Be sure to check injury reports as they picks might change due to injuries!
Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets
The Nets get home-court advantage and has improved to 14-9 overall. They have picked up their play are now 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The Nets are certainly dealing with both ends of the spectrum when it comes to their offense and defense. They tout one of the best offenses in the league and one of the worst defenses in the league. The Nets main defensive strategy is to simply outscore the other team. Not a bad plan when you have three of the best pure scorers on your side.
It has been 8 games since the Harden blockbuster trade and Harden has been thriving in Brooklyn. He has a double-double average with points and assists. He appears to be taking on more of a point guard roll than a shooting guard roll. He is averaging 24.8 PPG, 10.4 APG, and 5.1 RPG. His 24.8 PPG is only the third best on the team and would be the top scorer on half of the leagues teams. Kyrie is averaging 28.3 PPG, and Durant is averaging 30.8 PPG. The only way to stop this trio is to hope for a poor shooting night.
The Raptors have started picking up their play and are on a two game winning streak and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Their last game saw Van Fleet go off for a monstrous 54 points and sinking 11 threes. A record for a player that went undrafted. The Raptors will need more of that if they want to stand a chance against the Nets on the road.
Perhaps the most concerning parts of this Raptors team is their inability to get open and find the open man. They shooting terrible from the floor ranking 27th overall in field goal percentage despite ranking 8th in the league from three. They are middle of the pack when it comes to assists.
The Nets are -4.5 favorite. The Raptors will need to put on a show on the offensive end to win this game, however, the Raptors do not have the personnel to keep pace on scoring which makes Nets -4.5 favorable.
New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers
The Pacers got blew out by 20 in their last game against the Bucks. They were beaten on both sides of the ball dropping their record of the last 10 games to 4-6.
The key to a Pacers win is too see excellent play on offense and defense from their big men Sabonis and Turner. Sabonis will get the matchup vs Williamson which will be the matchup that most likely decides this game. This will be Sabonis’s chance to prove he is one top power forwards in the game. He has assumed the of point forward for this squad and will need to attract the Pelicans defense to find Turner and Brogdon open for a high percentage shot. Williamson has started to improve his play recently and is now the top scorer for the Pelicans. Williamson is averaging 23.7 PPG, and 7.5 RPG.
The Pelicans will need to exercise their advantage with bench players. They have the deeper team and are relatively equal in talent when it comes to the starters. Players like Reddick and Hart will need to get in the double digits if they want a chance to win.
The Pacers are the slight -2.5 favorite. If they can step up their defense to force bad shots on the Pelicans and shutdown Ingram, then the Pacers cover the -2.5.
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers
The Celtics enter the third game on their 5 game west coast journey. They are currently 1-1 after dropping the last game to the Kings in a close game. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and are 11-9 overall.
The Celtics are seeing some action on the injury report. Brown has appeared as a game-time decision which could have serious consequences if he misses this game as he brings 26.4 PPG, 3.6 APG and 5.5 RPG. Definitely a player that the struggling Celtics cannot afford to lose.
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All eyes will be on the Tatum vs Leonard matchup. Kawhi is one the best defenders out there and can scorch you on the other end offensively. Tatum will need to find a way around his lockdown defense on the perimeter. If Brown plays, he will also need to find a way past the defense of George. George and Brown are both excellent defenders and whoever wins this matchup, will likely sway the game in their favor.
The Clippers are 17-6 on the season winning 8 of their last 10 games. They are as hot as anyone. However, I believe the Celtics will treat this as a playoff game giving maximum effort to avoid a losing record on their 5 game road stretch. If Brown sits, take the Clippers -6.0, if Brown plays, take the Celtics +6.0.
Nets -4.5
Pacers -2.5
Celtics +6.0
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