Recap: I'd say we've moved from *warm* to *pretty damn hot* with yesterday's results. The Bucks crushed the Hawks for a FREE winner, the Mavs blasted the Grizzlies for a 1* Paid winner, and the Nets played tremendous 2nd half defense in their win (and our 2* winner) against the Cavaliers. 3-0 sweep on Wednesday means we're 6-0 this week on all NBA plays, and dating back to Thursday of last week, we've hit our last 6 straight NBA "Top" plays (the biggest of the day). Straight rollin'.
Today: We're 2 weeks into the NBA season, so I'll go ahead and remove the Season Preview Podcast from these daily threads. If you want to check out that bad boy, or any of the other shows, visit PregamePodcasts.com.
I am not, however, eliminating the link to my season pass:
And, as usual, a daily package -- 6-0 on NBA this week, and 6 straight NBA "Top" winners, just getting warmer by the day!:
If all that hasn't inundated you, here's a blog:
Sports Wagering: NBA
Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat (-6.5) with a total of 183.5;
Oh boy...here we go. The rematch of the opening night mayhem in Boston. Is there some revenge? Definitely, but I still believe we'll get the Celtics best punch against a team that feels has garnered undeserved accolades. That makes this side very, very tough to break down. Both teams are highly motivated, and you know LeBron is going to try to do too much, which, to some degree, plays into the Celtics' defensive scheme. D-Wade has, on the other hand, had some success against the Boston defense, so we'll see how Miami approaches this game. Boston lost in a close game in Dallas 3 days ago, so they're well rested, and that's often a huge key to the Celtics' success. Miami is coming off that stinging OT loss to the Jazz, courtesy of Paul Millsap's insane night. Miami should win this game - they'll knock down some shots at home, and they sure as hell won't threaten the franchise low for points, a dubious mark that Miami nearly grabbed in their opening night loss in Boston. Put all of that together, and I get the weird feeling that these teams actually score a few points early in the game. The defenses of both teams were on full display on opening night, and the teams combined to score just 168 points. But in a closer game, and in a game where we'll go ahead and assume Miami will shoot a bit better than the 36.5% they logged in that first one...and the teams combined to make just 34 free throws and turn the ball over 35 times...well, literally nothing went right for points to be scored. I think this line is a little overadjusted, lean to the OVER. On the side, I think folks might read too much into that opening night game, and Boston is going to come out with another solid effort - lean to the CELTICS.
Golden State Warriors @ Chicago Bulls with a total of N/A;
Beware the schedule-makers. Golden State plays its 4th in 5 nights here in Chicago, also it's 5th in 7 nights, if you include the final game of their recently-completed homestand. Amazingly, this isn't the final game of the road trip! Golden State looks vastly improved this year, but this type of scheduling isn't doing them any services. The Bulls are rested, coming off a nice home win over the Nuggets back on Monday, and the Warriors still have one more game on the roadie, in Milwaukee, on Saturday. Brutal. And it's especially tough on a team that has a shooting guard playing through a severe back sprain, and a point guard playing through an ankle injury. Golden State needs healthy bodies (as always), and when everyone starts to get worn down and just wants a day off, that's when bad things happen. This line will likely be pretty high, considering the scheduling, somewhere in the neighborhood of 9, but if they're ready for the Warriors' attempts to play streetball, Chicago could very well counter that, and win this game by 15+. Unless the Warriors lose by 30 to the Knicks, lean to the BULLS and to the UNDER.
Los Angeles Lakers (-3) @ Denver Nuggets with a total of 210;
This game sets up very interestingly, especially on the Denver side. The Nuggets return home off one of the most embarrassing losses of the Carmelo-era, falling by 31 to the Indiana Pacers. Still, it was their 4th game in 5 nights, the last game of a road trip, and you just knew Denver would start to think about the Lakeshow coming to town. Well, here they are. The Lakers are coming off a rather pedestrian effort against the Wolves, though it was enough to win. And quietly, the Lakers have looked a little lackadaisical against 2 of their last 3 opponents. Yes, they turned it on for the Blazers, but will they be able to ratchet up the gears on the road in a hostile environment, as easily as they did at home? Are we starting to see the mid-season Lakers, a team that will be happy to just cruise along, winning a ton of games on talent? It's possible. As far as Denver goes, I might normally be inclined to look at the visitor in a spot like this, since the Nuggets are set to play their first home game off a 4-game roadie, but not here. The awful loss to end that trip wipes out any sluggishness, and the TNT/Lakers combination should ensure that Melo gets a stage to show his wares, and someone like J.R. Smith should, perhaps, have his first truly good game of the year. Also, are the Lakers really 6 points better than the Nuggets on a neutral court? That's a big line, considering LA was only laying 7 to Portland at home, and the Blazers were on a back-to-back! Something is amiss. Lean to DENVER and to the UNDER.