This is a slightly abbreviated edition of my NBA Picks and Predictions since I have quite a few commitments today with the misses, so I’m cutting down on my verbiage to save some time. I went 1-2 yesterday on NBA bets. I was pretty blown away by the Jazz, again. That was an ideal situational spot for a let-down game and boy did they prove me wrong. I guess it’s just unwise to bet against them right now. Overall we’re 13-8 this week. Let’s finish strong!
Celtics -6.5 (-110), 1 unit: The Celtics are starting to get healthier. They’ll miss Marcus Smart and Romeo Langford but they’re getting back forward Semi Ojeleye and center Robert Williams for this contest. Boston is up and down but this is a good spot after that bad showing against the Pistons. The Wizards won’t be able to stop the Brown/Tatum combo and the Celtics feisty defense should prevent the Wizards from keeping up.
Pelicans -4 (-115), 2 units: New Orleans has had their struggles recently on defense, but this should serve as a nice get-right game as the Pistons don’t offer much firepower. Zion is playing world-class basketball right now and the Pistons get lucky facing opponents in bad spots. That’s not happening Sunday. Take the Pelicans with confidence.
Blazers/Mavericks over 237 (-110), 1.5 units: This total is deserving of the big number. These are two surging teams who are only on a tear because of their offenses. Portland has increased their defensive efforts somewhat, but it won’t be enough on Sunday. Doncic and Porzingis are in a groove in the middle of a long home-stand. I can’t see every quarter not easily exceeding 60 points, so it’s the over for me. I lean to the Mavs side, too (-4.5 or better), which could make for a decent parlay.
Lean- Cavaliers +10 (-110): Watch the news on this game before tip-off. This could be a rest spot for Kawhi or other Clippers starters. Even if it’s not, this is a decent let-down spot for LAC, which I can see the Clippers still winning but Cleveland’s looking for a little redemption after that Friday night blowout. A cover is very possible.
Nuggets wins (+105), 1.5 units: I think the Lakers win it all again this year. It’s hard to conceive LAL getting knocked out by anyone in the postseason, but this is the regular season and the Lakers are on a tireless run of unbelievable OT wins and comeback victories. LAL’s last 5 games go like this: they beat Denver at home, won 3 straight OT games, and then came back from a double-digit deficit against Memphis 2 nights ago to beat the Grizzlies by margin. And they did all of that in 8 days. I’m out of breath just typing it. This is a great revenge spot for the Nuggets, so I can see the Lakers getting caught and playing behind early in this one again. As great as Lebron and his team is, I don’t think they can catch up if Denver takes a big lead, not with the way Jokic and the Nuggets are playing right now. Next to the Jazz, the Nuggets are the biggest threat to LAL’s crown and I think they make a statement Sunday.
