NBA betting tips: Oklahoma City Thunder to drown out Miami Heat
After the NBA Cup finished in midweek, attention now turns to the NBA proper, with some exciting games on offer this weekend.
First up, Friday sees the Cleveland Cavaliers welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to Ohio while the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Miami Heat.
This column delivered a rare taste of defeat a week ago, so here’s to picking a winner this time.
Sports News Blitz writer George Dempsey is on hand with another round of NBA betting tips.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat
On Thursday, the Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 105-99 to improve their overall record to 21-5 and solidify their status as the top team in the Western Conference.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and Isaiah Hartenstein pulled in 12 rebounds to help Oklahoma establish a 19-point half-time lead from which they never looked back.
The result was a perfect response to conceding the NBA Cup final to the Milwaukee Bucks a few days earlier.
Oklahoma remain on the road as they make the short trip south to face the Heat, where they are currently slim -1.5 favourites to keep the good times rolling.
At the same time, the 13-11 Heat are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 125-124 overtime defeat to the Detroit Pistons.
Miami will have had an extra day of rest, but we know that teams coming off an overtime loss generally struggle — betting against those teams has produced a 55% win rate from a sample of over 650 matches.
On the other hand, back-to-back spots are never easy, although the fact that Oklahoma are making a short trip does help.
The Thunder have a 4-0 record in the second games of back-to-backs this season, including two of their best offensive performances.
Helpfully, last night’s win over Orlando was a straightforward affair in which the starters logged a combined 151 minutes and the bench players were productive.
Jaylin Williams is also set for a return to action after an injury lay-off.
Finally, the Heat have a clash against divisional rivals Orlando tomorrow, so they may very well have one eye on that fixture.
Suggested bet: Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5
READ MORE: NBA news: Milwaukee Bucks defeat Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Cup
