Posted:
#126
Tor will get this done plus Luving the over on this game
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Slipperyslope's best NBA play of the day
Posted:
#127
Knicks vs Bulls 13/04
After being eliminated from the play-offs it is difficult to imagine the Knicks trying really hard to win this game. The Bulls at the same time want to win cause they need to avoid dropping to the 4th seed in the East (that would mean meeting the Nets in the 1st round instead of the Wizards or the Bobcats).
The Knicks got eliminated without playing last night as the Hawks managed to secure the 8th seed with a win against the Heat. There are several factors against the Knicks tonight. It`s likely that MSG homecrowd will be hostile towards them right from the start or will start sending boobirds flying first possible moment … or both. Not making to the play-offs is a tough disappointment to swallow for a team that has exactly 0 draft picks. For the players the motivation is gone aswell. In fact we could see some key players getting limited minutes after playing through injuries lately (Melo) or not playing at all.
The Bulls need to win and they have been on a roll over the last couple of weeks winning 7 games in a row. They are tough team to beat when they play a good basketball and when they play a team lacking motivation. Last time these teams met the Bulls pulled away early and the Knicks never had a chance. Chicago to cover -3 points with 5/10 units.
GL
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Posted:
#128
Memphis vs Dallas 16/04
This game decides nothing other than 7th and 8th seed in the Western Conference standings. Winner will be 7th and loser will be 8th. What we know for sure is that top seed in the Western Conference will be the San Antonio Spurs. 2nd seed will be likely the Thunder or it could be the Clippers (if OKC loses last game against the Pistons and LAC gets a win against the Blazers).
In all likelihood it looks like the Thunder will take the 2nd seed as they have promised to play Durant all through regular season and it doesn`t look very likely they will lose to the Pistons at home. So for the game DAL/MEM it means winner gets to play the Thunder in the first round of the play-offs. Now the question is if MEM and/or DAL would prefer either of these teams. We think the answer is yes. Memphis did pull one of the biggest upsets in the playoffs in recent history against the Spurs few years ago when they were 8th seed aswell. They do matchup better against the Spurs and although they managed to beat the Thunder in the play-offs last season it was a Thunder playing without Russell Westbrook.
You can`t call this game fixed, but while Memphis must know they have better chances against the Spurs, Dallas has to look at their regular season results against OKC and SAS. The Mavericks are 0-4 against the Spurs and 2-1 against the Thunder. So clearly they have been by far more successful against the Thunder. While the Memphis have won and lost series against the Spurs, they have a good memories against them while playing as 8th seed. From player matchups point of view they would do better against the Spurs. All in all they are likely not to care about tonights game outcome. The Mavericks at the same time have had better success against the Thunder and will play for the win. Take Dallas +3.5 points with 6/10 units.
GL
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Posted:
#131
Quote Originally Posted by MoreGeezer:
Better chance against the spurs?Are you nuts?
The grizzlies and sa are 0-8 Su the last 8 games they played.
Better chance against the spurs?Are you nuts?
The grizzlies and sa are 0-8 Su the last 8 games they played.
Excuse me if i was rude here.
But grizz have the best team and are at home and you take the mavs?
the mavs have only the better coach....who can be a reason,but...
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Posted:
#133
Warriors vs Clippers G3
The Warriors got lucky in game 1 of the series, when some questionable foul calls by the refs took Blake Griffin out of game for extended period and the Warriors managed to win a game. Difference in quality was made obvious in game 2 when the Clippers pulled away early, scored heavily and won the game by 40 points.
Usually after such an embarassing loss teams bounce back. But this is the play-offs and the Clippers are not going to lay down and wait for the Warriors to take the lead again. In game 1 touch foul calls on Griffin made sure that quality in low-post players was equalized, but in game 2 the Clippers gave us a clear picture what it means for the Warriors not to have Bogut avaliable. It is just not possible that David Lee and Jermaine O`Neal can keep Clippers from scoring the layups and dunking the ball for extended period of time. 138 points the Clippers scored in game 2 will be difficult to repeat, but if they can keep their key players out of foul trouble they are going to score 120+ points again against the Warriors.
It is easy to overreact to a blowout game, but it would be surprise if this series would end with any other score than 4-1 for the Clippers. Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in adjustment game during the play-off series, while Mark Jackson has a long way to go in that. It would take a lights out shooting performance from Curry and Thompson to keep up with the Clippers and even then it could not be enough. Clippers to cover -1.5 points with 7/10 stakes.
GL
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Posted:
#135
Sharing one of my picks:
Knicks vs 76ers 5.Apr
There are couple of things that make this game so special. First, no one really wants to watch this game as it will be ugly as hell. Second, winner of this game is the one who manages to lose. Both teams are totally fine with losing to get a higher pick in upcoming draft. The difference is that while the 76ers tank with a style (losing close games), the Knicks are doing it blatantly without even trying to keep games close.
So in a situation where both teams do not mind losing, what will happen is a lot of dribbling, slow tempo of the game and taking a lot of jump shots. The Knicks have been exceptionally successful in it staying below 100 points for 9 games in a row. The 76ers have scored a bit more, but they rely heavily on 3-point shots and with Nerlens Noel likely out after suffering an eye injury last night, they will not have their main offensive weapon inside the paint. So the result will be more jump shots and it is just not something that can led to many points.
When those teams met two weeks ago they managed to score 178 points. The Knicks took only 69 shots in that game and although they shot 23-26 from the free-throw line they managed to score 81 points. Nerlens Noel scored 23 points in that game, but those points are likely to sit out tonight. This will be an ugly, low-scoring game. Take under 187 points with 3/5 units.
GL
Knicks vs 76ers 5.Apr
There are couple of things that make this game so special. First, no one really wants to watch this game as it will be ugly as hell. Second, winner of this game is the one who manages to lose. Both teams are totally fine with losing to get a higher pick in upcoming draft. The difference is that while the 76ers tank with a style (losing close games), the Knicks are doing it blatantly without even trying to keep games close.
So in a situation where both teams do not mind losing, what will happen is a lot of dribbling, slow tempo of the game and taking a lot of jump shots. The Knicks have been exceptionally successful in it staying below 100 points for 9 games in a row. The 76ers have scored a bit more, but they rely heavily on 3-point shots and with Nerlens Noel likely out after suffering an eye injury last night, they will not have their main offensive weapon inside the paint. So the result will be more jump shots and it is just not something that can led to many points.
When those teams met two weeks ago they managed to score 178 points. The Knicks took only 69 shots in that game and although they shot 23-26 from the free-throw line they managed to score 81 points. Nerlens Noel scored 23 points in that game, but those points are likely to sit out tonight. This will be an ugly, low-scoring game. Take under 187 points with 3/5 units.
GL
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Posted:
#136
Thunder vs Spurs 07.Apr
The Thunder needs wins badly, but they have had difficult opponents in recent games and have gone to a 3 game losing streak. It is not a surprise though, cause top teams know how to beat the „one man shows“ and that is exactly what the Thunder are at the moment. It takes huge performances from Russell Westbrook to even keep them in games, but more often than not it is not enough to win games.
The Spurs for many reasons are the toughest teams to beat for the Thunder. First of all they play great offensive basketball and as the Thunder`s defense has been horrific in recent weeks, the Spurs will get anything they want offensively. But also the Spurs are a problem for the Thunder defensively as they have one of the (if not THE) best one-on-one defenders in Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has been playing great over last couple of weeks and although there is not really a defense to stop Westbrook at the moment in this league, Leonard will make him work. Finally, the Spurs need this win as they want to climb higher in the Western Conference play-offs standings.
Motivated for a win Spurs team, that has had rest days and will play against a broken team usually means only one outcome. The Thunder will play at home, but Popovich is a genius in exploiting holes opposing teams might have – and the Thunder have many at both ends of the court. We expect the Spurs to win with a safe margin. Take SAS -6 @1.952 from Pinncale with 3/5 units.
GL
The Thunder needs wins badly, but they have had difficult opponents in recent games and have gone to a 3 game losing streak. It is not a surprise though, cause top teams know how to beat the „one man shows“ and that is exactly what the Thunder are at the moment. It takes huge performances from Russell Westbrook to even keep them in games, but more often than not it is not enough to win games.
The Spurs for many reasons are the toughest teams to beat for the Thunder. First of all they play great offensive basketball and as the Thunder`s defense has been horrific in recent weeks, the Spurs will get anything they want offensively. But also the Spurs are a problem for the Thunder defensively as they have one of the (if not THE) best one-on-one defenders in Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has been playing great over last couple of weeks and although there is not really a defense to stop Westbrook at the moment in this league, Leonard will make him work. Finally, the Spurs need this win as they want to climb higher in the Western Conference play-offs standings.
Motivated for a win Spurs team, that has had rest days and will play against a broken team usually means only one outcome. The Thunder will play at home, but Popovich is a genius in exploiting holes opposing teams might have – and the Thunder have many at both ends of the court. We expect the Spurs to win with a safe margin. Take SAS -6 @1.952 from Pinncale with 3/5 units.
GL
0
Posted:
#138
Heat vs Hornets 7.Apr
Biggest game for the Heat in this season so far. Miami may not have a championship quality anymore, but they have championship level mentality and coaching staff, that will take care that the Heat will play close to their maximum tonight. Jefferson is out, Whiteside is in. Miami will dominate the low-post and with home court advantage it should be enough to cover the spread against a struggling team of Hornets.
Take MIA -5 @1.952 from Pinnacle with 3/5 units.
GL
Biggest game for the Heat in this season so far. Miami may not have a championship quality anymore, but they have championship level mentality and coaching staff, that will take care that the Heat will play close to their maximum tonight. Jefferson is out, Whiteside is in. Miami will dominate the low-post and with home court advantage it should be enough to cover the spread against a struggling team of Hornets.
Take MIA -5 @1.952 from Pinnacle with 3/5 units.
GL
0
Posted:
#144
Sharing one of my picks...
Pistons vs Celtics 8.Apr
The Pistons are 30-47 while the Celtics have a record of 35-42. The difference is only 5 wins, but it plays a huge part in motivation for tonight`s game. The Pistons are not statistically eliminated from the play-offs yet, but with 5 wins behind, with 5 games left to go and couple of teams between them and the 8th seed everyone in the Pistons organisation knows that offseason is about to begin in 1 week. So the Pistons will use their last 5 games as a chance to give their young players and bench some playing minutes, without being worried too much if they win or lose.
The situation is of course totally different for the Celtics as they hold the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, but have to approach this game as a must win. After tonight they have 4 games left (2 vs CLE, home vs TOR and away vs MIL), which realistically means 2-2 record at best but could easily be 1-3. Three wins from last 5 games will probably be enough to get to the play-offs, two wins clearly won`t be. That makes this game huge for the Celtics as they simply have to win to feel good about their chances.
Motivation is the key here. Detroit will be happy with any outcome, but the Celtics will give their everything for 48 minutes to win tonight. Boston is as healthy as they can be at this stage of the season, they have won 4 of their last 6 games and been showing enough quality to win all important games over recent weeks. Take Boston to cover -1.5 points @1.952 with 3/5 units from Pinnacle.
GL
Pistons vs Celtics 8.Apr
The Pistons are 30-47 while the Celtics have a record of 35-42. The difference is only 5 wins, but it plays a huge part in motivation for tonight`s game. The Pistons are not statistically eliminated from the play-offs yet, but with 5 wins behind, with 5 games left to go and couple of teams between them and the 8th seed everyone in the Pistons organisation knows that offseason is about to begin in 1 week. So the Pistons will use their last 5 games as a chance to give their young players and bench some playing minutes, without being worried too much if they win or lose.
The situation is of course totally different for the Celtics as they hold the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, but have to approach this game as a must win. After tonight they have 4 games left (2 vs CLE, home vs TOR and away vs MIL), which realistically means 2-2 record at best but could easily be 1-3. Three wins from last 5 games will probably be enough to get to the play-offs, two wins clearly won`t be. That makes this game huge for the Celtics as they simply have to win to feel good about their chances.
Motivation is the key here. Detroit will be happy with any outcome, but the Celtics will give their everything for 48 minutes to win tonight. Boston is as healthy as they can be at this stage of the season, they have won 4 of their last 6 games and been showing enough quality to win all important games over recent weeks. Take Boston to cover -1.5 points @1.952 with 3/5 units from Pinnacle.
GL
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Posted:
#145
76ers vs Wizards UNDER 187
John Wall will not play and he is the only guy who wants to run, so it will be walking the ball up the court game and as both teams just love to take jump-shots it will be low-scoring game unless they can shoot with a miraculous percentage (unlikely).
Lakers ML @5.74
It is really a stupid game, with both teams not caring a slightest who will win or lose and LAL is out of danger that winning will damage their draft position. Next team is 4 wins ahead already so they can aswell as win this one. DEN has been mightly bad so if LAL can get some sort of a run early it could be enough.
GL
John Wall will not play and he is the only guy who wants to run, so it will be walking the ball up the court game and as both teams just love to take jump-shots it will be low-scoring game unless they can shoot with a miraculous percentage (unlikely).
Lakers ML @5.74
It is really a stupid game, with both teams not caring a slightest who will win or lose and LAL is out of danger that winning will damage their draft position. Next team is 4 wins ahead already so they can aswell as win this one. DEN has been mightly bad so if LAL can get some sort of a run early it could be enough.
GL
0
Posted:
#146
Sharing one of my Plays
Heat vs Bulls 9.Apr
The Bulls have been one of the toughest teams to predict as they always seem to come out with a lack of energy against weaker teams, but play great in a situations they in theory should struggle. It has been sometimes question of a motivation, but the Bulls also have never been really healthy for an extended number of games in a row. One thing they have done well though is performing in games televised nationally as they just have too much pride in their lineup to go out and not to perform infront of a big audience.
This pride also plays a role tonight for couple of reasons. The Bulls lost last night against the Magic and likely feel frustration, anger and desire to bounce back, but even more importantly they have a perfect change to give the Heat play-off hopes a massive blow. The Bulls have been in a role of a punching bag for so many years that games against the Heat mean much more than just 48 minutes of running and shooting. Nothing would make players like Noah and Rose to feel better than get at least some kind of a revenge tonight. And yes, this game tonight will be on TNT.
Miami obviously needs this win badly. They were in a similar situation couple of nights ago against the Hornets and although they won the game, the performance was rather average. It is understandable as they play with a lineup limping on one leg or having only one healthy wrist. With a similar performance the Heat will lose tonight.
The Bulls have to play back-to-back, but Orlando to Miami back-to-back is one of the easiest in the league. Both teams want to win this game for different reasons and both teams have been dealing with injuries lately. As of now the Bulls are bit healthier and in general they are a better team. We expect the Bulls to win. Take Chicago to win @1.961 from Pinnacle with 3/5 units.
GL
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Posted:
#148
Sharing one of my picks ...
Pistons vs Pacers 10.Apr
The Pistons have been officially eliminated from the playoff race. It has been a long season for them so obviously its difficult to keep playing with similar kind of focus when everybody knows these remaining games are meaningless. It was the case already in previous matchup against the Celtics when couple of Pistons just weren’t fully engaged. For instance Andre Drummond didn’t hustle at all defensively, his energy simply wasn’t there. At one point coach Van Gundy even had to bench him for not getting back on defense quickly enough.
The situation, of course, is totally different for the Pacers as they hold the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference, but have to approach this game as a must win. After Wednesday’s games they are a game back of Boston and Brooklyn for the final two playoff spots in the East. The Celtics and Nets both hold the tiebreaker over the Pacers so it’s not looking good. However they still have a chance to take the best out of it.
Having said that the Pacers have certainly been playing competitive ball as of late. They have won three straight games which all have actually been blowouts. It seems like Paul George’s return has somehow fueled the entire team. They’ve come together playing with more fire and heart. PG also gives the team 15-20 quality minutes from the bench which is greatly needed at this point of the the season.
Once again motivation is the key here. For the Pistons winning is not the first priority anymore. The Pacers at the same time will give their everything for 48 minutes to win tonight. Indiana has good momentum and enough quality to win this one on the road. Take Indiana to cover -5 points @1.925 with 2/5 units from Pinnacle.
GL
Pistons vs Pacers 10.Apr
The Pistons have been officially eliminated from the playoff race. It has been a long season for them so obviously its difficult to keep playing with similar kind of focus when everybody knows these remaining games are meaningless. It was the case already in previous matchup against the Celtics when couple of Pistons just weren’t fully engaged. For instance Andre Drummond didn’t hustle at all defensively, his energy simply wasn’t there. At one point coach Van Gundy even had to bench him for not getting back on defense quickly enough.
The situation, of course, is totally different for the Pacers as they hold the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference, but have to approach this game as a must win. After Wednesday’s games they are a game back of Boston and Brooklyn for the final two playoff spots in the East. The Celtics and Nets both hold the tiebreaker over the Pacers so it’s not looking good. However they still have a chance to take the best out of it.
Having said that the Pacers have certainly been playing competitive ball as of late. They have won three straight games which all have actually been blowouts. It seems like Paul George’s return has somehow fueled the entire team. They’ve come together playing with more fire and heart. PG also gives the team 15-20 quality minutes from the bench which is greatly needed at this point of the the season.
Once again motivation is the key here. For the Pistons winning is not the first priority anymore. The Pacers at the same time will give their everything for 48 minutes to win tonight. Indiana has good momentum and enough quality to win this one on the road. Take Indiana to cover -5 points @1.925 with 2/5 units from Pinnacle.
GL
0
Posted:
#149
Surprisingly LBJ decided to play tonight. Which means this game will not
be a joke for the Cavaliers and they will try to win it at home. BOS
needs to win more, but the Cavaliers should never be only a -6 point
favorite at home against any other East team.
Take Cavaliers to cover -6 points
GL
Take Cavaliers to cover -6 points
GL
0
Posted:
#150
Sharing one of my picks
Bucks vs Nets 12.Apr
The situation is still critical for the Nets as they have not secured the play-off spot yet, but with the way they have been playing lately (8-2 in last 10 games), it would take a last minute collapse for the Nets to miss the playoffs. Key of their recent success has been the change in style. The Nets play it much faster as of late and like to push the tempo from turnovers, defensive rebounds and sometimes even from made baskets. It has led to a high scoring games as the Nets no doubt have some scoring talen in their lineup.
The Nets have stayed below 100 points only once in last 9 games (99 pts in a blowout loss against the Hawks). In this all important game it is difficult to see the Nets changing their approach as running and sometimes even frantic style of play has been serving them well.
When it comes to wins and losses the Bucks have had a less success as of late, but their scoring ability has stayed solid. Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokuonmpo both like to run the fast breaks and drive to the basket early in the shot-clock drawing a foulor attempting a shot. The shooting percentages have been a problem for the Bucks, but the Nets players in general are all slow on their feet at the defensive end, so this aggressive styleof driving to the basket will work very well offensively tonight and teh Bucks should have no problems with the scoring.
Both of the previous meetings between these teams this season went over tonights o/u line and if anything has changed it is the Nets approach to the tempo. Both teams have offensive advantages over their opponents, so we see this game being as a relatively high-scoring affair. Take over 201.5 points @1.952 from Pinnacle with 2/5 units.
GL
Bucks vs Nets 12.Apr
The situation is still critical for the Nets as they have not secured the play-off spot yet, but with the way they have been playing lately (8-2 in last 10 games), it would take a last minute collapse for the Nets to miss the playoffs. Key of their recent success has been the change in style. The Nets play it much faster as of late and like to push the tempo from turnovers, defensive rebounds and sometimes even from made baskets. It has led to a high scoring games as the Nets no doubt have some scoring talen in their lineup.
The Nets have stayed below 100 points only once in last 9 games (99 pts in a blowout loss against the Hawks). In this all important game it is difficult to see the Nets changing their approach as running and sometimes even frantic style of play has been serving them well.
When it comes to wins and losses the Bucks have had a less success as of late, but their scoring ability has stayed solid. Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokuonmpo both like to run the fast breaks and drive to the basket early in the shot-clock drawing a foulor attempting a shot. The shooting percentages have been a problem for the Bucks, but the Nets players in general are all slow on their feet at the defensive end, so this aggressive styleof driving to the basket will work very well offensively tonight and teh Bucks should have no problems with the scoring.
Both of the previous meetings between these teams this season went over tonights o/u line and if anything has changed it is the Nets approach to the tempo. Both teams have offensive advantages over their opponents, so we see this game being as a relatively high-scoring affair. Take over 201.5 points @1.952 from Pinnacle with 2/5 units.
GL
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