Golden State Warriors (17-15) at Indiana Pacers (15-14)
The Warriors will continue their road-trip on Thursday after 2 close losses and a win over the Knicks 114-106 on Thursday. In the win over New York, Steph Curry led the scoring with 37 pts and it was pleasing to see James Wiseman return from injury. He played 16 minutes off the bench and should be able to start against the Pacers.
The Pacers last 2 games have been postponed against the Rockets and Spurs so the team will be well rested for this home game. Previously, they've won 3 of their last 4 games and the key in this matchup should be Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner as the Warriors defence struggles with centres.
Currently, the odds are close and we tend to agree with two even teams in play. So we'll be looking for the Under trend to continue with the Warriors involved. The Under is now 4-1 in their last 5 road games and with the Pacers coming off a break, their offence might be a bit rusty.
Stadium Record
The Pacers have struggled at home this season with a 7-9 record. Golden State has won 4 of their last 6 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Pacers have won the last 2 meetings, including earlier this season (104-95) in Oakland.
Best Bet
Toronto Raptors (16-16) at Miami Heat (14-17)
Toronto head to Miami on a back to back after their 4 game winning streak came to end against the 76ers on Wednesday. In the 109-102 defeat, they missed Kyle Lowry again to injury and while they kept Embiid in check, a 37 pt first quarter proved hard to overcome. The key in this matchup should be Siakam against Adebayo and whether VanFleet can get going after struggling against the 76ers.
After a lengthy 7 game road-trip, the Heat finally return to Miami on Thursday. Overall, the Heat would be happy with ending that road-trip with 3 straight wins and should be confident on their home court. Jimmy Butler has a great matchup against the Raptors so look for him to lead the Heat as usual with the ball in hand.
Another close game expected between the Heat and Raptors but we like the home team to get the victory. They've won their last 3 games on the road and with the Raptors missing Kyle Lowry, that hurts their offence. So look for Butler and Adebayo to lead the Heat to victory.
Stadium Record
Miami holds a 7-7 record at home this season. The Raptors hold a 4-2 record in Miami.
Head to Head Record
The two sides have met twice this season with Toronto winning by 20 and the Heat won the previous encounter by 9 pts.
Best Bet
Los Angeles Lakers (22-10) at Utah Jazz (25-6)
The Lakers are in trouble at the moment after 3 straight defeats and it won't get easier against the Jazz in Utah. Without Anthony Davis and Schroder, the Lakers have struggled as the likes of Caldwell-Pope, Gasol and Matthews haven't been able to get the job done. So the Lakers will need LeBron to continue scoring 30+ pts for any chance of victory during this injury crisis and he does have a fairly good matchup against the Jazz.
The Jazz rebounded from a 116-112 upset in Los Angeles with a crushing 132-110 victory over the Hornets in their latest outing. The major key was their bench as Ingles, Niang and Clarkson all scored 20+ pts and the Jazz amassed 41 pts in the 4th quarter. So they'll have another great matchup against the undermanned Lakers. Especially after 14 straight home wins.
Los Angeles simply don't have the ability to compete with the top teams at the moment due to their injury crisis and we can't see them getting near the Jazz on their home court. As such, the Jazz are 5-0 ATS at home and they've covered in 9 of their last 10 games.
Stadium Record
The Jazz are 14-2 at home this season. Los Angeles has won the last 2 meetings since 2019.
Head to Head Record
Since 2017, the two sides have both won 5 games against each other.
Best Bet
