We have just a total of four scheduled games on the National Basketball Association schedule on Thursday night, as we start to get back to a more traditional schedule with no more National Football League games to compete with on the day. We’ll get more of the traditional top-notch matchups in a national television event on Thursdays going into the second half of the season. Let’s get started!
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Thursday’s Best NBA Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Los Angeles Lakers (+460) at Boston Celtics (-620) | O/U 240.5 (-110/-110)
The Lakers (25-25) and Celtics (37-11) renew their historic rivalry at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on TNT.
These teams met on Christmas Day, with the Celtics coming away with a 126-115 win as 5-point favorites at Crypto.com Arena as the Over (235.5) connected. It hasn’t been much of a rivalry in the past few seasons, with Boston winning five of the past six meetings, while going 7-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past 10 meetings dating back to March 9, 2019.
It hasn’t been long since the Lakers won in Boston, posting a 96-95 win as a 3.5-point underdog on Jan. 30, 2021, in a rare Under in this series. The Over has connected in eight of the past 10 meetings in this series.
The Lakers have dropped the first two games on the trip, while also going 0-2 ATS. We’ll focus more on the total, as the Over has dominated in this series while cashing in seven in a row for the Lakers. Defense has been the issue for the Lakers, allowing 127 or more points in each of the past five games.
The Celtics picked up a 129-124 win last time out on Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers, although Boston failed to cover as 8-point favorites. That’s 0-3 ATS in the past three games as a favorite, and 2-5 ATS in the past seven games overall. We’ve had the Over-Under split in the past four games, with the Under 7-2 in the past nine games. Still, Boston has gone for 116 or more points in five of the past six games, and it should be able to roll up big points on the Lakers’ beleaguered D.
Bets: Over 240.5 Total Points (-110)
Indiana Pacers (+138) at New York Knicks (-164) | O/U 240.5 (-110/-110)
The Pacers (27-22) and the Knicks (31-17) tangle at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. These teams met on Dec. 30, 2023, for the first meeting this season, with Indiana coming away with a 140-126 win as 4-point favorites as the Over (248) cashed. Indiana won the most recent trip to New York on April 9, 2023, last season, winning 141-136 as a 9.5-point favorite, again as the Over cashed. That’s four straight Over results in this series.
The big news for Indiana is the uncertainty due to the injury report. G Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), G T.J. McConnell (illness), G Bennedict Mathurin (toe), and F Jalen Smith (back) are all listed as questionable. That screams stay away if one or a handful cannot play. However, New York has their own problems, as F OG Anunoby (elbow), G Evan Fournier (personal), and G Quentin Grimes (knee) are each questionable, while F Julius Randle (shoulder) and C Mitchell Robinson (ankle) are out indefinitely.
Despite the injuries, New York has won eight in a row, while covering six straight, while going 7-1 ATS. While Indiana has dominated the series recently, and the Over has been the rule in the series lately, the Under has dominated for the Knicks, so we’ll shy away from the total. Let’s play the Knicks at home to get the job done.
Bet: Knicks -3.5 (-112)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-220) at Memphis Grizzlies (+188) | O/U 218.5 (-112/-108)
The Cavaliers (29-16) and the Grizzlies (18-29) lock horns on the banks of the Mississippi River at FedEx Forum. The Cavs had a tough turnaround, playing Wednesday night at home against the Detroit Pistons.
The Cavs posted a 128-121 win at RocketMortgage FieldHouse, but the Pistons earned the cover as 13.5-point underdogs to snap a 7-1 ATS run for Cleveland. It’s a tough turnaround for the Cavs, as they had to jump a Delta 757 charter flight which was slightly delayed. It didn’t arrive in Memphis until 1:13 a.m. ET, so it was a late arrival at the team hotel.
The Grizzlies were on the short end of a 103-94 loss against the Sacramento Kings, covering as an 11-point underdog. Memphis has covered a season-best five straight games, while winning three games outright, all as an underdog.
Cleveland might be able to find a way to get the job done, but Memphis is worth playing catching nearly three buckets.
Bet: Grizzlies +5.5 (-108)
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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.