Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics
The Celtics (18-12) face off against the Bucks (21-9) at home on Friday.
Boston have lost two in a row with their most recent against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday which saw Celtics centre Aaron Baynes leave the game early with a broken left hand.
Despite the losses the Celtics are still sitting 5th in the East.
The Bucks are currently on a three-game winning streak with their most recent win against the Pelicans.
They are sitting 2nd in the East and leading the competition in both points per game (117.6) and rebounds per game (49.9).
While Boston have the consistent efforts of Kyrie Irving (22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists) and Jason Tatum (16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds) It will take a massive performance to beat the Greek freak Giannis Antetokounmpo who is averaging 26.7 points 12.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
Khris Middleton (17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists) and Eric Bledsoe (16 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists) also contribute massively to the success of the Bucks which makes it that much more of a challenge for Boston to get the win.
Tip: Milwaukee @ $1.98
New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers take on the New Orleans Pelicans at home after two on the road losses to Washington and Brooklyn.
The Lakers who are 18-13 are sitting fourth in the West after a rocky start to the season which saw them lose eight of their first fourteen games.
Since then, things have turned in LA which saw the team win 10 of their 14 games in November.
Lebron James, as expected, has made the side much stronger averaging 28 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7 assists per game.
Similarly, the Pelicans are also on a two-game losing streak which sees them 12th in the West with 15 wins and 17 losses.
Pelicans star Anthony Davis has been putting up big numbers all season including a 40-point game against the Thunder earlier this month. He is currently averaging 28 points 12.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
Tip: Los Angeles -4.5 @ $1.89
Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers
The Jazz (15-17) travel to Portland to take on the Trailblazers (17-13).
Despite sitting 12th in the West, the Jazz have just come off a five-point win over the second seed Golden State.
While Utah have not been in the best form, Quin Snyder’s team has a consistent starting five made up of Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio and Jae Crowder who are all averaging over 10.3 points per game.
The Portland Trailblazers on the other hand see Damian Lillard (27 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds) and CJ Mccollum (21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists) dominating the teams scoring but with a 11-4 record at home are likely to take this one out.
Tip: Portland @ $1.76
