NBA Betting Tips: Celtics looking to secure knockout place

| November 28 |

3 mins read

The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament continues on Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning, with the final group-stage matches taking place. We've picked out our best bets for the upcoming games.

NBA Betting Tips

Bulls @ Celtics - Celtics (-12.5) @ 10/11
Bucks @ Heat - Bucks (-2.5) @ 5/6
Hornets @ Knicks - Knicks (-11.5) @ 10/11

Treble pays 5.68/1

Bulls @ Celtics - Celtics (-12.5) @ 10/11

The Celtics can advance to the knockout stages of the In-Season Tournament when they welcome the Chicago Bulls to the TD Garden.

Boston could win East Group C if several outcomes go their way - including a Celtics win over the Bulls and a Brooklyn victory over Toronto on Tuesday. That would leave Boston, Brooklyn and Orlando in a three-way tie for first place in the East Group C standings, each at 3-1.`

The group winner would then be determined by the second tiebreaker, which is point differential. With Boston's being zero, and Orlando's and Brooklyn's being +22 and +8 respectively, it means that the C's need a huge win here.

Jayson Tatum is enjoying a stellar campaign for the Celtics, averaging 28.1 points for the regular season, and he's going to be difficult to stop. However, the Bulls are certainly equipped to deal with the offensive firepower that Boston possesses, as they're currently ranked the 10th-best defense in the NBA.

Given what's at stake though, I think the Celtics will be quick out of the blocks here, and they'll eventually blow Chicago away.

Bucks @ Heat - Bucks (-2.5) @ 5/6

A depleted Miami Heat side will attempt to slow down Milwaukee here, as they aim to stop the Bucks from winning the group.

Milwaukee (3-0 in the tournament) would win the East Group B with a victory, but if Miami (2-1) wins and the New York Knicks (2-1) defeat the Charlotte Hornets, it would come down to point differential over the four games.

The Bucks are coming off a 108-102 win over Portland, and Milwaukee rallied from a 26-point deficit - their biggest comeback in more than a decade. Giannis Antetokounmpo was at the front and centre of it all, posting 33 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

Khris Middleton is listed as questionable for this game, after missing the victory over Portland due to injury, and he could be a big miss for Milwaukee if he doesn't suit up. However, the Bucks do possess plenty of scoring in Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Miami are struggling with injuries, with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro all absent from their most recent outing - a 112-97 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Even a Miami Heat side at full strength would struggle to contain the Bucks, in my opinion, so they have little hope to slow them down here with several key pieces missing.

Hornets @ Knicks - Knicks (-11.5) @ 10/11

New York will aim to clinch a wild card to the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament, when they welcome the Charlotte Hornets to Madison Square Garden.

Both sides are coming into this game off the back of a loss - the Knicks were narrowly beaten by the Phoenix Suns, while Charlotte were blown out by the Orlando Magic.

The Hornets are only marginally still in contention for a place in the knockout round, and with star point guard LaMelo Ball listed as doubtful due to an ankle injury, it's difficult to see them getting the result they need here.

The Knicks have shown plenty of grit and spirit so far this campaign, most recently in their 21-point comeback win against the Miami Heat on Saturday.

I'd give the Hornets a chance here if Ball was playing, but without the young superstar, it's difficult to see Charlotte posing any real problems for the Knicks. They have the second-best defense in the NBA, and the Hornets have the 14th-best offense. Knicks to take this one.