NBA Picks

Dean Wade steps into the starting lineup for the Cavs as the best option to counter Raptors small forward Brandon Ingram. Wade is a solid defender with length and the 6-foot-9 forward has pulled down four or more rebounds in 15 of his last 24 games. Projections sit north of four boards for Game 1 Saturday.

In four regular-season matchups with Minnesota, Jokic averaged a whopping 35.8 points, 15 rebounds and 11.3 assists. He posted 52+ PRA three times and finished with 50 in the other.

Jokic finished with 56/16/15 on Christmas, cruising past this line with scoring alone. Last season, he delivered a 61/10/10 performance against the Wolves, and two seasons ago, he averaged 53 PRA at home against the Wolves. His last two season-highs in points have come at the expense of Minnesota.

Since the All-Star break, only the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder sport better records than the 20-6 Hawks. In that span, the Hawks went a league-best 18-8 ATS, including a 6-4 mark on the road, good for fifth-best.

The Knicks have struggled to defend the three-ball this season, allowing the 10th-most three-pointers (13.9) and 11th-highest three-point percentage (36.2%). Over the last 15 games, New York has given up 14.5 triples at a 38.1% clip.

The Hawks rank in the top-10 in three-point attempts (39.5), three-point makes (14.6) and three-point percentage (37.1%) this season. In three tilts with New York, Atlanta knocked down 45-of-121 triples, good for 37.2%.

After the break, Atlanta owned the seventh-best offensive rating (119.8), second-best defensive rating (109.5) and third-best net rating (10.3). Given the team’s recent success and advantage from the perimeter, I’ll take the Hawks to cover a modest spread on the road.

Kevin Durant didn’t go easy down the stretch. The 37-year-old powered the Houston Rockets to a 10-3 SU mark in his final 13 showings, averaging more than 27 points on 54.4% shooting. This skeleton crew for L.A. doesn't have a solve for KD, with LeBron split on guarding bigger forwards. Player projections sit as high as 27+ points from Durant in Saturday’s series opener. And with the playoff spotlight shining a little bright for some of Houston’s young studs, he’ll set the tone right out of the gate.