat shot at 45.7% from beyond the perimeter to secure their 37th victory of the year.
Tatum did all he could to match the Heat’s offensive onslaught with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds.
If the Celtics can improve their defensive output it can flip the result.
Suggested Bet: Boston Celtics head to head at $2.01
Los Angeles Clippers @ Toronto
May 12th 9:30am
Championship contender the Los Angeles Clippers hit the road to take on the Toronto Raptors at Amalie Arena.
The Clippers ended their four-game homestay at the Staples Centre with a narrow 106-100 loss against the in-form New York Knicks on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Toronto came up short against the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend.
A late fade out by the Raptors proved costly as it went 109-99 after only trailing by one point with 6 minutes and 41 seconds remaining.
The Clippers represent a completely different challenge with the super talented Kawhi Leonard and Paul George helping their side to third on the Western Conference table.
Matters might be made much harder for the Raptors if Pascal Siakim does not overcome a shoulder complaint which saw him leave the court early in the loss against Memphis.
Suggested Bet: Los Angeles Clippers -11.5 point spread at $1.91
New York Knicks @ Los Angeles Lakers
May 12th 12:00pm
38-30 and 38-30.
That is where the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks currently see their win-loss records at coming into this important clash at the Staples Centre.
The news out of the Lakers’ camp is LeBron James is nearing a return alongside Anthony Davis who has marked his comeback from injury in dominant fashion.
Davis went bonkers with 42 points and 12 rebounds in a statement victory against the Suns on Monday.
The Knicks’ 22-11 record away from Madison Square Garden will hold them in good stead as it brings an end to this six-game road trip against a team it has already defeated.
Despite that, the Lakers were without Davis and James in the 111-96 loss against the Knicks.
Davis’ return will bridge the margin.
Suggested Bet: Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 point spread at $1.91
