In the world of NBA gambling, a bet can be won or lost, against the spread, on a meaningless layup or three at the end of the game. Because of this, it can be argued that basketball, in general, is perhaps the toughest sport to bet on.
There aren’t a lot of options tonight as only four games are on the docket with the Denver Nuggets traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Philadelphia 76ers being the headliner.
NBA Gambling Predictions
Washington Wizards (-2.5) @ Charlotte Hornets
While both the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets surprised to start the season, they are coming back down to Earth. Neither team was expected to be very competitive this season but that didn’t stop either of them from having a pretty successful first couple weeks of the season that saw both teams hovering around the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
As they say, water always finds it’s level. Both the Wizards and Hornets are 3-7 over their last 10 games.
Washington is still without All-Star point guard John Wall and will be for the remainder of the season. They do, however, still employ an All-Star guard in shooting guard Bradley Beal. He will be far and away the best player on the floor tonight and he currently has per-game averages of 28 points, 7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds. He has struggled slightly with his jump shot and is shooting four percentage points below his career three-point average of 38.2 percent.
The rest of Washington’s roster is made up of fringe rotational players who have solid games from time to time.
For Charlotte, they have replaced Kemba Walker somewhat by committee. They signed Terry Rozier and expected him to fully replace Walker. That hasn’t exactly happened, however, he is playing better as of late. Devonte’ Graham has actually outplayed his fellow point guard, which is a pleasant surprise for the Hornets. Graham should be mentioned in the early Most Improved Player of the Year race.
Neither of these teams are any good and both are very inconsistent. Due to the fact that Charlotte is at home and getting points, take the points.
The Bet – Charlotte Hornets +2.5
Atlanta Hawks @ Miami Heat (-9)
The Atlanta Hawks are currently just two games out of last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 6-17. They have had some unfortunate luck in the first quarter of the season. Budding star big-man John Collins is still serving a 25-game suspension for PED use.
The Hawks are just 2-8 over their last 10 games and it was even worse when they dealt with an injury to Kevin Huerter. They went just 1-10 in the 11 games he missed. Any team, when missing two key players for extended periods of time, are going to struggle.
Trae Young has been fantastic. He is currently averaging 28.8 points, 8.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds on the season.
The Miami Heat, currently sit a half-game up on the 76ers for third in the Eastern Conference at 17-6.
A good portion of their excellent play can be attributed to the offseason acquisition of Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo’s ascension and the play of their rookies, Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn can’t be understated, however.
Miami plays a true team style and Butler leads the team in scoring at just 20.6 points per game. They spread it around and move the ball very well. As a team, they are ninth in the NBA in assists at 24.9 per game.
Atlanta is one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA with a defensive rating of 113.8. Miami, on the other hand, is excellent on offense and sports an offensive rating of 109.3. Combine that with the fact that the Heat are also one of the best defensive teams in the league with a defensive rating of 104.1, and the fact that it’s in Miami, and the recipe is there for the favorite to win in a lopsided contest. Lay the points here.
The Bet – Miami Heat -9
Denver Nuggets @ Philadelphia 76ers (-4.5)
Tonight’s headliner will be in Philadelphia. The 76ers are playing really good basketball currently and are 8-2 over their last 10 games, including a win over the Toronto Raptors in their last contest.
76ers’ All-Star center Joel Embiid has taken a bit of a step back from a scoring standpoint this season. Last season he put up 27.5 points per contest compared to just 21.9 this season. He was even held scoreless against the raptors a couple of weeks ago. Make no mistake about it though, he is a focal point for the 76ers and is a tough matchup for any opposing center.
An interesting pattern for this matchup is Nuggets’ All-Star big man Nikola Jokić has also taken a bit of a step back this season. He is averaging a full four points less per game this season than he did last season as he is only averaging 16.1 points per night. Although he is still rebounding the ball at a respectable clip and still remains one of the best passing centers in the NBA, those numbers have also taken a dip this season and he only grabbing 10.1 rebounds, and dishing out 6.1 assists per night.
While the Nuggets may be the deeper team overall, Ben Simmons and Al Horford are likely to make the difference in this contest. Denver doesn’t appear to have anyone who can match up defensively with Simmons as Paul Millsap will likely be matched up with Horford.
Since this game is in Philadelphia, and Denver doesn’t appear to have a matchup for Simmons, lay the points.
The Bet – Philadelphia 76ers -4.5
New York Knicks @ Portland Trail Blazers (-9)
The New York Knicks, as usual, are a train wreck. They own the Eastern Conference’s worst record at 4-19 and they just fired their coach, David Fizdale.
New York currently holds the NBA’s worst offensive rating at 102 and the 24th defensive rating at 112.5. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers have a worse net rating than the Knicks’ -10.5 rating.
Rookie RJ Barrett has simply been average this season as he has averaged 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. His PER sits at just 11.2 which is below the league average of 15.0.
Their biggest free-agent signing, Julius Randle, has been their best player but even his numbers have taken a dip from last season. His scoring has dropped from 21.4 points to 16.7 points per night. His rebounding is pretty much the same. He averaged 8.7 rebounds per game last season compared to 8.6 this season.
While the Portland Trail Blazers have had a disappointing season, they are starting to play better. They have also lost a lot of close games as evident by their small point differential on the season. They are being outscored by just 2.7 points per contest.
Things are starting to trend upwards in the Pacific Northwest as Portland now only sits 2.5 games out of the playoffs. Damian Lillard has been his usual splendid self. CJ McCollum, after a slow start, is turning it on. Carmelo Anthony hasn’t been flawless, but he has had his moments and is an OK third option for the time being.
Taking into account that the Knicks might be the worst team in the NBA and combining it with the fact that they have to travel all the way across the country means the points should be laid with this one.
The Bet – Portland Trail Blazers -9
DISCLAIMER: LWOS INC and LWOPB do not offer guarantees on NBA game predictions. Please remember to always gamble legally and responsibly.
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