I’d ride with the Pacers.īoth teams score a lot. They also will still be without Siakam in this one while a Caris LeVert return is possible for Indiana.
The Raptors, despite being relatively competitive, are a more deserving 1-3. The Pacers are 1-3, but two of those losses came by 1 point. NBA record: 14-6 ATS, 2-1 Underdog ML, 3-2-1 O/UĪ Magic line that gives them less than 10 points? Take it.
The Warriors (-9) only won by 8, and then the Jazz-Nuggets under got nuked when both teams scored 60+ percent of their season scoring average in the first half alone. It’ll be a wait-and-see approach to determine whether Cleveland might actually approach being something close to good this season, but signs of quality from the jump are a very welcome sign. They’ve done it with only two games from Darius Garland (one win, one loss) and uncharacteristically poor shooting from Lauri Markkanen too. The Cavs have beaten the Nuggets and Hawks, holding both below 100 points. For a franchise that has seen the first 20-some years of this century pass without really showing any semblance of being capable of anything but landing number one picks and being the home of an all-time great, that’s a big deal. The Cavs are not going to contending for titles this year – a play-in appearance would still be a massive success from where we stand now – but they look pretty solid. We’re only four games in, but it looks like something might be brewing down in Cleveland. It’s been an electric start for the third-year pro, and it might be time for him to take the jump into one of the league’s top offensive tiers. He’s also averaging a decent enough 8 assists per game to top it off. He’s leading the league with 35 points per game, and his perimeter shooting has been looking better, especially on the back of a 5-7 night from deep against the Lakers. At the center of all that is Ja Morant, who has been absolutely fantastic to start the year. They’ve done it without Dillon Brooks too, a key starter regardless of his inefficiencies. How bout them Grizzlies? Memphis is 2-1 with their loss coming in a tight game against an extra motivated Lakers team. Ja Morant Ja is off to a flying start (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman) We’ll find out what they’re truly made of, but there’s nothing wrong with being excited about their respective starts. They’ll be tested, they’ll win some, they’ll lose some. But this was obviously only four games, and we’ll need to see it continue over the rest of the season after two straight years of below-average play from Golden State. They’ve played both LA teams and a decent Kings team. When the schedule picks up – as it will very soon – can they keep winning? For the Warriors, there’s less to be held up on. The Bulls have only played the Pelicans without Zion, the Pistons without Cade, and the Raptors without Siakam. Now, there are some disclaimers to throw out there. You can’t be better than 4-0, and both teams have looked good doing it too. Both teams came into this season aiming to climb up the standings with reworked rosters, and they’ve gotten off to dream starts. Their goals lie beyond winning three games in October, and we’ll see this summer whether they can break through and realize those ambitions.įor the Bulls and Warriors, though, this is a pretty big deal. They’re an elite regular season team and have been for years. For the Jazz, this is nothing unexpected. Chicago and Golden State both have four wins with Utah having three.
Only three undefeated teams remain after a week of games. Tonight, we have a big ten game slate, but before we get to plays let’s do a quick Winner Wednesday. The Warriors rode a strong second half to a win in Oklahoma City, and the Mavs also outlasted the Rockets. We had five games last night, highlighted by a Knicks blowout of the Sixers, a Lakers OT win in San Antonio without LeBron, and the Jazz’s win over the Nuggets. We’re now about a week into the NBA season, and we’re about two weeks away from the start of college basketball.