The Celtics and 76ers– yikes. At least those overs cashed last night. Just 3 plays for me on a rather light NBA card. Onto the picks!
Knicks -5.5 (-115), 2 units: The Knicks are getting a little inflated line here and guess what– I AGREE with it. Charlotte is a tough team in their own right but the Knicks, especially at home, are not a team I’d want to face right now. New York continues to stifle opposing offenses, even good ones like Memphis, Dallas and New Orleans, and if they can’t completely stifle them they push the game into OT and then win. Julius Randle is to the Eastern Conference what Steph Curry is for the Western Conference right now, dominating and willing his team into the playoffs. During New York’s current 6 game win streak, Randle has averaged 30.6 ppg. He’s also led the Knicks in rebounding in 8 of their last 11 games. The Hornets aren’t built to defend or score on teams like the Knicks. Well-balanced but not especially good in any one category, Charlotte has struggled in April, losing 6 out of their last 10 contests and only recently ending a 4 game losing streak. After a nice win over Portland, the Hornets begin a short road trip at Madison Square Garden tonight, while the Knicks stay at home all week. I’ll take the Knicks to cover and overrun the Hornets in one that could get ugly. The Knicks have ALL the momentum.
Nets/Pelicans over 235, 1 unit: This is a huge number but it’s not high enough. Brooklyn is too small to deal with Zion and the Pelicans won’t have an answer for the perimeter shooting of Joe Harris and Landry Shamet. Kyrie doesn’t mind the limelight and he’ll look to improve his performance after that late-game debacle against Miami. With our luck he’ll announce he’s sitting out 5 minutes before tip-off, but neither of these clubs are good enough on defense to stop the other. And they both match up well offensively. This feels like a clear 240s+ so I have to put a unit on the over.
Clippers -7 (-110), 1.5 units: This has blowout written all over it. Watch out for game-time news on random players sitting, what else is new, but a Lillard-less Blazers team facing the Clippers, who have looked almost just as good without all their stars, is not a good recipe for Portland. The Blazers are at home and they have Denver coming to town tomorrow. The Clippers return home Wednesday to face Memphis. If Kawhi and Paul George play or even just one of them does, I like the Clippers side here.
