Be sure to check any injuries or other relevant information as this article is written the night before and picks might be subject to change with new information!
Denver Nuggets at Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have fallen from grace and are now on the outside looking in after several seasons as being one of the top teams in the East. They now face the prospect of a 10 game losing streak and are now 1-9 in their last 10 games with an overall record of 17-26. Hard to think they can rebound from this record given that they have been perfectly healthy as of late. The departure of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol had a much bigger impact than the front office had thought.
On the other hand, the Nuggets have been hot as they are now 8-2 in their last 10 games and have began to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the West with an overall record of 26-17 and hold the 5th seed in the West. They are doing so behind the excellent play of Jokic who is having an MVP caliber season averaging nearly a triple double. His averages of 27.1 PPG, 8.6 APG and 11.2 RPG. After setting a new standard for the center position, the Nuggets are primed for another playoff run.
On paper, the teams seem evenly matched which is why the Nuggets are only the slight favorite. However, Jokic should have a field day as his height and skill advantage should prove to be the X-factor in this game. Siakam is talented behind his 19.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 7.3 RPG, but will be no matchup against the extremely tall and talented Jokic.
Although Lowry had the defensive capability to stop Murray from going off, Murray is also capable of stopping Lowry resulting in a stalemate. The only chance the Raptors have to winning this game is Van Fleet coming out on fire and scoring well above his average which is possible, but highly unlikely which is why the Nuggets -1.0 is the play.
Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers
The Detroit Pistons have all but given up their hopes of winning any games this season after the Rose trade and buying out Griffins contract, which both are understandable as they weren’t effective with both of them in the lineup. Obviously the move was to opt for the first round pick and hit full tank mode. A commendable option considering their position.
The Detroit Pistons are possibly the worst teams in the league with a record of 12-30, winning only 3 of their last 10 games. They have only 1 player averaging more than 11 PPG, which is absolutely atrocious. However, not all is lost. They managed to fire up Jerami Grant who is actually having a decent season behind his 23.3 PPG. Also, the young prospect Bey isn’t doing terrible. He is averaging roughly 10 PPG and getting 4.0 rebounds. Not great but not terrible considering this team has no playmakers.
Most analysts, including myself, didn’t see the Pacers doing this bad. They traded for LaVert who missed a lot of games after the trade was finalized which didn’t help their season, as well as Warren getting injured. Even though Warren is still out, LaVert is back for the Pacers and is averaging roughly 15 PPG in six games. Their goal should be to simply make the playoffs and Warren coming back to give them a chance to make a run.
The Pacers are on a six game home losing streak which is a rarity for any team, no matter how bad they are. The Pacers are 19-23 overall which suggests a home victory is all but imminent. The Pacers without a doubt win this game. The cover line isn’t out yet but take any Pacers line less than double digits if Myles Turner is playing.
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