The NBA wagering week begins with a solid Monday night card and SBR’s Bob Harvey has three games he rates above the rest. Find out where he has decided to place his NBA picks in order to earn the largest payout.
New
Orleans Hornets vs. Miami Heat
At first glance it looks like a huge mismatch
as the Heat host the Hornets at the American Airlines Center in Miami. Game
time is 7:30 ET with the Heat favored by -13 with the total at 186.5. The Miami Heat are coming off a draining 97-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and could
be primed for a letdown.
The
Heat (15-5 SU, 8-12 ATS) got 35 points from LeBron James. They never trailed but
needed two missed throws and an errant 3-point shot from Derrick Rose in the
final seconds to seal the deal. Chris Bosh scored 24 points and added 12
rebounds for Miami which pulled within one game of Chicago (17-5) in the East.
The
Hornets (4-16 SU, 10-10 ATS) are coming off a 94-72 loss to the Hawks.
Emeka Okafor scored 13 points for New Orleans while Jarrett Jack had 10
points. It was the Hornets 16th loss in 18 games.
New Orleans has been playing tough. Ten of
their losses have been by single digits and the club was coming off a 93-67
wipeout of Orlando. However last night they responded with one of their worst
games of the season, shooting only 37.5 percent (27 of 72).
Harvey’s
Take: It’s an easy Miami win but add the ‘under’ to your NBA picks to get the most sports betting value out of this matchup.
Portland
Trailblazers vs. Utah Jazz
A pair of longtime Western Conference rivals
square off in Salt Lake City where the Jazz are favored by -2 over the
Trailblazers. The total is 188.5. Tip-off is 9:00PM ET at the Delta Center.
Utah
(11-7 SU, 9-9 ATS)
improved to 9-3 at home with Saturday’s 96-93 victory over Sacramento. The Jazz
won despite 18 turnovers and a meager 18 combined points from Al Jefferson and
Paul Millsap. With the Kings intent on stopping those two, Gordon
Hayward and C.J. Miles stepped up combining for 41 points to lift Utah.
Portland
(12-8 SU, 11-8-1 ATS)
has struggled on the road this year going 3-7. In their last outing on Friday,
they blew away the Phoenix Suns 109-71 at the Rose Garden. LaMarcus
Aldridge led the Blazers with 23 points while former Utah star Wesley
Matthews added 16. The statistical line of the night belonged to Marcus Camby
who had no points—and 20 rebounds. Portland held Phoenix to 37 percent shooting
(29 of 78). Portland has won and covered the last three meetings.
Harvey’s Take: This is my game of the night in the NBA. Lay the points
and go with the Blazers. You might also consider a play on the ‘under’.
Oklahoma
City Thunder vs. LA Clippers
Two of the top young teams in the league
collide tonight in Los Angeles as Blake Griffin and the Clippers play host to
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is 10:35 PM ET from Staples
Center where OKC is favored by -2.5 points with the total at 196. Steven Suarez has already given you his pick on this game, and I am going to have to agree with his decision to play on this game's spread.
Oklahoma City Thunder (16-3 SU, 11-8 ATS) own the
best record in the league due in large part to their success on the road.
They’ve compiled a record of 8-2 SU & 6-4 ATS away from home including a
5-1 road streak. Overall the Thunder is on an 11-1 streak.
In their last outing on Friday night they
outlasted Golden State 120-109. Kevin Durant scored a game-high 37 points with
14 rebounds while Russell Westbrook netted 28 and dished out 11 assists to
along with his six steals and nine rebounds.
The Clippers (11-6 SU, 10-7 ATS) are
improving but aren’t in the same class as Oklahoma City yet. LA did turn in an
impressive performance last night in Denver beating the Nuggets 109-105 as a +6
point underdog. Chauncey Billups scored 32 points in his return to Colorado
while Chris Paul added 25 points and Blake Griffin had a double-double with 17
points and 13 rebounds.
This is one of those rare NBA games which
should be worth the price of the ticket.
Harvey’s Take: The Clippers are bound to be a little fatigued after a
short turnaround and especially following a night in the high-altitude on
Denver. The bench will be the difference tonight and the advantage in that
department goes to OKC.
Grab
the Thunder and good luck!