NBA Picks

The mighty Cavs are hoping to avoid losing back-to-back games for only the 2nd time this season as they head to Indiana, to face a Pacers team that just beat them two days ago. Cleveland actually played well in that game up until the 3rd quarter, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half, however a disastrous 3rd period in which they went just 4-for-20 from the field and committed 7 turnovers cost them the game. Now it’ll be interesting to see how they respond to facing adversity, which hasn’t happened many times so far this season.

Indiana is the hottest team in the East right now, riding a 7-game win streak. However, the win at Cleveland came at a cost as Tyrese Haliburton re-injured his hamstring which makes him questionable to suit up tonight. Him not playing would undoubtedly be a massive blow, despite a masterful 2nd half in Sunday’s game at Cleveland. The defense is what has kept the Pacers afloat during this win streak, they’ve held their last 3 of 4 opponents under 100 points. The length that they have around the perimeter on defense is something a lot of teams have struggled with, but despite the win on Sunday they’re 7-point underdogs in this one. Cleveland has been a well-oiled machine this season, minor bumps on the road along the way are to be expected. And that’s exactly what Sunday’s game was. It’s really hard to imagine the most lethal three-point shooting team going 11-for-41 in back-to-back games. With no play making by Haliburton the Pacers offense will struggle to keep up, I’m taking the Cavaliers here.

Cavaliers vs Pacers prediction: Cavaliers -7 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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DraftKings is coming in at over 10.5 rebounds+assists at -115 for Pascal Siakam. Meanwhile, FanDuel Sportsbook is down to -138, a price I’m not too fond of. I suggest waiting for o11.5 rebounds + assists at plus-money odds if you don’t have access to DraftKings or BetMGM.

Siakam steps into the #1 option heading into Tuesday night, with Tyrese Haliburton doubtful to play and likely miss his first game of the season — all the better for Siakam, who leads the Pacers in usage rate this season amongst players who have played at least 800 minutes. The Cavaliers come into town as 8-point road favorites, so the hope is that Siakam keeps this game close for the Pacers. He’s surpassed this prop line in 11 of 17 games at home — all with Haliburton active. Without Haliburton, expect a more aggressive Siakam on both ends.

Ordinarily, I would look to back the 76ers at home as double-digit underdogs, especially considering the Thunder are off consecutive blowout victories on their 3-game road trip while Philadelphia enters this game following back-to-back defeats and is in desperate need of a win to stop the bleeding. With that said, I want no part of stepping in front of the best team in the Western Conference at the moment, and my decision has been made easier by the fact that Joel Embiid is set to miss his 5th consecutive game with a lingering foot injury. The Sixers are obviously a completely different team without Embiid on the floor, and Oklahoma City should be able to exploit a Philadelphia defense that is going to be noticeably weaker at the rim. It doesn’t help matters that Caleb Martin is also questionable for this game, as the Sixers could use as many of their solid ancillary depth pieces to contribute in a game where the Thunder should still be operating at an advantage when they turn to their bench units. Paul George is in the midst of a very poor shooting slump, and his struggles certainly should continue against the best defense in the league (and possibly one of the best defenses in NBA history). Philadelphia is an abysmal 24% against the spread at home this season — with our without Embiid in the lineup — while Oklahoma City is covering at a 67% clip on the road. The Thunder have consistently blown out teams that aren’t in the upper echelon of the league, and the Sixers are nowhere close to what we thought they could be prior to the season. Let’s lay the wood for Oklahoma City on the road.

Thunder vs 76ers prediction: Thunder -11.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to 12.

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The Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks will be play the second game of a rare back-to-back situation in the same city when they meet again in Dallas on Tuesday night. These same 2 teams just squared off at the American Airlines Center this past Sunday, when Denver prevailed 112-101. However, there are reasons to think that the Mavs will turn the tide. They were playing without both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in that contest, but Irving will be back for the rematch. Despite being undermanned, the Mavericks could have and probably should have won 2 days ago. They led by as many as 17 points in the first half and still found themselves ahead by 12 points in the fourth quarter before clearly getting fatigued down the stretch.

Irving’s return should help significantly in the departments of both depth and scoring. The former Duke star was playing great prior to dealing with a back injury. He averaged more than 30 points per game in his last 4 contests while making at least 50 percent of his shots from the floor in 8 of his last 10 games. Irving is also no stranger to victimizing the Nuggets. The 32-year-old is scoring 31.0 ppg in 2 games against them this season while shooting 58.5 percent from the floor and 50 percent (7-for-14) from deep. Klay Thompson is also scorching hot for Dallas. Thompson drained 6 triples for 25 points in the most recent matchup with Denver and is shooting at a 40.8 percent clip from the land of plenty in January. The Nuggets are good but nothing special on the road (11-8 SU), so give me the Mavs to cover.

Nuggets vs Mavericks prediction: Mavericks +4 (-112) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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