As the season goes on, more players will be sitting out due to load management concerns. The NBA is terrible at announcing when players will be out, usually 2-3 hours before the game so be sure to pay attention as they picks may change with injuries. I bet on more than just these games, but they are not released at the time this article was written so feel free to shoot me a DM on Twitter (@Go1dilocks) or Facebook if you want to know my full slate!
Phoenix Suns at Indiana Pacers
The Suns are flying into Indiana after coming off an overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons. They had a commanding lead but the Pistons were determined to win.
The Suns suffered a poor shooting night in this loss. They had only three shooters shooting above 50%. However, poor shooting doesn’t seen to be a problem. The Suns are ranked 10th in field goal percentage and 4th in three-point shooting percentage.
Booker is leading the charge with 21.5 PPG, and is in the early running for MVP. Booker is the only player averaging more than 20 PPG on this team. Although, the Suns do have 7 players averaging more than 10.0 PPG.
The Pacers have emerged as an early contender in the East behind Sabonis, Oladipo, and Brogdon. These three players have been hot, averaging more than 20.0 PPG.
Brogdon has flown onto the scene as a top point guard in the league. So far, he is putting up 23.6 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 4.1 RPG. He could turn into something special for the Pacers.
Sabonis is also having a breakout year and is in the early running for MVP and most improved player averaging 20.8 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 11.4 RPG. The amount of assists per game is impressive as we are starting to see more point centers emerge following Jokic’s lead.
The Pacers will be coming into this game with fresher legs than the Suns. They have been in Indiana for five days and haven’t played the last two days. The Suns played an extra quarter of basketball and then have to immediately hop on a plane tonight.
The Pacers can match up with the Suns even with Warren out of the lineup. Both teams are loaded with talent deep into their benches. The Suns are ranked last in the league in pacing while the Pacers are middle of the pack. With fresher legs and running a higher paced off offense, the Pacers should cover the -3.0. I do believe this will be a close game, so I would recommend avoiding the max play.
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are coming into town for a home game after a an eight-point victory against the New Orleans Pelicans last night. The Battle of the Balls saw the youngest brother, LaMelo Ball, get the win.
LaMelo had an excellent outing netting his first career double-double of 12 points and 10 assists against his brother who had an awful night. LaMelo is shaping up to be an excellent guard with a high ceiling and is in the running for Rookie of the Year.Â
Hayward has been on fire in his first season with his new team after regressing with the Celtics, mainly due to injury. Hayward is back as a force and dropped 26 points going 4/7 from deep. This season he is averaging 21.9 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 5.8 RPG through 34.0 MPG. He appears to be the main guy in Charlotte and has turned this team around. This team has the chance to contend in the near future as they have plenty of young talent on their roster.
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The Hawks come into this game after two days of rest. Their last game was against the Hornets in Atlanta and they lost 102-94. The Hawks had a horrible shooting night and Trae Young was shutdown offensively, only scoring 7 points. Hayward took over this game dropping a whopping 44 points.
The Hawks will look to limit Hayward without Gallinari in the lineup once again. The Hawks are suffering a three-game losing streak and are now facing problems in the locker room.
Collins has expressed his concerns on how Trae Young has been running the offense. He isn’t happy and has declined a 4-year 90 million dollar extension. This could be unrelated as he might hold out for more money. He believes he is a star in this league and the offense should run through him more. This may be difficult as the Hawks roster is stacked with talent. Trae Young and Collins meshed last season but now have more players to get involved in the offense.
Despite chemistry concerns, Young and Collins are still having great seasons. The Hawks are still learning to play together as they are a completely new team and have showed a lot of potential.
The Hawks are a -4.0 point favorite despite being on the road. Gallinari, Dunn, and Rondo are still out. Despite the injuries, the Hawks are still deep and have the fresher legs. They will look to seek revenge after the Hornets stole one in Atlanta. The play is Hawks -4.0. If Trae bounces back and has a terrific shooting night, the Hawks can easily cover this spread as Capela and Collins get the advantage down low.
Pacers -3.0
Hawks -4.0
Parley of the Day
Trailblazers ML
Bucks ML
Spurs ML
Buccaneers ML (NFL)
Bills ML (NFL)
Odds: Unknown, lines are not released yet
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