Four games and four best bets are on the cards for the BetDeluxe NBA Preview on Friday.
Boston and New York get the ball rolling, while the Warriors and Suns also take to the court.
boston @ New york
january 7th 11:30am
An Atlantic duel ensues when the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks go head to head for the third time in their four scheduled meeting this seasons.
Both teams have split the result in the two fixtures to date with the Celtics getting revenge on the Knicks with a 111-107 win after being beaten in a high-scoring fixture the first time round.
With almost identical records in the Atlantic standings, it is the Knicks who bring in the winning form to this clash after accounting for the Pacers on Wednesday, while the Celtics fell short against the Spurs.
The Knicks will know the Celtics’ kryptonite is limiting the scoring of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
If those two do not produce extraordinary numbers, the Celtics likely will not have enough firepower to hold off the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Suggested Bet: New York Knicks head to head at $1.91
detroit @ memphis
january 7th 11:30am
The Memphis Grizzlies are the big -12.5 favourites against the Detroit Pistons when the two teams prepare to do battle at FedEx Forum.
The Pistons face an uphill battle on the road against a Grizzlies team that looks destined for playoffs with a 25-14 record and a current six-game winning streak to boot.
22-year-old Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been the talk of the town in Memphis this season and he puts another feather in his cap with a strong 26-point effort in the win over Cleveland on Wednesday.
The Grizzlies will surely sense this game as an opportunity to close in on the top three in the Western Conference, but the Pistons to have a winning record of 3-2 against the spread when playing off no rest.
It is likely that Detroit left all their energy out on the court when scoring a huge upset win over Milwaukee, hence the flat performance against Charlotte.
Grizzlies win, but the bet is for the Pistons to cover this enormous point spread
Suggested Bet: Detroit Pistons +12.5 at $1.91
golden state @ new orleans
January 7th 12:00pm
After dropping the first of their back-to-back road trips, the Golden State Warriors will look to rebound strongly against thew New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The Warriors were sent packing with their tail between their legs after being well handled by Dallas in a 99-82 loss which now has them at 29-8 and at risk of losing top spot in the West to Phoenix.
Stephen Curry and his crew are yet to lose consecutive games this season and it is unlikely for that trend to broken against a Pelicans team that has struggled to keep up with the big boys of the West in recent fixtures.
The Pelicans have been fairly easily accounted for by the Jazz and Suns on their home court and we expect nothing to change here.
Golden State already has an enormous win over the Pelicans this season after belting them 126-85 back in November last year.
Curry to go to work with his ensemble as they look to stave off the Pelicans and keep the Suns at arms length.
Suggested Bet: Golden State Warriors -6.5 at $1.91
la clippers @ phoenix
January 7th 2:00pm
Western Conference foes go at each other when Phoenix Suns host the Los Angeles Clippers at Footprint Center on Friday afternoon.
The Suns hold a 7-3 record through their last ten games and have wiped the floor with lesser opponents (New Orleans and Charlotte) in their recent two fixtures as they breath down the neck of Golden State with a 29-8 record.
The Clippers, meanwhile, have been dealing with not only injury to Kawhi Leonard, but now to Paul George as well.
Despite finding ways to win without them, the damn wall eventually busted against Minnesota on Wednesday after falling 122-104.
The other worry for the Clippers is dealing with Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
Booker was at this best and has showed no sign of that hamstring niggle slowing him down after producing 33 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the 123-110 win over the Pelicans.
The Clippers have definitely proven they can get the wins without their stars, but the Suns will be too hard to topple.
Suggested Bet: Phoenix Suns -11.5 at $1.90
