New Orleans is in trouble. The injury bug has already hit the Pelicans hard; Elfrid Payton has been sidelined for more than a week, and AD is going to need to be rebuilt like Robocop if he ever wants to play a full season. The Western Conference takes no prisoners, and New Orleans has too small of a margin of error to be punting games due to injury concerns. Which players have enough Duck tape to go on Monday night and can they play like they are 100%? Kyle Cash has your NBA prediction.
In order for Phoenix to come away with a W that they don’t even want, they are going to have to rely on their superstar Devin Booker. Despite his early health problems, Booker has looked like he’s ready to make the leap, and he’s a legitimate go-to scorer/playmaker. Can the Suns young scorers show something against some of the best defenders in the NBA? Kyle Cash has your NBA pick.
Tom Izzo recruiting trail ended up mostly empty this year, and as a result, he was left stranded after Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. both left for greener pastures to the NBA. Just a year removed from offering up college basketball’s best frontcourt, Izzo is left with the ever-frustrating Nick Ward and former walk-on Kenny Goins. Yikes. PG Cassius Winston was able to take steps forward last year as a lead ball handler that should propel him to another level this season, but Michigan State is rife with guys such as Winston. Will MSU give any resistance to #1 Kansas?
In their last time out, Boston finally made a stride towards figuring out their proper closing 5-man group of players. Kyrie Irving was up to his old tricks, Tatum is a young, blossoming go-to scorer, Horford commands their daunting defensive front, and Gordon Hayward does whatever it is that he feels comfortable doing right now. Their fifth spot theoretically belongs to Jaylen Brown, but early struggles and injuries have left him standing as the odd man out. Can Boston get JB back in full gear and can he shut down Oladipo to help the Celtics cover the spread? Kyle Cash has the NBA pick and prediction.
The best chance the Wizards have of salvaging their season is through the incorporation of Dwight Howard into their rotation. With his debut on Friday, we’ll be able to see what it looks like when John Wall has a legitimate rim-running, above-the-rim athlete as a pick-and-roll partner. Howard can set hard screens to free up Beal on the perimeter. He has untapped passing ability, so maybe a little high-low action from the elbow with cutters like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Otto Porter? The possibilities are endless! Or maybe Dwight can come back in time to play his usual role of the fall guy for a failed season? Kyle Cash breaks down the chances of the Wiz beating OKC and gives his NBA pick.
Anthony Davis is a once-in-a-generation talent. There’s hardly any dispute surrounding that. But he’s also a once-in-a-generation glass skeleton; it’s impossible that a man this big and strong can get this many ticky-tack injuries. He looked like he was operating at 80% capacity in last night’s bout versus the defending champions, and 80% isn’t going to cut it for a team who’s 4th best player is E’Twaun Moore. What can we expect out of Davis tonight versus Dame and the Blazer? Cash gives his prediction.
What Indiana lacks in style they make up for in competency. Nate McMillan’s team ranks in the top-10 in the NBA in Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating, and Boring as Shit rating. The Pacers are the perfect control test team; they are perfectly balanced. They are too talented and professional to lose to bad teams but lack the talent to take on the league’s elite. Most betting sites have Pacers -5.5 and their efficiency should mean an easy cover, right?
Coach Nick Nurse hasn’t proven the ability to game plan for the 76ers but they have bodies to throw at guys defensively. Ibaka is a stout defender, while Anunoby and Siakam are long enough and athletic enough to be a problem. Not much needs to be said about that new pair of baseball gloves from San Antonio. If Toronto watches the tape from the Hawks game and decides to sag off of Fultz and Simmons, the onus will be on them to knock down shots or find other ways to score. This will allow Raptors to help on Embiid on the block. Will the Raptors use the tools available and can bettors count on Nurse to be disciplined for 48 and cover the -6.5 most betting sites are dangling?
Los Angeles currently sits in the bottom-10 of both offensive and defensive rating, and it’s unclear whether the main culprit is scheme, personnel, chemistry, or all of the above. I’m going to go with D. All of the above. Final answer. LeBron-led teams have struggled on defense over the last couple of seasons as the King has realized his energy is best saved for offense, but that end isn’t clicking yet either. Who will win this pick’em game outright and earn the right to say they are a 3-4 team? Kyle Cash has his NBA pick!
Kyle Cash is dubious of the Mavericks’ ability to generate offense. They still rank 12th in Offensive Rating, but that number is slowly on the decline, and Utah’s defensive front is about as daunting as they come. The Jazz have multiple bodies to throw on Luka (Joe Ingles, Alec Burks, Jae Crowder) to attempt to mitigate his playmaking and put a lock on the head of Dallas’ offense. If the Mavericks can’t get out in transition, and that means getting some rebounds, I doubt their half-court offense is going to be able to outpace the Jazz, and this might get ugly quick. Is that enough to make the Utah Jazz today’s NBA pick at +4.5? Kyle Cash gives his final score prediction!