Boston Celtics (8-4) at Philadelphia 76ers (9-5)
Boston returns to action on Thursday and will look for a much improved shooting performance. In a 30 point loss to the Knicks, the Celtics shot a woeful 29.8% from the field and made just 7 of 53 three point shots! The only real positive was the return of Kemba Walker from a knee injury. But they will again miss young superstar Jayson Tatum.
The 76ers last clash with the Thunder was postponed so they should be refresh for this East rivalry. They'll likely regain Joel Embiid from injury and he should be a handful defensively for the undersized Celtics. The form of Shake Milton is also impressive off the 76ers bench and he's coming off 28 pts in the 76ers recent 106-104 loss to the Grizzlies.
The return of Embiid will give the 76ers a huge advantage on Thursday morning and with the Celtics missing Tatum, it's hard to see them competing. Philly is also 5-2 ATS at home and 10-4 ATS as a home favourite.
Stadium Record
The 76ers are 7-1 on their home court. Boston holds an 11-5 record at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Celtics beat the 76ers in the playoffs last season 3-1 and have won 6 of the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
Phoenix Suns (7-5) at Houston Rockets (4-8)
The Suns finally returned from a long Covid break in their close 108-104 loss to the Grizzlies. Devin Booker wouldn't be happy with his performance after shooting just 5 of 21 from the field and finished with 12 points. So look for the young star to get back on track in what should be an easier matchup against the Rockets. As we predicted, Ayton had a field day against the Grizzles with 16 total rebounds and his matchup with Christian Wood will be one to watch.
Houston are officially in a rebuild after the James Harden trade but they should be an entertaining team to watch in the back half of the season. Victor Oladipo made his Rockets debut with an impressive 32 point outing and Wood finished with 30 points in 31 minutes. However, they will miss John Wall again with injury.
Can't see Booker having another shocker against an undermanned Rockets team and we're predicting he'll be the key in a large Suns victory. The Suns are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings in the Harden Rockets era and also have a nice 4-1 ATS record after a loss.
Stadium Record
Houston holds a 3-3 record at home this season. The Suns have lost their last 5 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Suns won the last meeting 127-91 but hold an 1-9 record in the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
San Antonio Spurs (8-6) at Golden State Warriors (7-6)
The Spurs will aim for their 3rd straight victory this Thursday as they head to California. They kicked off this road-trip with a comfortable 125-104 victory over the Trail Blazers. Bench guys Patty Mills and Rudy Gay both added 21 pts in the victory along with the important pair of DeRozan and Aldridge scoring 42 combined points. They have a good road record this season (6-2) and will be confident of continuing that against Golden State.
Despite a 64-48 half-time deficit against the Lakers, the Warriors once again stormed home for arguably their best victory of the season. Steph Curry led the way with 26 points and a key 3 pointer in the 4th quarter. He was well supported by Oubre Jr with 23 points and he's seemingly finding his groove in this team after struggling early on.
This should be another close affair for the Warriors as they do enjoy a healthly rivalry with the Spurs. So tipping a winner is tough and that's reflected in the very close head to head odds. As a result, we'll be looking for the Under trend to continue. The Warriors hold a 5-0 Unders record on a days rest and the Under is also 4-0 on their home court. Meanwhile, the Spurs are 4-1 against the Under.
Stadium Record
The Warriors are 4-2 in their last 6 home games. The Spurs are just 1-8 on the road against the Warriors.
Head to Head Record
Since 2018, both sides have won 5 games apiece. The Spurs won the last meeting, 117-113 in Dec 2019.
Best Bet
