The Lakers won the first meeting of season between these teams, 121-111 on road in Charlotte on Nov 10. Luka Doncic had 38 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. The Lakers have won 5 of the last 6 meetings overall between these squads. Lay the points.
Joel Embiid IS BACK! He’s had 20+ pts in 11 straight games (28.2 PPG over span). He has played 20 games this season (more than last season: 19 in 2024-25) and the 76ers are 6-2 in past 8 game. Go Philly GO!
The Thunder are 0-3 this season against the Spurs, so why are they this heavy of favorite? Because they are 33-4 against everyone else. A motivated and angry Thunder team will roll in this spot. They need to prove to themselves they can beat the Spurs comfortably. I’ll lay the points.
The Jazz have lost 6 of the past 7 games and are coming off a 150-95 loss vs CHA on Saturday. The 55-pt loss was the largest by a team this season. But Lauri Markkanen: DNP (rest) last game is expected to play tonight. He is averaging 28.6 PPG in the past 10 games (25+ pts in 8 of 10). I’ll take all these points and Utah.
The Knicks are not playing their best basketball of the year and they have dropped their last two home games. The Clippers are the complete opposite. They are 7-1 in their past eight games (T-best record in NBA since Dec. 20) while allowing a league-low 104.6 PPG in that span. The points are the difference; I’ll take the underdog.
This is not a joke. We are playing the Grizzlies AGAIN, plus the points. Jaren Jackson Jr. has 20-plus pts in 7 of his past 10 games (22.2 PPG over span). This is important because it looks like Victor Wembanyama will not play for San Antonio. In two prior meetings this season against the Spurs, Jackson is averaging 12.5 PPG on 37.9% FG pct. We expect him to turn it around Tuesday night.
The Pistons are 5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season (T-best record in NBA) and the Knicks are playing some terrible basketball lately. This is payback from last years playoff robbery. Take the Pistons on the money line.
Yes, I took the Grizzlies in their previous matchup against the Lakers and it cost me. Maybe I am being thickheaded, but if you’re going to give me all these points again with Memphis facing a Los Angeles team without Austin Reaves, I’m sorry, I have to do it. Give me the Grizzlies plus the points one more time.
This is more about betting against the Lakers. They are 1-4 in their last five games, and they are averaging 104.5 PPG over that span (fewest in NBA). The points are the difference, give me the dog.
Trust me, I get it, taking the Nuggets without Nikola Jokić is tough to do. But what I have found in sports, is when a star player is out, the first game they are out, everybody steps up. And on the reverse side, a team like the Raptors relaxes! Simply too many points in this situation. Give me Denver with the points.
I love the Spurs and gave them out at 20/1 to win it all before their third straight win vs OKC on Christmas. But they are overvalued in this spot. Keyonte George is the first Jazz player to average 24+ PPG and 6+ APG in a season since Pete Maravich in 1977-78. The Jazz are coming off a 131-129 win vs. the very good Pistons. Simply too many points.
Minnesota is 10-2 in its last 12 games after starting the season 10-8. Denver has been up-and-down at home. Obviously stopping the Nikola Jokic is impossible, but when the Timberwolves are confident (which they are now), they can win this game straight up. Give me Minnesota.
How many times can the Spurs be disrespected? The Knicks are favored in this game?!? Weren't the Thunder the best team in the NBA? And what did the Spurs do to them? Hand them their second loss of the year, with Victor Wembanyama back in the lineup and being effective. I see the same result in this NBA Cup title game. Give me the Spurs on the money line.
Why money line? This spread (Portland -4.5) does make me nervous. We just made money recently with the Pelicans as home dogs, but you just can't lose this game if you’re the Blazers. They have been on a long road trip and haven’t played in three nights. But if they lose this one, we'll know they spent too much time on Bourbon Street.
Trust me, I get it, betting the New Orleans Pelicans is really tough to do. They are 3-18 this season and have worst record in Western Conference. They also have the honor of the second-worst 21-game start in franchise history (2-19 in 2004-05 as New Orleans Hornets). But this many points at home versus an erratic Wolves team, is too much. I’ll take the points.