VegasButcher (NBA)
Golden State Warriors -9.5 (1st Half Only)
Golden State leads the league with an Efficiency-differential of +11.3. Philadelphia 76ers are ranked dead-last with an Efficiency-differential of -11.3. MCW is out once again for Philly and I expect the Warriors to be somewhat engaged for at least the 1st half in this one.
San Antonio Spurs -4.5
The Spurs ran into a very motivated Toronto team, which held them to 33% shooting from the field. Toronto isn’t known for their defense but they played extremely well on that side of the floor. Unlike the Raptors, Indiana is ONLY known for their defense, but I don’t expect a similar type of performance tonight. The reason for that is that Indiana has just played three straight very close games, and I’m not sure how much they have left in a tank not just physically, but more so mentally. This team won by 5 against Detroit on Wednesday, beat a ‘hot’ Cleveland team by 4 on Friday, and then barely pulled off a 1-point “miracle” win yesterday @ Charlotte. They were down 17 entering the 3rd quarter and down 21 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd, prior to going on a 48 to 26 run to end the game and pull out a 1-point win on a bucket in the final seconds of the game. Could we see a bit of a ‘let-down’ out of the Pacers tonight? Quiet possible. Unlike IND, the Spurs lost last night, so I would expect a ‘bounce back’ type of effort here. San Antonio’s 2nd ranked D should be able to contain this bad Indiana offense, and San Antonio’s depth will be a big advantage as well. I also like the fact that Pop is going for this 1,000’s win again, as I’m sure the players (and coach) want to get it for him just so that they can stop fielding questions about it.
Utah Jazz +3.5
There aren’t many players on NBA teams that are as critical to their teams as Anthony Davis. LeBron James and Kevin Durant come to mind, and after them, Davis is next in line. The guy leads the league in PER this season and is developing into a SUPERstar right in front of our eyes. Well, he won’t play tonight after sustaining a shoulder injury in his last game. In addition, NO will be without Ryan Anderson as well. It will be up to Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon to carry the offense. Gordon is one of the most over-rated played in the league, while Evans can’t shoot. That’s an issue as without Davis and Ryan Anderson to space the floor, Utah can collapse their defenders into the paint, and force New Orleans to settle for perimeter shots. In addition, Exum has the height to matchup with Evans and he’s strictly starting for the Jazz due to his defensive ability (in addition to Utah trying to develop him of course). With him on the court Utah is allowing 105 points per 100 possessions, without, they’re at 113 per 100 poss. That’s a significant difference. In addition, Utah’s 3 ‘bigs’ (Favors, Kanter, Gobert) will have a major advantage in the paint, and of course I didn’t even mention that the Jazz will have the best player on the court tonight in Hayward. This is going to be a tough game for the Pelicans and without both Davis and Anderson I think they’ll have a very tough time beating the Jazz, let alone cover the spread.
Oklahoma City Thunder -3 (1st Half Only)
Denver is a tough place to play for a lot of teams, and it’s more difficult for teams on a b2b and 3in4 spots. OKC’s game yesterday was a day-game and it was a massive blowout so ‘fatigue’ probably shouldn’t be that big of a factor. Still, I’d rather back them for the 1st half against a well-rested Denver team. Of course being ‘well rested’ is one thing and being a ‘good’ NBA team is another. Denver is 1-12 in the last 13 games losing to squads like BOS, PHI, CHA, and MIN in the process. They are also in a full ‘sell now’ mode as both Afflalo and Chandler are available on the trade-market. While Denver is looking to sell off their available assets and compete for the lowest draft pick possible, OKC is only a few games away from the 8th playoff spot. With the Suns losing yesterday and New Orleans playing without Davis, this is OKC’s chance to pick up a valuable game. I will be surprised if they don’t bring another strong effort tonight… at least for the 1st half.
Golden State Warriors -9.5 (1st Half Only)
Golden State leads the league with an Efficiency-differential of +11.3. Philadelphia 76ers are ranked dead-last with an Efficiency-differential of -11.3. MCW is out once again for Philly and I expect the Warriors to be somewhat engaged for at least the 1st half in this one.
San Antonio Spurs -4.5
The Spurs ran into a very motivated Toronto team, which held them to 33% shooting from the field. Toronto isn’t known for their defense but they played extremely well on that side of the floor. Unlike the Raptors, Indiana is ONLY known for their defense, but I don’t expect a similar type of performance tonight. The reason for that is that Indiana has just played three straight very close games, and I’m not sure how much they have left in a tank not just physically, but more so mentally. This team won by 5 against Detroit on Wednesday, beat a ‘hot’ Cleveland team by 4 on Friday, and then barely pulled off a 1-point “miracle” win yesterday @ Charlotte. They were down 17 entering the 3rd quarter and down 21 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd, prior to going on a 48 to 26 run to end the game and pull out a 1-point win on a bucket in the final seconds of the game. Could we see a bit of a ‘let-down’ out of the Pacers tonight? Quiet possible. Unlike IND, the Spurs lost last night, so I would expect a ‘bounce back’ type of effort here. San Antonio’s 2nd ranked D should be able to contain this bad Indiana offense, and San Antonio’s depth will be a big advantage as well. I also like the fact that Pop is going for this 1,000’s win again, as I’m sure the players (and coach) want to get it for him just so that they can stop fielding questions about it.
Utah Jazz +3.5
There aren’t many players on NBA teams that are as critical to their teams as Anthony Davis. LeBron James and Kevin Durant come to mind, and after them, Davis is next in line. The guy leads the league in PER this season and is developing into a SUPERstar right in front of our eyes. Well, he won’t play tonight after sustaining a shoulder injury in his last game. In addition, NO will be without Ryan Anderson as well. It will be up to Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon to carry the offense. Gordon is one of the most over-rated played in the league, while Evans can’t shoot. That’s an issue as without Davis and Ryan Anderson to space the floor, Utah can collapse their defenders into the paint, and force New Orleans to settle for perimeter shots. In addition, Exum has the height to matchup with Evans and he’s strictly starting for the Jazz due to his defensive ability (in addition to Utah trying to develop him of course). With him on the court Utah is allowing 105 points per 100 possessions, without, they’re at 113 per 100 poss. That’s a significant difference. In addition, Utah’s 3 ‘bigs’ (Favors, Kanter, Gobert) will have a major advantage in the paint, and of course I didn’t even mention that the Jazz will have the best player on the court tonight in Hayward. This is going to be a tough game for the Pelicans and without both Davis and Anderson I think they’ll have a very tough time beating the Jazz, let alone cover the spread.
Oklahoma City Thunder -3 (1st Half Only)
Denver is a tough place to play for a lot of teams, and it’s more difficult for teams on a b2b and 3in4 spots. OKC’s game yesterday was a day-game and it was a massive blowout so ‘fatigue’ probably shouldn’t be that big of a factor. Still, I’d rather back them for the 1st half against a well-rested Denver team. Of course being ‘well rested’ is one thing and being a ‘good’ NBA team is another. Denver is 1-12 in the last 13 games losing to squads like BOS, PHI, CHA, and MIN in the process. They are also in a full ‘sell now’ mode as both Afflalo and Chandler are available on the trade-market. While Denver is looking to sell off their available assets and compete for the lowest draft pick possible, OKC is only a few games away from the 8th playoff spot. With the Suns losing yesterday and New Orleans playing without Davis, this is OKC’s chance to pick up a valuable game. I will be surprised if they don’t bring another strong effort tonight… at least for the 1st half.
