Knicks vs Cavaliers (31/01)
After Melo scored 62 points the Knicks are yet to lose the game. Yeah, its true they have played only 2 games since and against rather weak opponents, but they actually have looked better and its not like Cleveland is going for the championship this year.
With the winning streak reaching to 3 games New York now has a record of 18 wins and 27 losses. Not good by the Knicks standards, but it is now only 3 wins behind last play-off spot. Cleveland (16-29) as one of those teams the Knicks could be fighting for the spot at the end of the season both teams know the importance of that game. New York will have 7th home game in a row, which will be an advantage in a sense that home court now really feels like home as they have played there so many games in a row and have been winning lately.
Cleveland is slumping. They lost 4 of their last 5 games (all of them played at home court). Going to play an away game could in a sense be a relief here, but the problem is that the Cavaliers have been nothing short of an awful playing road games aswell. Their away record is only 5-17. Knicks should be able to continue its winning streak and cover -6.0 points aswell. 5/10 stakes.
GL
Minnesota vs Memphis 01/02
What a difference one player makes? Huge, if you ask the Grizzlies fans and players. Memphis looked like in serious troubles when Marc Gasol got injured and was unavailable for the team. Ever since his return they have looked like a good team again - they have won 7 games and lost only once. With a current record of 24-20 the Grizzlies are just 0.5 games behind the Mavericks, so clearly back on track for the race to make it to the play-offs.
Minnesota`s season can be described as an up and down ride on a roller coaster. They are having one of their up`s at the moment winning 4 of their last 5 games. All that said they lost to the Trailblazers and then beat the Bulls and the Pelicans that are clearly only average teams as of now. Nikola Pekovic sustained an injury against the Bulls and will miss tonight`s game. Other than his contribution it also hurts Minnesota cause opponents now can pay more attention to Kevin Love. What other teams have really learned is to slow down tempo against the T`Wolves and double team Love while making Ricky Rubio a jump-shooter. Memphis is clearly one of these teams to exploit that tactics and thus have the upperhand here. Having last year`s defensive player of the year back in their low-post can`t hurt aswell.
Another note ... with Kevin Love being selected as an All-Star game starter, it is likely few guys from the Grizzlies side want to prove few things. Expect the Grizzlies to be as motivated as ever. Memphis to cover -1.5 with 4/10 units.
gl
Wizards vs Thunder 02/01
It probably becomes a "public pick" and that is always a bit scary, but there`s just no way to imagine how to stop the Thunder right now. They are absolutely running their opponents out of the building lately. Oh yes, they do all that while having All-Star caliber player sidelined with a knee injury.
With a record of 38 wins and 10 losses Oklahoma City is leading the league. With 10 wins in a row they are the hottest team in the league at the moment. This streak also includes wins against Miami, San Antonio, Houston, Portland and Golden State. Average winning margin is 11,7 points. There`s one bad news - Kevin Durant`s 30+ points scoring streak ended at 12 games last night. But we all can forgive him, cause it was a blowout game and KD only played 30 minutes, still making 10 of 12 shots from the field and scoring 26 points. Shortly, its hard to even explain on what kind of roll Durant and his team are at the moment.
Now playing back-to-back against the Wizards they are only favored by -4.5 points. Washington is not bad, but they still have a losing record (22-23) and losing record in home games (10-11). It will be all about the Thunder`s effort. If they come out with energy (which they should have enough left in the tank after having easy game last night) it should be a no contest. Thunder to cover -4.5 points with 5/10 units.
gl
Washington vs Portland 04/02
The Wizards took a full advantage of meeting Oklahoma City back end of their back-to-back games. Washington took an early lead as the Thunder struggled to find any kind of rhythm. Beating league`s leading team still doesn`t make the Wizards top team in the league.
What happened could explain the line for tonight`s game though. All the sudden a game between Washington and Portland is seen as a close matchup. The truth is the Wizards are still an average team with .500 record both overall and in home games. Portland on the other hand is one of the league`s leading teams with 34 wins and 13 losses. Statistically and in reality there`s an ocean between those two teams.
Both teams played their last game 2 days ago. So this time Washington will meet opponents with the same level of fatique. When it comes to Thunder ... lightning can hit once, but it usually doesnt hit twice in same place, so this time clearly a better team should take care of Washington`s ambitions. Portland -1.5 with 4/10 units.
GL
Warriors vs Bobcats 05/02
Fact that Golden State likes to play high scoring, up tempo games probably comes as a no surprise. This is especially true in their home games when the Warriors have scored 105 pts as an average this season which is 2 pts higher than their average points scored overall. It`s actually vice versa with the Bobcats who average 96,3 points in away games and 2 points less as a overall.
So yes, statistically this game should go slightly over 200 points. But it is obviously not only the statistics here. The matter of a fact is that Golden State likes to dictate the tempo of the game and the Bobcats are usually the team to let their opponents to do so. That probably means that after having 4 days of rest the Warriors are likely to push the tempo and take early shots as often as possible. Charlotte having 3 days of rest probably won`t mind running along.
This will be 2nd meeting between these teams with 1st game finishing 115-111. That`s 25 points higher than over/under line set for tonight`s game. It probably won`t go as higher as that, but considering fresh legs and that the game is played in Oakland should still go safely over the line offered. Over 201 points with 4/10 units.
gl
Clippers vs Heat 06/02
It is true that Miami had a very mediocre month of January. At least by the standards. On the other hand the Clippers have been playing exceptionally good considering that they lost Chris Paul to a shoulder injury a month ago. Still playing without their brain could prove to be tough challenge against a smart team such as the Heat.
Main improvement for the Clippers has come from the play of Blake Griffin. Formerly known as a highlight reel dunker, he has improved his outside and free-throw shooting which together with his leaping ability makes him a tough player to defend. Thanks to Griffin`s efforts the Clippers have won 6 of their last 10 games. Worrying signs are there though as they got beaten by 20 points by the Warriors and 3 days ago lost to the Nuggets.
As said Miami had rather casual result for the January, but they have been playing better lately. They have won last 5 of their 6 games with the sole loss against the Thunder. Not sure if the Heat should be an underdog against any team. They are tonight, but should be able to expose the Clippers lack of playmaking. Miami to win @2.05 with 4/10 stakes.
gl
Jazz vs Hawks
Horrible teams and should be a horrible game, but that doesn`t mean that we can`t make money out of it. Atlanta has dropped like a stone recently and now have advantage of only 2 wins over the likes of NYK and CLE. Winning must start here if they want to keep their play-off spot. Losing 6 games in a row, the Jazz could be their best chance getting back to winning ways.
Utah has a record of 22-41 and have been playing unintrested all season long. They did win their last game, but it was against the rockbottom team of the league – Philadelphia 76ers. And, yes, it was a close game until the final minutes. Before that the Jazz had a 5-game losing streak including losses to New York and Milwaukee, so their quality as of now is clearly one of the worst in the league. In fact win agains the 76ers was their last game of 6-game roadtrip. As it often is 1st game after the long roadtrip could prove to be the toughest.
This game means lot more for the Hawks. They need to win at all costs. Both teams have been struggling and both teams enter this game haveing maybe the lowest point of the season. Difference is Atlanta will leave everything they got on court, while the Jazz dont really care if they win or lose. Atlanta to cover -2.5 points with 4 units.
After 31 picks I have 43 units of profit with a solid yield of 31,68%https://www.nbabets.net/results/
GL
My second pick for Tuesday`s BIG game
Thunder vs Rockets
This line here talks volumes about the Thunder`s reputation as a team. Public sees them as a suprerior squad that has the highest chance to challenge the Heat. The truth is. while the Thunder is an excellent team, their latest form leaves many question marks hanging in the air.
The Thunder have been looking much worse since the return of Russell Westbrook. In fact they have lost 5 of their last 8 games and 2 in a row. What is worse is that they have looked like team deserving to lose. Their latest game against the Lakers was probably the worst in recent history. It is not a bad streak by a bad luck. Reality is that Russell Westbrook is naturally a ballhog type of player and every shot he takes is a potential shot KD could or should have taken. Westbrook is clearly not at his best at the moment, so he actually hurts the team. They also miss Kendrick Perkins, who could have been a serious force against Dwight Howard.
Houston at the same time is clicking recently. They have 3 great wins in March (MIA, IND and POR (and have an active 5-game winning streak. They could be playing as the best team in the league at the moment. The recent effort has lifted them in the Western Conference standings and they now hold the 3rd seed (44-19) and are only 2 wins behind the Thunder. While the Thunder is 5-5 over last 10 games the Rockets are 8-2.
The Thunder will enter this game as slight favorites, but only slight, and the Rockets have good chance to surprise the public and take the win here. One team is clicking, while the other team is not. Take the Rockets to win @2.65 with 4/10 units.
GL
Bulls vs Spurs
The Bulls have been a pleasant surprise this season. After losing Derrick Rose they refused to fold and go for draft balls. Instead they decided that they will fight to make it to the play-offs. They hold a 4th seed and are one additional loss behinf the Raptors for the 3rd place in the East. Yet their 35-28 record can mostly be explained by the overall quality of the Eastern Conference. It has been really bad this season with teams like ORL, MIL, PHI full out tanking and teams like BOS, CLE, NYK and BKN being just way below the expectations.
Chicago got an emotional overtime win against the Heat 2 days ago after coming back from double digit second half deficit. You should not draw many conclusions from it though, as the Heat played poorly, the energy level for that game was much higher than usual and there is a genuine hate between these teams. Chicago usually gets galvanized from things like these. The game against the Spurs will be a different story. San Antonio rarely allows themselves a poor game and they are yet to lose after getting all their players back healthy again. 5 of these 6 games have been a blowouts. All in all the Bulls will just lack the depth of quality against the Spurs. While the Spurs have starting 5 plus 3-4 players from the bech ready to step in, the Bulls have players like Dunleavy, Snell and Mohammed getting some minutes.
The quality should prevail here. The Bulls have playe dsolid, but the Spurs should be too much for them. Expect the Spurs to continue its 6 game winning streak and cover -4.5 points. Take it with 6/10 units.
GL
Jazz vs Clippers
With the way these teams are playing at the moment it is difficult to imagine how this game can stay competitive for an extended period of time. Much stronger teams than the Jazz are finding it hard to keep it close against the Clippers at the moment.
The Clippers now have won 8 games in a row and have been playing an escellent basketball as of late. They have scored over 100 points in all of these 8 games and the winning streak includes wins against OKC, HOU, twice against PHX and GSW. With those huge leaps that Blake Griffin has improved his game this season also comes the improvement of the team. Griffin now is shooting 70% from the free-throw line, can make outside shots and has better skills under the rim. He actually is top candidate for the most improved player award this season. In that sense not having Chris Paul for a while has helped the Clippers a lot. While CP3 was out Blake learned how to take the full responsibility as a leader on court and with CP3 back they have managed not to get in eachothers way. All that means that they are playing great at the moment and look unbeatable.
If they are to lose it surely won`t happen against the Jazz. Utah is just too bad at the moment. They have won only 1 of their last 8 games (against the 76ers) and their recent losses include 26-point loss to Milwaukee, 13-point loss to Washington and 27 point loss to New York. They play at home, but the Clippers are just clicking too much and will fly high above the Jazz players heads. LAC to cover -8.5 points with 6/10 units.
After 37 picks I have 37 units of profit with a solid yield of 29% https://www.nbabets.net/results/
gl
Pistons vs Pacers 15/03
Indiana has lost much of its early season mojo over the last couple of weeks, but they have been lucky to see the Heat losing some games aswell. The Pacers still have 4 wins more and 2 losses less than the Heat. What they know though is that they need to keep winning just to be ahead of the Heat when the regular season ends. The crusial home-court advantage for the potential East finals is all they need to think about during the final month of the regular season.
The Pistons are 25-40 – that is 23 wins behind the Pacers. Yet, they still have an outside chance to make it to the play-offs. Not sure if that`s what they really want. Being 8th or even 7th in the Eastern Conference standings equals losing in the first round of the play-offs, while dropping to 12-13th could mean a nice draft pick and better chances for the next season. It has been more than a month now since the Pistons have been able to beat the team anywhere close to the Pacers quality (SAS with injury problems). Difficult to see that happen playing against the top team that needs to win.
Indiana is playing back-to-back and an away game, but they are just clearly the better team here. Detroit`s strenght is their big guys – Drummond, Smith and Monroe, but the Pacers are one of these teams that have very strong defensive players under the basket. Hibbert, West and Bynum will do a good job to take away the Pistons biggest strenght and make their backcourt to beat them. Pistons allow a lot of points themselves and it is highly unlikely they can keep up with George, Stephenson and West`s ability to score at the other end. Indiana to cover -5 points with 6/10 units.
gl
Pistons vs Pacers
Indiana has lost much of its early season mojo over the last couple of weeks, but they have been lucky to see the Heat losing some games aswell. The Pacers still have 4 wins more and 2 losses less than the Heat. What they know though is that they need to keep winning just to be ahead of the Heat when the regular season ends. The crusial home-court advantage for the potential East finals is all they need to think about during the final month of the regular season.
The Pistons are 25-40 – that is 23 wins behind the Pacers. Yet, they still have an outside chance to make it to the play-offs. Not sure if that`s what they really want. Being 8th or even 7th in the Eastern Conference standings equals losing in the first round of the play-offs, while dropping to 12-13th could mean a nice draft pick and better chances for the next season. It has been more than a month now since the Pistons have been able to beat the team anywhere close to the Pacers quality (SAS with injury problems). Difficult to see that happen playing against the top team that needs to win.
Indiana is playing back-to-back and an away game, but they are just clearly the better team here. Detroit`s strenght is their big guys – Drummond, Smith and Monroe, but the Pacers are one of these teams that have very strong defensive players under the basket. Hibbert, West and Bynum will do a good job to take away the Pistons biggest strenght and make their backcourt to beat them. Pistons allow a lot of points themselves and it is highly unlikely they can keep up with George, Stephenson and West`s ability to score at the other end. Indiana to cover -5 points with 6/10.
GL
Bucks vs Bobcats 16/03
Milwaukee Bucks is the worst team in the league. Even Philadelphia that has lost 20 games in a row still have better overall record than the Bucks. With only 13 wins Milwaukee is 19 wins behind the Bobcats and this game shouldn`t be a close contest even though the Bucks will have a home court advantage.
That`s about the only advantage they have and with a record of 8-26 in home games you can`t say it gives them too many chances. They also come from playing yesterday against the Knicks, without ever being close in that game. They lost it by 21 points to extend their losing streak to 3 games. In reality the last time the Bucks won a team that has a play-off spot as of now was on 10th of December vs Chicago – thats more than 3 months ago!!!
The Bobcats are 7th in the East and are very likely to make it to the play-offs. They can`t be satisfied with their 7th though, because avoiding MIA or IND probably is their target. For that they need to climb up to 6th seed the least. Unlike the Bucks, their the Bobcats record is respectable 32-34. They have won 3 games in a row and should keep this winning streak going without having too many problems. Bet on Charlotte to cover -6 points with 5/10 units.
gl
Thunder vs Mavs
Statistically this line could almost make sense. DAL is scoring 104 points per 48 minutes and OKC scores 105,8 points per 48 minutes. So in statistical terms the game should be have 210 points as a total. Lets add here couple of possessions teams will have more because they both normally like to play uptempo games and 216,5 points looks like a good line set by the Vegas.
Reality differs from statistics though. First of all the Mavs scoring and game totals have dropped lately. They have had 201, 199, 193 and 209 point games in last 4 games. But secondly, Dallas is a smart team and Rick Carlisle is a smart coach. They know that going to the Oklahoma City and trying to run and gun against the Thunder is probably the recipe for disaster. They won`t do that. The Mavs will try to slow the tempo down and make it a half-court offense and will only run if they have a clear chance for fast break points.
The Thunder have played high scoring games lately, but the tempo has been dictated by their opponents. Without exception PHI, PHX and LAL want to run and OKC has been happy to run along. First time these two teams met this season they scored 200 points as a total. Much of the same should be expected tonight. 216 points is a lot and it takes both teams willing to run for 48 minutes to cover that line. It`s not likely to happen. Bet under 216,5 points with 5/10 units.
gl
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