Bruce's Picks (3 Live)
A bit bumpy lately for the Heat, loser in six of seven and apparently missing explosive G Tyler Herro (23.2 ppg; out the past two weeks with toe.). Herro is slated to miss again on Sunday, and worth noting that before the Celtics' Derrick White erupted for nine triples on Friday to speed up the pace at TD Garden, Miami scorelines has been reducing. The previous five losses in the current slump saw the Heat held to 111 points or fewer. As for the Knicks, they looked a bit tired on Friday vs. the Sixers, and note the last meeting between these two landed on 228 on November 17, the pace much slowed from their previous clash three nights earlier. Play Heat-Knicks Under
No Ja Morant might even be a plus for the Grizzlies, who won again minus Ja on Wednesday at Minnesota. That's now 8-2 for Memphis in its last ten minus Morant, who has already been ruled out due to a bad ankle for tonight's game vs. the Wizards. The Griz has been extending margins lately, too, with recent wins by 23 over the Blazers and 18 over the Clippers. As for a go-to scorer, Jaren Jackson is now filling the role nicely after his 28-point effort vs. the T-wolves. Meanwhile, the Wiz look a bit more competent lately, but that usually doesn't last, following up a win at Indiana with a 25-point loss at San Antonio on Thursday, dropping to 4-21 this season. Play Grizzlies
First things first, as need to keep an eye on status of Donovan Mitchell, which is apparently up in the air as he deals with illness, though he did feel good enough to score 32 points in last night's loss to the Bulls. There's also a good chance he'll play, but the quick zig-zag/payback dynamics are nonetheless in place, and Cleveland has been getting improved efforts lately from G Jaylen Tyson (scored 21 last night), while Darius Garland also capable of pitching in with extra points. It's the psychology that appeals here, however, against Chicago in this zag-zag, as the Bulls haven't won back-to-back since October, and might be hard-pressed to replicate last night's 56% FG shooting. Play Cavs
A bit maddening lately for the Rockets, who have lost three straight away, but playing for just the second time in a week, the batteries should be charged for tonight at Smoothie King. Nothing wrong with the effort on Monday at Denver, however, when Houston was unfortunate not to have won regulation time. Getting Alperen Sengun back on the floor after missing a recent loss at Dallas has been a plus, and the Rockets' big lineup has been able to extend many margin this season vs. lesser opposition. That category fits the Pels, despite two wins on the spin, even with and Zion Williamson (knock on wood) back in action. Note NO has ten losses by DD margins already this campaign. Play Rockets
Who's in...who's out? Questions here regarding both Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards as each listed as gametime decisions due to injuries tonight. In Ja's case, he returned two games ago for the Griz and didn't help in a loss to Utah, but Memphis weathered his distractive presence and whipped the Clips on Monday despite Ja twisting his ankle in 4th Q. As for Edwards (foot), the T-wolves have won their last two minus him. Which way to turn? The Grizzlies have definitely turned a corner in recent weeks, winning 8 of 11, and in case Ja doesn't feature that might even be a plus. If Edwards doesn't go for Minnesota, and with Mike Conley out, the Wolves could be thin in the backcourt. Play Grizzlies
We've thought the Knicks could win the NBA Cup from the outset so not terribly surprised they've made it to the finals at T-Mobile. A veteran team that has knocked on the door in the playoffs, this is a chance to win something for NY and lay the groundwork for bigger things next spring. The Knicks are mostly healthy and the big guns are firing, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combining for 69 points in the semis win over the Magic on Saturday. Meanwhile we wonder if the Spurs are going to exhale after pitching a near perfect-game when knocking off favored OKC on Saturday, and Wemby, though activated, is likely still on a minutes restriction for SA. Play Knicks (at Las Vegas)
Friday turned into a double whammy for the Grizzlies. First, Zach Edey, whose return to active duty in November coincided with a Memphis revival, was out with an ankle injury. More impactful, negatively, was the return of Ja Morant from his calf strain. Maybe not coincidentally, the Griz has surged to seven wins in nine minus Ja's distracting presence, but upon his return on Friday, he continued his subpar 35% FG shooting (just 7 for 20) in a loss to the Jazz. Simply, Morant is an overwhelmingly negative presence that needs to be traded; in the meantime, we'll even back the Clips, who have had their own issues but did push Minnesota and Houston at the end of their recent road trip. Play Clippers.
Non-sensical, it seems, for Denver to have lost four straight games at home, considering it has won eleven straight on the road! No new injury news on top of Aaron Gordon's absence, and Nikola Jokic was full steam ahead on the just-completed road swing, scoring at a brisk 32 ppg clip across the four wins as the Nuggets reached at least 134 points three of those occasions. Meanwhile it looks like the Rockets have flattened out a bit, struggling in some recent outings and losing their last two on the road at Utah and Dallas. Note Denver handed Houston its only loss in a nine-game stretch in November when the Joker scored 34 in a 112-109 win at Toyota Center on November 21. Play Nuggets
Can the Warriors finally beat the Blazers? A pair of earlier meetings this season resulted in defeats, but Portland wasn't wobbling as much in October when romping 139-119 (Golden State flat after a wild OT win over the Nuggets the previous night). The Blazers had shown signs of sagging before the November 21 win at Chase Center, but at the moment it looks close to a full retreat, dropping six of seven and thumped in the last two at Memphis and New Orleans. For the Dubs, only Al Horford is out, and Steve Kerr's bunch won its last two at Cleveland and Chicago on the recent road trip. Steph Curry also scored 36.5 ppg vs. the Blazers in the two earlier meetings. Play Warriors
Here is a unique intersection of bounce-back and revenge for the Lake Show tonight in Phoenix. Much ado about Lakers defensive shortcomings after LA was shot full of holes by the Spurs in Wednesday's NBA Cup loss at Crypto.com. Moreover, Austin Reaves will be missing this game tonight in the desert. Still, the combo of Wednesday's humbling and a 125-108 home loss to the Suns two weeks ago in LA makes this an interesting psychological spot for the Lake Show. Still to be determined for Phoenix are statuses of Dillon Brooks (who scored 33 in that 17-point win) and Devin Booker, out since that same December 1 game. No matter, revenge and bounce-back both line up on LA's side tonight. Play Lakers
Much is being made about the Lakers' defensive shortcomings, which were exposed again when the Spurs knocked the Lake Show out of the NBA Cup on Wednesday at Crypto.com. Slowness on the perimeter made it tough to keep pace with the rapid-fire Spurs shooters, who kept finding open looks, especially beyond the arc, where they canned 17 triples. Of course the Suns fared even worse on Wednesday at OKC, but didn't have Devin Booker, who might be available tonight. If not, remember Booker only played 10 minutes in the 125-108 Phoenix win at LA on December 1, when Dillon Brooks (likely available) scored 33 and Collin Gillespie added 28 in a game that looked remarkably similar to the Spurs' win at LA. Play Lakers-Suns Over
Not since before Halloween have the Bucks won back-to-back games, which makes us think that Friday's win over the Celtics might prove a tough act to follow. Boston helped by missing 35 triples at Fiserv Forum, and Milwaukee is going to continue for the next couple of weeks, it seems, minus Giannis, now dealing with a bothersome calf strain. The Bucks hit 58% from the floor on Friday, another act that's likely hard to repeat. Meanwhile the Nets aren't playing too badly, with wins in three of five and pushing the hot Mavs into the final minute on Friday, and Michael Porter Jr on a real heater, scoring 33 or more in four of the last five Brooklyn games. Play Nets