Ricky Dimon
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It was an interesting October in the NBA, to put it mildly. The Houston Rockets of all teams had only one win as of Wednesday afternoon. Not quite that level of shocking but also alarming, the Washington Wizards also own just a single victory. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have a mere two. At the other end of the spectrum, the Milwaukee Bucks were expected to be good—but they’re great. So…what additional surprises might the association have in store for us over the next week? Here are five Bold NBA Predictions for this week!
The Houston Rockets will win three in a row
Houston going on a three-game winning streak is generally nothing out of the ordinary. The Rockets did that kind of stuff—and more—with utmost ease throughout the 2018-19 campaign. This time around, though, they are off to a 1-5 start and James Harden has missed the last two games due to a hamstring injury. That being said, Houston has winnable contests coming up at Brooklyn and Chicago, and Harden should be back for next Monday’s date with Indiana. The team is now down to a +950 fourth choice to win the NBA title.
The Milwaukee Bucks will lose a basketball game
Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six…. No, the Bucks have started 2018-19 with seven consecutive wins. New head coach Mike Budenholzer has guided the NBA’s last undefeated squad to victories over Indiana, Philadelphia, and Toronto, among many others. However, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently dealing with a concussion and missed Monday’s victory over the Raptors. Thursday at Boston will be tough with or without the Greek Freak, whose over/under for triple-doubles this season is 3.5 (has one so far).
No Golden State Warrior will hit the 40-point mark
The Warriors’ proverbial “Big 3” have taken turns exploding early in this 2018-19 campaign. Stephen Curry led the team in scoring in four of the first five games, including a 51-point outburst on 11-of-16 marksmanship from deep in last week’s win over Washington. Kevin Durant scored 41 two nights later against the Nets, while Klay Thompson drained a laughable 14 threes en route to 52 points during Monday’s rout of Chicago. Now that Thompson has heated up and all three are currently flammable, they may share the spoils more consistently.
Kemba Walker will score 50 points in a game
Speaking of sensational single-game performances, Walker is due for one—well, to an even greater extent than what he has already been delivering this year. The Charlotte Hornets’ star guard has reached the half-century mark only once in his career (52 in January of 2016), but he has exceeded 40 on too many occasions to name. He has poured in at least 37 points three times in 2018-19, including 41 in the opener. Coming off two subpar shooting performances, Walker will be eager to do something crazy in the near future.
Kawhi Leonard will have a 30, 10, 5, and 5 game
We’re tempted to go out a limb and say that Leonard will produce a triple-double this week, but—admittedly—the above Walker pick is already an absurdly bold one; and Leonard never gets to 10 assists. But 30 points, 10 rebounds, five dimes, and five steals on one night is doable, while still constituting an incredible feat. The Toronto Raptors newcomer went for 31, 7, 4, and 4 during Tuesday’s 129-112 victory over the 76ers. He is way more comfortable in his new setting than he was through two contests, so continued improvement can be expected. Toronto, meanwhile, is +230 to win the Eastern Conference.
