[ad_1]
Wednesday night’s 12-game NBA roster was incredible; showcasing some of the best young stars in the league for all to see.
On the sports betting side, the underdog ruled the night with a 7-5 record, with six losers directly winning. Before I get into my thoughts and pick out the games for Christmas Day, I want to take a few moments and recap the second night of the season.
What we learned to start the NBA season
The Atlanta Hawks aren’t as good as they seemed Wednesday, and the Chicago Bulls aren’t as bad as they seemed despite a 124-104 beating at home. The Bulls as a team shot 8-35 from three-point range, and not playing defense is a good way to kick your ass. However, Trae Young looked as good as advertised.
Celtics Jayson Tatum is a bucket list, as is Jaylen Brown. Milwaukee stops playing defense for long periods of games, but Jrue Holiday was hired to fix that. Watch to see how that dynamic continues when they face Golden State.
The Hornets gave up a 41-point quarter to the Cleveland Cavaliers without Kevin Love. If they’re giving cubes at will to teams like Cleveland, I can see them surpassing that number a lot this season.
The Knicks will not be easy this year. RJ Barrett is showing flashes, and they will compete most nights. When Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis is in his game, there aren’t many people in the league better than him.
The 76ers barely survived against the Wizards at home, shooting 28% from three. Ben Simmons was 2-6 from the free throw line and Danny Green should be parked on the bench. Joel Embiid saved Philly’s bacon with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
The Pelicans kicked off the Stan Van-Gundy era with a road win over the Raptors in Tampa, Florida, the current makeshift home for the Toronto Raptors during the coronavirus pandemic. Zion Williamson scored good numbers in 30 minutes of action, but Brandon Ingram is the Pelicans’ best player, and he’s not close. The Raptors scored 42 points in the second half, Pascal Siakam played 39 minutes and his over / under was -15. He only hit two free throws, but he hit seven 3s. That will have to change.
The Memphis Grizzlies played as Murray State against the Spurs as they watched Ja Morant go to work while everyone else was a spectator. The Spurs have a good young player in former Kentucky Wildcat Keldon Johnson.
Karl Anthony-Towns was my MVP of the night. What a year he’s had to go through and he was masterful in the fourth quarter when the Timberwolves walked away from the Pistons. Speaking of the Pistons, they suck. It’s only been a game, but I’ve seen enough. Everything must explode.
Buddy Hield’s exit to end the Kings / Nuggets game was sensational and ESPN’s Mark Jones was excellent on play-by-play tip-in. The Kings are a fighting group. My biggest problem with the Nuggets is Nikola Jokic. Yes, I know he had a triple-double, and 14 assists are great, but why is he only shooting two 3-pointers in a game where it was clear his scoring was needed more?
NBA Christmas Day Chalkboard
New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat (-4.5) Total: 224.5
The Miami Heat looking to do well on Christmas Day after an opening night loss to the Orlando Magic, the Pelicans would like to take this opportunity to start a winning streak after winning their first game in Tampa over the Toronto Raptors. As this is being written, the ticket and money count in this game is almost uniform, the number has moved from 5.5 to 3.5, I would continue to monitor this number as I think the Pelicans can become a fashionable dog, and all we know. We banish the fashionable dogs.
The Miami Heat were the best home team in the NBA last season, and I think cooking at home will be good for them. I like that they successfully place the points against the Pelicans in Zion Williamson’s debut on Christmas Day.
Best bet: Miami Heat -3.5
Golden State Warriors vs Milwaukee Bucks (-10.5) Total: 232.5
The Brooklyn Nets gave their ass to the Golden State Warriors on Opening Night. It was a bad look, and when a team shuts down, the market reacts. This line opened with Golden State as a 5.5-point underdog in this game, and that number was correct. Then the public got on it and raised it to 7.5, and after the Warriors were destroyed in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, the number shot up to 10.5, and that’s exactly where you wanted the number.
People will think I’m crazy for backing the Warriors after that embarrassing loss, but in NBA betting, when a team shuts down, they cover the margin in the next game more than half the time. Milwaukee is down 17 to Boston at one point and I’ll continue to bang the table and scream that the Bucks aren’t that good. Oh, and this total seems high too
Best bet: Warriors +10.5
Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics (+3) Total: 228.5
The Nets are too good to fade, but I’m never going to endorse such a public side in a high-stakes game, especially on an NBA day. About 90% of the bets and money in this game back the Nets on the road against Boston. That’s a clear bet if you ask me, and trust me, I know how good Brooklyn looked.
For me it is not a bet or a small play in Boston. I can use this time to eat my Christmas dinner and sleep on the loveseat.
The choice: Pass
Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers (-6) Total: 227.5
Christmas Day for sports fans has featured LeBron James for nearly two decades. It’s hard to hate King James and it’s also hard to want to fade him. Both the Mavericks and Lakers struggled in their first game of the new season, and I don’t think either team is there offensively yet.
The total in this game opened at 230, about 70% of the money has been finished, but the line is going down, the reverse speed has reached this number. These two teams combined to score 229 points in a game that went into overtime last season. Other than that these games have a lower score so I’m falling behind.
The choice: less than 227.5
Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets (+2.5)
Public money and hard money are getting to the Clippers quite a bit in this game. The line opened with the Clippers as a 2-point favorite on the road, but the number is only half a point up, I think this number will hold steady, but if the public loses to the Nets and Lakers, you will send this number. Go up as bettors chase the favorite to try to get a bedtime win. At that point, I’ll get on the Nuggets. If that doesn’t happen, he probably won’t play this game until halftime. I have an option for this game, compare prices and see where you can find it.
The Prop: Nikola Jokic to record a triple-double (+430)
[ad_2]
