The Scout: Saturday NBA Best Bets
Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks
The Cavs (9-9) have exceeded all expectations with wins in three of their last five games, including back-to-back wins over Brooklyn.
New York (8-11) have lost three straight with their early season form now behind them. They are currently scoring the fewest points per game of any team in the league.
Collin Sexton has been the biggest reason for the Cavs’ strong play. Sexton averages 25 points and has been devastating teams, including a recent 42 point explosion against the Nets.
The Knicks are without a legitimate point guard who can commands the offense. This is just one of their roster flaws and I think it hurts them again here.
Suggested Bet: Cleveland -7.5 (Tri-Bet) @ $3.20*
Milwaukee Bucks @ New Orleans Pelicans
The Bucks (11-6) have started to heat up and are now second in the East. Led by Giannis, they have one of the NBA’s top offenses, scoring 119.8 points per contest.
It hasn’t been a great season for the young Pelicans (6-10) who aren’t living up to the even the most moderate expectation held for them leading into this season.
When Milwaukee is playing there is one thing you can expect; lots of points. The Bucks play a high tempo run and gun style, shooting plenty of three-point.
At their best, New Orleans play in a very similar way, attacking the basket and kicking out their shooters. Brandon Ingram in particular has developed a strong outside game and cannot be left open from beyond the arc.
Suggested Bet: Over 228.5 Points @ $1.91*
Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz
Dallas (8-10) have lost three straight games and sit toward the bottom of the Western Conference while Utah (14-4) are the hottest team in the NBA right now with ten straight wins.
Luka Doncic carries the burden of the entire offense for Dallas, and he is doing as much as he can averaging just shy of averaging a triple double with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
The Slovenian star has scored 30 or more points in three of his last four games and shapes as a difficult matchup for Utah, despite them being one of the best defensive teams in the league.
With no clear-cut matchups for Doncic or Utah’s star Donovan Mitchell, I can see them duelling it out in this game.
Suggested Bet: Luka Doncic 30 Points+ @ $2.25*
*Odds correct as at 2pm, 29th January 2020.
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