Now that the NBA All-Star Game has been played, the real action is set to begin again Thursday night. Most teams have less than 25 regular-season games remaining, the push to the playoffs is set to begin.
The NBA will be a popular betting market over the next few weeks, and there will be some great betting opportunities available. Here are three of the best NBA games to bet on for Thursday night.
Chicago Bulls -4.0 vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Chicago Bulls were one of the biggest stories during the first half of the season. They begin the second half at home against the Hawks. Atlanta has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but they still have some time to turn things around.
It’s hard to describe how great DeMar DeRozan has been for the Bulls this season, but he is averaging nearly 30 points per game. The Bulls are starting to get healthy once again, which will make them nearly impossible to stop.
Trae Young has to do it all for the Hawks to be successful. The Hawks have plenty of athleticism to throw at Chicago, but it’s hard to see them getting enough stops.
Chicago is just too good at home, and they win this game and cover the four-point spread.
Boston Celtics ML at Brooklyn Nets
A pair of Eastern Conference heavyweights are set to meet up in Brooklyn on Thursday night as the Nets host the Boston Celtics. Both teams could win the Eastern Conference if they go on a nice run. This should be a terrific matchup.
Boston was playing great basketball before the break, and Jayson Tatum is now averaging nearly 26 points per game. The Celtics have started to figure out how to defend, allowing them to stack wins.
Brooklyn will be without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant for this game, which takes away close to 50 points per game on offense. The Nets are still a team that can win games, but this will be a real challenge.
The Celtics are a seven-point betting favorite, but a better option is taking them on the moneyline to win this one.
Denver Nuggets -4.5 at Sacramento Kings
The Denver Nuggets are a tough team to figure out, but they are still clearly one of the better teams in the Western Conference. Nikola Jokic is nearly averaging a triple-double this season, and he just continues to take over games when needed.
Sacramento is just 22-38 on the year, and they are a team that now has some new faces on the roster. The Kings do have some young talent to work with, but they are a team that really struggles to get stops.
Playing in Sacramento isn’t going to be easy for Denver, but they clearly have the best player on the floor. Don’t be surprised to see Denver take control of this game in the second half as they cover the 4.5-point spread.
