NBA Picks

It’s part 2 of the home-and-home duel between the Nets and the Bulls. Brooklyn almost laid an egg in the first chapter, a game that was pretty much in the books with a 20-point lead came down to the final possession and ultimately Michael Porter Jr. stepped up to seal the deal. The venue now switches for the rematch, the Nets have dominated the Bulls over the last 8 meetings by going 6-2 SU/ATS. However, it is worth pointing out that their win on Friday was their first in 6 outings overall, so it’s not like this team is winning games on a regular basis.

The same could be said about the Bulls, who are only 2-5 ATS/SU in their last 7 outings. Playing at home should be a confidence boost, though. They have won 4 of their last 5 at the United Center and they also have a winning record there of 12 wins in 21 games played. Offensively this team plays a lot better in front of its home crowd — the efficiency drops from 14th to 21st on that end on the road. Josh Giddey remains out with a hamstring problem. In many ways he is the engine of this team, so the Bulls might find it difficult once again to put up points against the Nets.

Only 216 and 221 points have been scored in the first 2 meetings of the season, so these 2 teams have pretty much figured each other out by now. After playing in Brooklyn only 2 days ago, there are very few secrets between them. That being said, I feel like there is too much talent on both ends for this matchup to end under the total for the third consecutive meeting. Even though they aren’t the most efficient of teams, the Bulls still rank fifth in pace. Being at home, I think they will control the tempo.

Nets vs Bulls prediction: Over 221.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Houston Rockets will travel Sunday night to take on the New Orleans Pelicans in a Western Conference matchup. The Rockets boast a record of 24-15 and they are 13-3 on their home court. Houston has won 2 of of its last 3 games and will be looking to make it 2 straight wins after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday 110-105. Kevin Durant led the Rockets in scoring with 39 points, and Alperen Sengun added 25 points and 14 rebounds in the win. The Pelicans have a record of 10-34, and they are 3-16 when playing on the road this season. New Orleans has lost 3 of its last 4 games, including a 127-119 loss against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.

The Rockets’ energy level has been inconsistent in the month of January. Since the turn of the new year, the Rockets have a record of 3-5 and they have lost to teams with losing records such as the Trail Blazers (twice), Kings and Mavericks. The Rockets found an extra level of effort against the Timberwolves in their last game on both ends of the floor. They shot 43% from 3-point range — mainly behind a combined 10-for-14 from Kevin Durant and Reed Shepherd — and they locked in defensively after giving up 34 first-quarter points. I expect the defense to relax against the 10-win Pelicans, but they are set up to have another big shooting night. New Orleans ranks 28th in the NBA in defensive rating and is coming off a loss in which it allowed 66 points in the paint. The Pelicans’ offense is no pushover, especially with Zion Williamson playing. They shot 50% from the field and 42% from 3 against the Pacers. With a continued question of defensive effort surrounding Houston, I like the over in tonight’s matchup.

Pelicans vs Rockets prediction: Over 230.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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It was a tough outing for the Hornets’ defense last night, as they got destroyed by the Golden State Warriors 136-116. Less than 24 hours later, they are in Denver to finish off their 5-game West Coast road trip on which they have won twice and lost as many times. Offensively, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel excelled in yesterday’s game, but other than them it wasn’t the most efficient of games. Will the trip to Denver be a successful one? History tells us no. The Nuggets have won 8 in a row against this team and 7 of 8 at Ball Arena, so even if they are shorthanded the home team is still the favorite.

Denver is looking pretty solid at the moment; it has won 4 consecutive games and has scored 118 or more in 3 straight. Those numbers sound amazing when we take into consideration that Nikola Jokic is still out, but you have to pause a bit and look at the opponents during this stretch. The Nuggets beat Milwaukee, New Orleans, Dallas and Washington — all lottery-bound teams. Charlotte’s record puts it in a similar category, so it’s understandable that the Nuggets fans are expecting another win tonight. They have won 12 of 18 at home, plus in the first meeting of the season we saw them win 115-106 in Charlotte back in early December.

I have to say I expected more from the Hornets last night against Golden State, but their defense decided to take the night off. This being the final game of the long and grueling trip, I have a feeling most players are just looking to get it over with before they can return home to the comfort of their own beds. The over has cashed in 4 of the last 5 Hornets games and in 5 of 6 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is 27-15 on the O/U for the season and 11-7 in home games. I’m backing the over.

Hornets vs Nuggets prediction: Over 231.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Portland Trail Blazers will travel south on Sunday to face the Sacramento Kings. The Trail Blazers have a record of 21-22 and they are 9-12 when playing on the road. Portland has won its last 2 games, including a 132-116 win Saturday night over the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaedon Sharpe led the team in scoring with 25 points and Donovan Clingan added 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Kings are 12-30 (9-13 at home). Sacramento has won its last 4 games, including a 128-115 victory over the Washington Wizards this last Friday.

Not a lot has gone well for the Kings. Finally, halfway through the season, they are getting healthier and have found a spark. Not only have they won their last 4 games, but they also seem to be having fun playing basketball again. Sacramento may be in too big of a hole to climb out of, but that is not keeping it from playing inspired basketball. The Kings will try to make it 5 straight against the Trail Blazers, who will be looking to even their record back at .500 for the first time since November 14. The Trail Blazers have been on an impressive streak of their own, winning 9 of their last 12. Portland has already beaten Sacramento twice this season. Despite the recent success, it is important to remember that the Kings still rank 28th in points per game, 30th in threes made and 27th in rebounding. Sacramento has looked good in the past week, but Portland has looked good over the past month. I believe the Blazers have a good opportunity tonight to get back to .500.

Trail Blazers vs Kings prediction: Portland +2.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to pick ’em.

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Toronto couldn’t do much in its last game against James Harden, who went for 31 points and 10 assists. The city remains the same for Sunday, but the venue changes as the Raptors head to Crypto.com Arena to take on the Lakers. Losing a game in which they led by 14 and for 76% of play is typical of the Raptors, who just haven’t been able to find consistency lately — exchanging wins and losses for the past week. They enter Sunday’s game as slight underdogs, and against the Lakers they have won just 3 times in 10 meetings.

The Lakers also got smacked in their last game, as they fell on the road to Portland 132-116 last night. It was a game to forget, which was expected once they announced that Luka Doncic would not be playing. Defensively they couldn’t do much even against a Blazers team without Deni Avdija, allowing them to shoot 52% from the field. Grabbing only 27 rebounds in a game of that magnitude should raise some concern in the camp of head coach JJ Redick. LeBron James did put up 20 pts, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in the loss. It will be interesting to see if he plays in this back-to-back scenario. I’m willing to bet he does — after all, it is one of his favorite opponents ever.

Assuming Luka Doncic comes back (which he should, as his groin issue was just a minor, but he decided to skip the Portland game) along with Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers will be in much better shape. The spread being set at just 1.5 points tells us that even the oddsmakers are expecting a close game. If that’s the case then I’ll go with the team that has won 13 of 14 games in the clutch this season. Let’s back the Lakers.

Raptors vs Lakers prediction: Los Angeles -1 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -2.

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The Orlando Magic took care of the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in Berlin, Germany. Now these teams take each other on at the O2 Arena in London at noon ET in the states. Orlando picked up a 118-111 win as a 5.5-point favorite on Thursday, and it has won back-to-back games for the first time since rattling off 3 victories in a row from Nov. 25-Dec. 1. While guard Jalen Suggs is still sidelined due to a knee injury, fowards Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner are back — and that makes a world of difference for the Magic.

The Grizzlies are quite banged up, as Ja Morant remains a question mark due to a calf injury — although he is believed to be getting close to a return. Brandon Clark, Zach Edey, Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. remain sidelined. The Grizzlies have the talent to be a good team, but they need to get healthier. They have dropped 3 of the past 4 games and 7 of the past 9 outings while going just 3-6 against the spread in the 9-game span, too. With Orlando healthier than it has been in a while and Morant still not a certainty to return, I’ll lean toward Orlando to complete the European sweep.

Magic vs Grizzlies prediction: Orlando -3.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to -4.5.

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