The BetDeluxe NBA preview is all guns blazing as we head into Tuesday basketball fixtures from the USA.
Charlotte and Toronto from 11:00am (AEDT) is where all the action begins.
toronto @ Charlotte
february 8th 11:00am
Toronto is on the hunt for six-straight wins when it faces fellow Eastern Conference rival Charlotte at Spectrum Center on Tuesday morning.
The Raptors have put their hand up high for a spot in the playoffs with their current winning streak and come up against a Hornets squad in dire straights having lost four on the trot.
Charlotte was sitting pretty at 28-22, but this four-game slide since then means it is desperately seeking a win.
Toronto, with the form it is currently in, will cause all sorts of headaches for the Hornets who have lost their last three at home.
Dealing with the combination of Fred VanVleet and big man Pascal Siakim will be at the forefront of thoughts for the Hornets defence.
Offensively, the Hornets have been struggling as well.
Charlotte has only been averaging 96 points in its last four games and will need to score much more than if it considers itself a winning chance against a Raptors that is on fire.
The Raptors also have a rest advantage, which is going make them even harder to defeat.
Suggested Bet: Toronto Raptors head to head at $1.95
golden state @ oklahoma
february 8th 12:00pm
Two teams at opposite ends of the Western Conference spectrum do battle when the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder meet at Chase Center.
Sitting in second place of the West has the Warriors poised for another championship tilt under the guidance of Stephen Curry, while the Thunder sit 14th as they continue to build for the future with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.
The market is in favour of the Warriors at a spread of -11.5 and it is understandable given the elite standard we have seen from them this season.
The Thunder, meanwhile, seemed to gain a second wind despite a three-game winning streak coming to an end at the hands of Sacramento on Sunday.
Doubt this young Thunder team can really match it with Curry and his fellow ‘Splash Brother’ Klay Thompson, but the young lads will definitely try their guts out.
Since the return of Thompson, Curry has been able to be more of a facilitator instead of shouldering the entire offensive load.
Should be a big win for the Warriors on the road.
Suggested Bet: Golden State Warriors -11.5 at $1.90
new york @ utah
february 8th 1:00pm
New York Knicks head over to Salt Lake City for a clash against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena come Tuesday afternoon.
Utah has knocked off Denver and Brooklyn to begin its six-game homestay as it looks to climb back towards the top of the East, while the Knicks come into this after being downed by the Lakers in overtime on Sunday.
The Knicks will try to lock this game up and suffocate the Jazz on the offensive end, given they are one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Conceding only 105.2 points per game has the Knicks ranked seventh in the league for points allowed, so the Jazz will need to be aware of the defensive game style the Knicks employ to stifle opposition.
The Jazz should able to combat the Knicks lock-down defence with the return of Donovan Mitchell.
He will open up more options for the Jazz than we have seen in the last fortnight.
Mitchell led six players in double figures with 27 points plus six assists against Brooklyn after missing eight games in the concussion protocol.
His impact alone is arguably enough to get at this tight Knicks defence.
There is also the chance leading NBA rebounder Ruby Gobert makes his awaited comeback from a calf injury.
If that occurs, the Jazz will all but likely make it three wins in a row and cover the spread.
Suggested Bet: Utah -7.5 at $1.91
