Some of the best teams in the league are going to be squaring off against each other in NBA betting action on Sunday and Monday to start off the new month, the last of this hectic season. Four of the top title contenders are going to be seen Sunday afternoon on ABC in what promises to be two colossal clashes of titans.
In the first game of the new month at 1:00 p.m. (ET), the Chicago Bulls pay a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At 22-4 on its home court, Oklahoma City has the most victories as hosts in basketball. However, Chicago has a 21-6 mark on the road, easily the best that the league has to offer.
This could be a game that goes a long way in determining home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. These two teams are amongst the three favorites to win it all this year, and the Bulls enter the final month of the year just two-games up on the Thunder for the best mark in the league.
Chicago is a tremendous 35-17 ATS in its last 52 home games, but Oklahoma City comes into this one riding a five-game winning streak in which it has covered four of the five.
Another team on fire right now is the Boston Celtics. The C's have taken the lead in the Atlantic Division as we head into March, and they plan on holding off both the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers to take down yet another division crown in 2012.
Boston has won four games in a row both SU and ATS, but none of the four teams are anywhere near locks for the playoffs that it beat. Sunday's game against the Miami Heat at TD Garden is the first of seven straight games in a span of just 11 days in which the Celtics will face teams that are almost certainly going to be in the second season.
The Heat had been struggling before the end of the workweek when they managed easy wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors on back-to-back nights. LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all had at least 26 points against Toronto, a great sign for matters going into the weekend.
Tip time from Beantown is set for 3:30 (ET) on Sunday afternoon.
Elsewhere on the Sunday slate, the Orlando Magic look to snap a two-game skid against the Denver Nuggets, while the Toronto Raptors duke it out with the Washington Wizards. Both games start at 6:00 (ET). The lone 7:00 p.m. (ET) start time features the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers from the Toyota Center.
There are three late games. The showcase game on NBA TV sees the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden at 9:00 (ET). The Phoenix Suns hope to get back to .500 when they host the New Orleans Hornets at 9:00 (ET), while the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers finish off the night at Staples Center at 9:30 (ET).
Monday features a relatively small slate with just six games on the docket. The Thunder are going to be back in action for a second straight day at home, this time against the Memphis Grizzlies. It is a huge game for the Grizzlies, who are one of the eight teams that have anywhere between 24-30 wins and still fighting to get into the playoffs in the Western Conference.
The game from the Sooner State is one of the two 8:00 (ET) tips on Monday night. The other showcases the Bulls hosting the Rockets.
The night starts in our nation's capitol, where the Wizards play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00 (ET). The Bucks are now 10-4 SU and 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games.
The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers meet in a battle of 30-win teams at the American Airlines Center at 8:30 (ET) on Monday night as well.
The Trail Blazers host their a game for the second straight night when they welcome the Utah Jazz to the Rose Garden in a 10:00 (ET) tip, while the Timberwolves are going to try to stop a streak that has seen them go just 2-6 SU and 3-5 ATS in their last eight on the road when they take on the Sacramento Kings.