2016-17 NBA Betting Tips – Thursday, April 13th

The 2016-17 NBA regular season reaches its conclusion tomorrow and we take a look at the ESPN televised Hawks vs Pacers as well as some other key games in our NBA Thursday April 13 Preview and Betting Tips.

Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers (Thursday 10am AEST)

There is still a lot on the line for these two teams heading into this match despite it being the last game of the season. A win for the Hawks would cement them as the fifth seed in the East while a loss could see them drop to sixth. Meanwhile the Pacers haven’t booked their spot in the playoffs, but currently hold on to the seventh spot. A win would secure it and they will definitely be playing this match as if it is a playoff game.

Paul George has been in playoff mode for the last few weeks and he has been dominant. The small forward has put up big numbers and has carried his side to victory. We believe he will play exceptionally well in this game but he will need more from his point guard Jeff Teague who has dropped off in the last month of action. He will be playing against his former side so he doesn’t need much more incentive than that to play well.

Meanwhile Paul Millsap is coming back from an injury and hasn’t played at a high level all season. He will need to step up his game for this one but he could be kept to limited minutes with the playoffs looming, meanwhile Dwight Howard is in a similar situation but has been strong in recent games. They are coming off a dominant win over the Hornets and the fact they are in a back-to-back suggests this match will be one way traffic.

TIP: Pacers to win at the line (-13) – $1.95 with William Hill

San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz (Thursday 11am AEST)

The Jazz will be playing to earn the victory that could lift them into the fourth seed in the West, which will see them have home court advantage against the Clippers. However, they will need to hope the Clippers lose against the Kings too.

The Jazz were able to earn the victory against the Warriors in their last start and they will be at full strength in this one. Gordon Hayward is playing injured but has still put up big numbers. It will be a strong defensive game between these two sides and he will have a big match up against Khawai Leonard in this one.

The Spurs have been poor to close out the season and coach Greg Popovic has said he will not rest any players in this one. However, with the side not playing to move up or down in the East, we are predicting the key players such as Leonard, Lamar Aldridge, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker to see limited minutes in this one. This will ultimately lead to the Jazz earning the victory and applying the pressure to the Clippers.

TIP: Jazz to win at the line (-3) – $1.95 with Sportsbet

Sacamento Kings at Los Angeles Clippers (Thursday 12.30pm AEST)

The Clippers will be all out in this game and they will have added incentive. A part from the obvious that they will want to lock up the fourth seed and grab home court advantage, the Kings embarrassed the Clippers in their last meeting. Taking a large lead into the fourth quarter, the Kings rallied and earned a victory. The Clippers will be wanting to turn the tables and put a huge scoreline on the Kings. Chirs Paul has been reaching his peak in recent weeks with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan beginning to build into playoff mode themselves. The Clippers have suffered injuries throughout the season but are peaking at the right time of the season. Jamal Crawford has been strong off the bench while Austin Rivers has been too.

The Kings are likely to be without Darren Collison for this one who has missed the last two matches. This will put Ty Lawson at point guard once again and he is coming off a triple double. The Kings will finish their season with a back-to-back after earning a big victory over the Suns but that will be the last win they celebrate for the 2016-17 NBA season.

TIP: Clippers to win at the line (-15.5) – $1.95 with William Hill