NBA Previews:
Portland @ Denver
The Nuggets
looked like a solid pick to win the Northwest division a couple of weeks ago as
they were playing well, the Jazz were shorthanded and the Blazers were
inconsistent. However, right now these three teams are fighting for the top and
this game is very important for the Division. Carmelo Anthony didn't play last
game in Detroit due to a team suspension and the Nuggets lost
that game 95-100. The Nuggets are 2-5 L7 games and they need to start playing
better, even though Billups is playing great lately the Nuggets need Carmelo to
score plus 20 points every night to be competitive. Meanwhile the Blazers are
rolling lately and part of it is because their solid record at home. They are
8-3 L11 games but 7 of those 8 wins were at the Rose Garden. They had a
dogfight last night against the Pacers and this is a back to back game for
them. Roy and Aldridge are playing great down the stretch and the Blazers need
to prove they can be a tough road team on the road facing top teams.
Dallas @ New Orleans
The Mavericks bounced back from a pathetic
loss suffered in Oklahoma City and showed a lot of passion last night against the Spurs. They won
the game 107-102 with big games from Kidd, Nowitzki and Howard but the real
question is what they will do on the road tonight? This is a special tough spot
for them as this is a back to back game and facing 2 top teams in consecutive
days is not easy for any team. It can be weird but the Mavs are 8-6 ATS as away
underdogs in this season, so they don't look so bad, the problem is that they
are 0-3 ATS L3 games in that situation. Meanwhile the Hornets are 5-0 L5 games
but all of those wins were close wins. In none of those wins they won by double
digits points, having Chris Paul and David West to capitalize down the stretch
is a great advantage and the Hornets are taking care of it. Peja Stojakovic is
questionable for this game and the Hornets owned the Mavs this past recent, they
are 5-1 L6 games vs Dallas and the matchup between Chris Paul and Jason is actually a big
mismatch in favor of CP3. This is a crucial game for Dallas as they want
to prove they can be competitive on the road vs top teams.
I bounced back nicely yesterday by going 3-1 and the streak is right now in 16-6 L22 plays and 6-1 winning days. I'm waiting for the line of the Dallas/New Orleans game to upload the plays....