Russell Westbrook delivered yet another triple double to cap an exciting Friday night that included a ridiculous 14 games and us going right down the middle (7-7) with our NBA picks. That will happen when the Bucks lose to the Lakers, the Knicks take down the Piston in double overtime in Detroit and the Wizards get handed a sixth straight loss by the hands of the freaking 76ers. Those three insane games should have gone the other way, and had they, we would have ended a loaded night with a respectable 10-4 mark. The good news is we managed to stick around .500 and enter Saturday’s slate with a still solid 490-258 season record.
We have another seven games to break down and pick for tonight, so let’s dive right in:
I think tonight is a “go against trends” night. Last night kind of was, too, but as bad as the Wizards have been I can’t see them losing forever. They’ve dropped an incredible six straight and while it could easily continue against a decent Pistons teams, I think they finally end the skid. They’re at home and could get Bradley Beal back in some capacity tonight. If so, it could be just the lift they need.
Pick: Wiz 102, Pistons 98
Miami has been a very back and forth team all year and that hasn’t changed since landing Goran Dragic. Not having Chris Bosh around hurts them on the boards and doesn’t help them offensively. Atlanta is one of the most disciplined and balanced teams in the league, so it’s hard to take the Heat seriously in this one.
Pick: Hawks 104, Heat 97
Toronto got housed by a great Warriors team last night, so they’ll be looking to bounce back against a talent-barred Knicks squad. New York should be awfully tired after squeaking out a 2OT win last night, too.
Pick: Raps 106, Knicks 98
Minnesota is quietly a pretty decent team these days thanks to being at full health. Memphis just dropped a tough home game last night to the Clippers and aren’t really the type of team to lose three games in a row, though.
Pick: Grizz 106, T’Wolves 101
Brooklyn is another up and down team like the Heat that are pretty hard to trust, and that’ll be even more so in Dallas. The Mavs get Rajon Rondo back tonight and are pretty solid at home.
Pick: Mavs 109, Nets 100
San Antonio finally ended a four-game skid last night but now they have to enter the desert on the second game of a back-to-back set. Phoenix loves to run and I’m not so sure a tired, old Spurs team will have the energy to make it through a marathon outing.
Pick: Suns 108, Spurs 104
Milwaukee and Utah are the second late game to end the night, as the Bucks hit the road with an eye on going above .500 away from home on the year. Utah isn’t great at home, but they’ve turned into a pretty good defensive team. Gordon Hayward also destroyed the Bucks last time and might do so again tonight.
Pick: Jazz 99, Bucks 94
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