NBA Preview February 12th

 

Current Bank: 109.96 Units (+9.96 units)

 

It went down to the wire but we cash our 12th win from 16 plays with the 76ers doing just enough to cover the 4.5 head start on Wednesday. Moving onto Fridays games and there are two that definitely have some value in their current lines:

 

Indiana Pacers v Detroit Pistons

12:00 pm AEST

Looking for a quick form reversal for these two teams. The Detroit Pistons have certainly been playing above themselves with close OT loss to the Lakers, and following that up with a shock win over the Brooklyn Nets, albeit without Kevin Durant. That shock win ended a 4 game losing streak for the Pistons who sit stone motherless last in the entire league standings. The Indiana Pacers were embarrassed on Thursday against the same Durant-less Brooklyn Nets, however they have made a habit of shining against the lower teams, and not performing against the proven contenders.

The Pacers find themselves in a match up that should suit them extremely well. Sabonis looks to have veteran Blake Griffen completely covered in all facets of the game, while Myles Turner should feast on Plumlee. Brogdon has been a scoring machine and Lamb since returning form injury is only getting better and those two should be far too much for Detroits combo of Ellington and Wright. Grant poses a scoring threat for the Pistons but between Sabonis and Doug Mcdermott they should be able to contain him to the point he doesn’t change the game. I’m expecting this to be a “get well game” for the Pacers and they return to the winning list, while not really proving they are a contender in the East to fear.

The market has opened up the Pacers a -3.0 favourite, and that number is fair enough to be onside with

 

BACK: The Indiana Pacers -3.0 at $1.90 for 2.5 units.

 

 

Philadelphia 76ers v Portland Trail Blazers

2:00 pm AEST

The 76ers stay on the west coast after their close contested win against the revamped Sacramento Kings. The 76ers currently sit two games atop the Eastern conference and in the entire league are only behind the Utah Jzz and LA Lakers. At their best they have looked like a serious title contender however they do tend to have lapses throughout games where they cannot seem to defend and are extremely reliant on star Joeel Embiid to put up points and monster the opposition. Ben Simmons has definitely come alive offensively in the last 3 weeks, but it needs to be more consistent before its deemed just a flukey run.

The Portland Trail Blazers are certainly playing above themselves with their second star out for a month in Cj Mccollum with a foot injury. They sit at 13 wins/10 losses and 5th in the Western Conference. Far higher than many anticipated they would be at this first 3rd of the season done. Damian Llilard has mostly been a one man wrecking crew putting up insane points with his partner in crime on the side. The Blazers have also enjoyed offensive output from big man Enes Kanter who has stepped up while Nurkic and Collins are both out injured. Garry Trent Jr has also provided valuable 3 point shooting while Mccollum sits out. The Blazers are going along nice enough for now, and if they can steal a few wins with stars to return, they can certainly make a deep play off run.

The line here has opened with the 76ers a -5.5 point favourite. In comparison, they were a -4.5 favourite against the Kings, and the Blazers even with their injuries are a superior team to the Kings. Joel Embiid may have a field day against a pretty small Blazers team, but the Blazers seem to match up very well at every position baring the Centre spot. While I expect the 76ers to win this match up on class, I do think theres value with taking the Blazers to keep this one close and under the point spread. The offensive firepower of Portland can be devastating if not guarded correctly, and will be looking at them to take advantage of the 76ers defensive lapses.

 

BACK: Portland Trail Blazers +5.5 at $1.90 for 2 units.