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We missed out on NBA picks perfection by one game on Sunday night, as the Charlotte Hornet continued their ugly skid and extended their free fall to five games. While we missed that one, we still upped our season record to 90-48 with a 4-1 mark.
We get more games on the schedule to get the games going on Monday, so let’s get to our picks:
Clippers @ Hornets
Los Angeles clearly isn’t playing it’s best basketball yet and seem to be just meandering around with a 7-5 record, but they’re still way better than the Hornets right now. This would be a huge win for Charlotte, but their offense is extremely shaky and the elite defense of a year ago has to this point been nowhere to be found. Look for the Clippers to hand the Hornets their sixth straight defeat.
Pick: Clippers 102, Hornets 95
Blazers @ 76ers
Philly is really struggling to be competitive right now, and even when they are they’re not consistently putting up points. That makes Monday night a potentially horrific night for them, as they welcome a white hot Blazers squad (seven straight wins) to town. Portland is executing at a very high level at both ends of the floor, so the Sixers don’t stand much of a chance to randomly get their first win of the year.
Pick: Blazers 116, 76ers 99
Magic @ Cavaliers
LeBron James said recently that he now knows what he has to do going forward. Cleveland fans better hope so, as the 5-7 Cavs are barely getting by so far this year and something needs to change quick to save their season. Taking on a Magic team at home that can’t defend is a solid start.
Pick: Cavs 107, Magic 103
Suns @ Raptors
Phoenix has been very solid so far this year and at 9-5 can really give anyone trouble on any given night. Unfortunately, they play very little defense and have the task of beating an 11-2 Raptors squad that is 8-1 on their home floor.
Pick: Raptors 105, Suns 101
Knicks @ Rockets
New York has Jose Calderon back to hopefully help run their offense better, but he’s not going to make a big enough difference on the road against a stellar Rockets team that is playing great on both ends of the court. No Dwight Howard could allow the Knicks to keep it interesting, but odds are Rockets pull away and get to 11-3 on the year.
Pick: Rockets 109, Knicks 101
Pacers @ Mavericks
Indiana will take on the Mavs in Dallas without Roy Hibbert, meaning an already extremely undermanned Pacers squad has just about no hope of winning tonight. Dallas has picked up their defense lately and is arguably the most efficient offense in the league, so the Pacers don’t stand much of a chance on the road in this one.
Pick: Mavs 111, Pacers 97
Bulls @ Jazz
Chicago has been very disappointing lately, but facing the suspect Jazz could be just what they need to end an irregular two-game losing skid. Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson could all still be out tonight, but Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah should be enough to power past the 5-9 Jazz.
Pick: Bulls 102, Jazz 97
