We had a nice start to the season. Am I happy? Yes. Did I drink too much in celebration at the wedding I went to over the weekend? Also yes — congrats to Matt and Jen!
And as I sit here at a gray and overcast O’Hare International Airport, melancholy fills the air as flights are delayed. However, I can’t help but feel a sense of hope for this season, as the board is being seen clearly with the mistakes of our past serving as the lessons for our future.
I’m even channeling artistic prose for some reason…
Going 3-1 was clearly bad for my ego, and I’m ready to get crushed this week. Here are this week’s bets!
Categories:
Layups: 2-Unit Plays
Two-Pointers: 1-Unit Plays
Three-Pointers: 0.75-Unit Plays
Half-Court Shot: 0.5-Unit Plays
Season Record: 3-1 (+1.5 units)
Layups
Warriors 3Q ML @ Suns (-110): Oh yeah, we’re going right back to that Warriors 3Q well because the water is so, so sweet. We hit it last week, and this week we can get the 3Q ML at a decent number! The Warriors are second in the NBA with a third-quarter scoring margin at +7.3, and they’ve won every third quarter so far this season. Whatever voodoo they do at halftime, it’s working. They face a Suns team that’s a pedestrian 14th in the NBA in the same category. We ride with the Warriors until they break us.
Two-Pointers
Mavs -5.5 @ Pelicans (-110): There are a LOT of injuries in this game, and mostly on the Pelicans side. Brandon Ingram is out, Zion is out, and Herb Jones is out. That’s a significant section of the Pels’ roster, and they’re facing a Mavs team that’s looked nice and rejuvenated with the addition of Christian Wood. The Mavs are 2-0 ATS in the early season and have a high-powered offense. There’s no reason Luka and company can’t win this one by double digits.
Three-Pointers
Kristaps Porzingis Over 8.5 Rebounds (-125): The Unicorn has grabbed double-digit rebounds in three games this season. When analyzing Detroit, the Pistons haven’t been too great at getting rebounds, as they give up the third-most rebounds per game this season to power forwards. Look for Kristaps to be active down low tonight and the Pistons not being able to stop him.
Thunder +9 vs. Clippers (-110): For the sake of transparency, I’d like to admit I bet over on the Thunder team win total for the season, so I’m naturally high on them. That said, I can’t help but also like the spot they’re in at home, taking on a Clippers team without Paul George and Marcus Morris. OKC is also 2-1 ATS as an underdog. This team is just scrappy, and I think they’ll give a shorthanded Clippers team issues and even have a shot to win. They’re too talented to lose four straight at this point.
