Charlotte Hornets (22-19) at Philadelphia 76ers (23-16)
After back to back wins over the Bucks, the Hornets will look to continue taking it to the best teams in the NBA as they meet the 76ers in Philadelphia. Terry Rozier has been particularly playing well with 27 and 28 pts in his last 2 outings. Meanwhile on defence, they'll need to slow down the production of Embiid when he gets the ball. In terms of injuries, the Hornets are just missing Oubre Jr from the bench.
The Sixers have blown out the Rockets and Spurs by 19+ points in their last 2 games but should enjoy more of a challenge against the Hornets. Joel Embiid has been in vintage form, scoring 30+ points in 7 straight games. He's also taken on more of a scoring role without Curry/Harris. However, Curry could return in this matchup and Tobias Harris should also return from a shoulder injury.
Despite a poor record in Philadelphia, it's hard to back against the underdog Hornets at the moment. They have covered in 7 of their last 9 games and we give them a good chance of an upset. The 76ers also haven't been involved in a close game for a while and both meetings against Charlotte this season have been decided by under 5 points.
Stadium Record
The 76ers have been average at home this season with an 8-8 record. The Hornets have lost their last 5 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Philadelphia has won both meetings this season but the average winning margin is just 3.5 points.
Best Bet
Charlotte Hornets +5.5 = $1.92
Dallas Mavericks (22-18) at New York Knicks (20-21)
Dallas have found momentum after winning 6 straight games and that's despite missing Kristaps Porzingis. He's once again unavailable for this matchup as well. So the Mavs offence will revolve around Luka Doncic and he's coming off a triple-double in the impressive win over the Bulls 113-99. Defensively, the Mavs have been strong too as they've allowed under 100 pts in 4 of their last 5 games.
The Knicks have been struggling to meet the standard they set last season but they may have turned the corner with 3 wins in their last 4. Their latest 111-96 win came after scoring just 75 pts against the Celtics as well. RJ Barrett lit up the boxscore in the win over the Spurs with 31 points. In a tough matchup with the Mavericks defence, they'll need more of the same from the likes of Barrett and Randle. Kemba Walker is also a chance to return from a knee injury that has kept him out for a while.
The Knicks have been wildly inconsistent this season and we can see their offence continuing their struggles against the Mavs. Dallas is coming off wins over the Bulls, Warriors and Nuggets. They've also won 4 of their last 5 road games and have a nice record at this venue.
Stadium Record
The Knicks are 5-1 in their last 6 home games. Dallas has won 6 of their last 8 at MSG.
Head to Head Record
New York has won 6 of the last 10 meetings since 2016.
Best Bet
Brooklyn Nets (25-14) at Chicago Bulls (27-11)
The Nets ruled out James Harden just before tip-off against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday and as a result, they struggled in a 114-108 result. Harden is questionable with a knee injury so that will be something to monitor for Thursday's game. Kyrie Irving also injured his ankle late on Tuesday but he downplayed the injury after the game. However, the injury issues are concerning as they come up against the high flying Bulls.
After a disappointing 113-99 loss against the Mavs, Chicago let off some frustration on Wednesday. They thrashed the Pistons 133-87 and their defence allowed just 35 points in the second half. The blowout win also gave most of their starters a break so that should only help them in this East battle with the #2 seeded Nets.
This should be a statement game for the Chicago Bulls on their home court as they look to prove they're worthy of the #1 seed. Meanwhile, the Nets have injury concerns with Harden's knee and Irving's ankle. They were also poor against the struggling Trail Blazers on Tuesday and that's not a good sign for this matchup with the red-hot Bulls.
Stadium Record
The Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games. Brooklyn has won 5 of their last 7 in Chicago.
Head to Head Record
Best Bet
