15-10 this past week betting the association, making me 28-17 overall the last 2 weeks (60%). Wish I could say I put $10,000 on every wager. Onto my President’s Day picks!
Knicks win (+105), 1.5 units: Two teams going in opposite directions face off Monday night as the Hawks travel to MSG without Rondo and a long list of other key players still out. The Knicks defense is excellent and they’re proving that every time they hit the hardwood. The Hawks are favored because the books know Trae Young is due for a breakout game and the Hawks need to get off the schneid. While the Knicks aren’t great offensively, they excel at slowing down the pace of the game and forcing their opponent to reorient to their style of play. The Hawks are struggling and like Houston realized, the Knicks aren’t the team to face if you’re trying to turn your team around. Atlanta also has a double-header looming at Boston against a Celtics team desperate for a win. New York is well rested and in a better spot, take the Knicks.
76ers +7.5 (-110) * Only if Embiid plays, 1.5 units: This is a fantastic sell-high spot on the Jazz. The NBA’s best team since January has been cruising, stacking up one big win after another, and some that have been rather improbable (what a spot that was for Miami Saturday, and yet the Jazz still won handedly, and covered). Joel Embiid is nursing back soreness, what else is new, and he’s officially listed as questionable tonight. I think he’ll play since Philadelphia had a day in between games to rest and lord knows this is a big matchup. You won’t see a line like this on the 76ers all year. The Jazz should be favored and the line is probably right, but the right move is to play the number and take the Sixers. We may see another juggernaut performance from Utah, but playing numbers like this will win for you in the long term. Philadelphia has lost 2 in a row and should be very motivated to pull out a win tonight.
Nets -4.5 (-105), 1 unit: Kevin Durant will sit out for 2 games with a mild hamstring injury as the Nets visit Sacramento tonight, hoping to win 3 straight. The Kings have one of the worst defenses in the league, submitting a whopping 118.7 ppg to their opponents and ranking dead last in defensive efficiency. That’s a pretty ideal matchup for the Nets, who lead the league scoring nearly 121 ppg and are 3rd in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Marvin Bagley III and De’Aaron Fox may not play tonight and if they do it won’t be at 100%. DeAndre Jordan should be back for Brooklyn, which gives them some front court help on defense and rebounding. Sacramento just isn’t ready for this level of talent, so I’m on the Nets for a cautious 1 unit because, well, it is the Nets.
