Chicago Bulls (12-15) at Philadelphia 76ers (19-10)
The Bulls are making a late charge towards the playoffs are 3 wins in their last 4 and they'll look to match it with the #1 seeded 76ers here. Zach LaVine put up 37 pts in the Bulls last victory, beating the Pistons 105-102. He has another good matchup against the 76ers who are allowing 30.6 pts to shooting guards in the last 7 days.
Philadelphia finally stopped a 3 game losing streak as they cruised past the Rockets 118-113 on Thursday. With no Ben Simmons, Curry had one of his best games of the season with 25 pts and Tobias Harris pulled down 15 rebounds. However, Simmons is expected to return on Saturday from a stomach flu and he'll be coming off a 42 pt outing against the Jazz.
Chicago is playing well at the moment and the form of LaVine should be a key factor in the Bulls keeping this one close. So we'll be backing the Bulls to cover the line here.
Stadium Record
The 76ers are 7-1 in their last 8 home games. Chicago has lost their last 5 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Since 2017, the 76ers are 7-3 against the Bulls and that includes 4 straight wins.
Best Bet
Atlanta Hawks (12-16) at Boston Celtics (14-14)
The Hawks are back in Boston on Saturday after their 122-114 victory at TD Garden on Thursday. After 4 straight defeats, the victory gives the Hawks playoff hopes a shot in the arm and they'll be confident of another upset against the inconsistent Celtics. Trae Young led the Hawks offensively with 40 pts and Capela enjoyed a soft matchup against an undersized team with 24 pts. So both players should be the key in this matchup as well.
Meanwhile, Boston has fallen to the #5 seed in the East as they continue to battle injuries and out of form players. However, Kemba Walker is expected back in this contest, which should help against Trae Young. However, the Celtics are missing plenty of size in the front court and that's a problem against the likes of Capela and Collins. So they'll need Jaylen Brown to get back to scoring 30+ along with the talented Tatum doing what he does best.
The Celtics are a tough team to bet on at the moment so the Hawks at the line or to win is a solid bet, especially after winning at this venue a few days ago. However, Clint Capela is a great target in the players points market as the Celtics struggle to stop Centres and he scored 24 pts in the recent meeting.
Stadium Record
The Hawks have a 1-4 record at this venue. Boston holds a 7-5 home record this season.
Head to Head Record
The two sides met a few days ago at this stadium and the Hawks won 122-114. But since 2018, the Celtics are 8-2 head to head.
Best Bet
Utah Jazz (24-5) at Los Angeles Clippers (21-9)
The Jazz will aim for a 10th straight victory on Saturday as they meet the wounded Clippers again. Utah beat the Clippers on Thursday 114-96 as Donovan Mitchell/Rudy Gobert dominated. Mitchell finished with 24 pts / 7 assists and Gobert grabbed 20 rebounds along with 23 pts. With the Clippers likely missing George/Leonard again, Mitchell and Gobert should continue their domination on Saturday. Although, Mike Conley could return from a hamstring and that could hurt Mitchell's ball handling duties.
It's a tough time for the Clippers at the moment as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard continue to battle injuries. Especially with a back to back matchup against the hottest team in the NBA. The pair are questionable for this matchup and once again, they'll be a game-time decision. Even so, the Jazz's defence has been impressive this season and that probably won't stop in this one.
Just can't back against the Jazz line at the moment as they push for a 10th straight win. They've also covered in 8 of their last 9 road games and the injuries to the Clippers is hard for them to overcome.
Stadium Record
The Clippers are 10-5 at home this season. The Jazz are 4-2 against the Clippers in LA.
Head to Head Record
The Jazz comfortably beat the Clippers on Thursday, 114-96 and that made it 3 straight wins in this matchup.
Best Bet
