NBA season created some unexpected results on Tuesday, chiefly Utah going into San Antonio and taking care of the Spurs by 15 points, winning the fourth quarter by 13. One thing to keep in mind as you consider various betting plays is that the season is so young that back-to-backs aren’t as oppressive as they would be or could be in January or March. Coaches might use short rotations in the playoffs and reduce the length of their benches, but this is a time when plenty of players are getting plenty of minutes. Coaches want to give long looks at what they have and steal ample amounts of first-half minutes. This is part of why fluctuations in results are common for November. Here are our NBA betting picks for Wednesday night.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies
Odds: Memphis -5.5
This is a game in which the best reason to make a pick is not that the underdog is winless at 0-4, but because the favorite got humiliated the other night. It’s true that Anthony Davis of the Pelicans is a lonely man on a bad team. He is putting up incredible numbers but is getting absolutely no help from any of his teammates. This lack of balance and depth for New Orleans could be a legitimate reason to pick against the Pelicans. However, there’s a much more credible and convincing reason to make a pick in this game, and that’s the progression of the Grizzlies. Memphis got blown out by Minnesota on Tuesday night, losing by 36 points. However, there’s a reason Memphis was that uncompetitive. The Grizzlies rested veterans Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. They do not want to run them into the ground, so in back-to-backs, they will not play in one of the two games. That’s a clear plan of the organization. With Gasol and Conley on the floor and very rested for this game, the Pelicans would have even less of a chance than one might initially think they do.
NBA Betting Pick: Grizzlies -5.5
Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics
Odds: Boston -3.5
This game is interesting in that the Bulls and Celtics played in the opening game of the season in Chicago. The Bulls won that game in a close contest. Now they reunite in Boston. The close proximity of this game to the opener means that these teams haven’t evolved very much. They haven’t had that much of a chance to develop. It’s hard to say that one team has gained an advantage based on its play over the past few days. With that being the case, it’s logical to think that the Celtics are going to bounce back and make the adjustments they need to take this game. It’s also logical to think that the Bulls, who are 3-0 but are widely acknowledged as being in a rebuilding phase, are going to lose. They’re not going to continue to enjoy the prosperity which has come their way through the first three games of the season. In terms of the laws of averages and things evening out over a longer period of time, the Celtics certainly make sense from a larger perspective. They should be able to respond to Chicago’s tactics and gain a winning edge.
NBA Betting Pick: Celtics -3.5
Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns
Odds: Portland -3
It’s true that NBA teams will win games every now and then. They might lose 65 or 70, but that means they’ll win 17 or 12. The Phoenix Suns, currently 0-4, will grab some results before too long. That’s why it’s foolish to think they have no chance versus the Portland Trail Blazers. However, the reason why Portland is an attractive pick in this game is that it got wiped out by the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. First, losing a game by 23 points, 127-104, makes a team angry and inspires it to be a lot better the next time on the court. The other thing about Portland’s blowout loss is that when playing the Warriors, a team has to account for so many superstars on the Golden State roster. Playing the Warriors is demanding. For Portland, playing Phoenix one night after playing Golden State will make the Suns look
very slow and ordinary compared to the Warriors. That should help Portland to make decisions, passes and other reactions a lot more crisply. That’s a good reason to take the Blazers.
NBA Betting Pick: Blazers -3
