NBA Picks

A total of 80 points scored and the Pistons leading by 43 points at one point, that’s the summary of the Knicks loss to Detroit on Thursday. The win streak was stopped at 8 games in a row, Jalen Brunson and co. will try to start a new one on Super Bowl Sunday as they head to TD Garden for a date with the Celtics. Can a team respond after such a devastating defeat is the main question ahead of this game. In 24 games this season New York has just 11 wins in away games, their form at Boston hasn’t been great with them covering the spread just 3 times in 9 visits.

With just a game separating these two teams, you wouldn’t be wrong in saying the 2nd seed in the East is on the line in Sunday’s game. The Celtics have the edge going into the game, unlike the Knicks their win streak is still alive and well at 5 games in a row. They’ve been doing it defensively, allowing under 100 points in 4 of the 5 wins. The performance against Miami on Thursday was a particular highlight given the Heat’s tendencies to play a fast tempo and score a bunch of points. This Celtics  team has exceeded expectations greatly without Jayson Tatum, aside from him only Sam Hauser finds himself on the injury report, but he too is a game time decision only with a minor back issue.

It is concerning if you’re a Knicks fan that your team has lost twice against Detroit by 30+ points. Playing the Cs on the road could also be problematic, especially since we see Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, KAT and Miles McBride all potentially missing this game. Boston is the more consistent shooting team right now, if the three-ball starts falling early it’s a wrap for the Knicks. I’ll give Boston the edge here.

New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Predictions: Celtics -4 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

After losing three of their last four games, the Miami Heat will have the chance to get back on track Sunday afternoon when they take on the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are playing in the second half of a back-to-back. They played Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn against the Nets on Saturday. Washington was without key players such as Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, and they fell short 127-113 as a result. The Wizards and Heat are division rivals, but this will be the first time they go head-to-head this season. The Heat should be near full strength from this game. Both Norman Powell and Bam Adebayo are expected to return from injury. Powell leads the Heat in scoring this season with 23 points per game, and Adebayo is a key contributor with 18.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. After the trade deadline, the Wizards’ roster is better than their record entails. The problem is all of their key players are injured. Sunday’s offense will rely heavily on Bub Carrington and Justin Champagnie to produce. I don’t like the Wizards in this spot after traveling in from New York the night before. With it being Super Bowl Sunday, I don’t see the Wizards’ fans coming out in packs to support their 14-win team. I’ll take Miami in a game they feel they need to turn their fortunes around. 

Heat -10.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Toronto Raptors will look to finish a four-game, season series sweep of the Indiana Pacers Sunday afternoon. The Raptors have been defeated in all three games they have played this season, but surprisingly, the closest contest was the one played in Toronto. The Raptors will welcome the injury-filled Pacers north of the border again this afternoon. Both teams will have to play this game without their starting centers. The Raptors will be missing Jakob Poetl, while Indiana will miss newly acquired Ivica Zubac. Pascal Siakam versus Scottie Barnes will still be a key matchup in the front court, despite the missing bigs. Siakam has played well against Barnes this season, averaging 22.3 points per game on 48% shooting, but he struggled in the last game the Pacers traveled to Toronto. Despite the final score being close, the Pacer’s star only finished with 11 points. Siakam will be looking to have a better performance today against his former team. The Raptors may also be without Immanuel Quickley in this matchup. Quickly injured his ankle in practice and is now listed as questionable. If Quickley cannot go, it should provide more opportunities for Andrew Nembhard on the offense end. Nembhard has played well recently for Indiana, shooting 45% from the field in his last 10 games. Despite the Pacers not having much luck this season, I believe the key injuries for Toronto will allow the Pacers to keep this game competitive.

Pacers +8.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Clippers face their first big test following the trades they made before the deadline. James Harden and Ivica Zubac are no longer on the team, Harden’s replacement Darius Garland is still out with a toe injury, but we should see him in the line-up post All-Star break. Playing the Timberwolves on the road in these circumstances won’t be easy, LA barely beat a struggling Kings team a couple of days ago. Defensively it could be a struggle against such a prolific team like the Timberwolves. With Zubac no longer guarding the paint, I’m expecting Ant Man and others to attack a lot more often here.

The T’Wolves disappointed a lot of bettors with their performances this week, losing to the likes of New Orleans and Memphis in 2 of their last 3 games. However, that’s been the story of this team. On certain nights when things are going they look unbeatable, but then they follow it up with losses to teams who are destined for the lottery. I’m hoping we can get a proper performance on Sunday from Edwards who is averaging over 30 points per game in his las 9 outings. He didn’t have the best of games against LA earlier in the season scoring just 15 points, but Minnesota did win that one by 3 points at Target Center.

It’s been all Minnesota in head-to-head meetings with 9 wins in 10 games between the two sides. The addition of Ayo Dosunmu was an underrated move at the deadline, once he gets going with the team I feel really good about Minnesota’s chances. I also fancy their chances on Sunday – LA’s has made 9, 6, 9 and 9 threes over their last 4 games. Minnesota’s offense is looking really solid right now, I think it’s time we got a signature performance from Edwards and a big win for Minnesota.

 LA Clippers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions: Timberwolves -8.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.