RADIO
It'll be hard to find a news outlet that isn't click-baiting the absolute nonsense out of the Isaiah Stewart-LeBron James debacle, so I'll save you the headspace...excluding my ironic lede, but the scuffle overshadowed two huge narratives. The Chicago Bulls are a team to take very seriously and the Denver Nuggets consist of two players, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Without those two, the Nuggets don't win games and it's hard to even say they keep things competitive when the opposing points come from one or two sources. Not being able to stop someone like Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan is normal, but not being able to stop Cam Johnson or Jae Crowder is an entirely different level of concern. The Nuggets are injured and when your two, potentially three best players are hurt now that Bones Hyland might be missing a few games, you can't really expect positive results anytime soon.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com is always ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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CHA @ WAS
Bradley Beal (WAS) MORE 25.5 Points - Miles Bridges (CHA) MORE 19.5 Points
Bradley Beal has only scored 26 points or more four times this season despite fairly high usage, but this Wizards team is significantly more productive than previous years' teams. Beal's assist numbers will continue to increase, and although he might be prone to having less high-scoring games, he's taking enough shots to easily hit 25 points every night, it's just a matter of whether he actually does or not. On paper, the Hornets defense has found a way to win games and keep Beal under 26 points, but it's not really the defense that's stopping him. He's usually one of the few players that can actually score, he just doesn't get the support needed. Even if the Wizards lose, Beal still scores against this team and that's the target.
Miles Bridges game log has grown more and more sporadic every night and he's still seen as one of the main facilitators, but there are certain teams that just don't allow him the space he needs. The Wizards are one of those teams that forces Bridges to play more defense and rely on his jumpshot, but that doesn't mean much if he has a repeat of his last performance against the Hawks, where he only hit two three's and still scored 32 points in the process. He rarely takes fewer than 15 shot attempts and the times he has were against bad teams in wins.
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HOU @ BOS
Jayson Tatum (BOS) MORE 25.5 Points - Christian Wood (HOU) MORE 16.5 Points
This game doesn't have the lowest line tonight, but it's potential is nothing short of ugly. The Rockets have been downright bad and barely have a functioning offense each night, but Christian Wood is skilled and has been putting up solid stat lines regardless of the outcome of the game. He can only do so much since he can't shoot like Steph Curry, but it doesn't matter who he faces up against, he will get stats. The Celtics frontcourt is easily their weakest link, so although those weaknesses might not be weak enough to lose to the Rockets, Wood should have a good enough game to hit his projected.
The Rockets are historically bad and the Celtics have shown the ability to play down to their opponent plenty of times this season, especially if Tatum isn't playing to his standard. Boston has turned things around slightly from the Jaylen Brown injury, but we're barely two months in and there is reason for concern about the sustainability of this team. Even a blowout shouldn't be concerning seeing how the Celtics can't really beat teams without the direct support of Tatum.
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MIN @ NOP
Anthony Edwards (MIN) MORE 22.5 Points - Brandon Ingram (NOP) MORE 22.5 Points
Anthony Edwards is following the horribly inconsistent footsteps of every young player that struggles to shoot. Every other game he is able to find his groove and it's absolutely terrible for tracking bets. He won't need his jumpshot against the Pelicans defense and now that Brandon Ingram is safely back in the lineup, New Orleans can, somewhat, keep up with fast-paced teams.
Truthfully, Brandon Ingram's return has been less than spectacular. The Pelicans are struggling on both sides of the ball and when your best player scores 12 points on 14 shots against another struggling team, that's a bad sign. Both of these teams are near the bottom of their divisions and need any wins they can get. The Pelicans are drastically worse than the Timberwolves, so although this is Minnesota's game to lose, they have to shut down Ingram first.
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IND @ CHI
Zach LaVine (CHI) MORE 26.5 Points - Malcolm Brogdon (IND) MORE 19.5 Points
It's a great sign that Zach LaVine scored 21 points against the Knicks defense. Not only was that supposed to be a low scoring game, but New York was focusing their defensive efforts to LaVine and DeMar DeRozan directly. Even though LaVine took 20 shots in the process, he helped carry the offense in his role as the primary offensive threat. DeRozan is the facilitator because of his ability to control the post, but everyone in Chicago wants LaVine taking the shot if possible. Even off games have high-scoring potential because LaVine is a relentless scorer at every level. The Pacers are in for a long night if they can't seem to limit DeRozan or LaVine.
The Pacers going 3-3 in their last six games doesn't look terrible at surface level, but their only wins came at the expense of playing the Pelicans, a Joel Embiid-less 76ers, and because Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Joe Ingles were ejected at the 3:43 mark of the fourth quarter. Malcolm Brogdon is everything for this offense and although Brogdon might be busy playing defense, that doesn't keep him from producing and almost has the opposite effect. If you press Brogdon on defense, he will return the favor with emphasis and that will be the case tonight.
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