2016-17 NBA Betting Tips – Thursday, March 23rd

The 2016-17 NBA season continues this week as we enter the final four weeks of action. There are two matches televised on ESPN with the Hawks taking on the Wizards and the Jazz facing the Knicks. See our NBA Thursday March 23rd Preview and Betting Tips below.

Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards (Thursday 11am AEDT)

The two Eastern Conference sides do battle in what could potentially be a first round match up. The Wizards are currently sitting in third position on the ladder while the Hawks sit two spots back in fifth spot.

Both sides will enter the match out of form as the Hawks have lost their past four games while the Wizards have lost two straight. The Hawks are a side that is hot and cold and they haven’t found consistency throughout the season. Dwight Howard has had an up and down season while Paul Millsap hasn’t been as effective as in the past three seasons. However, They should get the advantage in the post with these two going against Morris and Gortat who has lost his form and confidence over the past month.

Meanwhile the Wizards will take a huge advantage in the back court with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Wall has been dominant the entire season and has carried the side for large portions of the calendar while Beal has been hot and cold. The Wizards bench improved before the trade deadline and they are 27-10 on their home court. We are predictinga tight match but ultimately the Wizards prevail.

TIP: Wizards to win at the margin (1-10) – $2.50 at William Hill

New York Knicks at Utah Jazz (Thursday 1.30pm AEDT)

This is a no contest mach. The Jazz will almost certainly come out on top it is just by how much. The Knicks have a lot of trouble guarding the centre position and Rudy Gobert is having a breakout season on offence while still maintaining his dominance on the defensive end. The big man blocked 8 shots against the Pacers and Gordon Hayward dropped a career high 38 points, however it wasn’t enough for the Jazz to get the victory. They will want to bounce back in this one and they will be able to do so convincingly.

The Knicks are just playing for pride at the moment but really they are playing for a better lottery pick. The side will still want to perform but ultimately they want to lose. Carmelo Anthony has almost shut down for the remainder of the season as he doesn’t play with any intensity while Kristaps Porzingis has lost his form.

TIP: Jazz to win at the line (-10.5) – $1.95 at Sportsbet

Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls (Thursday 11am AEDT)

This will be an interesting match up with the two sides entering the contest on the back end of a back-to-back set and the Bulls playing overtime in their loss to the Raptors. The Pistons were also pipped but against the last placed Brooklyn Nets on the road.

There is one game separating the side on the Eastern Conference ladder and the winner will have a huge boost towards securing a playoff position. The Bulls will be without Dwayne Wade but Rajon Rondo is back in the starting line up and putting up big numbers. Jimmy Butler will is also coming off a strong performance against the Raptors.

Meanwhile the Pistons are continuing to rely on their defence to win matches. They struggled to score against one of the worst defences in the league and it is worrying signs. The team has struggled on the road this season and is 11-23. This leaves us to believe the home side will earn a narrow win in this one.

TIP: Bulls to win at the margin (1-10) – $2.59 at William Hill

Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets (Thursday 12pm AEDT)

The Cavaliers are back at almost full strength with Kevin Love and JR Smith back in the line ups. Whilst the shooting guard Smith hasn’t reached any heights since his return, Love has had a smooth transition back into the starting line up. The big 3 combined for the most points they have ever scored in their comeback victory over the Lakers. They made the victory harder than it had to be but they were able to get the job done. They have won just half of their last ten games but still sit on the top of the Eastern Conference with Boston one game back.

The Nuggets are holding onto 8th position in the west but there are a couple of teams that closely trail them. They suffered a narrow loss in their last start in a thrilling 125-124 loss against the Rockets. They have the home court advantage in this one and we are expecting a big match from their talented big man Nikola Jokic. He has proven to be an excellent passer, rebounder and scorer and he will test Tristan Thompson in this one. However, it won’t be enough as Kyrie Irving has a massive edge at point guard and will make the Nuggets pay.

TIP: Cavaliers to win at the line (-3.5) – $1.95 at William Hill