Cleveland Cavaliers (19-12) at Boston Celtics (15-16)
Cleveland will be looking for a 7th straight win when they travel to Boston this Thursday. However, like many teams in the NBA, their starting lineup has been impacted by Covid protocols. So at this stage, Ricky Rubio, Dean Wade and Kevin Love will get the start at their respective positions. Darius Garland has continued to play well during this winning streak and comes off 22 pts in their most recent 29 point win over the short-handed Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Celtics lost to the 76ers 108-103 in their latest game as they were missing front-court help against Joel Embiid. However, Jaylen Brown showed form with 30 points and that's promising for the Celtics after his struggles with injury this season. They will be without Al Horford in the starting lineup but there's a chance that Robert Williams can return after missing the 76ers game due to personal reasons.
Both teams have their lineup issues due to the protocols and that should see a fairly even contest for the 4 quarters. So we like the chances of the Cavs covering the line. They're in good form having won 6 on the trot and both games against Boston this season have been low scoring affairs (under 100 pts each).
Stadium Record
Boston has won 8 of their last 11 games at TD Garden. The Cavs have lost their last 5 road games in Boston.
Head to Head Record
Both meetings this season have been in Cleveland and the two sides have split the series 1-1. Since 2019, the Celtics are 7-3 against the Cavs.
Best Bet
Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 = $1.85
Toronto Raptors (14-15) at Chicago Bulls (19-10)
The Raptors last game against the Magic was postponed and they previously thrashed the understrength Warriors 119-100. So they should be well-rested for this matchup. However, they have some key outs which includes starting PG Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and impressive rookie Scottie Barnes. So they'll be proceeding with a very inexperienced starting lineup that includes the likes of Bonga and Watanabe.
DeMar DeRozan will take on one of his former teams this Thursday and he'll be looking to continue his impressive form. He's coming off 38 and 26 points in his last 2 games since returning from Covid-19 protocols. Without Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso, he'll be expected to continue leading the Bulls scoring. With Caruso out injured, Cody White will get the start at shooting guard and he's coming off a nice performance against the Rockets with 24 pts off the bench.
The Bulls lineup looks strong compared to the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan should have a field day against his former team. Toronto will be missing the likes of VanFleet, Siakam and Barnes. So we can't see them scoring enough points to keep up with Chicago.
Stadium Record
The Bulls have won 4 of their last 5 at home. Toronto has won 6 of their last 8 in Chicago.
Head to Head Record
The Raptors have won 6 of the last 10 meetings. However, Chicago won the first clash of this season 111-108.
Best Bet
LA Clippers (16-15) at Sacramento Kings (13-19)
Paul George returned from injury last time out but he couldn't stop a 3 game losing streak for the Clippers as they were outplayed by the Spurs. George did what he could by scoring 25 points in 31 minutes. However, his teammates struggled as they shot just 37%. In terms of injuries, the Clippers are looking fairly strong compared to the rest of the NBA and they just got Serge Ibaka back as well.
Sacramento will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 113-98 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday. However, they're missing key PG De’Aaron Fox and Richaun Holmes. There's a chance Holmes can return against the Clippers but Fox has been ruled out. So overcoming a 1-15 record against the Clippers on their home court will be a tough challenge.
Los Angeles has dominated the Kings in Sacramento with 15 wins in their last 16 and they've covered in 5 of their last 6. With Paul George back from injury and the Kings missing key starters, this should be a comfortable win for the Clippers as they look to end a 3 game losing streak.
Stadium Record
Sacramento has won 4 of their last 5 at home. The Clippers have a dominant 15-1 record in Sacramento.
Head to Head Record
Since 2019, the head to head is locked at 5-5.
Best Bet
