Be sure to check out injury reports often as these picks change with the injury reports!
Portland Trailblazers at Houston Rockets
The Trailblazers come into Houston with a record of 9-7 and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Trailblazers will be without a few key players which include McCollum, Nurkic, and Covington. The loss of McCollum for this game is huge due to his high level of play this year. McCollum is averaging 26.7 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.9 RPG.
However, it seems Simons has risen to the challenge. Out of nowhere, he out together two great outings the last two games dropping 16 points then 26 points the next game. It’s surprising because he was putting up goose eggs several games and dropping no more than 8 points at his height.
The Trailblazers are 3rd in three-point attempts and hit them at a 37.2% clip which is good for 10th in the league. They will need to knock them down at a higher clip to keep up with the Rockets offense.
Houston will be mostly healthy as Exum is listed as out and Porter is a game-time decision. This means Wood, Oladipo, and Wall are a full go which is great considering they get a hurt Portland team at home.
The Rockets are on a three-game winning streak and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Rockets have one of the more fast-paced offenses in the league and are ranked 4th in this category. Perhaps a bit surprising is their defensive rating, which is also ranked 4th in the league. It appears the Rockets have bonded since the Harden trade and have developed excellent chemistry.
Oladipo hasn’t skipped a beat in his play. He is averaging 20.0 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 5.7 RPG. He has seemingly replaced most of Harden’s scoring which has kept this team competitive.
The Rockets are the favorite to win with the spread at -3.0. This number can be easily covered by the Rockets with McCollum out.
Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons
The Lakers got caught with a game-winning shot by Harris after a 13-0 run to take the lead against the 76ers. Crushed by the loss after that shot, the Lakers will be geared io to play against Detroit to avoid back to back losses. The Lakers have not lost back to back games this season.
Both teams will come into this game with no significant injuries on either side. It was a common sight to see both James and Davis listed as game-tike decisions to psych out the other team. The fact that they aren’t showing up on the injury report after back to back games means they are fully set to go into Detroit prepared to get the win.
Detroit has one of the worst offenses in the league and has one of the slowest paces to their game in the league. They also have a league-worst field goal percentage. The spread for this game is not out at this time so I would say take any spread lower than -12.0 and not sweat about it as the Lakers will look to dominate the Pistons.
Love our content? Check out the GoingFor2 Live Podcast Network!
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
