While Hurricane Sandy is tearing up the East Coast, we’re moving things out to the West Coast for the NBA season opener. I won't waste space rehashing all the massive trades and roster shifts—you can find much more detailed breakdowns on the specialized sports sites, and I'm sure people here on the forum have already covered it extensively. Let's focus on the current state of affairs regarding the Lakers vs. Mavericks matchup. Honestly? The Mavs are in deep trouble heading into this season. Dirk is out for at least a month following knee surgery, Kaman is also battling injuries, and according to the latest team reports, they’ve waived Delonte West—the guy James' mother knows—due to two incidents of misconduct in the last two weeks. Word is that Curry, who was cut by the Spurs and brought in just to fill a roster spot, might actually start at center against Howard. On top of that, Brandan Wright and Cunningham have both been dealing with injury issues. Looking at it objectively, it's going to be an uphill battle for Dallas in the early stages of the season. Then again, so many rosters have changed; everyone needs time to gel. Plenty of teams are facing similar growing pains, so we'll just have to see how the starting lineups shake out.
Shawn Marion is a cornerstone for Dallas even though the season hasn't even started, but I have to use this margin because, given everything mentioned above, it’s way too low. The situation in Dallas is what it is. Aside from Marion, their offensive options might fall to newcomers like Maya and Collison—maybe even Air Canada. With Brand fighting tough matchups under the rim, I'm convinced Marion has to step up today as the primary leader; after all, that's what's expected of him given his experience and value to the squad. The Lakers aren't exactly unscathed either—Bryant is predictably a question mark regarding his availability, and Howard is still recovering, though he should make his debut in the yellow jersey. Once we get more injury updates, we'll have a clearer picture.
I like this pick. Especially since Dirk is out and Terry and Kidd are off the table.🙂
crimsonangler1 said:Statistics can be deceiving sometimes—but look at the form. He’s going to take 20+ shots. Westbrook isn't playing particularly well right now, and Harden is a total question mark🤷. P.S. Tatum has improved—he’s hitting 10 jumpers out of 5-13, Deng is at 9, and apparently Iggy is the only one actually cooking here.😕
Yeah, Westbrook is completely out of it—someone needs to step up. And what are you even saying? The real question is how Harden is feeling. At this rate, he might not even see the rim once tonight.😁
stormyseal9;39189159 said:Back to the NBA after a day off
Main ticket
Deng over 15.5 @ 1.85 -Some people doubt him—whatever—but I’m taking him. Rose isn't playing at full strength given his injury history, and his recent home performance supports the over (scored 22 against DAL, 16 against MIA, 19 against NYK, 26 against BOS, 24 against HOU, and 20 against DET in his last six home games) James over 27.5 @ 1.85 -He's been resting a bit lately, so he might be back to that level where he consistently drops 27+ points. In head-to-head matchups, he's put up 29, 20, and 31 points Anthony over 26.5 @ 1.85 -I actually expected a higher line considering how incredible he's been this past month. He dropped 39 against ATL, 35 against BOS, 42 against MIA, and 29, 43 against CHI. Anything under 30 would be a shock, especially since he's dialed in from deep with a 50% clip now Durant over 28.5 @ 1.85 -The guy has been the league's top scorer for three years straight. Plus, with Harden's status uncertain, Durant should have plenty of open looks. He's cleared this line in four of his last five games (scoring 32, 32, 35, 29, 29), and his head-to-head numbers are 22, 23, 27, 30 Nowitzki over 22.5 @ 1.85 -Last year's playoffs saw him averaging 32.2 against OKC. He's seen limited minutes recently, but he should step it up today
Stake ☕, Favorite
I'm stuck on Durant—he hasn't cleared the line against Dallas all season. Clearly, they're shutting him down effectively🤷 Or will he just lose his mind today and drop 40? Hm?
graniteotter6 said:The favorites pulled off 13 wins—yet here we are, making up excuses and playing pretend. Great. Maybe we should all just collectively give up, because this kind of luck isn't happening again anytime soon.
Obviously, I went with the under instead of the spread—and of course, it’s a basket right on a last-second possession.🙂 But if I take the moneyline for the win, while calling the spread and the Miami under? That's the play.🤣
Maybe some luck will finally swing the way of the playoffs...
If they actually let me place that bet, I would have ended up exactly where you are. At least I’d have my sanity intact.🙂
I have no clue what is going on—I logged out and back in again, but everything is just being rejected when I try to place a bet 🙂 They're supposed to be winners 😁
Dana Baker2 said:Yeah, this is why we're stuck with SS-A. As for the Favorite, they seem to be taking decent margins based on what I'm seeing, but I'm not exactly opening an account there. They want your current balance, and since I can't go through MoneyBookers, I just threw a little something on Fortune.
These jerks are rejecting everything I throw at them—even the ones starting at 2🙂
So Durant’s taking a break—as if I needed more stress—while I'm sitting here talking to my brother about how he's neck-and-neck with Bryant for the league's leading scorer. Why on earth wouldn't he suit up against the Kings and just drop 35 points on them? Sure, I'll play fewer minutes, obviously—but let's be real, that wasn't even the main issue here. 🙂
Regarding Granger 😠 I was wondering how Philly would tighten up their defense since they absolutely need this win—but damn, they’ve completely lost their minds. 🙂 As for Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, and Gay going over, while Gasol went under... ah, well.
He’s been red hot in recent games, averaging 25.6 points in his last nine outings. Expecting him to lead the charge again today against the Miami Heat.
LeBron James 26.5 - under
James is not playing his best basketball. He’s averaging just over 18 points and shooting 39 percent from the field in his last five games. A bit risky—but since he's still dealing with that finger injury, I'm hoping he stays under.
Kevin Durant 28.5 - over He dropped 33 against the Lakers last time out. We all know how much he loves scoring on the road—plus, facing the Lakers and Kobe Bryant today provides some extra motivation.
Still weighing up whether to go over on Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant.
Nicholas Chase34 said:He’s a massive home-court player—plain and simple. He absolutely cranks it up in front of his own fans, which explains why his scoring average takes such a nose dive on the road: 17.1 PPG at home versus a measly 9.5 PPG away. Looking at his 17 road trips, Wallace has only cleared this margin three times. Twice it was against the New Orleans Pelicans with 14 points, and once against the Golden State Warriors where he hit 24. Aside from those outliers? He almost always stays under. On the road, he takes two fewer shots per game on average and hits the free-throw line twice less often. It’s predictable. In games where Portland Trail Blazers stay under 100 points, Wallace averages just 10.1 points—and even in losses, he only manages 10.3. To top it off, look at his recent stretch against the Boston Celtics: he's been stuck at a miserable 7.66 points over the last three games.🤷
If he were available in the SS right now, I’d grab him immediately. What a waste.
What exactly do you expect from Deron Williams? You think he’s just going to walk out there and replicate that performance against the Charlotte Bobcats? Give me a break. 🙂
Joshua Gonzalez33 said:Chris Bosh was out there—Denver’s interior defense is solid—and Tony Parker kept Jeremy Lin under 50% shooting and at just 4 assists, which isn't exactly terrible. Even with Stephen Curry on the floor, Ellis still managed to take 19 shots. I don't see what the issue is here. 🤷
wiredcanyon39 said:Bosh is playing—and yeah, Parker can definitely shut down Lin if he wants to; I could probably do the same thing. He’s got solid interior defense against Denver, but I'm not so sure about the perimeter. Lin is on fire right now. Sure, he *could* get countered, but without someone like Steph Curry out there to space the floor, this guy is going to end up taking a hell of a lot of bad shots.
So you must be some kind of god-tier player then.😁
