What a way to get the Saturday NBA show on the road as the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets go head to head at 11:30am (AEDT).
Our basketball gurus go through all the best bets in the comprehensive BetDeluxe NBA preview.
milwaukee @ brooklyn
january 8th 11:30am
Two NBA heavyweights go toe to toe when Milwaukee travels to New York to face the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclay Centre.
The Nets have welcomed back Kyrie Irving to the fray after he was cleared to play on certain road trips, but he will miss this clash due to COVID protocols in New York.
It opens up a chance for the Bucks to bounce back after shock losses to the Pistons and Raptors.
The Bucks could announce the return of Giannis in this game after he missed in the loss against Toronto on Thursday.
However, the question mark over his fitness is not the only problem plaguing the them.
The form of Kevin Durant has been scary this year and his 39 points in the win over the Pacers will have the Bucks defence quaking in its boots.
Suggested Bet: Brooklyn Nets head to head at $1.59
washington @ chicago
january 8th 12:00pm
Chicago Bulls, the outright leader of the Eastern Conference, hosts its duel with Conference rival Washington at the United Center.
The Bulls can almost rest their hat on what has so far been a brilliant season from DeMar DeRozan.
The 32-year-old veteran has had arguably a career-best season with an average of 26.0 points a game and he only improved on that average with a 29-point effort in the win over the Magic on Tuesday.
You add in Chicago’s imposing 9-5 record agains the spread at home this season when starting as favourites and it is hard to be against them here.
Washington will need to do a complete 180-degree turn to what they dished up against Houston on Thursday and we doubt that will happen on the road against the best team in the West.
Suggested Bet: Chicago -6.5 at $1.90
sacramento @ denver
January 8th 1:00pm
The Sacramento Kings trek over to Ball Arena in Colorado for a Western Conference battle with Denver on Saturday afternoon.
The Kings (16-24) are having a rough season and it will not get any easier against the Nuggets.
The Kings are coming off a 108-102 loss at home to the Atlanta Hawks, while the Nuggets come off a gallant display against Utah despite being beaten.
Nikola Jokic might have very well have a statue made in his honour after he recorded another triple-double (26 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists).
Jokic and his squad are coming up against one of the worst defensive units in the league, which should see them cover the spread without raising too much of a sweat.
Suggested Bet: Denver Nuggets -6.5 at $1.89
la lakers @ atlanta
January 8th 2:00pm
The Los Angeles Lakers play the fourth of their five-game homestay when they clash against the Atlanta Hawks in a bid to keep themselves above the 0.500 mark.
The Lakers have turned up the notch on offence in recent fixtures with LeBron being the focal point – as he always is – in the wins over Sacramento and Portland to start the new year.
Atlanta, meanwhile, has done its best to rectify a slow first-half of the season having won two of its three games since the turn of the year and hit this contest with a 108-102 win over the Kings.
Trae Young sat out during the six-point triumph, but is likely to return alongside John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Jalen Johnson.
The Lakers do not exactly have an amazing record against the spread at home either.
A 7-13 losing record against the spread might just be made worse, especially with the return of Young to try and quell and repel Russell Westbrook.
Suggested Bet: Atlanta Hawks +2.5 at $1.91
