Rough day. YTD now 25-25 +0.5 units
Grizzlies -2: I was very high on the wizards. Long term, I probably still am. But man until further notice they SUCK. Sometimes teams struggle to shoot the ball or have bad luck with fouls or whatever, but this horrible start is due to absolutely terrible defense and it isn't a fluke and won't fix itself overnight. Meanwhile, a healthy grizzlies team is so far from the tanking garbage last year. They look much more in sync, especially on the defensive end, and they should beat the reeling wizards.
Kings +5 2 units: Don't look now but the kings can ball. Do they have any shot at playoffs? probably not. However, Shumpert has fit in great. Another year for all those young guys has done wonders. The team brings the energy every night. SIGNIFICANTLY better team than orlando. Not worried about the back to back (again the roster so young).
Hornets -4.5: I don't like what I've seen from Miami. I think Spoelstra is too hell bent on playing at a blistering pace with the rest of the league when that just isn't what they are equipped to do. Until they start slowing it down I find it hard to back them. Especially on the back to back. Hornets are kings of closes losses but are a totally solid team and have played better than their record shows. Think we see a double digit home win here.
OKC -2.5: Let me preface this by saying, from what we've seen, this is the absolute wrong side of this game. The clippers have honestly looked like a legit playoff team. The offense is working, the defensive side has been great, and their new pieces have fit well. That being said, I just don't see the talent on that side to justify such a close line with OKC. Nothing like a game against the suns to get back into gear, and I think we'll see a hungry and energized OKC team dominate against a team that still needs to prove it can take those same performances on the road. Hoping Adams plays here, would be surprised if he doesn't, but like the bet either way and locking in now.
Blazers +3.5: The Rockets have looked just as bad if not worse than their record. Consistently getting blown out and their only win was solely because Harden took over in the end and got hot. Defensively they have been BADLY missing Ariza and mbah a moute, as Carmelo has been just absolutely horrible. You can't really put a number on how valuable harden is to this team. He opens up space in the floor, demands help inside, and can shoot at any moment. CP3 is great in tandem with him but he's lacking the playmakers and shooting around him to light it up. They don't have the depth, especially without harden, to be as good as they were last year. The Blazers have so much continuity and while their depth might be suspect, the Rockets don't have the second unit to exploit it here.
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