Posts by rustyseal92

Today, I find myself valuing LeBron James even more than his usual 27.5 points per game.
First off, it’s impossible to ignore that he dropped 35 points in each of the two games this season. Secondly, it seems quite clear that Lou Deng's defense is being overrated—Carmelo Anthony handled him with ease over the last two games, and it appears LeBron James isn't having much trouble with him either. Thirdly, while it's true that Dwyane Wade has returned from injury and is playing in his hometown, I suspect LeBron James will still be the one calling the shots.

Given the recent flurry of trades and coaching changes, here are my picks for tonight:

Wall 18.5 - over
Washington lost their 2nd and 3rd options, but they did bring in Nen. Wall has full control of the team now, and he already dropped 26 points in his first game following the trade (which was actually a win). While Wall’s numbers tend to dip when playing away from home, given the current circumstances, he should be able to clear this margin quite easily.

Carmelo Anthony 21.5 - over
So, we have a coaching change, largely driven by the fact that Anthony wasn't feeling D'Antoni's system. The first game was a blowout, but today Melo might once again take his usual volume of shots and push past 30. Even Stoudemire mentioned that Carmelo needs to step up and prove he's the leader. In his language, that means taking about 30 shots per game.

Danny Granger 18.5 - over
Following up on that previous point, everyone knows Carmelo is a defensive liability who can't guard his own position. In a direct matchup, Granger could easily reach 25+ points because he'll find plenty of easy looks that he "just" needs to sink.

Andrew Bynum 17.5 - over
The man has been in incredible form throughout March. In eight games played, he only failed to hit this line once, and in his last four outings, he's been hovering near 30. Specifically, against Minnesota, he's put up 20-10 in three games this season.

Sean Bailey3 said:Why didn't Kevin Love play yesterday, and will he be out today as well? I honestly think betting on LeBron James under might be the move here.

LeBron James has been averaging 39 points over his last four games in Portland.
This is a lock, plain and simple.

Thomas Cook54 said:They even added Jeremy Lin to the mix today.😍 I suspect they set the line just high enough to screw us all over at 22.5, but I'm going over. He put up 20 points in Minneapolis despite plenty of misses and an overall subpar performance; now he’s in a position to take full control while Melo and Amar'e Stoudemire are out. Plus, the Knicks' defense looks pretty thin to me, so I'll take deRozan over on this matchup as well...

First, the Under was dropped to 1.70, and then they pulled it from the board entirely. I suppose they're waiting for the bettors to set the margin before they update the odds.

For today:

DeRozan under 15.5 points—given his subpar shooting lately at around 38%, and the fact that he’ll likely be guarded by someone like Grant Hill, who recently tore through Carmelo, I’m leaning this way. Why? Because we're hearing rumors about Bargnanis returning to the lineup, and he tends to be the primary ball hog in Toronto. Plus, when they play on the road, DeRozan averages just 13.4 points on 34% shooting.

Arthur Hill2 said:Anyone who doesn't back the Magic right now is kidding themselves.

Not to mention they haven't faced any real heavyweights this season, and Orlando is sitting right at the top of the East.

Bryan Adams6, why would you ever bet against Dallas without Dirk? 🤷

Personally, I wouldn't go charging blindly against Boston. They cruised to a 15-point lead yesterday with ease, holding it until Paul Pierce picked up his fourth foul and hit the bench. And today, we might see both Rajon Rondo and Marcus Smart back in the lineup.
If you ask me, the smarter play is looking at the over for Pierce; he took the most shots yesterday, and that's likely to be the case again tonight. Besides, he even admitted it himself: "I'm one of our, if not our main scorer on this ballclub," Pierce said. "That's my role. I haven't been doing a good job of it lately, but a lot of that has to do with just being in game shape, getting my legs stronger, being able to get up and down and jump." I expect him to be more careful in defense to avoid those fouls.
Furthermore, Dwight Howard has been averaging over 30 points these last two matchups against Boston, so that’s another solid option to consider.

In short, caution is advised. Boston is playing at home, they are a veteran squad, and it's highly probable they'll show up with their full roster.