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Kevin Garnett used his head and we went 2-2 on a light Monday evening, which naturally sets us up for a heavy Tuesday (but hopefully not head-butting). That makes us a solid 306-161 on the year, but once again thing could have gone so much better for us if two teams would have just manned up. The Pelicans let the Celtics get by them in Boston despite not having any true stars and the Bulls looked helpless at home against the visiting Magic.
It was an odd night, but since when does the NBA give us anything normal? See: Garnett bumping heads with Dwight Howard. Yeah, that’s pro basketball.
Onward and upward we go, as Wednesday begs for our NBA picks to be a tad more accurate. We’ll try our best, but let’s first take a close look at each matchup and see how things might unfold on a fairly busy night:
Timberwolves @ Pacers
Minnesota could get Kevin Martin and/or Nikola Pekovic back tonight, but the team could take it slow with both and they’ll be on the road in their return. Shabazz Muhammad is also out, putting further pressure on rookie swing man Andrew Wiggins to score. The Pacers have been solid (5-5) in their last 10, so look for Minny’s dreadful 15-game skid to continue.
Pick: Pacers 96, T’Wolves 93
Spurs @ Wizards
Two very balanced teams clash in Washington tonight, where the Wiz have been very tough (16-4). The Wiz might be the pick at home on a normal night, but the Spurs have been pretty pedestrian dating back to the beginning of December. That makes picking the Wizards easy.
Pick: Wiz 105, Spurs 102
Hawks @ 76ers
Atlanta has won eight in a row and is easily the hottest team in the league right now. This game is on the road but they ran over the Sixers earlier in the year and will probably do so again.
Pick: Hawks 106, 76ers 94
Warriors @ Jazz
Golden State brings their nasty offense to Utah, where the Jazz are just 6-11 at home. Derrick Favors is dealing with a sore ankle and could miss this game, which would leave an already over-matched Jazz squad extremely short-handed.
Pick: Warriors 106, Jazz 97
Cavaliers @ Suns
LeBron James (knee/back) could make his return tonight, which would naturally give Cleveland (1-8 without James) a huge lift. We’d give the Cavs a decent shot if he’s for sure back, but they’ve been awful without him and his return is no guarantee for a win, either. The Suns, meanwhile, are very tough to keep up with offensively.
Pick: Suns 107, Cavs 105
Mavericks @ Kings
In what could potentially be the offensive showdown of the night, Dallas visits DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings. Sacramento is still trying to put the pieces together on defense, but they have the goods to run with Dallas, who has lost two straight. The Kings should keep it interesting in Sac-town (where they’re 10-11), but Dallas gets the win in the end.
Pick: Mavs 108, Kings 106
Heat @ Lakers
Kobe Bryant should be available on Tuesday night after taking the past two games off (rest), but he’s not going to be enough to stop a healthy Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Big man Hassan Whiteside has also been a bit of a revelation for the Heat, who will shoot for their second win in a row.
Pick: Heat 104, Lakers 101
