Milwaukee Bucks (30-19) at Cleveland Cavaliers (29-19)
The Bucks head to Cleveland on the back of a 3-0 homestand and they'll be eager to improve on their recent road struggles. They've lost their last 3 away from Milwaukee but should get Giannis Antetokounmpo back from injury. He missed the win over the Kings last time out with a knee issue and he's currently a game-time decision to play against the Cavs. If he can't suit up, the offence will run through Middleton and Holiday. Meanwhile, Grayson Allen is out with suspension and the likes of DiVincenzo/Connaughton should get extra playing time as a result.
Cleveland continued their good form with a 95-93 win over the Knicks on Tuesday and they've now won 7 of their last 8 games. But they could be missing Jarrett Allen again with illness after he missed the clash with New York. If he can't play again, Kevin Love will get a nice usage boost on offence. Markkanen has been ruled out for this matchup with an ankle injury and the likes of Wade/Stevens should enjoy more playing time.
A low scoring affair does look on the cards considering the trend between these two teams. In Cleveland, the Under has saluted in the last 5 meetings and the Cavs are 7-3 against the Under in their last 10 games.
Stadium Record
The Cavs are 9-2 in their last 11 home games. Milwaukee has won 4 of their last 5 in Cleveland.
Head to Head Record
The Bucks have the wood over the Cavs with 8 wins in the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
Denver Nuggets (25-21) at Brooklyn Nets (29-18)
Denver are coming off back to back wins over the Pistons but they'll enjoy a more challenging matchup against the Nets, especially Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets centre has scored 25+ points in his last 5 games and collected 21 boards against the Pistons on Wednesday. Brooklyn are fairly undersized so Jokic should continue to dominate the stat-sheet on Thursday. In terms of injuries, they only have Will Barton's hamstring to worry about after he missed their last game and will be questionable for this matchup.
After back to back defeats, the Nets will look to get back on track on Thursday against the Nuggets. Brooklyn will be on a back to back after their offence struggled against the Lakers on Wednesday in the 106-96 defeat. They'll be without Kyrie Irving for this home game but he'll be expected back for the Nets upcoming 5 game road trip against the Western Conference. Without Durant/Irving, the offence will continue to revolve around Harden but the Nets will need the experienced pair of Mills/Alridge to take the pressure off.
With the Nets missing Durant/Irving, their offence is weaker and we can see the Nuggets taking advantage. Jokic is also in superb form and he should have no problems with the undermanned Nets defence. Denver has won 5 of their last 7 road games as well so we like their chances of victory.
Stadium Record
The Nets have struggled at home lately with a 2-7 record. Denver has lost 6 of their last 7 in Brooklyn.
Head to Head Record
Brooklyn won the last meeting 125-119 and they hold a 6-4 record in the last 10.
Best Bet
Phoenix Suns (37-9) at Utah Jazz (30-18)
The Suns recorded their 7th straight win on Tuesday with a 6 point win over the Jazz and they'll look to produce a similar result in Thursday's rematch. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are simply on fire at the moment and with the Suns missing key players, the pair will be the key once again. Paul comes off a near triple-double against the Jazz and has collected 11+ assists in 4 straight games. Meanwhile, Booker scored 33 pts last time out but he would like to improve his field goal percentage which he has struggled with lately.
While the Jazz come off a 115-109 loss against the Suns, they'll be too disheartened considering their injury issues. They were without 6 key players in the defeat, highlighted by Mitchell and Gobert. The duo have been ruled out for this matchup as well. However, they'll likely get Conley, Bogdanovic, Ingles and O'Neale back to strengthen up their starting lineup/rotation.
The Jazz are missing two of their best players so it's tough to see them causing an upset. So we prefer to look at the Under, especially as the two sides went under 220.5 points a few days ago. The Under also has a nice 5-2 record when the Jazz meet the Suns on home court.
Stadium Record
The Jazz have failed to cover in their last 5 home games. Phoenix holds a poor 2-10 record in Utah.
Head to Head Record
Phoenix beat the Jazz 115-109 on Tuesday. Since 2019, the head to head is locked at 5-5.
Best Bet
