NBA Picks

Indiana gave Philadelphia fits last season, but hopefully that won’t be the case again tonight. Oladipo is still being eased back into the rotation after his month-long absence, and Indiana will need more than Darren Collison to take down the Sixers. Stylistically, Indiana represents a good foil for the Sixers’ ethos. With outstanding guard play, an array of outside shooters and versatile, hard-nosed bigs, the Pacers lack a true weak point. KC looks at if Pacers +4 is the play.

In order for Dallas fans to continue shouting Halle-Luka into the ether, the Mavericks will have to continue their hot play to dispatch the worst team in basketball. Okay, the reality is it doesn’t matter because this is the Suns. This is a don’t-beat-yourself-game with sportsbooks hanging a -7 on the Mavs despite it being a back2back. With Dennis Smith Jr. still unavailable, the Mavs continue to turn to Luka to run the show. Fortunately, their injury concerns shouldn’t be an issue against a team ranked 29th in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency. Kyle Cash breaks down the game and offers his NBA selection.

Minnesota is motivated and playing good ball. At first glance, a 2-3 record in their last five doesn’t turn any heads. When you consider that the losses were to a red-hot Boston team and road games at Portland and Golden State, it’s a less painful site. The team is 6-3 over the last nine games, but what really has merit here is their effort on the defensive end of the court. It’s been very consistent, where they’ve allowed less than 43% in 11 of their last 14 games. Can the T-Wolves continue to be great on defense in the post Jimmy Butler era? Kevin West has your NBA pick.

For the third consecutive season in a row, Russell Westbrook has done the impossible: he’s averaging another triple-double. Unfortunately, he’s also shooting 21.8% from 3-point land. According to Basketball-Reference’s Play Index, only 4 people in NBA history have ever attempted more than five 3s per game while shooting less than 25%: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love in Minnesota, Vander Blue (?) and Trae Young this season (side note: Trae has
-1.0 Win Shares this year. Can Russ avoid shooting the Thunder out of this one? KC has your NBA pick.

Phoenix will be without Devin Booker tonight. He’s missed the last four games and the Suns have struggled to stay competitive in those contests, losing by margins of 17, 22, 17 and 4. Booker has missed four other games this season and Suns had the same issue, losing all four of those games by margins of 14, 30, 7 and 21 points. In summary, Booker has missed 8 games this season. The Suns have lost all eight by an average of 16.5 points per game. Kevin West looks at if that’s enough to pick Spurs -12.5.

Last season through 25 games, the Houston Rockets were 21-4 with a +11.0 point differential. This year? 11-14 with a -1.4 point differential. They are currently on pace for the 3rd biggest drop-off by a 60- win team. The others? The post-Jordan Chicago Bulls and the first post-LeBron Cleveland Cavaliers. Last time I checked, this team still had the reigning MVP, and in fact, his numbers have been nearly identical across the board. But don’t bet the Rockets based on last year’s numbers, even though sportsbooks are pricing them that way!