NBA Picks

The Portland Trail Blazers have hit a rough patch of form lately. They have dropped 3 straight games but the advance statistics paint an even worse picture. Over the last 10 games they are just 24th in the league in net offensive and defensive rating. They will have a very tough task of hosting the Boston Celtics tonight, a team who rank 4th in that very same category. The hosts will be dealing with several injury concerns too. Key veterans like Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III are on the injury report ahead of this game and their experience will really be missed as they try and turn this run around.

Over the last 10 games efficiency has been one of the major issues for the hosts, ranking just 27th in the league in true shooting percentage. The Celtics have had no such issues. During that stretch of games they are 2nd in the league in 3-pointers made per game and 5th in 3-point percentage. Jordan Walsh has emerged for the visitors as a terrific wing defender and exactly the type of player that would be needed to slow down Deni Advija. The Trail Blazers star is being heavily relied upon for playmaking but is coming into this game after a 7-turnover performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. If the visitors can force him into uncomfortable positions, they should be well positioned to dominate the game.

Boston Celtics vs Portland Trail Blazers prediction: Celtics -6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to Celtics -7.

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After starting their season 4-11, the Memphis Grizzlies are one win away from getting back to a .500 record. Tonight, they will have the chance to do just that against the Washington Wizards. The Grizzlies have a record of 15-16 this season, and they are 8-8 when playing on the road. Memphis has won their last two games, with their last win coming against the Milwaukee Bucks 125-104. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the team in scoring with 24 points, and Ja Morant added 17 points and 10 assists in his return to the lineup. The Wizards have a record of 6-23 and 3-10 on their home floor. Washington has lost two of their last three games, but they are coming off a 138-117 win over the Toronto Raptors in their previous game. Keyshawn George led the team in scoring with 23 points while Bilal Coulibaly added 21 points and 8 rebounds.

The Wizards have the second worst record in the NBA, but there have been some encouraging signs as of late. It started around a week ago in the last time these two teams competed. Memphis had a 20 points lead in the first half before the Wizards stormed back to win 130-122. In the Wizards last win against Toronto, Washington shot 59% from the field and had 62 points in the paint. The Wizards will get the chance to keep their momentum going against an injury-riddled Grizzlies team. Memphis will be without key players such as Zach Edey, Vince Williams Jr. and  Brandon Clarke. The Grizzlies just welcomed back Ja Morant from injury in their previous game, but the team could still be trying to be careful with Morant’s minutes. Morant only played 25 minutes against Milwaukee. I don’t expect this number to go up with this being the first time Morant has played back-to-back games since the beginning of November. The Wizards have a lot of confidence right now, and I expect they put forth a good effort tonight.

Grizzlies vs Wizards prediction: Wizards +7 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Los Angeles Clippers have picked up 3-straigh wins largely due to improved defensive performances, holding 3 straight opponents to below 110 points. They should have issues keeping that streak going tonight up against the Detroit Pistons. Over the last 10 games the visitors are 6th in the league in offensive rating and have managed at least 110 in 9 straight games, including surpassing 130 points in each of their last 2 contests. Ivica Zubac continues to be unavailable for the hosts, meaning Brook Lopez will draw the start once more. The Pistons have an elite playmaker in Cade Cunningham that should be well positioned to go at the slow-footed center in pick and roll situations. Lopez does however provide great scoring potential, as witnessed by his 9 made 3-pointers in his last game.

The Pistons do prefer to play at a higher tempo, taking any opportunity they can to get out in transition. In fact, over the last 10 games, they lead the league in fast break points per game. Against a team in the bottom half of the league in points allowed in that category, it should be a point of emphasis for them here. Outside of Ausar Thompson, the Pistons lack lock down defenders in their starting 5. That was evident in their last outing where they gave up 30-point games to both Lauri Markannen and Keyonte George. With Lopez spreading the floor and creating space, look for James Harden and Kawhi Leonard to be able to take advantage of this and help the Clippers do their part for the over.

Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Clippers prediction: Over 224.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 226.

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The month of December hasn’t been good to the Kings. They find themselves near the bottom of the Conference with just 7 wins in 30 games and all signs are pointing to a scenario where major changes will be made sooner rather than later. Right now they have Keegan Murray, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis all out, so we’re basically seeing the DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook show on most nights. Both of those players are in the twilight of their career and they won’t get you many wins, but as we saw in their loss to the Pistons the other day, they are capable of putting up a ton of points against certain opponents.

Time to see how uncomfortable those Saturday practice and meeting really were. Head coach JJ Redick was heated after the Lakers’ loss on Christmas Day, calling out his team for a lack of effort and said he is not doing another 53 games like that. Playing the Kings will be the perfect test for LA – it’s a team that has struggled for most of the season so far, but on occasions they’ve beaten some really good teams. A lot is expected from Luka Doncic here as he tries to right the ship. Austin Reaves has been lost for a month after he re-aggravated his calf injury, it’ll be interesting to see how they replace his production.

This could be a make it or break it moment in the Lakers season as they try to respond after losing their last 3 games, all by double digits. The lack of defensive pressure on their part makes me a bit hesitant to back them to crush the Kings, no matter how badly they’ve looked this season. Instead, I’ll be taking the points here. The first meeting saw 247 points scored between them, Sacramento knows just one style of play and that’s offense. Go with the over in this one.

Sacramento Kings vs LA Lakers Predictions: Over 231.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors will battle Sunday afternoon. The Warriors have a record of 16-15, but are only 6-11 when playing away from home. Golden State has won their last three games, including a 126-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks in their previous game despite only shooting 28% from three. Stephen Curry led the team in scoring with 23 points, and Jimmy Butler added 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. The Raptors have a record of 18-14 this season and a record at home of 8-7. Toronto has lost three of their last four games with their last loss coming against the Washington Wizards 138-117. Brandon Ingram led the team in scoring with 29 points while Scottie Barnes added 14 points and 7 assists.

After winning nine straight games, the Raptors have fallen into inconsistent play. In their last 13 games, they have only won four times. The whole team has struggled to put forth a consistent offensive effort, but if you had to look at one player, it would be Scottie Barnes. In the month of December, Barnes numbers are down across the board. Barnes is averaging 17.7 points per game and is shooting 48% from the field and 26% from three this month. He is also averaging 3.4 turnovers per game. The good news for Toronto is they are taking on a Warriors’ team that has struggled to shoot the ball from beyond the arc in their last couple of games. The Warriors shoot the most threes per game in the NBA at 44 per contest. In three of their last four games, the Warriors have shot below 30% from beyond the arc. The Raptors will be on their home floor tonight against Golden State, who have struggled when playing away from home. With the potential return of RJ Barrett to the lineup, I like the Raptors at home in this one. 

Warriors vs Raptors prediction: Raptors +4.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Only 102 points and a 7-point defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls while having their big 3 all on the court at the same time must feel really bad for the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid had a really good game with 31, Maxey added 27 and Paul George chipped in 15, but the Sixers were very inefficient against a mediocre Bulls team. They were outrebounded by 6, which makes me question their effort, in addition to only posting 22 assists on offense, which is just not good enough these days in the NBA. Going into Oklahoma City, the Sixers are in danger of losing their 3rd straight game.

With the two Spurs defeats out the way, the Thunder can now focus on playing someone else and getting back on track to win 70 games. This team is human after all; they’ve lost 3 of 4 games which is their worst run of the season so far. For the first time this season the defending champs are facing adversity and I’m here for it. They swept the regular season last year vs the 76ers, winning the two games by 16 and 33 points. If we go position by position the Thunder are overwhelmingly more talented across the board, only Tyrese Maxey has the edge at the shooting guard position over Lu Dort, if you value offense over defense.

I’m eager to see an angry OKC team that’s looking to silence its doubters here. Philadelphia has had a rough time against far worse opponents lately, I just can’t see how they handle the best team in the NBA, even if they’ve hit a minor bump on the road lately. Go with OKC on Sunday.

Philadelphia 76ers vs OKC Thunder Predictions: Thunder -15.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.