The eight playoff teams in the NBA Western Conference may have already been decided, but the seeding of those eight teams is still pretty much up in the air. And all four of Tuesday’s games will have a big impact on how the seeding shakes out.
It starts at the very top as the Nuggets look to wrestle the No. 1 seed from the Warriors. Meanwhile, the Rockets can move directly behind those two as they face the dangerous Kings.
And finally, the Spurs and the struggling Thunder continue to battle it out for the seventh No. 7 and 8 seeds in the last few games of the regular season.
While the playoffs are just around the corner, SBOBET fans will have the chance to wager on these highly consequential regular-season contests in the meantime.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder (April 2, 8:00 GMT+8)
The Thunder are ending the regular season with quite a thud. They conspired to lose at home to the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks last time out as their incredible decline continues. They’ve now lost seven of their last nine games and are an abysmal 6-13 in their last 19.
As things stand right now, the Thunder would face the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, which would likely result in an early exit for Russell Westbrook and co. But they still have five games left to overtake the Spurs, who have an identical record but have the edge in the tie-breaker, for the seven seed.
The first of OKC’s last five contests will be against the Los Angeles Lakers, who have now shut down LeBron James for the remainder of the regular season. James’ absence will predictably have quite an impact on the Lakers’ NBA 2019 betting odds moving forward.
Although, the Lakers were still able to pound the Pelicans, 130-102, without LeBron in the lineup. That win was their fourth in the last five games as they look to end what has been a disappointing season on a high.
The Thunder should be able to pick up a much-needed win, but given their recent struggles, it’s tough to trust them to cover such a big spread.
Betting Tip: Los Angeles Lakers +12.50 @ 1.90
Atlanta Hawks @ San Antonio Spurs (April 2, 8:30 GMT +8)
Trae Young and the Hawks’ stellar end to the season continued as they won a dramatic 136-135 shootout over the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks in overtime. Although, the Bucks were without their top three players, including MVP favourite Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Still, no one can take away the fact that Young produced one of the NBA 2019 highlights with his clutch game-winning bucket at the buzzer.
The Hawks have now won four of their last five games and are showing flashes of what could be a bright future with Young leading the way.
But extending that impressive run will be tough to do in San Antonio. The Spurs are on a bit of a skid, having lost four of their last six games. That includes rare home losses against the Heat and the Kings.
The Spurs have generally been outstanding at home, though — 30-9 on the season — and should be able to bounce back against the young Hawks.
Betting Tip: San Antonio Spurs -11.50 @ 1.95
Houston Rockets @ Sacramento Kings (April 2, 10:00 GMT+8)
The Rockets just met the Kings a couple days ago. In that game, James Harden erupted for a 50-point triple-double to lead the Rockets to a 119-108 home win.
Harden has simply crushed the Kings this season; the Bearded One is averaging 40 points in three meetings against them.
The Kings ended a recent five-game road trip with a big win over the Spurs. That performance goes to show that despite being out of the playoff hunt, the Kings aren’t just going to lie down for their postseason-bound opponents.
As for the Rockets, they still have a chance to overtake the injury-hit Blazers for the No. 3 seed in the West, so they will likely be keeping their foot on the pedal until the end of the regular season.
Betting Tip: Houston Rockets -5.00 @ 1.88
Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors (April 2, 10:30 GMT+8)
Much like Liverpool in the Premier League, the Denver Nuggets are desperately looking to overtake the defending champions in the standings.
The Nuggets are currently one game down on the Warriors for the No. 1 seed in the West. But they still have a shot at leapfrogging Golden State in the final five games, especially if they win their fourth and final meeting.
After losing to the Timberwolves following some questionable officiating, the Warriors took their frustrations out on the unlucky Hornets, who were crushed by 47.
As for the Nuggets, they’ve dropped three of their last five, the most recent of which was a bad home loss to the Wizards.
The Nuggets narrowly won their first matchup against Golden State this season. But in the two games since, the Warriors have blown Denver out by 31 and 17 points.
The Warriors likely don’t care very much about whether they get the No. 1 seed or not. However, don’t be surprised if they decide to ramp it up one more time against the Nuggets to show just how much better they are than the best of the rest in the West.
Betting Tip: Golden State Warriors -8.50 @ 2.02
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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