Two battling teams get the ball rolling for the Saturday NBA preview as Orlando take on Detroit.
The best bets for the games you cannot miss this weekend brought to you by the BetDeluxe basketball crew.
detroit @ orlando
january 29th 11:00am
Detroit travels to Orlando as the +1.5 underdogs in a bid to put an end to a three-game losing streak.
It has been an enormous battle for both teams to find winning form this year with the Pistons sitting at 11-36 and the Magic on track to land then number one pick in the draft with a horrible 9-40 record.
Orlando has only ever started the favourite in their home deck on one occasion this season and it lead to them not being able to cover the spread.
The Pistons are actually in solid form when it comes to covering in the last 10 games having beaten the spread on seven occasions.
Going with the visitors against the spread.
Suggested Bet: Detroit Pistons +1.5 at $1.91
boston @ atlanta
january 29th 11:30am
The Boston Celtics will be going for their third consecutive win when they face the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday morning.
The Celtics are coming off an enormous 128-75 win over Sacramento as 9.5-point favourites, while the Hawks enter this match after a 121-104 win over Sacramento as 11-point favourites.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have caught fire at the right time and Atlanta is certainly going to have a headache trying to deal with them on defence.
Tatum nailed 36 points, four rebounds, and six assists in the win over the Kings and Brown finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds to ensure Boston held onto eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks are also in a rich vein form having won their last five fixtures and the big thing for them has been their ability to really elevate their defence, which was not exactly considered a strong point prior to this winning streak.
They have held their last three opponents to 101 points per game and we know how reliant the Celtics are on the form of Tatum and Brown.
If the Hawks can shut one of the two down, it will go a long way to winning.
Suggested Bet: Atlanta Hawks -1.5 at $1.91
indiana @ oklahoma
january 29th 12:00pm
The Indiana Pacers will head on the road to the Paycom Center on Saturday afternoon as they continue their Western Conference travels with a matchup against the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder have fallen in a heap over the last two months having dropped six games in a row and 11 of their last 12 games.
The Pacers do not exactly bring amazing form into this clash either after being routed by Charlotte in a game where defence did not exist.
Indiana was belted 158-126 after conceding a whopping 97 points in the second half, but the Thunder will not be anywhere near that dangerous or potent on offence, which should provide some relief to a poor Pacers defence.
Domantas Sabonis could return to the Pacers as early as this weekend, but is unlikely at this stage.
The Pacers have dropped three in a row and seven of their last nine games, while Oklahoma City is 14-33 but it has actually gone 14-7-2 against the spread at home, which is quite solid for a young team.
Suggested Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder head to head at $1.88
utah @ memphis
january 29th 12:00pm
Ja Morant will try to further his credentials as an MVP candidate when his Memphis Grizzlies welcome the Utah Jazz at FedEx Forum on Saturday afternoon.
Morant’s MVP level play has helped Memphis win 14 of 17 games ahead of this home matchup with the Jazz.
He is averaging 36.8 points and 8.5 assists over his last four games.
His ability to control the play and pile on points in quick succession has been too hard for most opposition defence to stop.
Stopping Morant is going to be a huge focal point for the Jazz and their chances at taking the ‘W’ in this contest.
Without Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell to stop him and do some damage of their own at the offensive end, it is going to be a struggle for the Jazz.
Suggested Bet: Memphis Grizzlies -2.5 at $1.91
