NBA Betting: Vol. 2

shadowjackal27 said:I know

I actually took him because, if you follow any kind of logic, he should land in the under. But honestly? I have a feeling that other, completely illogical side of things is going to win out.

Well, we'll see how it plays out.

That's why I went with him in the matchup against Kevin Durant instead of hitting the over; that 2.0 odds line isn't something you just pass up.☕

Kevin Durant is playing against Sacramento, who aren't exactly looking good in my book, which could be interesting. I put my money on the Russell Westbrook over, so I'm pulling for you to hit yours too. 😍

Arthur Hill2 said:I have a gut feeling the Lakers take it tonight. I think Gasol wins his matchup against Garnett, and OKC will definitely cover the spread. Just a feeling, though. It should be an easy one.

🥳

OKC 🙂

wiredcanyon39 said:OKC 🙂

I told you all the matchups looked sketchy—you just wouldn't listen. 😬

Whatever. Hopefully things turn around today. 😁

Toronto Boston 2 1.60

Man, they got absolutely crushed by 36 points just yesterday

Nicholas Chase34 said:Phoenix Suns - Houston Rockets under 200.5 @ -110 DraftKings

👍
paired this up with an over on Sacramento-Oklahoma and a Silicon Valley parlay 😁

Man, these numbers are actually insane...
Kobe Bryant is absolutely tearing it up right now. He’s leading the league with 29.2 points per game, but check this out: he’s been averaging a massive 33.4 points during this nine-game winning streak for the Los Angeles Lakers. Even more ridiculous? He’s putting up 40.0 points on average over his last four trips to New York City. That includes that absolute clinic where he dropped 33 points in a 113-96 win back on February 11th last year.

And don't even get me started on Pau Gasol. He’s been dominant on the road lately, averaging 26.8 points and 9.0 rebounds over his last four matchups against the New York Knicks.

Sure, that’s just how it goes in the soft basketball landscape of New York City; all the superstars get hyped up whenever they make an appearance there.😁.

A Kobe Bryant comeback should be on the table.🙂

In my heart of hearts, I was secretly hoping they’d set a single-digit handicap for the Chicago Bulls again.😬

OKC 🤦 totally ruined my parlay, and I was sitting on a $733 win. After that wild comeback from Lazio, I honestly thought even God Himself couldn't stop me from cashing out, but then these absolute bottom-feeders from 🙂 🤦
went and blew it all.

Bosh over 14.5 @ 1.85
Boozer under 17.5 @ 1.85
Pau Gasol over 16.5 @ 1.85
Granger over 18.5 @ 1.85
Russell Westbrook over 23.5 @ 1.85
+12.5/Washington-Miami 1 @ 1.85 HL

DeMar DeRozan over 14.5 @ 1.85
LeBron James over 26.5 @ 1.85
Magic Johnson under 19.5 @ 1.85
Jennings under 19.5 @ 1.85
Marc Gasol over 14.5 @ 1.85
Paul Pierce over 19.5 @ 1.85
Iguodala under 13.5 @ 1.85
Jamison over 16.5 @ 1.85
Love over 24.5 @ 1.85 SS

System 8/9, just a small stake here☕

New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers @ 1.65
8/10

The Knicks have been one of the biggest letdowns this season, honestly. They’re playing pretty rough and aren't even close to clicking as a unit. I mean, everyone knew it would take some time for the stars to gel, but man, it's just not happening. Melo's out with an injury tonight, and we're also missing Amara due to a death in his family. Jeremy Lin has been a total surprise, though I highly doubt he can keep up this kind of pace forever. It looks like the heavy lifting will fall on Chandler Novak and Walker, which—if you ask me—is way too much to ask when you're facing the Lakers. Speaking of which, the Lakers are playing okay, but it feels like they might hit a ceiling in the Western Conference semifinals this year. Kobe Bryant is basically playing solo, putting up about 30 points a night, with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol chipping in. Against a weak New York squad dealing with all these injury issues, I just don't see how they don't win this. Also, Kobe could easily go over his point total since the Knicks' defense has been a complete disaster lately, but I think I'll just stick with the Lakers and see what happens. 😁


Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics @ 1.60
6/10

These two met about a week ago, and Boston absolutely cruised to an easy win. DeMar DeRozan flashes brilliance every now and then, but usually, he ends up staying well under his averages. Their top guy, Andrea Bargnani, has been sidelined with an injury for a while now, and without him, they've been nowhere near playoff contention—honestly, they're one of the weaker teams in the league right now. This group of decent players just doesn't have what it takes to make the playoffs. On the other hand, after a miserable start to the season, Boston is finally starting to play like they should. That said, they don't seem to be at the level they were in previous years; the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are clearly a tier above them. Still, they're still beating the lesser teams, so I'm betting they'll definitely make the playoffs.

I might just go with Orlando. They've looked a little better lately, I guess. Not quite in that slump they were in when they were getting blown out by 20 against the Hornets...

Aside from Boston and the Lakers, here are my two picks:
Jennings B. (-19.5+) Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami < 1.85
He’s struggling lately, averaging just 7.3 points on 30% shooting over the last three. Plus, he hasn't fared well against the Cleveland Cavaliers recently—only 8.7 points on 20% shooting—and his road numbers aren't great compared to his home games.
Dwight Howard (-22.5+) Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks > 1.85
He’s in good shape and hitting the over quite a bit. Last year in the playoffs against Atlanta, he put up 27, and this time they don't have Al Horford.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers 2 < 1.35
Not much to say really. The Hornets are just too weak, and the Blazers need every win they can get right now.
Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks 1 < 1.60
The Orlando Magic are heating up, winning four of their last five, including an easy one against Miami. Atlanta isn't bad, but I'm leaning toward the home side.
Minnesota Timberwolves (h+7.5) vs Dallas Mavericks 1 < 1.30
The Timberwolves are playing pretty well this season, though Dallas has won both matchups so far. Love is coming back from suspension, so if Dallas wins, I doubt it'll be a blowout.

LeBron James over 26.5 @ 1.85
5/10
John Wall over 16.5 @ 1.85
4/10

LeBron James is playing his fifth season for the books, man, and he’s sitting pretty as the second leading scorer in the league right now. The Washington Wizards have been absolutely terrible on defense lately, especially at the small forward spot—they're basically one of the easiest teams to score on in that position. I mean, he went under the line a couple of times recently and it killed my margin, so I just have to take this one. Usually, LeBron really steps up against these weaker squads. Since Dwyane Wade came back, he’s taking a few less shots, but I still see him hitting a light over here; I’m expecting at least 30 points tonight.

There isn't a ton to say about John Wall, but honestly, he takes way more shots at home than on the road and his field goal percentage is much better in front of his own fans. The Miami Heat have a killer defense, mostly because they've got guys like Dwyane Wade and LeBron James who are just fast and physically dominant, but when it comes to guarding point guards, they're actually one of the weakest teams in the league. They struggle big time against guys like Derrick Rose and Chris Paul, so we see overs on point guards against the Heat all the time. John Wall is feeling it too, and he hasn't let me down in his last few home games, so hopefully he keeps that streak going tonight. 😁

Phila - LA Clippers 2 @ 2.30
2/10
Man, there are so many plays today. I'm feeling really good about this slate... maybe I'll actually clean out the sportsbook tomorrow if things go my way. 😁

Honestly, this feels like one of my best bets of the day, if not the whole week, because I see nothing but a Detroit win here, and I've got some pretty solid reasons why. These two squads have already faced off twice this year and they're currently split at 1-1. In their first matchup, the New Jersey Nets pulled it off at home with a 99-96 score, but just two days ago, Detroit came away with a road victory, winning 92-99. It’s huge that Ben Gordon is back in the mix after being sidelined for about a month; he looked really sharp in his return against the Nets, dropping 14 points on an efficient 6-7 from the field, so expect him to keep that offensive momentum going. The injury situation in Detroit is looking fantastic—they're basically healthy aside from Charlie Villanueva, who hasn't even been in the rotation this season. On the flip side, the Nets are dealing with a massive headache because half their roster is stuck in the training room. We're talking about Lopez (out since the start of the season), Bogans, Okur, Stevenson, Brooks, and LeBron James. That is one seriously long list that includes three starters, leaving the Nets incredibly thin on depth. Offensively, they're basically leaning entirely on Deron Williams, Morrow, and Humphries, while everything else behind them is, to put it lightly, pretty desperate. Let's break down those two previous matchups and why I think this is such a high-value play.

The absolute game-changer here, and the main reason Detroit has the edge, is their ability to dominate inside and rack up those easy baskets through layups and dunks. If you look at the stats over their last two meetings via hoopdata.com, Detroit crushed it at the rim with 76 made shots (FG 38-59), whereas the Nets only managed 44 (FG 21-40), which is a massive gap in efficiency. New Jersey is way too dependent on perimeter shooting, mid-range jumpers, and threes because they just don't have anyone capable of bullying people in the paint. Their only real threats inside are Humphries and Serena Williams, but Detroit already has a blueprint to shut them down. If the Pistons can just keep the Nets from getting hot from deep, the home team is cruising to a very easy win—I wouldn't be surprised to see them cover by double digits. Good luck! ☕

Detroit Pistons vs New Jersey Nets
Detroit @ 1.75 - 9/10 - Pinnacle Detroit
Detroit -8.5 @ 3.3 - 1/10 - SuperSport

I’m keeping an eye on your Detroit picks... and I might just throw some Lakers into the mix too...
Good luck!
If you’re sitting at a 9/10 confidence level, then you better be putting some serious skin in the game... xD

31w/30l ; +35,698 units ; ROI: +12.06%

New York Knicks vs. LA Lakers
Pick: LA Lakers -3.5

Odds: 1.952

Betting shop: Pinnacle

Unit stake: 6/10

Keeping this brief—gotta run:

Coming off last night's win, the Lakers head to New York. The Knicks will be playing without their two stars, Anthony and Stoudemire. With those two out, young Lin—the kid from Harvard—has stepped up, putting up over 20 points in his last three outings. We'll see if he can maintain that efficiency tonight against a frontcourt featuring Gasol and, more importantly, Bynum. Honestly, the Knicks look desperate right now—both offensively and defensively—which explains their current standing. A lot of people expected them to be battling Miami and Chicago for dominance in the East this season. As I’ve noted in previous analyses, the Lakers have a thin bench, but having Blake back provides a much-needed spark; he’s the kind of veteran who can knock down a few threes while the starters catch their breath.
They already met once this year, and the Lakers cruised to a 17-point victory at home. While LA hasn't looked particularly convincing on the road, they simply cannot afford to drop this one to a team like New York.
I think the Lakers take it—the odds and the line are too good to pass up.

New Orleans vs. Portland
Pick: Portland -6.5

Odds: 1.926

Unit stake: 5/10

New Orleans is struggling—I mentioned this a few days ago, so I won't repeat myself. They're dealing with several injuries, including their leading scorer, Gordon. They brought Kaman back onto the roster, though there's talk he won't see floor time until a trade happens. They're still missing big men Landry and Smith, whereas Portland is coming in with a full squad. New Orleans is one of the worst scoring teams in the league—second to last, actually—and they've dropped 22 of their last 24 games. In their last matchup against the Bulls, they managed only 67 points at home. They played once before this season, and Portland covered by 7 on the road; I suspect Camby wasn't playing then, and he's vital for their defense and rebounding. Plus, Aldridge finally made the All-Star Game, so he'll be motivated—as he has been all season. I'm expecting him to clear 30 points tonight.

You're obsessed with Portland. 😬

Hopefully, it finally goes through now. 👍

Hey steelhawk12, does this actually worry you? Or was this something you called ahead of time?
Nets say MarShon Brooks could play tonight against Pistons

Acela angle FTW!