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Competition increases every night and every one of last night’s games came down to the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. The NBA is in a great spot right now, all thanks to the players. Entertainment has been peaking on a nightly basis and younger players are proving not only why they belong in this league, but how much better they are than the guys who have been here longer.
Last month showcased Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, and Luka Doncic as the three best players in the league. Very, very few players were as pivotal to their team’s success as those three, and not a single one is above the age of 23. Sadly, none of the three play tonight, but Wednesday’s eight games does feature both MVP-frontrunners from the first section of the season. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid made their value noted early, but Morant has created a superstorm that is currently demolishing everything in his path. If this momentum stays even the slightest bit consistent, it will be hard to look at either Embiid or Jokic’ current situation and give them the nod over Morant’s already historic season.
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 @ CLE
LaMelo Ball (CHA) MORE 19.5 Points – Jarrett Allen (CLE) MORE 16.5 Points
The Cavaliers and Hornets kick things off alongside Pacers-Magic, but we’ll leave trying to dissect that minefield for another day. Instead, the Cavaliers-Hornets matchup is a perfect place to start, with plenty of areas to attack. Without Darius Garland and Caris LeVert, Cleveland’s defense has been struggling to limit backcourt production and it has been opening up the paint for easy looks around the rim and wide-open attempts on the perimeter. Until the Cavaliers return both Garland and LeVert, they will continue to see this inconsistent struggle on both sides of the ball. Luckily for us, this ultimately means both Jarrett Allen and LaMelo Ball should have a ton of usage tonight.
Allen has been a go-to player all season and his size allows him to easily generate points in the low post. Since fewer players will mean nothing but more looks, there’s no reason to bet the under against the current Hornets frontcourt. For Ball, lining up against Isaac Okoro will be his toughest challenge by far, but he still has the advantage because, let’s be real here, LaMelo’s playmaking compared to Okoro’s defense is…. well, incomparable. Ball is still not a 20-point-a-night player, but when he has favorable matchups he does well. Don’t expect him to shy away against this defense.
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SAC @ NOP
C.J. McCollum (NOP) MORE 24.5 Points – De’Aaron Fox (SAC) MORE 24.5 Points
This has high-upside potential written all over it for both C.J. McCollum and De’Aaron Fox. McCollum has been thriving since joining the Pelicans and it’s more than just his incredible average in the small sample size. New Orleans is winning games and the offense looks 20x times more cohesive in everything they do. The addition of McCollum has opened up the door for both him and Brandon Ingram to put up 20 points a night without hesitation and their ability to play off one another is making it impossible for defenses to adjust. This will change when Zion Williamson returns, but McCollum’s success gives New Orleans all the time they need so Williamson comes back stronger than ever.
Although this wager is about De’Aaron Fox, waiting for MKF to post a bet featuring Fox, McCollum, and Ingram is the best way to capitalize off this game. Both Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas are going to battle in the paint, but where their stats will end up, that’s hard to say. However, McCollum, Fox, and Ingram are all shoot-first playmakers that will score against teams that lack that defensive playmaker in the paint. Not that Sabonis and Valanciunas aren’t good at defense, but that’s not their calling card and backcourt production should be the driving force behind this game.
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UTA@ HOU
Donovan Mitchell (UTA) MORE 28.5 Points – Jalen Green (HOU) MORE 16.5 Points
Bad things happen when you play the Rockets. Just a few years ago this was the case when teams played the Jazz, but most of the league has, somewhat, figured out how to play away from Rudy Gobert, and Utah’s increase in pace over the last few seasons has made it easier for worse teams to avoid those low-scoring, defensive matchups. Donovan Mitchell has been the main beneficiary of Utah’s increase in pace and every game he plays he’s putting up incredible stat lines. The way he’s hitting his shot at such an impressive rate, Mitchell is barely needing 20 attempts to hit 30 points each night.
Whatever you do, do not look at Jalen Green’s game log and try to decide based off that. Looking at his inconsistencies and matchup, it’s easy to see why there would be little upside for most of the Rockets today, but Green’s ability to win isolation matchups and make contested shot has made him the focal point of this offense. The Jazz will do everything they can to stop him and Gobert is a force in the paint, but Green does most of his work from the outside-in anyway, and playing against Donovan Mitchell forces opposing guards into shootouts.
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POR @ PHX
Devin Booker (PHX) MORE 28.5 Points – Anfernee Simons (POR) MORE 23.5 Points
Playing without Chris Paul has turned the Phoenix Suns into a mid-level team and it’s hard to determine whether a few adjustments are holding them back, or if being without Paul really puts that much of a cap on the upside of this team. Either way, the Suns are in the midst of a losing streak and nothing short of 40-points from Devin Booker each night is required to keep this ship afloat. This is the perfect time to throw down a bet against the Suns and if you don’t see where this is going, luckily there’s another paragraph.
Anfernee Simons is streaky to say the least, but there is literally not another player on the Trail Blazers that brings even half the offense that Simons brings each night. He might not be scoring 30 points nightly, but he’s trying and the rest of the team is all for it. The fact he’s taken fewer shots the past two games compared to his past week is much less concerning when you realize he still managed to get those attempts up in blowout losses to contending teams. In games where Simons isn’t the star player, he does everything in his power to try and keep up.
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