A New Week Of NBA Action Begins
While many NBA players and teams got to enjoy their day of rest on Sunday, there were still a number of teams who were involved in action on Sunday. There were some exciting moments, ensuring it was quality rather than quantity that was on offer in the NBA.
The Heat grabbed a dramatic 94-93 win over the Hornets in Miami, delighting the home crowd and ensuring fans were hooked until the dying seconds. The Grizzlies had a much easier time of it, defeating the Clippers by a score of 107-91. It was a miserable day for the Los Angeles teams, with the Lakers going down at home by a score of 94-101 to the Nuggets. The Celtic were another team that lost at home, defeated 88-94 by the Trail Blazers, and the Thunder also lost in front of their own fans, going down 86-91 to the Warriors.
And that means that I had all of yesterday’s tips right, which was about time since I was on quite a losing spree. Have a look at my tips page to see what I mean.
Los Angeles Clippers @ Charlotte Hornets
The Clippers hold a 7-5 record, with a 3-2 record away from home, while the Hornets hold a 4-10 record, with a 3-3 record at home.
The Clippers picked up two wins on the road before succumbing to Memphis on Sunday by a score of 107-91. The team still has four more games on the road to endure before they return to Los Angeles, so they will need to bounce back quickly. One player who definitely has to bounce back is Blake Griffin, who had his lowest scoring performance of the season against the Grizzlies on Sunday night, only grabbing 2 points.
The Hornets meanwhile have lost five on the spin, losing out narrowly in Miami on Sunday night. Al Jefferson grabbed a double-double, with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Lance Stephenson and Kemba Walker combined for 33 points. The team has players who are playing well, but when something goes against the Hornets, they crumble quickly, and this can be disastrous for teams in the NBA.
The Clippers don’t have any notable injuries to worry about but the Hornets have a number of players they are monitoring regularly. PJ Hairston is being monitored day to day, and should be able to feature in the match but there are serious doubts about the presence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is likely to miss his 7th game in a row, Gary Neal and Jeff Taylor.
The Clippers look the stronger team coming into the match and taking them at odds of 1.90 while listed at -5.0 is likely to be a sensible way to enjoy basketball betting action on Monday. Bet Now!
Portland Trail Blazers @ Philadelphia 76ers
The Trail Blazers come into this game with a 10-3 record, 2-2 away from home but the 76ers hold a 0-13 record. The fact that the Trail Blazers have played 9 games at home and only 4 on the road may be masking then quality of their start to the 2014/15 campaign, but there is no amount of masking you can do to the 76ers record. Of their 0-13 record, 6 losses have been at home, with the team being consistently poor no matter where they play.
The Trail Blazers are going for an eight win in a row, dealing with the Celtics in a comprehensive manner on Sunday in a 94-88 win. Six players managed to grab double figures for the Trail Blazers, so this is a team that can share the points around.
The 76ers lost 91-83 in New York on Saturday and they are now two defeats from matching their worst ever start. Worryingly, they are also starting to move into sight of the worst ever start in the league, the 0-18 record held by the Nets in 2009/10. After they welcome Portland, Philadelphia plays host to the Nets, the Mavericks and the Spurs in the space of a week and the longer the team goes without a win, the higher the pressure will build.
Portland are likely to be missing Nicholas Batum but there doesn’t appear to be any other injuries for either team. You have to say that if the 76ers achieve anything in this game, it will be a massive upset.
You may think that the law of averages means that taking the 76ers, even on the spread, will be worth it at some point, but at the moment, you should be looking at the Trail Blazers at odds of 1.90 while starting at -12.5. Bet Now!
Phoenix Suns @ Toronto Raptors
The Suns have a 9-5 record so far this season and the Raptors are 11-2, including a 8-1 record at home, which means that this is going to be a match between two teams that have a touch of form about them this season.
It is the best start that the Raptors have ever made but with both teams having won their last four games, something will have to give between these franchises which are on the rise. It was just two seasons ago when these teams finished last in their divisions, but at the moment, the Raptors are at the top of the Eastern Conference and the Suns are riding high in the West.
The Raptors came from 18 points behind in Cleveland on Saturday to grab a 93-110 win while the Suns trounced Indiana 83-106 on Saturday night. The Suns are coming to the end of a lengthy road trip but at the moment they hold a 4-1 record, so they are doing very well for themselves away from Phoenix.
One strong element about both teams is that reserve players are stepping up and playing their part. Gerald Green grabbed 23 points on Saturday for the Suns and Lou Williams also impressed for the Raptors against the Cavaliers, grabbing 26 points.
The Suns have no significant injury worries to contend with while the Raptors are dealing with James Johnson being monitored daily while Tyler Hansborough is considered to be unavailable for the game.
With both teams in such good form, it is a close one to call, but taking the Suns at 1.90 with a +5 advantage may be of benefit. Bet Now!
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