'Twas the night before Super Bowl, and all through the Association, much was ignored, with Big Game anticipation.
NBA odds were set, numbers were crunched. We debated our bets, with props by the bunch. Would the Rockets be grounded? Would the Hawks cease to fly? Was Vucevic's points/rebounds set a little too high?
We've placed our wagers, to win is our mission, here are the Saturday, February 6 NBA picks and predictions.
NBA Picks for Today
Toronto Raptors vs Atlanta Hawks
Something clicked for the Raptors. It was clear that Toronto's abysmal start to the season was a bit of an outlier, and they've responded by going 6-4 SU in their last 10, winning three straight.
Conversely, the Hawks have been deceptively bad lately. Losers of three straight, they've been racking up cupcake wins in 2021. Since Jan. 11, all five of the Hawks' Ws have come against the Clippers sans Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, plus the Wolves, Pistons, and Wizards, who are collectively the three worst teams in the NBA.
Toronto may have played a hard-fought game in another city last night, but it was a huge momentum win for the Raptors, who should come into this one fired up. With a win, they'll leapfrog the Hawks - who will be without the underrated De'Andre Hunter, and possibly franchise PG Trae Young - in the East standings.
We don't hate this spread regardless, but if Young sits, it's a snap-bet. Sprinkle a little extra on the Under given Young's status, the Raptors' back-to-back, and Atlanta being 16-6 to the Under on the season.
PREDICTION: Toronto -5.5 (-110) AND Under 222 (-110).
San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets
Despite trading away one of the NBA's best players in James Harden, the Rockets are doing more with less, now that their team is motivated and on the same page.
Houston is 7-1 SU over its last eight games, and 6-2 ATS in that same stretch. But Saturday is looking like a serious trend-buster, with breakout center Christian Wood likely out with an ankle sprain.
Wood has been a consistent force for Houston, and should merit All-Star consideration if the Rockets can keep themselves afloat in the West's middle tier. He's a big loss. Houston could also be without John Wall, listed as questionable with back spasms.
The Spurs themselves will be without LaMarcus Aldridge, which is probably a blessing in disguise since DeMarcus Cousins would maul him on the low block. And while Dejounte Murray is also listed as questionable, the Spurs have a very position-amorphous perimeter that can easily recoup those minutes if their starting PG is out.
Not having Murray's defense will mean less if Wall sits, and overall the net effect of the injuries should be worse for Houston than San Antonio, who are getting both points and our backing tonight.
PREDICTION: Spurs +1.5 (-110)
Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic
Magic center Nikola Vucevic is one of the league's most consistent double-double machines, but his pts+rebs total against Chicago is set at what seems like an abnormally-high 39.5, bloated by his 43 and 19 eruption against the Bulls last night.
Yes, Chicago generally sucks on defense (26th in D-rating), and will present lots of opportunities for stat-padding (third in pace). But tagging Vooch - who for argument's sake averages 23.4/11.5 on the year - to clobber them this badly on back-to-back nights seems like an aggressive assumption.
If Vucevic tallies 21 and 18 (as he did in the Magic's other Aaron Gordon-less game), he still loses this prop for us. This feels like a trap, and we're counting on regression.
PREDICTION: Nikola Vucevic Under 39.5 pts+rebs (-120)
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Top NBA Consensus for Today
Want to know who today's biggest NBA betting and consensus bets are right now? Check out our top NBA consensus picks.
Yesterday's picks: 1-4 (-3.17 units)
Season record to date: 60-64-1 (-8.26 units)
NBA Betting Card for February 6
- Toronto -5.5 (-110) AND Under 222 (-110)
- Spurs +1.5 (-110)
- Nikola Vucevic Under 39.5 pts+rebs (-120)
NBA Parlays
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