The BetDeluxe NBA preview is back with a bang and the best bets are in after NBA All-Star week.
Cleveland and Detroit get us underway on Friday.
cleveland @ detroit
february 25th 11:00am
Cleveland is on the road to Motor City when it heads up North for a clash against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons have a 13-45 record so far this season and are sitting in the second to last place both of the East and of the whole league.
Detroit is 27-31 against the spread and come off a road victory against the Boston Celtics with a 112-111 score, beating the odds, even though they shot way worse than their opponents from the field (46% to 55%).
The Cavs, meanwhile, come off a road defeat against the Atlanta Hawks with a 116-124 score, even though they shot with 51% from the field.
Three of their players scored 21+ points, led by Darius Garland with 30 and a team-high 8 assists who has been prolific this season.
This shapes as an intriguing game, with the Pistons being a dangerous team at home despite their horrible win-loss record.
Cavaliers should be able to get the job done, but the Pistons at the line is more appealing.
Suggested Bet: Detroit +7.5 at $1.91
boston @ brooklyn
february 25th 11:30am
It’s an all-star clash between Brooklyn and Boston at Barclays Center on Friday morning.
Due to COVID protocols, the Nets will be without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant is still battling on his way back from injury.
It seems to be advantage Boston with regards to personnel who will be utilising Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to get at this weakened Nets outfit.
The Celtics have been incredibly hot and have won nine of their last 10 games heading into the break.
Prior to the break, the Celtics were without Robert Williams (calf) and Marcus Smart (ankle), but they are expected to return for this matchup.
Both players should slot into the starting lineup and this pushes Derrick White to the bench.
The acquisition of White was great for this Celtics team that needed a point guard but did not want to sacrifice on defense.
White fills that role and he can take a back seat as a scoring threat with both Tatum and Brown on this team.
Celtics in a canter here.
Suggested Bet: Boston Celtics -6.5 at $1.90
phoenix @ oklahoma
february 25th 12:00pm
Phoenix begins life without Chris Paul for an extended period when it heads over to Oklahoma for a clash against the Thunder.
Monty Williams will be tasked with being creative on offence without the play-making ability of Paul, and Oklahoma, despite being a basement team in the West, can pose a threat.
The one area of strength for the rebuilding Thunder is on the defensive end.
They should be able to take advantage of Paul’s absence in regards to creating turnovers and forcing difficult shots from the Suns without their savvy floor general.
Predicting this to be a one or two possession game late.
The Thunder have enough offensive firepower to keep this game interesting well into the fourth quarter.
Suggested Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder +9.5 at $1.91
memphis @ minnesota
february 25th 12:00pm
The Grizzlies train rolls into Minnesota for a big clash against the Timberwolves.
Memphis is looking at a potential six-game winning run should it be successful against the Timberwolves, but D’Angelo Russell’s form might have something to say about that.
An 8-2 win-loss record is mirrored against the spread for the Memphis, but Russell’s three-point game could put the Timberwolves right in this contest.
For all the brilliance the Grizzlies have produced in 2022, their perimeter defence is still questionable.
In the last three games, they have allowed Anfernee Simons to hit five 3s, Lamelo Ball to hit five 3s, and Terry Rozier to hit six 3s.
Ja Morant will need to be at his best for the Grizzlies to hold off the Timberwolves on the road, but the value lies with Minnesota.
Suggested Bet: Minnesota +2.5 at $1.93
