Typically when a team has their star player ruled out, and are in a back to back spot we see a wild line move. That is not the case with the Celtics who will be without Jaylen Brown tonight. Just thirteen days ago they went into Toronto and won by thirteen. After winning eight straight games at home, the Raptors have now lost four straight games at home. Take the Celtics here
Trae Young returned for the Atlanta Hawks yesterday, and the team got off to a flat start defensively against the Charlotte Hornets. They did get back in the game but still lost by seven points. With Young resting, I believe that gives value for the Hawks against a Spurs team they had a smaller spread for in San Antonio. As we saw with the Knicks yesterday, this could be a flat spot for San Antonio off the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. Take Atlanta here plus the points.
If there is any team that needed the mini layoff from the NBA Cup championship it was the Miami Heat. They have lost five straight games, and scored a season low 96 points in Monday’s loss to the Raptors. Even without Tyler Herro, look for the Heat to overwhelm a Nets team that is playing over their capabilities with wins in four out of their last six games. Lay the number with Miami.
San Antonio is coming off ending the Oklahoma City Thunder’s sixteen game winning streak in Saturday’s semi-final win. When a star player returns the impact is typically felt in the second game. Expect Wemby to have a minutes increase, and for the Knicks star guard to be ready to attack the Spurs defense. Additionally, the Spurs have two players Mike Brown coached on his last time in Sacramento in D’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes. Expect Brown to have the right sets for Brunson to attack in half court.
If it was the NBA Cup championship or just a standard regular season game, to me tonight is the perfect time to fade the Spurs. They blew out a Lakers team as a seven point underdog, and ended the Thunder’s sixteen game win streak. Postgame after defeating the Magic, we heard Karl Anthony Towns talk about the Knicks having had their best practices of the season. It’s carried over onto the court where the Knicks have won eight out of their last nine games. The East wins the NBA cup for a second straight season.
With the Denver Nuggets an oddity to their season has been how they are better on the road. Their record in away games is 12-2, while at home they have just a 6-4 record. Extra rest is not necessarily a recipe for success when it comes to the NBA. With both teams off since Thursday, that could be another wrinkle to cause the Nuggets to have issues at home. Additionally, the Rockets are seeking revenge from losing by just three points to Denver on November 21st. Take the Rockets here.
The NBA Cup semi-finals are here in Las Vegas. Both games have big favorites for a neutral site NBA game. New York has won eight out of their last nine games, with one of those a six point win over the Orlando Magic. In their latest win Jalen Brunson corrected his issues beyond the three point line by going six of nine against the Raptors. Lay the number here with the Knicks.
For the Atlanta Hawks no player has more attention than Jalen Johnson. Johnson is averaging 30 points and 14 rebounds over his last five games. This included a 29 and 13 performance against the Pistons on December 1st. Look for Detroit to center their game plan on limiting Johnson, and for Okongwu to take advantage. Okongwu has averaged 21 points in the two matchups against the Pistons, this included scoring 20 of their 98 points in the December matchup. Take Okongwu over.
A player that should have a two way chip on his shoulder is Desmond Bane. He is coming off being fined $35,000 for throwing the basketball off of OG Anunoby. Additionally, he struggled the last time facing the Miami Heat on December 5th when he went 2 of 16 from the floor and finished with five points. Expect a bounce back performance from Bane who will need to score more with Franz Wagner out with a sprained ankle.
The Indiana Pacers are showing life with a 3 and 2 record over their last five games. With that has garnered attention back to the prop market for certain players, in particular Pascal Siakam. When he is on the floor for his normal minutes he is playing at a high level. He’s coming off a season high thirty six points in his last game, and faces a Kings team that is fifth worst defensively in the NBA. Take Siakam’s over.
The Orlando Magic received big news today with the return of their star player Paulo Bachelor. They will face a Miami Heat they defeated by four points to begin the season. It was a matchup the Magic erased an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter to come back in win. Look for the Magic to take advantage tonight against a Heat team traveling in from Dallas, and are below .500 on the season on the road.
The Detroit Pistons will face the Milwaukee Bucks twice the rest of this week, beginning with a road game tonight. Recently, the Pistons have been involved in closer games. A couple of losses, and three wins by five points or less. Expect that to change against a Bucks team that has dropped eight out of their last nine. This includes a thirteen point loss to Detroit. Lay the number here.
Karl Anthony Towns has scored under his prop offering in three straight games. Tonight expect the balance to be back as Towns can uplift his scoring at the free throw line. One of two games he made double digit free throws this season was against the Boston Celtics with ten. He also has room for a rise in three point makes, as he has made just two of his last 9 attempts over the last three games. Take Towns over tonight against Boston.
Denver Nuggets MVP candidate Nikola Jokic has been a rebound away from a triple double each of his last two games. Scoring has dipped as he has went under his points prop in three straight games. Saturday though, he played his fewest minutes over his past eleven games. Expect the scoring focus to be there against a Mavericks team that is shuffling their interior with Anthony Davis’s return.
The LA Clippers continue to be the struggling team that the market values off of prior seasons. That can be tough to find a spot to back, as they are just 2-8 on the road and have dropped seven out of their last eight games. Still, tonight will mark Kawhi Leonard’s fifth game back in the lineup. He has scored 30 or more in consecutive games, and the first matchup against Miami was just a one point loss on November 3rd. Back the Clippers.