Things ramp up on Thursday’s schedule with 11 games to pick from. Our daily NBA Tips and best bets have locked in on three plays, including two favourites and an underdog.
Go ahead and fade the Magic in this spot at home against the visiting Rockets. Houston comes in laying –2.5, which makes sense given their seven-game winning streak that dates back to the first week of March. The Magic still have injury concerns with Cole Anthony questionable for this game, while this is also a weird schedule spot for them playing off a two-day break. For whatever reason, Orlando has gone 2-7 overall in this spot, so I’m more than happy to take the points for the Rockets.
Tip: Back the Rockets to Cover the Line (-2.5)
The Thunder are the bet here sporting a healthy –10 head start. OKC has played to a league-best 17-5-4 record against the spread in non-conference play, coupled by the fact the Sixers have lost four of their last five. The Thunder walked away 16-point winners when these two met in Philly in late January, a game that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drop 32 points on 12-from-15 shooting from the field.
Tip: Back the Thunder to Cover the Line (-10)
We’ll play the hot hand here and back the Bulls in at +6.5 on the road in the desert. Chicago has covered in each of its last six games, which includes a blowout win over the Jazz on Tuesday. The Suns have struggled in these cross-conference games going 11-12 overall, while they’ve also given up an average of 113 points to opponents over their last 10 games.
Tip: Back the Bulls to Cover the Line (+6.5)