Game previews, point-spreads and picks
It is a new year and the basketball betting action hasn’t slowed down one bit. There will be various games taking place in the NBA over the next few days and quite a few of them stand out as being the top choices for punters. The top teams are looking to break away from the pack and secure their spots for the playoffs while the rest are doing their best to keep up and make for some nice surprises along the way.
Miami Heat at Orlando Magic
Later today, the Miami Heat will travel to Orlando to play against the Magic. It doesn’t happen very often for the Heat to have some trouble in keeping up with an opponent but the Indiana Pacers have simply dominated this season and are ahead by one win over Miami; a gap which the Heat can close in Orlando on Saturday night.
Miami (24-8) is usually the team that sets the tempo in the game and forces the opposition to keep up but the story didn’t go this way on Thursday, when Golden State had the Heat overwhelmed and finished with an important 123-114 win. It was a big hit for Miami, as they allowed the most points in a home game (without overtime) since LeBron James came to Miami in 2010.
Orlando (10-22) will most likely not pose as big a problem for the Heat but they are coming off two wins against Detroit and Atlanta, in which they scored 109 points, and a very close loss on Thursday. The Magic were very close to taking the win in Cleveland and were leading by 10 with a bit over a minute left on the clock. The game went to overtime and Orlando only got two more points while the Cavaliers got the lead and never looked back.
Both teams are coming off emotional losses and this should give the more experienced Heat the advantage, despite playing on the road. With a -9 point spread against Miami, the choice is difficult but the Heat is likely to cover it.
Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
The biggest game of the night will be between two of the strongest teams in the Western Conference as the Clippers travel to San Antonio to the play the Spurs. The last time these two teams met, Chris Paul had an incredible game while Tony Parker had to leave the court early. This time, the two great point guards will not get to have a rematch since Paul will be away for three-five weeks due to a shoulder injury.
This will be a big problem for the Clippers (23-12) since Paul is arguably the best player on the team and will be hard to replace. He leads in assists per game in the NBA and averaged 7.4 minutes with the ball on Friday before being tripped in the game against Dallas – enough to land him third in the league.
On December 16, Paul scored 23 points and had 8 rebounds and 7 assists to take the win against San Antonio 115-92. This time around, things are very likely to go the other way as the Spurs (25-8) are looking good to improve their rating and get a much needed win at home against a tough opponent.
Bookmakers favor San Antonio and give the team a -8 point handicap for the game on Saturday, against Los Angeles. The Clippers won two of the past three regular season games in San Antonio and it will all come down to how good the team can make up for Paul not being on the court. The Spurs will play their own game and they will likely cover the spread and get closer to the conference leaders.
