Rockets win (EVEN), 2 units: This line initially posted Houston as the dog and, appropriately, has moved them to the favorite. I love this spot for the Rockets. Houston has been playing incredibly solid defense. Although some of their opponents haven’t been the class of the NBA, their recent outing against Portland was really impressive. The Blazers were in a great spot but they fended them off over and over again, not allowing Portland’s stars to change the pace of the game. The Rockets have the star power to score efficiently, especially with an angry Oladipo looking to prove his worth, and a defense that just keeps getting better. The Pelicans’ win over Milwaukee last night was impressive, but make no mistake– New Orleans isn’t on the same planet as the Bucks. One way you know that game was an aberration was the shooting from Lonzo Ball. He may have the ugliest shot in the game (next to his brother, and maybe Dwight Howard), and I assure you his shooting won’t be that crisp tonight. I love the Rockets to win.
Suns/Mavericks over 215.5 (-110), 1 unit: Is this the game where the Mavs finally wake up? Maybe. One thing’s for sure, Luka Doncic is beginning to put this team on his shoulders, which means more aggressive play from the Slovenian star and should mean more scoring. The Suns seem to be getting better every week, with Chris Paul leading a fluid and effective offense even without their star Devin Booker and other key players out. Luka and company will push hard for a win tonight, so I like one desperate offense and one effective offense to send this game over.
Warriors -5 (-110), 1.5 units: I probably would have bet the Warriors at -10 tonight. I’d understand that line. Why? Because the Warriors have been underwhelming and Detroit just won the biggest game of their life against the Lakers. That was a horrendous spot for LAL after a hard-fought game against Philadelphia, a game where I thought the Lakers would still get up for. Anthony Davis’ absence didn’t help, but all the stars aligned for Detroit to pull out the win. Not tonight. I expect Steph Curry to come out aggressive and maybe, just maybe, Draymond game can stop committing technical fouls and actually play a full game. That would help. Either way, I love Golden State in a prime situational spot.
