JutPicks
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Pickswise was nice enough to give me the opportunity to write my plays up for you all. For those of you who don’t know me, they refer to me as JutPicks on Twitter. I post all my plays with brief writeups every day. Now I get to write even more with no character limit!
I pride myself in being as transparent as they come. My NBA record from last season and this season are listed in my bio alongside with my MLB record. Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite plays for Friday.
De’Aaron Fox (Kings) over 27.5 points + assists (-115)
Line available at DraftKings at the time of publishing.
I have been torn on which star to target in the Kings backcourt almost every game. It seems every time I am on Tyrese Haliburton, Fox outshines him. So… I am all in on Fox.
The Kentucky point guard has been named in trade rumors all season long. He continues to just put his head down and play ball. He is undoubtedly the Kings’ leader and helped close out the Lakers on Wednesday night with a 29-point performance.
Tonight, he faces off against the Houston Rockets. You probably know by now how poor the Rockets are on defense. They allow more than 116 points per game and rank 2nd to last in defensive efficiency. They allow the 3rd-most points to the point-guard position while playing at the fastest pace in basketball, stats that suit Fox well.
Fox has gone over this line in 5 of the last 10 games, which includes 4 games covering this line with just points. I expect Fox to push the pace tonight and not only look for his own shots, but to set up his teammates as well.
Check out our full game preview of Kings vs Rockets
Nikola Vucevic (Bulls) under 16.5 points (-115)
Line available at DraftKings at the time of publishing.
Yup, right back to it. The former All-Star got the better of us on Tuesday. After scoring only 6 points in the first half, Vuc finished the game with 22 points. He gets a tougher matchup tonight against the stingy Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are fresh off a brutal beating by the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors’ starting lineup all played under 30 minutes last night, so I am expecting everyone to be out there except Klay Thompson, who will not be playing back-to-backs.
This Warriors team is easily the best defensive unit in the association. They allow the fewest amount of points in the league while forcing opponents to shoot under 43% from the field. They specifically defend centers extremely well. They allow the 3rd-fewest points to the position and have the 2nd-best paint defense.
I briefly talked about Lonzo Ball’s effect on Vucevic in my article on Tuesday. His scoring average drops mightily with the point guard controlling the game. Overall, Vucevic has gone under this line in 62% of games and 7 of his last 10. I expect Vucevic to not only struggle, but for Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan to carry the Bulls in the scoring department.
Check out our full game preview of Bulls vs Warriors
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