Welcome to another addition of the NBA weekly column. The weekly column contains 7 NBA games in 7 nights. Remember, that the spreads are not up yet for the NBA this far in advance so it is necessary to look at what the projected outcome of the game is and then go from there. If we like a team to win by 8+ but the spread is 9, obviously lay the points if it’s that close. We are quite good at predicting what the spread will be so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Best of luck guys and enjoy the predictions for the upcoming week. Note, we will be using GMT -8 (California Time) for the days of the game.
Game #1 – Monday – Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Atlanta Hawks – Hawks by 9+
Losers of 6 out of 7, the Atlanta Hawks need to win a game decisively to get momentum back on their side. We think that there is no better team to face now than the Minnesota Timberwolves if you need a solid “W”. The Timberwolves are a disaster right now especially with Karl Anthony Towns having Covid-19. This squad and Towns himself can not catch a break. Expect the Hawks to dominate this game especially after blowing a 7 point halftime lead against the Blazers last game out. Lay the points with the Hawks and expect them to comfortably win this game by 9 or more points.
Game #2 – Tuesday – New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz – Pelicans +5
The slate on Tuesday is very slim for the NBA. With two games on slate, we get a game where we have two teams going completely in the opposite direction. Heading into Sunday, the Utah Jazz were on a 4 game winning streak. On the contrary, the Pelicans were on a 5 game losing streak. The Pelicans match up very well against the Jazz in all skilled positions. Expect this game to be a lot closer than the number with the Pelicans possibly pulling the upset. The Pelicans should not lose this game by 5 or more points. Take the points with the Pelicans on Tuesday.
Game #3 – Wednesday – San Antonio Spurs vs – Golden State Warriors – Warriors by 6+
Don’t look now, but the Warriors are playing better basketball than most people expected. This should be a great game on Wednesday where the Warriors should ultimately pull out the victory and cover the spread. The Spurs are on a tough 2 game road trip which had them playing the Blazers on Monday. On the contrary, the Warriors are back home from a 3 game road trip which was quite awkward due to a postponement. Usually, we don’t like to play teams coming back from a long road trip but due to the postponement, the Warriors only played 3 games. On top of that, these Warriors match up very well with these Spurs. The Spurs are a jump shooting team and we expect the Warriors to outshoot these Spurs. Lay the points with the Warriors and expect them to win by 6 or more points.
Game #4 – Thursday – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Milwaukee Bucks – Bucks by 6+
Obviously, this game means a lot more for the Milwaukee Bucks then it does for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are World Champions while the Bucks were projected to make the Finals last year. As there are only 3 games on the NBA slate today, all eyes will be on this game as it’s the only game being played at this time slot. The Lakers are starting off a 7 game road trip where they are currently undefeated at road. Expect this to change today as the Bucks will put on a clinic against the defending champions. Lay the points with the Bucks and expect them to win by 6 or more points.
Game #5 – Friday – Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets – Bulls +1
This is a great spot for the Chicago Bulls not only to cover but to win outright against the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls are on the first game of a back to back. On top of that, this is a brief road trip as the Bulls play this game on the road and then host the Lakers tomorrow at home. Obviously with the Lakers on deck, the Bulls can not afford to lose to these Hornets if they want to be considered a Playoff caliber team. The Bulls match up very well against the Hornets guards. We expect this to be a hard fought game with the Bulls pulling off the upset victory in Charlotte. Take the Bulls and the points and expect the Bulls to win by 4 or more points.
Game #6 – Saturday – New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – Pelicans by 8+
This is just a good “situational” spot for the Pelicans. The Pelicans are on the last game of their 6 game road trip where they just played the Utah Jazz twice in a row. On top of that, the Timberwolves will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights with this being the 2nd game of a back to back. Fatigue should be a factor for this Timberwolves squad. Also, the Pelicans need to build some momentum off their road trip. We love taking underperforming teams that can build off a quality win on a road trip. Expect the Pelicans to be fully focused this game and slaughter the Timberwolves. Lay the points with the Pelicans and expect them to win by 8 or more points.
Game #7 – Sunday – Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies – Kings +4
This is the first of two games for each of these teams. The Kings and Grizzlies will meet in Memphis twice in a row. This is also the first game of a 6 game road trip for the Sacramento Kings. On the contrary, the Grizzlies are coming home after a 2 game Portland road trip where they had one day of rest before this game. We expect the Grizzlies to walk into this game a bit sluggish after spending their time in Portland. The Kings match up quite well against the Grizzlies and the point guard matchup between De’Aaron Fox and Ja Morant should be great to watch. We predict the Kings to start their road trip off with an upset win. Take the Kings and the points and expect them to pull off the upset.
So there you have it. 7 NBA games in 7 days. As long as there are no major injuries or Covid-19 scares, we expect these picks to go 4-3 at the worst. Best of luck all and enjoy this week of the NBA.
