Be sure to check any injuries or any relevant information before the game starts as this article is written the night before and picks may be subject to change with new information!
Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets
My oh my! Have the mighty have fallen out of grace. Not even two years ago the Toronto Raptors were celebrating a NBA championship title. The times have changed as the Raptors are now facing an 8 game losing streak and are now 1-9 in their last 10 games as their overall record slides to 17-25. Not sure any one predicted that the Raptors would be this bad as they now sit 11th in the Eastern Conference with their playoff hopes sitting slipping away.
They now come into Houston in hopes of breaking this terrible streak. Outside of their top 6 scorers who are all averaging over 13.0 PPG, they do not have much hope. They rely too much on their best players night in and night out which is why they now find themselves in the position that they are in. In this matchup, they face a team with similar qualifications. The Rockets have suffered from the same fate. After years of making the playoffs and attempting to make the NBA Finals, they now face a rebuild with a record of 11-30 and go on an unprecedented 20 game losing streak. That’s so bad, to put lightly.
Van Fleet and and Wall should cancel each other out on both ends. Lowry will be the difference maker. If he can score at least 20 points this game, then the Raptors should win this game as Siakam and Wood will also cancel each other.
The Rockets will be without Exum, Gordon and Augustin which puts even more pressure on Wall and Wood. The game line isn’t out for this matchup but the Raptors will be the slight favorite. The Raptors moneyline will most likely be the best play as both teams will give it their all to break their losing streaks.
Atlanta Hawks at Los Angeles Clippers
The Hawks have turned things around and have started playing the way I thought they would play all season long. They now own an 8 game winning streak that has improved their record to 22-20 overall which is good for 4th in the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conferenceis having an off-year so who knows how the seeding will be determined but the Hawks should be poised to make the playoffs.
The Hawks will need to dig deep in order to continue their excellent run. They get a tough matchup with their young superstar point guard Trae Young listed as questionable. Serge Ibaka and Patrick Beverly are out for the Clippers once again. If the Hawks want to win, they will certainly need him in the lineup.
The Clippers are recently having a bit of struggled even though they still remain 4th in the Western Conference with a record of 27-16.
The key factor in this game will be whether Trae Young plays or not. He will get a favorable matchup with Beverly out of the lineup. If he plays the Hawks can cover depending on how injured he is if he does play. The Clippers are the -6.5 favorite at home which is also the play.
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