Ricky Dimon
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Today’s NBA slate is not quite as sizable as that of New Year’s Day, but it still has plenty to offer. Two of the most surprising teams in the league so far, the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks, are in action along with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Here’s our five-team parlay for Saturday:
Pacers -8.5 (-110)
Magic -7.5 (-110)
76ers -9.5 (-110)
Hawks ML (-270)
Pelicans ML (+100)
Parlay odds: +1779
For this play we mix in three favorites against the spread, one favorite on the money line, and an underdog straight up. Let’s break down each of the five legs one by one.
Indiana Pacers -8.5 over New York Knicks (-110)
The Knicks are bad—maybe the worst team in the league. They are actually a respectable 2-3 at the moment, but to be very clear that doesn’t mean they are good or even decent. It is also worth noting that Julius Randle, who has been New York’s best played so far in 2020-21, is hobbled. Meanwhile, Indiana bounced back from its first loss of the season to Boston with a 20-point win over Cleveland. Unfortunately, forward TJ Warren has a foot injury…but that is why you only have to give single-digits to New York on Saturday. Even without Warren, the Pacers are by far the better club and they are playing at home.
Orlando Magic -7.5 over Oklahoma City Thunder (-110)
It looks like it could be a long season in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks really good in an expanded role with Chris Paul gone, but the rest of the team has a lot of question marks. The Thunder won their opener, lost their second game by one point, and then lost by double-digits twice in succession (to Orlando by 11 and to New Orleans by a ridiculous 33 points). There may be a lot more results like that last one this season…and Saturday against Orlando is a candidate. The Magic are 5-1 and have lost only to a strong Philadelphia squad. They should be able to get good production from their frontcourt and the inconsistency of their perimeter players won’t be exposed as much by OKC.
Philadelphia 76ers -9.5 over Charlotte Hornets (-110)
Philadelphia is in a very strong position to pick up a dominant win over Charlotte. The Hornets were surprisingly beaten by the Grizzlies last night (108-93) in a game that was never that close. The 76ers, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive 116-92 road win against the previously unbeaten Magic. They have had an additional day’s rest and will have home-court advantage in this one. Joel Embiid is bound to have a big night. With the Hornets big man Cody Zeller being out, their only option down low is Bismack Biyombo—who will have his hands full on Saturday. Look for Charlotte to double-team Embiid in the post, which should open things up for Seth Curry and Tobias Harris.
Atlanta Hawks ML over Cleveland Cavaliers (-270)
The Cavaliers are finally cooling off following a rare 3-0 start to the season Their latest setback came at Indiana’s hands via a 119-99 decision on Thursday. They also failed to reach the 100-point mark during their previous contest against the Knicks. Losing Kevin Love to a calf injury is a big deal for this young Cleveland squad, which simply doesn’t have a player of his caliber as an easy replacement. Simply put, the Cavs are a mess at the moment. The opposite is true of the Hawks, who lead the NBA with 128.8 points per game and come in with a 4-1 record. After losing to the Nets by four points on Wednesday, Atlanta drained 16 three-pointers for a revenge 114-96 victory on Friday. With the Cavs cooling off a bit and all of the injuries on their roster, this should be another win for the Hawks.
New Orleans Pelicans ML over Toronto Raptors (+100)
After starting the season 0-3 the Raptors are finally off the mark thanks to a 100-83 victory over the Knicks on New Year’s Eve. They prevailed even without Pascal Siakam and his status remains unclear for this game, as well, after being suspended by the team for disciplinary reasons. The game plan for the Raptors has changed quite a lot compared to last season. Toronto is forking up threes at a record pace and making just 34.2 percent of them (20th in the NBA), so that has been costly so far. For the Pelicans, forward Brandon Ingram is their main weapon on the offensive end (22.6 ppg) and in only 26 minutes he led the team with 20 during a 113-80 New Year’s Eve blowout of Oklahoma City. The Pelicans have a solid record of 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with winning percentages under .400. The Raptors are also 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.
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