Free Expert Picks and Predictions

After dealing Davis to Dallas, the Williams deal was supposed to solve the Lakers’ issue at center. Instead, L.A. is left with Jaxon Hayes and Alex Len inside, forcing head coach J.J. Reddick to consider a small-ball lineup. That leaves Los Angeles susceptible around the basket and on the glass. In the final game before the All-Star break (and their second game without Davis), the Lakers watched Utah forwards Walker Kessler and John Collins both register a double-double. Projections for Williams call for between 13 and 15 points with his rebounding forecast teetering on 10 boards tonight. My numbers come out to 13.2 points and 9.9 rebounds, with a size and motivational edge fueling Williams’ performance.

Bridges had to pick up the scoring slack in recent weeks, with both Ball and Mark Williams missing from the lineup. The small forward was averaging almost 22 points per game over his last 23 outings, attempting over 18 field goals per contest in that stretch. His activity is expected to dip tonight with Ball and Williams back, with game models sitting as low as 16 shots from Bridges and a scoring forecast ranging between 18 and 19.7 points. My projection comes out to 18.8 points from Bridges, which should have the Under 20.5 points priced as high as -165.

L.A. ranks among the bottom of the NBA in opponent assist-to-FGM ratio (0.659). That metric has spiked to 0.711 in the three games prior to the break. Ball can push the tempo and create opportunities on fast breaks, which is a scenario the Lakers have struggled against since swapping Davis for Luka Doncic. Player projections for Ball range from 6.3 assists to as many as 7.7, with my forecast at 7.2 dimes. Before suffering the ankle injury in late January, Ball registered seven or more assists in nine of 11 games from December 16 to January 25.

The Bradley Bears need a victory to keep pace with Drake in the MVC standings. They’ve won three straight and six straight against the Illinois State Redbirds. The Bears bring a road team draining 40% of its 27 attempts wearing the visitors' jerseys. Illinois St. is second in the conference in three-point attempts (26) and percentage (38%) but is looking to snap a three-game losing skid. This is a huge rivalry game, and I’m betting Bradley’s defense and road three-point shooting success carries the Bears to victory.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are 1-4-0 and 0-2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker Owen Freeman was lost for the season with a February 3 finger injury. The Hawkeyes continue to play uptempo basketball and shoot plenty of triples but are in real trouble Wednesday without Freeman’s rim protection when they host the Oregon Ducks. Oregon has lost four straight road games, but Ducks center Nate Bittle should have a field day against the thin Iowa frontcourt. Oregon needs a win, and I’m betting they defeat the Hawkeyes.

The Cougars have been a different beast at Beasley Coliseum where they average 87.9 ppg and have gone 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS. They've scored 83+ points in nine of 11 home games and one of the contests where they went below that number came against Saint Mary's elite defense when they still scored 75 points on 57 FG%. The Cougars are 12th in the country in eFG% (56.4%) with that number surging to 59.2% in Pullman. They are also second in the WCC in 3-point percentage (37.3%) during league play. Although the Zags are solid on defense, their up-tempo style has led to them allowing 73.5 ppg on the road. They also surrendered 75 points on 53 FG% to Washington State when these teams clashed in Spokane last month.