Best NBA Picks Against the Spread 2/1

January 2021 was a crazy month and no reason that February will be any different. Be sure to check injury reports as these picks may change with new information!

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder

The Rockets are now one of the hottest teams in the league and are currently on a 5 game winning streak. The Harden trade appears to be a success for the Rockets.

Oladipo has returned to his all-star play after being plagued by injuries. A completely healthy Oladipo has replaced most of Harden’s scoring. The emergence of Wood down low has replaced the rest of his scoring and then some. Oladipo is averaging 22.0 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 5.0 RPG through 6 games while getting around 32 MPG. They have only lost one game with Oladipo in the lineup. Wood just might be worth a look for Most Improved Player of the Year averaging 23.6 PPG, 1.2 APG, and 10.7 RPG.

Perhaps most shocking about the Rocket’s turnaround is their defensive play. They currently are third in the league in defensive rating while being ranked 11th in the league in offensive rating. Wall, Wood, and Oladipo have become a dark horse trio capable on both sides of the court. Coupled with their defensive prowess, is their ability to put up points fast and controlling the pace of the game, they sit 4th in the league in pace.

The Thunder are nearly .500 with a record of 8-10 and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. A lot better start than what most predicted. If they are capable of being somewhat competitive now, imagine how good they can be when they start using those 1st round picks.

The Thunder are proving how valuable veterans can still be, they tout several aged veterans such as Hill, Horford, and Ariza. However, for this match up, Hill and Ariza are both listed as out. Despite being veteran-heavy, it’s clearly Gilgeous-Alexander’s team. The young guard has shown a lot of upside, so far this season, Shai is averaging 21.9 PPG, and 6.4 APG, and 5.4 RPG. He is seeing around 33 MPG while shooting 51% from the floor.

The Thunder are capable of keeping up in pace with Houston and are ranked 9th in this category. The main problem with Oklahoma City is their inability to find the best shot. They are ranked 12th in the league in the number of threes they take a game but are ranked 29th in the league in three-point field goal percentage. This can lead to a bad concoction offensively.

The Rockets are the favorite at -4.5. This is a spread they can easily cover. Wood will have a serious speed and agility advantage on Horford allowing him to reach his average. Shai will have his hands full with Hill out trying to guard Wall and Oladipo. Rockets -4.5 is the play.

New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls

The New York Knicks come into Chicago with a record of 9-12 and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. They come off a 14 point loss to the Clippers 129-115. Even though they lost, it was still a feat to score 115 on the defensive-minded clippers showing they have some offensive capability.

The Knick’s main catalyst is their big man Randle. He has proven to be a problem down low forcing help defenders to leave their guy to contest his shots. This opens up the rest of the offense to do work and Randle is finding the open man when his coverage gets tight. Randle is averaging 22.4 PPG, 6.0 APG and 11.1 RPG. There isn’t much Randle cannot do.

With Randle commanding a lot of attention, Barrett and Quickly are seeing a spike in scoring. Barrett, along with Randle is eating up minutes on the court getting around 36 MPG. Barrett is averaging 18.0 PPG, 3.3 APG and 6.5 RPG. Although he needs to improve his shooting percentage, he is developing into a solid player that fans can rally around for the future.

Perhaps surprising is the recent emergence of Quickly. The Knicks are experiencing a strange phenomenon. They have a random player that goes off for 20+ points a game and usually take turns doing so. Rivers will randomly drop 25 points and then go relatively silent the next game. Quickly has taken this mantle the last two games dropping 25 points each game and 31 points 4 games ago.

The Bulls are on a three-game losing streak and are 3-7 in the last 10 games sporting a 7-11 record. The Bulls are boom or bust when it comes to offense. When LaVine and White are in sync, they have shown upset capability, especially with LaVine’s high scoring ceiling.

It appears LaVine might get an all-star nod this year behind his averages of 26.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 5.3 RPG. When healthy, LaVine can keep scoring pace with anyone in the league. Their second-leading scorer is their point guard White. He has shown promise this season and can develop into an all-star guard once he becomes more stable. White is averaging 15.5 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 4.8 RPG.

The Bulls do show a lot of promise in their offense, they are 2nd in the league in pace, 7th in field goal percentage, 5th in three-point percentage, and 9th in assists. This team is one superstar away from being a playoff contender. Offense isn’t the problem, the problem is solely on their defense. They are ranked 26th in defensive rating. Once they solve their defensive woes, this team can compete against anyone.

They are certainly missing their big man Carter Jr who is once again out. Porter has also shown up on the injury report as a game-time decision. If Porter misses this game then Knicks should cover the +4.0.

Rockets -4.5

Knicks +4.0

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