Andrew Wilsher
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Well, Super Bowl 55 and the NFL season is in the books, and now it’s time for the NBA to grab the spotlight. We’ve got an intriguing eight-game slate tonight to get excited for with the action on NBA TV starting with the Houston Rockets facing the Charlotte Hornets. The Rockets have really started to find their groove but will be looking to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat to the Spurs, while the Hornets just dealt a dominant win on the Wizards last night.
This one could turn out to be a bit of a shootout, and one way of adding some spice to the thrilling action is by betting a same game parlay. Make sure you check out our full preview of this game, which features picks on the side and total, as well as the other seven games taking place today.
Charlotte Hornets ML (+100)
Over 221.5 points (-115)
DeMarcus Cousins over 12.5 rebounds (-118)
Parlay odds: +681
This same game parlay features some correlating picks and a couple that might be deemed contradictory, although I don’t think they’ll have as much of an impact as the odds boost suggests. I feel good about Charlotte carrying over their momentum from last night, and I think the line on DeMarcus Cousins rebounds is one that can be capitalized on. Let’s break each of them down.
Charlotte Hornets ML (+100)
This game is pretty much a pick ’em but I think there are more reasons to side with Charlotte than Houston. For starters, the Hornets will be riding a ton of momentum after their blowout win over the Wizards yesterday, which also allowed them to take some starters out of the game so they should be somewhat refreshed. Charlotte’s offense has really been clicking lately, averaging 121 points over their last five games with LaMelo Ball being a major factor behind that improvement. Ball could be matched up with Jae’Sean Tate which would give him the size advantage.
Houston slumped to defeat against San Antonio on Saturday and the confirmed absence of Christian Wood for this one will be a big blow to the Rockets. Their rotation is already very thin and his absence gives another avenue for this speedy Hornets team to exploit.
🗣 LaMelo Ball 🗣
He ERUPTED for a career-high 34 PTS to go with 8 AST and 59.8 FPTS. pic.twitter.com/p85yJPMets
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) February 6, 2021
Over 221.5 points (-115)
A lot of my reasoning for picking Charlotte had to do with how well they have been performing offensively and I expect Houston to also hold up their end of the bargain and send this total over. The Rockets have reached 126 and 136 points in two of their last four road games, and have the talent to at least reach the 110 mark in this one given Charlotte’s inconsistency on defense. As for the Hornets’ offense, they are second in the league in points off turnovers while the Rockets rank 27th in turnovers per game. That should lead to a few easy buckets in transition for the Hornets and propel us toward the over cashing.
DeMarcus Cousins over 12.5 rebounds (-118)
When Christian Wood is ruled out of a game for the Rockets, you can normally count on DeMarcus Cousins to pick up the rebounding slack. In Cousins’ last four games when he has filled in as a starter for Wood — dating back to January 23 — he has registered rebounding numbers of 15, 17, 11, and 11. He almost always manages to get into double digits and should have a good shot at reaching 13 this time. The Hornets rank 23rd in opponents’ rebounds per game this season and could struggle to match Cousins’ prowess. At plus-money, this play looks worth adding to this same game parlay to provide a solid boost.
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