Basketball starts off the weekend with the NBA bringing us more Emirates Cup action. With the group games starting to get into full swing, teams hope to put themselves in a strong position to advance to the next round. You can find our NBA previews for all of the night’s games, but first take a look at my favorite selections for each below.
Pacers vs Cavaliers best bet: Over 237.5 (-110)
The Indiana Pacers have given up at least 127 points in 4 of their last 5 games. The Cavaliers are 13th in offensive rating this season and should be capable of taking advantage. With the visitors having Bennedict Mathurin back and both of these teams ranking 7th and 11th in pace, respectively, this one should be a high-scoring game.
Wizards vs Raptors best bet: Immanuel Quickley over 6.5 assists (+118)
The Wizards should be a perfect opponent for point guards to play against, as they are 28th in the league in opponent assists per game. CJ McCollum is not an intimidating perimeter defender, while in the paint, a shot blocker like Alexander Sarr encourages guards to either kick the ball out on drives or drop the ball off to a big at the rim. That is exactly what you should expect Quickley to do tonight.
Nets vs Celtics best bet: Egor Demin over 1.5 made threes (-128)
Brooklyn Nets rookie Demin has been aggressive from the perimeter in recent games, knocking down at least 2 3-pointers in 4 of his last 6 games. He is knocking down 36.6% of his attempts from deep this month, and was able to hit 4 shots from there in his last meeting against the Celtics.
Heat vs Bulls best bet: Bulls -2 (-110)
The Bulls are 5-1 at home this season and will relish welcoming a Miami Heat team that has won just 2 of 7 games on the road. The fact that the visitors will be without Nikola Jovic and Andrew Wiggins will not help matters for them. The Bulls should have too much firepower for the Heat here.
Pelicans vs Mavericks best bet: Mavericks -3.5
The Pelicans have lost 8 straight games, and over that stretch, rank 27th in the league in net offensive and defensive rating. They are up against a Mavericks team that has shot blockers in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II guarding the paint, which should make life difficult for Zion Williamson.
Timberwolves vs Suns best bet: Rudy Gobert over 10.5 rebounds (-108)
Rudy Gobert is coming into this game after a strong 15-rebound performance in his last outing. He matches up against Mark Williams tonight, and with both bigs not able to space the floor, look for the battle between this pair to take place in the paint – especially on the glass. With Gobert long being one of the league leaders in this category, he should grab his fair share of rebounds.
Nuggets vs Rockets best bet: Over 234.5 (-110)
This has all the makings of a high scoring shootout between 2 contenders. They are the top-2 ranked teams in terms of offensive rating this season, and both are top-10 in true shooting percentage. Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun are both hubs for each offense, and the opposing teams do not have a lock-down defender that could slow either down here.
Trail Blazers vs Warriors best bet: Stephen Curry over 27.5 points (-120)
With Jrue Holiday listed as questionable to play, Stephen Curry could have himself a huge game. He has scored more than 30 in 3 of his last 4 games, and playing against a slow-moving big like Donovan Clingan– who he can target in pick and rolls – makes his step-back three-point shot that much more lethal. He also scored 35 points when the sides met earlier this season.
Thunder vs Jazz best bet: Ace Bailey under 5.5 rebounds and assists (-114)
Over the last 2 games, the Jazz rookie has recorded just 3 combined rebounds and assists. He figures to have a tough time changing that against the league leaders in defensive rating. He also has had issues with foul trouble, and potentially being matched up against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would not help matters in that area.
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