wiredcanyon39
Active Member
74 messages
joined Jul 2020
Portland Trail Blazers - Miami Heat odds 1.50
9/10
Yesterday, the one analysis I missed was calling a Portland win over Denver, but like I mentioned there, I mostly played that because of all those injuries hitting the Nuggets, not necessarily because I thought Portland was playing out of their minds. At the start of the season, they were such a massive surprise, just cruising to wins with really solid play. Lately, though, things have gone downhill fast, and they finally fell out of the Playoff hunt. If they don't step it up, making the postseason in this West is going to be an uphill battle. They aren't dealing with much of an injury bug either, though I guess Kurt Thomas is a bit of a question mark. On the flip side, the Miami Heat are on this incredible 8-game tear, and game after game, they’re proving they're the real deal for the title. They've been dismantling opponents pretty easily, which is exactly what you'd expect from that big trio once they got their rhythm down; I guess they just needed a season to gel. LeBron James is playing better than ever, leaning more on those drives to the rim, and he's looking unstoppable. Even when he isn't dropping a triple-double, he's still chipping in with assists and boards every single night. Dwyane Wade is back from injury and has been providing huge plays—he might take an extra shot here and there, but hey, who can blame a superstar like him? Chris Bosh is looking perfect from mid-range and has even started knocking down threes; he gets way more aggressive when one of the other two isn't scoring, and he's doing his job perfectly. Mario Chalmers is consistently hitting open threes, while Udonis Haslem and Shane Miller are those gritty guys off the bench that the Heat really missed last season. And we can't forget Shane Battier, who adds a whole new dimension to this squad on defense—he's honestly one of the best defenders in the league, and he can definitely knock down a three when he gets hot. Portland has been looking pretty miserable lately, while the Heat just seem to get stronger and crazier every single night.
Sacramento Kings - LA Clippers odds 1.60
7/10
Blake Griffin over 22.5 odds 1.85
4/10
The Kings are easily one of the weakest teams in the league, and probably have the worst defense around. I don't think I even need to point out the million times people have said here that they are bottom-tier when it comes to protecting the paint. Knowing how bad the Kings' defense is, I really think the Clippers are going to lean heavily on Blake Griffin tonight. If he can just stay efficient around the rim, I don't see why the over wouldn't hit. The Clippers did drop one to the Timberwolves, but I'm sure Chris Paul and the rest of the crew are hungry to push hard through the end of the season to secure a better seed. I'm guessing they're eyeing that second spot, since jumping ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder feels like a tall order. As for the Kings, they probably already know their playoff hopes are basically dead, so they're likely just playing for pride now. Honestly, if they can just keep their arena in Sacramento filled, I guess that's a win for them.
