NBA Betting Tips: 6/1 punt for Thursday’s games

After the conclusion of the NBA Cup on Wednesday, the regular season returns on Thursday night with a huge slate of games, as 26 of the league's 30 teams in action.

I've picked out a 6.28/1 treble for my NBA betting tips for Thursday, which you can read below.

Phoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers - Pacers (+6.5) @ 10/11

Playing the Suns hasn't traditionally been a pleasant experience for the Pacers, but Indiana have won three of their last four, so they could make things interesting here.

Their last win came on the road against Philadelphia in a 14-point triumph, and Rick Carlisle will be hoping for a surge from his team as they currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Kevin Durant has recently returned for Phoenix after a spell out from injury, which has provided a boost with wins over Utah and Portland, but I think the Pacers can make this a close game.

Both teams are in a solid groove at the moment, and they also split the regular-season series last year, so I'm going to take Indiana to cover the spread.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs New York Knicks - Under 214.5 points @ 10/11

Karl-Anthony Towns returns back to Target Center for the first time since his trade to New York in the off-season. Towns spent nine years in a Timberwolves uniform, so this contest could be an emotional one for him.

His new team are in good spirits heading into this game, winning six of their last eight, and defensively the Knicks have been excellent, allowing their opponents to shoot just 32.3 per cent from beyond the three-point line.

Minnesota's defence has improved significantly in recent weeks, holding teams to 92.8 points per 100 possessions over their last seven games. Anthony Edwards scored 35 points in the last meeting with New York, so he could take some stopping here.

I think this is a evenly-matched affair, with no team having a distinct advantage at this moment in time, so I'm going to take the under on the points total. This bet has landed in four of the last five matches at Target Center.

Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers - Kings (-5.5) @ 1/1

The Lakers enter this match-up with an offensive rating of 111.3, which highlights their ability to score the basketball, however their defensive rating of 116.1 - the sixth-worst in the league - suggests they struggle to stop opponents from consistently scoring.

LeBron James returned in epic fashion against Memphis last time out, scoring 18 points in a 116-110 win, as well as recording eight rebounds and eight assists. However, the Kings are a team that are able to score efficiently, and if the Lakers are to have a chance here, they'll need to tighten up defensively.

The Kings aren't a brilliant defensive team themselves but they have plenty of scoring options in DeMar DeRozan, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. It still feels like the Lakers are relying on a 39-year-old James, who simply can't shoulder the offensive burden by himself at this stage of his career.

Click the link for Today's NBA Odds

Check out the rest of our NBA Betting Tips here