JutPicks
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Pickswise was nice enough to give me the opportunity to write my plays up for you all. For those of you who don’t know me, they refer to me as JutPicks on Twitter. I post all my plays with brief writeups every day. Now I get to write even more with no character limit!
I pride myself on being as transparent as they come. My NBA record from last season and this season are listed in my bio alongside my MLB record. Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite plays for Sunday.
Check out our picks for all of tonight’s NBA games!
CJ McCollum (NOP) over 22.5 points (-114)
Line available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
CJ crushed this line for us when we backed him on Friday night against the Lakers. He scored a team-high 32 points leading the Pelicans to an important win. I expect the same tonight from McCollum against the other Los Angeles team, the Clippers.
Much of my analysis from Friday night translates into this game as well. Now Orleans traded for McCollum for games like this. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are playing like one of the best duos in the league, and I do not see that changing tonight in a meaningful game. The Pelicans are 2.5 point underdogs, so McCollum should get a full workload.
For most of the season, the Clippers have been a top 10 defensive team. But, in their last 5 games, they rank as the 3rd worst defensive team in the league regarding defensive efficiency. Shooting guards have had fantastic scoring games against them. Since the return of Paul George, Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Jordan Clarkson scored 17 in the same game, Zach Lavine scored 21, and Demar DeRozan dropped a 50 piece in overtime.
In games that McCollum and Ingram play together, McCollum averages 25.8 points per game and is over this line in 9 of 13 games. McCollum has scored at least 20 points in 9 of his last 10 games, and he is in a great spot to score over 23 tonight.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Los Angeles Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans
Marcus Smart (BOS) under 24.5 points + rebounds + assists (-113)
Line available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The Boston Celtics host the Washington Wizards at 1:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Boston continues to play like one of the best teams in basketball and is fighting for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They should have little trouble against the tanking Wizards, who are 5 games out of the play-in tournament. 13 points favor the Celtics, and I do not expect this game to be close even though the Wizards are fresh off a beatdown of the Dallas Mavericks.
Let’s dive into why I am fading Marcus Smart. I am 5-1 on when taking Smart’s over. Other than a monster game against the Raptors when the Celtics were missing stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Smart is under this line 6 of his last 7 games. His shot volume has fluctuated from game to game, and Smart is not shooting well from 3. The Wizards are one of the best defensive teams in the league when it comes to allowing 3-pointers.
If this game gets out of hand, Boston will look to young guard Payton Pritchard to close out the game. I expect Tatum and Brown to continue dominating the ball on offense, limiting Smart to hit this number. On the season, Smart is under this line in 63% of games and both games versus the Wizards this season.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Washington Wizards vs Boston Celtics
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