We are back! And we’re in the positive!
I hope everyone had a nice and refreshing NBA All-Star break. The dunk contest was gross but the game was fun (I’m now pro-Elam Ending). Let’s start the second half of the season strong with some fun props and go back to the money-making Bulls.
Categories:
Layups: The bets I really like and feel the most confident in.
Two-Pointers: The bets I like a lot and feel fairly confident in.
Three-Pointers: The bets I like but don’t feel as confident in.
Half-Court Shot: A long underdog I like to win straight-up.
Record: 48-41-1 (+0.27 Units)
Layups
Bulls -3 vs. Hawks (-110): Sweet home Chicago! The Bulls are a staggering 21-10 ATS when they’re at home this year, and they’re 17-7 ATS as a home favorite. The Bulls have also covered the last two matchups against Atlanta when they were favorites in both games. The total is a mile high at 240 but Chicago has just been so hard to beat at home when LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic are all healthy. Call me a big nerd and ask me where the library is because I’m trusting the numbers with the Bulls.
Two-Pointers
Suns-Thunder Under 218 (-110): No Chris Paul means a different-looking Suns offense. Now, they’ve had to deal with his absence before — most famously in last year’s playoffs — but it could take a little bit for the Suns to figure out how to operate efficiently. Thunder unders have also been a hot commodity this season, with OKC struggling to score more than 100 while also playing decent defense, ranking in the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency. On top of that, Phoenix has hit the under 16 times in 27 road games. Get this number before it drops too much.
Ayo Dosunmu Over 5.5 Assists (-105): With Lonzo Ball out, Ayo has taken the reins as the Bulls’ Passer-in-Chief. As a starter, Ayo averages 6.7 assists a game and now faces a Hawks team that gives up THE MOST assists to point guards in the league at a wild nine assists a game. Plus, the total is at 240, so you better believe there will be plenty of scoring chances on Ayo’s passes. Let’s hope the guy from I-L-L gets some A-S-T’s.
Three-pointers
Nuggets -4 @ Kings (-110): The Nuggets were rolling before the break, going 4-1 in record and ATS. They also beat some good teams, even if it was by a point. I’m banking on them coming out of the break hot to face a Kings team that’s still trying to gel. My Large Adult Son Nikola Jokic is fighting for some MVP respect, and there won’t be anyone on the Kings that can guard him as they’re the eighth-worst defense against centers in the NBA. The only reason this is a lower-unit play for me is that the Nuggets can sometimes be unreliable as road favorites — but the Kings have been shaky enough for me to have some faith.
Thunder +10.5 vs. Suns (-110): Alright, let’s do it. I was going back and forth on making a play on the Thunder against a hot Suns team and figured I might as well. Let’s go crazy. The reason I like the Thunder here is that it’s a double-digit spread (OKC is 12-5 when they are a dog of 10 or more). They just seem to play better than people think, as proven by a 15-9-4 home ATS record.
