Cleveland got back to winning ways with a comfortable 136-111 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday. It was smooth sailing for all of Cleveland’s stars, with a huge 48-point second quarter opening up a 72-46 halftime lead and there was no turning back from there. It was the bigs in particular who feasted, as Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined to go 23/32 from the field and score 52 points in a dominant showing. Allen added 11 rebounds and four assists to make it a memorable night for Cleveland’s frontcourt, while Donovan Mitchell and James Harden were also solid in their showings, with 15 points and 13 points respectively. Second round draft pick Meleek Thomas shone with 13 points and Mario Hezonja got close to a triple-double with eight points, 11 rebounds and four assists in what was a very convincing win for the visitors.
Oklahoma City were given a reminder of how much of a hole they are in on Sunday, as they fell to Houston 98-119. The 2025 champions never really looked like threatening the hosts, as their offence really failed to get going and on the other end, they were pounded on the glass and struggled to implement their trademark defensive ball-pressure. As always, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 26 points and three assists but even he looked a little off, struggling to generate the space that he usually does, and Ajay Mitchell in particular looked off his game. The usually crafty guard got up just nine FGAs and had just six points and five assists, while Jared McCain’s struggles of late continued with just 10 points. Aday Mara tried to add some physicality and rim protection off the bench, with seven points, nine rebounds and four blocks and Bennett Stirtz looked more settled with his 11 points, but this was another tough watch for OKC fans.
Alex Caruso (ankle) remains out for the visitors, while Peyton Watson (hamstring) is questionable for Cleveland. Obviously that leaves OKC at a huge disadvantage in this matchup, with a difficult path to guarding the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Harden. While Allen and Mobley won’t have as much offensively this time around, I expect them to really excel on the defensive end and make life very hard on Ajay Mitchell, McCain and Hartenstein. OKC simply don’t have the depth to battle with those struggles and I am going to continue to bet against them in their current state.
Best
Cleveland -4.5 ($1.90)
Houston got back into the winners circle on Sunday, pumping Oklahoma City 119-98. A 17-5 run in the first quarter opened up a double-digit lead, and they repeated that dose in the second quarter with an 18-4 blitz to make it a 21-point game and there was no way back for the visitors from there. It was an excellent two-way showing from Houston, holding the visitors to just a 104.3 offensive rating, while recording a 126.6 offensive rating of their own, as they hit 18 three-pointers and pulled down 18 offensive rebounds for 17 second chance points. Jabari Smith Jr was impressive, with 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one block, and Marcus Smart had his best game since coming to Houston with 24 points and three assists. Kevin Durant was somewhat reserved, with just nine FGAs and six FTAs, as was Alperen Şengün in his return to action, or at least from a scoring perspective. Instead, the Turkish big man added nine rebounds and nine assists, helping Houston pick up an easy win at home.
Boston did what they needed to do to get past Orlando on Monday, in a 108-97 win. It was a very slow start from the visitors, as Orlando got out to a 4-13 lead inside the first four minutes of play, but Boston had caught up by the end of the first quarter and they largely controlled the game from then on. A 3-18 run from Orlando tied the game late in the third, but Boston responded almost immediately with a 18-6 run of their own early in the third to make it a double-digit margin again and win the game. It was Jayson Tatum who led the charge, with 32 points, seven assists and two blocks, and Paul George was very valuable again with 17 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Hugo Gonzalez got the start ahead of Jordan Walsh but didn’t produce much, as minutes were spread across that duo plus Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman, as Joe Mazzulla continues to tweak his lineup.
Clint Capela (ankle) has been added to the injury report as questionable, alongside Reed Sheppard (back) who’s missed the last two games, while there is a chance of Paul George, Jayson Tatum or Derrick White being rested for Boston, who are on a back-to-back. That alone puts Houston in the box seat, as well as them being at home, and I am surprised to see them as just 4.5-point favourites. Houston are undefeated at home this season and Boston haven’t had all that challenging of a schedule of late, so they won’t be prepared for what’s to come at Toyota Center.
Best
Houston -5.5 ($1.98)
Denver surged to a 127-120 victory over Phoenix on Saturday to open up their in-season tournament account with a win and flex their offensive muscles. They recorded a 133.68 offensive rating and they did a lot of their damage in the first three quarters, scoring 104 points in those 36 minutes of play as Jamal Murray and Christian Braun caught fire. The guard pairing combined to go 11/13 from three in those 3Qs for 26 points apiece, and Murray remained hot in the fourth with an additional 13 points to end with 39 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Braun recorded 31 points and three steals while Jokić had an efficient 18 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Aaron Gordon was also tidy with his 15 points and five assists, as the starting unit did almost all of the scoring to record Denver’s best offensive performance of the season so far.
Portland got back to winning ways on Sunday, breezing past Utah 112-90. It was a smothering defensive display from Micah Nori’s side, holding the hosts to just an 88.2 offensive rating as the visitors gave up absolutely nothing across the floor. Utah had just 11 shot attempts at the rim and shot just 37% from the paint and midrange, and an even worse 27.5% from three, as Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Deni Avdija and even Damian Lillard showed plenty of intensity on that end. Sidy Cissoko was also a livewire defensively off the bench, while Avdija was again the main offensive threat, with a tidy 24 points. Camara drained four threes for 14 points and two steals, Lillard had 22 points and Jrue Holiday was valuable off the pine with 14 points.
It’s not a surprise that Denver are favoured at home, but Portland will very much be in this fight. Their offence has been a real surprise this season, at fourth in the league, and their defence has almost been as good, ranked seventh. Denver have not been convincing, and while they found some form in their two-game road trip, it’s not like they were up against world-beaters, in Phoenix and New Orleans. This is the best team that Denver have faced since OKC in their opener, and I am picking a Portland upset.
Best
Portland +4.5 ($1.87)
