If you’re like most, Friday the 25th is a day off after Thanksgiving. Rather than spend money on Black Friday shopping, perhaps you want to bet and actually MAKE money. If you fall into this category, you need to read this article which includes our best bets for the NBA Thanksgiving weekend.
Against The Spread: Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics
Who would’ve thought a Celtics-Kings clash coming out of Thanksgiving would be an interesting betting opportunity? Certainly not us, but that’s what we have here. Both teams are flying high going into the Friday contest. Though, the best basketball betting sites have comfortably put Boston as eight-point favorites at home vs. Sacramento.
The C’s have shown zero regression from its 2021 NBA title-going team — despite a change in head coach. They own the league’s best mark at 14-4. Moreover, they’re streaky hot. Boston has victories in 10 of its prior 11 games.
Speaking of hot, the Kings have shocked the basketball world with its stretch of play as of late. Up until a Wednesday night loss, the team had won seven games in a row — its longest winning streak since 2005. De’Aaron Fox has been the key to the turnaround. A few days ago, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week. Fox averaged 25.0 points ( on 60 percent shooting), 3.7 rebounds, and eight assists the prior week.
This has the potential to be an offensive explosion too. The two squads rank one and two in team offensive efficiency rating. Boston leads the league at 118.8 followed by Sacramento at 116.8.
On any other night, we’d be tempted to ride the King’s streakiness. But we have to remember, this is its final leg of a three-game road trip against formidable opponents — Memphis and Atlanta before this. We sense fatigue might catch up to Sacramento, which opens the door for a cover by Boston.
Against The Spread: Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors
Two of the biggest surprises of this young NBA season collide in this matchup. Jazz have exceeded expectations with a 12-8 record (when most presumed they’d be in rebuild mode), while the reigning champs Warriors have gotten off to a slow 9-10 start. As it stands, oddsmakers are favoring Golden State by seven points on the spread.
Utah surprised early on, but the team appears to be regressing back to the mean. They’ve dropped six of their past eight games going into this one. And it’s not like you can attribute the slump to an injury. It’s the same team, but just maybe, the Jazz are beginning to buy their own hype and complacency is setting in. They can’t afford to be complacent against the Warriors, especially not on the road. The Jazz are only 6-6 when playing away from Salt Lake City.
Golden State is also exhibiting signs of turning things around. On the opposite of Utah, they’re amid a hot streak. The champs have won six of their last nine, including a 17-point beat down of the Clippers last time out on Wednesday. As a bettor, it’s never a bad idea to play the trends. Utah is quite clearly trending down while Golden State is on the up and up which means we’re taking the Dubs to cover the spread.
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs
These two teams have dominated the Western Conference for most of this century — each winning a multitude of NBA championships in the process. But times have changed. What was once a meeting between two powerhouses has become a battle of bottom feeders. Not that it’s not worth betting on, however. We’re particularly interested in the Lakers-Spurs moneyline.
The big story in this one is LeBron James and whether or not he’ll play. James has been sidelined since November 10 with a strained adductor muscle. Reports suggest James being back in the Lakers lineup on Friday but at what cost has to be considered.
Surprisingly, LA fared ok without James. The team went 3-2 in the games he missed. Heck, just a few days ago on November 21, the James-less Lakers crushed the Spurs by 31 points in LA. That outcome probably explains why San Antonio is such a big underdog at home.
We have a sneaking suspicion that James’ return will actually throw off the Lakers rhythm come Black Friday. Anthony Davis has thrived as the go-to man without LeBron but might get relegated to sidekick again. It will take a few games for LA to figure things out and that’s why we’re taking San Antonio to capitalize. Covering the spread is very likely but we’re feeling extra risky here which is why we’ve upped it to a straight-up win for the Spurs.
How To Bet On NBA This Season?
There are a handful of NBA games to bet on Thanksgiving weekend. If you want the full list, visit one of the bookmakers marked below. These sites not only have you covered this holiday but the rest of the season too. Any and all NBA bets this season will be offered on-site. This NBA betting quality is why each featured site ranks so high in our unbiased sportsbook review section. You can use one of the supported deposit methods to begin betting — it literally takes minutes to get started. Jump on this before the Friday slate of games begins!
