Hello All!
While we happily enjoy our freedoms and indulgences over here in the West, we should probably take a moment to realize how fucking good we have it. Hoping the struggle between Ukraine/Russia doesn’t escalate, but all we can do is watch and pray. PS – half of my ancestors are from Ukraine/Eastern Europe. Good luck to any country that expects those tough-ass people to go down without a fight. Not gonna happen.
Onto our picks – added a new play and some more verbiage to the below write-ups, check it out! Damn I’m happy the NBA is back!
NBA Picks:
- Celtics -3.5 *
- I’d take this up to -5. Simmons shouldn’t return, and If Durant is back (I don’t think he will be), this is still an advantageous line b/c he’ll be cold – coming back from an MCL tear is no joke. Boston looked sensational before the break – the only reason why they wouldn’t cover this line is if they stumbled over their own two feet. The vaunted Celtics defense will lead the way and cause a less-than-healthy Nets team a ton of trouble on offense. And for what it’s worth (perhaps the quintessential cherry on top), Tatum has been lights out as of late. If that continues, Brooklyn has little chance of covering Thursday.
- Nets Team Total under 103 *
- In case you didn’t get a good number on Boston (it’s up to 7 at most books), this is a good angle. No Simmons, no Kyrie, no Durant, and a Boston defense that’s incredibly locked in and poised to keep winning.
- Hawks +4 *
- The Hawks needed the All-Star break. The Bulls, on the other hand, already bested their conference rival twice this season; I love that in this spot for Atlanta. The Hawks have significantly more size and moderately better perimeter ability than Chicago. Both should equate to easy points against a Chicago defense that’s been regressing for over a month. The Hawks are due for positive regression on defense and they have the manpower and length to make it happen. Hawks at least keep this close; a sprinkle on the ML might be worth it here.
- Grizzlies/Wolves over 229.5 **
- Okay so this is WAY up now – I wouldn’t take it at the current number (239), but look for lie totals throughout the game if either one of these teams slow down. A team total look at either team isn’t a bad angle either. For obvious reasons, the pace and output of these two teams should feed into each other following the break. This line is WAY too low. I would take it up to 234, albeit for less units. Judge accordingly by what you can handle.
- Warriors -6.5 **
- Any questions? Steph is coming off that sensational All Star performance, the Warriors needed the break to get back to their old selves, and they’re not exactly facing a juggernaut Thursday. I don’t care that Portland is at home – this is a bad team that needs young A. Simons to play exceptionally well to merely have a chance at winning. All Warriors for me.
CBB Picks:
- San Francisco +10 *
- This is a PREMIERE spot for SF to prove that they can hang with one of the best teams in college basketball and a conference rival. Expect extreme motivation for the home team here and a cover.
If you ever have any questions, message me here, on Twitter, or on Instagram. I will make myself available from 9am to 5pm every day, but please don’t expect an answer outside of those hours. I gotta shut it down sometimes. All picks are 1-5 stars based on unit size and confidence. 3 star picks are rare, 4-5 star picks are VERY rare. -Chris
