Back on a roll after a sweet 4-1 night in NBA betting; that’s 52-36 overall on NBA Bets for the month of February (59%). Not too shabby. Tons of opportunity tonight, let’s get it!
John Wall over 21.5 (-109), 1 unit: Despite saying I’ll never bet on Houston ever again, this is a Rockets-based bet I like. Don’t yell at me, Twitter. The return of Victor Oladipo could be huge for the Rockets. We’ll see, but I think it’ll do wonders for John Wall. Without Oladipo, Wall has served as the sole producer for his team at times. And that can be quite a load to carry. Maybe Houston’s finally feeling the affects of the James Harden trade. Oladipo is a menacing, cerebral offensive performer and should be able to distract a good Raptors defense enough to free up John Wall’s opportunities. Wall is actually getting a reduced number for his return– I think it works in his favor. This is a good value bet.
Avoid Celtics Games: Seriously. Until they become more predictable and consistent, avoid betting on Boston games. On paper and in potential, at home, one would think the Celtics have a great chance to get off the schneid and end this ridiculous 3-game skid. One would think. The Pacers are a very solid team and are not a unit to underrate. Like the Pelicans, Hawks and Mavericks have, all of which are average teams at best, the Pacers could easily punk Boston again tonight, especially with the way Boston has been performing late in games. Don’t waste your time or money.
Jazz -6.5 (-110), 2 units: I had this game at -8 in Utah’s favor with a fully healthy Miami roster. I might’ve looked at the Heat side if that were the case, but I don’t like that Bam Adebayo has a questionable tag heading into Friday night. Even worse– it’s a knee issue. That means Bam will either be out, benched or limited, which are all bad prognoses for the Heat against a dominant Rudy Gobert down low. Even with Adebayo playing, the Heat are under-sized and vulnerable against a solid defensive unit like Utah. Add in Gobert’s ability to dominate on boards and distract defenders to find the open man and this could be a recipe for disaster. I love the way Miami has been playing but this looks like another blowout win for Utah. Bet the Jazz.
Clippers -6.5 (-105), 1.5 units: Did Memphis read my article and get fired up about their defense last night? The Grizzlies were stupid-good at guarding the Clippers Thursday. They also shot 58% from 3 point land and 54% from the field– that’s absurd. I’m not sure what happened but, barring any random “rest-time” by Kawhi or Paul George, expect the Clippers to get their revenge Friday night. I don’t think the Grizzlies match up particularly well against LAC; I think they just had a good night. Don’t let an aberration fool you.
Suns/Bulls over 226.5 (-110), 1 unit: This is a really interesting game. The Bulls are top 5 both in points per game and pace, but they’re not exceptional in offensive efficiency (14th). That tells us (the eye test shows us, too) that Chicago relies on their pace and fast breaks to produce and overwhelm teams. While the Suns can contest that to a degree, this is a good home spot for Chicago. The Bulls will be poised and comfortable on their home court and I suspect the swishes will follow. The Suns have Minnesota on deck Sunday, nothing to fear, so both teams should be totally invested Friday night. Phoenix is top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency and only the Knicks play at a slower pace. The Suns are the better team but I like Chicago to force this game into at least three 60+ point quarters, even if they’re not the victor. That should give us a 4th quarter bordering on 170-185 points, which should push this game over the total. I love 4th grade math.
Lakers -5 (-110), 2 units: Alright LAL, time to get off the schneid for real this time. This is a really good setup for the Lakers. Dennis Schröder, who is probable to return, will add much needed depth to the point guard position and he’s an exceptional dribbler and facilitator. The lack of Anthony Davis’ front court presence has really showed in the Lakers’ 4 game losing streak, but it doesn’t scare me tonight. Robert Covington and Enes Kanter are not menacing big men, so Lebron and Gasol should be able to impose their will consistently in this contest. This is the final game of a tough road stretch for Portland, who may be more excited just to return home. Damien Lillard is always a threat to score 40 or 50+ and carry his team, but as long as LAL shores up the paint, I worry not. The Lakers start a nice 3 game homestand Friday and I expect Lebron, Schröder, and others to be highly motivated and cover the number easily.
