Owner of the current longest winning streak in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Boston Celtics at the iconic TD Garden looking to make it eight consecutive victories.
The Thunder are in a resurgence this campaign, thanks in large part to Paul George who is gathering MVP chatters for the career season he is having. OKC are currently third in the Western Conference behind the 28-year-old All-Star.
Fortunately for the Thunder, they are up against a Celtics team that seems to be out of focus given all the trade chatters and uncertainties surrounding the franchise. And that might just work in favour of the Loud City squad.
On the other games, the Memphis Grizzlies play the New York Knicks in a battle of two tanking teams, while the LA Clippers visit Canada to face the Toronto Raptors in hopes of keeping their playoff dreams alive.
Memphis Grizzlies @ New York Knicks (February 4, 02:00 GMT+8)
The Grizzlies and Knicks are both in tanking mode … or rebuilding mode if you want to sugarcoat it and make things look positive.
Truth be told, there’s no use for these two to win here, especially for the Knickerbockers who have shown that they are in the race to get the 2019 top pick and eventually draft highly touted NBA prospect Zion Williamson out of Duke.
New York recently grabbed the NBA 2019 news headlines by agreeing to a one-sided trade with the Dallas Mavericks, sending their best star Kristaps Porzingis along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke.
In return, the Knicks got Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and a couple of first-round picks. Smith Jr. is expected to suit up against the Grizzlies, while Jordan and Matthews are reportedly up for a buyout and might not even wear a New York Jersey.
Without their best players, it’s hard to see the Knicks winning any game at all.
On the other hand, the Grizzlies are rumoured to be taking calls for their franchise cornerstones, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. There’s a benefit for Memphis to play the two and show the rest of the NBA that Conley and Gasol can still produce at a high level, but they could also opt to rest the two amid trade discussions.
New York won their previous game against the Grizzlies, so they have that going for them.
Betting Tip: Memphis Grizzlies Asian Handicap -3.00 @ 1.95.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Boston Celtics (February 4, 03:00 GMT+8)
Seven wins in a row are no easy feat, but the Thunder are doing it with ease. They have beaten the likes of Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks during that stretch, and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.
George, who has been the most important player for the Thunder this season (sorry Russell Westbrook!), has put the Thunder on his back. He was so good that even Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade said that PG13 is playing “phenomenal basketball” after OKC beat Miami recently.
Named to his sixth All-Star team this year, George is averaging 34.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game during their current winning run.
As mentioned, the Celtics are in turmoil right now and it might be the best time to fight them.
While the Beantown team has won three straight and seems to be handling things pretty well, it still hard to hide their frustration. According to a recent report, the Celtics are growing increasingly “disappointed” and “frustrated” on Kyrie Irving for airing his grievances to the media.
It doesn’t help that Irving appears to be backing off his promise that he would re-sign with the Celtics when his contract expires—all these amid the trade drama surrounding New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis and Boston.
Betting Tip: Oklahoma City Thunder Asian Handicap +2.50 @ 2.06.
LA Clippers @ Toronto Raptors (February 4, 04:00 GMT+8)
After staging their biggest comeback win in franchise history, the Clippers are undoubtedly brimming with confidence.
The Clippers trailed by as much as 25 points against the Detroit Pistons in their latest game, but a solid third-quarter run combined with a fourth-quarter scoring outburst from Lou Williams—16 straight points for the Clips in six and a half minutes—allowed them to take a 111-101 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
Now, the Clips will look to carry that momentum heading to Scotiabank Arena where they will take on the Raptors.
As expected, SBOBET’s NBA 2019 odds favour the Toronto side. After all, they are one of the best home teams in the league with a 21-5 home record. Unfortunately, they have been up-and-down lately and have won only once in their last four, losing to the Bucks, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers.
Betting Tip: LA Clippers +10.00 @ 2.00.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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