Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
The Warriors head to Dallas to face the Mavs in the first half of ESPN’s Thursday double-header (all times AEST).
The Dubs are 2-12 on the season in the midst of a seven-game losing streak to remain dead last in the West standings. Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, D’Angelo Russell suffered a thumb sprain at the end of last week that will sideline him for a fortnight.
The Warriors’ 115.6 defensive rating ranks last in the league and Russell was probably their only player you could rely on to score over 20 points a night.
Golden State sent out an unorthodox starting line-up in their most recent clash against the Pelicans with Draymond Green at point guard. And despite Eric Paschall lighting it up with 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, the Warriors went down 108-100.
The Warriors will be coming off a back-to-back trip from Memphis.
They face a Mavericks team coming off a big win over San Antonio on Tuesday where Luka Doncic exploded for a career-high 42 points with five triples, adding 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Doncic has led Dallas to an 8-5 record this season and is a legitimate MVP contender at just 20 years of age. The Slovenian stud has averaged 29.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists and is shooting a 47.7 per cent field goal clip and 81.1 per cent from the free throw line on the season.
Tip: Dallas to win @ $1.09.
Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
The Rockets face the Nuggets at Pepsi Centre in a 2nd vs 3rd Western Conference blockbuster.
Houston are riding an eight-game win streak as the form team of the league and are 8-0 against Western opponents this season. During that streak the Rockets have the league’s third ranked offence and second-best defence.
James Harden is on another level to the rest of the league, averaging 39.2 points, 4.9 threes, 5.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.6 steals and shooting 88.2 per cent from the charity swipe on 14.5 attempts on the season.
The Rockets’ 119.5 points per game leads the NBA and Russel Westbrook is proving to be a valuable asset next to Harden despite his defensive and shooting shortcomings.
The Nuggets are in their own strong patch of form, winning six of their last seven games. Denver’s inability to win on the road has long haunted them, but they are 5-1 in away games this season.
Their 103.0 defensive rating rank 8th in the league in an area where coach Mike Malone has really helped this team, but shutting down the fast-paced Rockets will be a tough assignment. Nikola Jokic (averaging 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, six assists) is yet to really hit his stride this season and when he does the Nuggets’ potential is scary.
Tip: Houston to win @ $2.09.
Boston Celtics at LA Clippers (ESPN)
The Celtics meet the Clipper at Staples Centre to cap off ESPN’s double-header.
Boston are currently first in the East with a 11-2 record behind a 102.6 defensive rating (ranked 6th in the league). Following a narrow 100-99 loss in a Sacramento, the Celtics got things back on track against a much-improved Suns outfit on the road.
The departure of Kyrie Irving has allowed the likes of Jayson Tatum (20.2 points) and Jaylen Brown (19.5 points per game) to flourish, while Kemba Walker (23.4 points, 3.7 triples, five assists) has led this team tremendously.
The Clippers are coming off a narrow 90-88 home win over the Thunder on Tuesday where Paul George saved the day with a game-winning three. Kawhi Leonard has sat out the last three games due to a left knee contusion and his status for this one is unclear. Coach Doc Rivers said he was “very close” to playing against OKC, so you would expect to see him be right to go.
Already boasting a 10.36 defensive rating, the Clippers will be a serious force once they get George and Leonard on the court together. Alas, they sit fourth in the West at 9-5.
Tip: Clippers to win @ $1.47
