Tonight, the Toronto Raptors are going up against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are coming off a loss to the 76ers. It’s a bad loss considering the Sixers didn’t have any of their main guys playing. The Nets are finally healthy, but they still have not found their footing as a team. They aren’t playing team basketball on both ends.
The Toronto Raptors are a team that competes on every possession. The Raptors are missing some players, but they compete hard and don't take possessions off. They are top ten in offensive rating and middle of the pack defensively.
The Raptors will have home court advantage in tonight’s game. They have done a decent job of protecting their home court this season. They have a good opportunity tonight to get back in the win column after a recent loss to the Hawks. They will have the fresh legs to get after it defensively against a team in Brooklyn playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Currently, the Raptors are the underdogs at the moneyline at -130. They are a good value pick here.
Prediction: Raptors, -130
The Pacers are taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight in Indiana. Both teams are going into the game with winning streaks to protect. The Pacers are surprisingly playing well. The Pacers were expected to be a middle-of-the-pack team considering the young team they have. They are currently a top-ten offensive-rated team.
Tomorrow night, they will have some favorable matchups. Tyrese Haliburton is a great floor general. They also have an advantage with their bench. The Timberwolves do struggle defensively with versatile bigs. Karl Anthony Towns has trouble guarding quick fours. The Pacers will take advantage of that and play some small ball lineups tonight. The Pacers are a team where the sum of the parts is greater than the sum itself. They don’t have the premier names like the Timberwolves, but they play a brand of basketball that is predicated on pace and space.
Currently, this matchup is a pick-em game as there is no favorite at the money line. The Pacers are the pick here as they have home-court advantage and a style of play to make it hard for the Wolves.
Prediction: Pacers, -110
The Sacramento Kings are going up against the Atlanta Hawks tonight. The Kings are coming off a good win against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings got off to a rough start to the season, but they have turned it around. They are playing good basketball and are slowly building an identity. They are second in offensive ratings and nearly last in defensive ratings. They still have a lot of room for growth defensively. The Hawks are a middle-of-the-pack team on both ends of the floor.
This game will be competitive as both teams have talent. The only difference is the Hawks are a little more guard dominant as a team. Their guards dominate the ball and account for a lot of the points.
Sabonis will need to dominate this game for the Kings to win. If the Kings can find a way to be decent on defense, they will win this game without issue. They are playing with a lot of confidence going into this game. They are currently underdogs at the money line at +230. They are a good value selection, considering the basketball they have been playing.
Prediction: Pacers, +230
The Celtics are going up against the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Currently, the Celtics are the favorites at the money line at -180. The Celtics are playing at home. They will have an advantage on their home floor. The Celtics also have a much deeper team. They have several points of attack, unlike the Mavericks.
The Mavericks are a little too dependent on Luka. He has to spoon-feed several of their players and do a lot on offense. He has to be spectacular every night for them to be competitive.
The players around him are one-dimensional. If they are not hitting shots, their offense falters. The Celtics don’t have anything close to that issue. They have several players on their team that can create and score in several ways. They are first in offensive rating. Their offense has been superb to start the year. The Celtics are the pick tonight for this game.
Prediction: Pacers, -180