Philadelphia picked up an impressive 115-102 victory in Toronto on Tuesday to improve to 6-2 in their last eight games. It was one-way traffic in the first half, as the visitors poured in 45 points in the first quarter and 35 in the second, to take an 80-51 lead into halftime. Some complacency set in in the second half, as they scored just 35 points in the final two quarters, but it didn’t matter as their lead was never truly threatened in what was a great two-way display. Tyrese Maxey led the offensive charge, with 33 points on 10/16 shooting, while Joel Embiid put together another good scoring night, with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists. VJ Edgecombe added 15 points and eight assists and Paul George finished the night with 15 points, four rebounds and six assists in a strong win.
Cleveland slipped to a 112-123 loss to Utah on Thursday, suffering another disappointing loss at home. A woeful start to the game saw Cleveland trail 4-21 after less than seven minutes of play, but they woke up in the second quarter to dominate 40-20 and take a 62-64 lead into the main break. Things went pear-shaped again in the second half though, as Utah surged back into the lead in the third quarter, controlling the game from then on to see Cleveland fall to defeat. It was a poor effort on both ends and it was largely tied to their lack of effort on the glass, losing the rebounding battle 30-50. Evan Mobley had a near triple-double with 15 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three blocks, but the next-most prolific rebounder was Jarrett Allen with four, highlighting Cleveland’s woes on the boards. Darius Garland was solid with 23 points and eight assists and Donovan Mitchell had an up-and-down 21 points.
Both teams are effectively fully-healthy heading into this clash, making for a mouth-watering Eastern Conference showdown, and I am picking Cleveland to prevail. They have been one of the big disappointments this season but have shown some promise when fully healthy and I do not like Philly’s defensive matchups, especially in the backcourt. As narrow underdogs, Cleveland are the play.
Dallas have been big players in the league’s trade news over the past 12 months and they cropped up again on Wednesday, with reports of an openness to trade Anthony Davis and to focus the team’s future around Cooper Flagg. The reports come just days after AD picked up a hand injury, ruling him out for at least six weeks, but Dallas looked comfortable without him on Tuesday in a 113-105 victory over Brooklyn. The visitors never led after the second minute, as Dallas built a 56-45 halftime lead and never looked back. Naji Marshall had some big moments in the clutch to seal it for Dallas, finishing the game with 22 points, nine assists and three steals, and Cooper Flagg put together another impressive outing with 27 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Klay Thompson went 6/9 from deep for 18 points and Ryan Nembhard put up nine points and eight assists for a solid night out for Dallas.
Denver picked up another valuable win without Nikola Jokić on Wednesday, beating New Orleans 122-116. It wasn’t particularly convincing from Denver, requiring a late push to get over the line after trailing 106-110 with less than four minutes to play, but they got the job done with a 16-6 run to end the game and leave Smoothie King Arena with the win. Jamal Murray was elite again, recording 35 points and nine assists, and Payton Watson had another big evening on 31 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one block. Jalen Pickett shot 6/9, including 4/6 from deep, for 16 points and three assists while Aaron Gordon added 16 points and seven rebounds to help get Denver over the line.
Both teams are battered and bruised, and on night two of a back-to-back, there’s a good chance that Gordon sits this one out for Denver. With AD off the floor this season, Dallas have a measly 109.4 offensive rating and Denver have not been a heck of a lot better without Jokić, at 114.3. With two struggling offences going head-to-head, and with both teams being in the bottom half of the league in time to first shot, this game’s for the under.
Sacramento have found a little bit of form in their last two games, first enjoying a 111-98 victory over Houston before beating the Lakers 124-112 on Tuesday. Los Angeles started off strongly to lead 10-19, but Sacramento quickly mounted a comeback to be up 32-28 at quarter-time and they never trailed from then on. It was a great offensive performance from Doug Christie’s men, led by an excellent 32 points and six assists from DeMar DeRozan. The star forward only missed five shots on the night, while Malik Monk also enjoyed an efficient outing, going 9/15 for 26 points and eight assists. Russell Westbrook added 22 points and seven assists and Zach LaVine hit his shots to contribute 19 points.
New York moved to 1-1 on their road trip with a 123-114 victory over Portland on Monday. It was an 11-0 run in the span of 1:30 in the fourth quarter that saw NY pull away, going from 103-104 to 114-104 in the blink of an eye, and they held on to win from there. Jalen Brunson had another big night, with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds and OG Anunoby hit some big shots, including a couple of threes late, to finish with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Mikal Bridges added 18/6/6 with three steals and Karl-Anthony Towns had a 20-point night, making for another big offensive performance from New York.
We can almost certainly pencil in another big offensive shift from the visitors here, and that spells trouble for Sacramento. Their last two games may have resulted in big wins, but they are just 15-25 ATS this season and I cannot see their defence slowing down this rampant NY offence, making for a comfortable win for the visitors.