NBA’s Best Collide – King James vs Dwight Howard
Two of the NBA’s best meet up on Thursday night when Cleveland and Orlando clash in a prime Eastern Conference matchup. Also on the Thursday night NBA betting slate is a Western Conference faceoff between rivals San Antonio and Phoenix.
The Cavaliers head into Thursday night with the best record in the NBA after winning their last four games. On Tuesday night Mo Williams and LeBron James ganged up on the Kings, as Cleveland defeated Sacramento 117-110 as a 13.5-point favorite on the NBA odds. Williams netted a career-high 43 points after hitting seven three-pointers and he also added eight rebounds and 11 assists. James delivered his third triple-double of the season in the win with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Orlando welcomed Mickael Pietrus back to the lineup Tuesday night in a 135-111 win over Indiana as a 9-point favorite. In his first game back after missing 12 with a broken wrist Pietrus led the Magic with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Rashard Lewis added 24 points and Dwight Howard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, as eight different Orlando players scored in double figures.
Thursday night’s contest is the first meeting between Cleveland and Orlando this season. Last season they met up four times with Orlando taking three of four and covering the spread in all three wins.
San Antonio has climbed up to second in the Western Conference after winning five of their last six games. The Spurs knocked off Utah 106-100 on Tuesday night as a 1.5-point road underdog. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan each scored 24 points and Duncan also added nine rebounds and eight assists. Manu Ginobili came up big for the Spurs, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
The Suns put up back-to-back wins on Monday and Tuesday over Atlanta and Washington. Phoenix crushed the Wizards 103-87 as a 4.5-point road favorite. Shaquille O’Neal led the Suns with 29 points and eight rebounds, while Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 15 rebounds.
In two games between the Suns and Spurs this season the underdog has prevailed each time. In October Phoenix defeated San Antonio 103-98 as a 1-point underdog. Stoudemire scored 22 points to lead Phoenix, while Parker and Duncan both scored 32 points in a losing effort. In the rematch in December the Spurs edged the Suns 91-90 as a 3-point underdog.
