OKC ML +130 Risk $100 to win $130
OKC +3 Risking $330 to win $300
Spurs are one of the best home teams in basketball but I see them losing straight up tonight against OKC. Honestly this Spurs team is not a good basketball team without Manu. Pop considers Jefferson a good defender but I don't. Durant will get whatever he wants against him. Also I don't see Parker being able to hang with Westbrook tonight. The Thunder have way too much size down low with Ibaka and Perkins then you got another 7 footer in Durant. The Thunder sometimes struggle when they are outrebounded but I don't see that happening tonight as the Spurs attempt a bunch of 3's, and if you don't knock down those shots, those are long rebounds and free fast break points for the much more athletic thunder.
OKC really got it going last night in the 4th quarter and that's going to carry over to this game. Ibaka and Perkins should force Parker into really tough shots, I see him getting to the free throw line a few times tonight if he stays aggressive but he's not a good ft shooter anyway. The Spurs bench just isn't as deep as people think when you're relying on the likes of Green, Boner, Splitter to carry you. Harden is now back to his 6th man role after the experiment failed of putting him in the starting lineup. Cook should find some open looks tonight. Duncan always plays decent but he just can't carry a team anymore at this stage in his career. He'll have his hands full tonight just trying to defend the paint.
Denver +6 -110 Risking $220 to win $200
Denver ML +210 Risk $50 to to 105
I'm going to be rolling with the same reasons for Denver in this game as I did the last time. Last game in Portland was down to the wire but Denver ended up giving up a few uncontested 3's in the final minute of the game to let them lose by 9.
Denver must go into the 4th quarter playing good basketball and preferrably with a lead to win this game because they can certainly get fatigued in the final minutes just like last time and end up losing the spread even after covering the whole game. I'm banking that they will start very fast and Portland will play from behind.
Nene will be guarding Aldrich in this game. Nene shut down Aldrich in the last game and I expect no more than 20 and 10 from L.A. tonight. Mozgof will do his job against Camby. Camby is washed up and can no longer do anything except rebound.
Gerald Wallace. Wallce will get his in this game. He is probably going to be guarding by a bunch of guys to limit him to 20 25. Gallinari and Harrington should both see time guarding him. Gallinari is crafty and I think he can hold his ground against Wallace.
Ty Lawson vs. Raymond Felton
This is the key matchup in this game. There’s a lot of competition between these two now that Felton wants to prove he is better than Lawson after saying he should be starting. Felton played great in the last game but I don't like the guy and hence I'm taking Denver.
Wesley Mathews and Affalo at the 2 will guard one another. Both should play pretty well but I think Affalo is the better player. Mathews got a few too many open looks in the last game and I would think Affallo won't let that happen again.
Now coming off the bench you got Al Harrington, Andre Miller (former Blazer), Rudy Fernadez (former Blazer), and Birdman. With Batum injured Crawford is the only highlight from the Blazers bench. I think Crawford could drop 20 but the rest of Portlands bench are scrubs.
The main thing for Denver is controlling the defensive rebounds Portland are only dangerous when they get a lot of second chance points so everyone is going to need to box out. At the pace Denver wants to play Portland should not be able to win this game by DD.
OKC +3 Risking $330 to win $300
Spurs are one of the best home teams in basketball but I see them losing straight up tonight against OKC. Honestly this Spurs team is not a good basketball team without Manu. Pop considers Jefferson a good defender but I don't. Durant will get whatever he wants against him. Also I don't see Parker being able to hang with Westbrook tonight. The Thunder have way too much size down low with Ibaka and Perkins then you got another 7 footer in Durant. The Thunder sometimes struggle when they are outrebounded but I don't see that happening tonight as the Spurs attempt a bunch of 3's, and if you don't knock down those shots, those are long rebounds and free fast break points for the much more athletic thunder.
OKC really got it going last night in the 4th quarter and that's going to carry over to this game. Ibaka and Perkins should force Parker into really tough shots, I see him getting to the free throw line a few times tonight if he stays aggressive but he's not a good ft shooter anyway. The Spurs bench just isn't as deep as people think when you're relying on the likes of Green, Boner, Splitter to carry you. Harden is now back to his 6th man role after the experiment failed of putting him in the starting lineup. Cook should find some open looks tonight. Duncan always plays decent but he just can't carry a team anymore at this stage in his career. He'll have his hands full tonight just trying to defend the paint.
Denver +6 -110 Risking $220 to win $200
Denver ML +210 Risk $50 to to 105
I'm going to be rolling with the same reasons for Denver in this game as I did the last time. Last game in Portland was down to the wire but Denver ended up giving up a few uncontested 3's in the final minute of the game to let them lose by 9.
Denver must go into the 4th quarter playing good basketball and preferrably with a lead to win this game because they can certainly get fatigued in the final minutes just like last time and end up losing the spread even after covering the whole game. I'm banking that they will start very fast and Portland will play from behind.
Nene will be guarding Aldrich in this game. Nene shut down Aldrich in the last game and I expect no more than 20 and 10 from L.A. tonight. Mozgof will do his job against Camby. Camby is washed up and can no longer do anything except rebound.
Gerald Wallace. Wallce will get his in this game. He is probably going to be guarding by a bunch of guys to limit him to 20 25. Gallinari and Harrington should both see time guarding him. Gallinari is crafty and I think he can hold his ground against Wallace.
Ty Lawson vs. Raymond Felton
This is the key matchup in this game. There’s a lot of competition between these two now that Felton wants to prove he is better than Lawson after saying he should be starting. Felton played great in the last game but I don't like the guy and hence I'm taking Denver.
Wesley Mathews and Affalo at the 2 will guard one another. Both should play pretty well but I think Affalo is the better player. Mathews got a few too many open looks in the last game and I would think Affallo won't let that happen again.
Now coming off the bench you got Al Harrington, Andre Miller (former Blazer), Rudy Fernadez (former Blazer), and Birdman. With Batum injured Crawford is the only highlight from the Blazers bench. I think Crawford could drop 20 but the rest of Portlands bench are scrubs.
The main thing for Denver is controlling the defensive rebounds Portland are only dangerous when they get a lot of second chance points so everyone is going to need to box out. At the pace Denver wants to play Portland should not be able to win this game by DD.
