It’s been a crazy first week of the 2015 calendar in the NBA with a number of Eastern Conference teams stealing the headlines. The Cleveland Cavaliers bolstered their lineup with a couple of trades that netted them J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons – yes, the Pistons – have garnered a lot of attention as they’ve now moved to 7-0 since cutting Josh Smith. While the Pistons first five opponents in that streak were deemed to be a bit flimsy, there’s no arguing with Detroit’s back-to-back wins on the road in Texas at San Antonio and Dallas.
Lastly, the New York Knicks – a storied franchise – lost on Wednesday night for a franchise-record 13th straight time. They’re part of the TNT doubleheader on Thursday but are expected to continue their dubious streak as the oddsmakers list them as a 12-point home underdog.
Houston Rockets @ New York Knicks
Odds: Rockets -12
The New York Knicks have lost 13 games in a row and considering they were clearing away salary this week, it’s not like things are going to get better any time soon. They dumped J.R. Smith and Shumpert this week in return for cap space. That means they’re squarely focused on being a player in the free agent market this coming offseason but the problem is that we haven’t even hit the halfway mark of this season. In case you don’t follow what’s happening here, they’ve clearly moved into tanking mode, and everyone in and around the organization knows it, too. It’s hard to blame them: the Knicks are successfully in last place in the NBA, four losses behind both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In this particular matchup, the Knicks figure to be behind the eight ball even more. They played last night and lost to Washington, so they’re in a back-to-back situation. Beyond that, though, they’ll be playing their fourth game in five nights. This is a lineup that’s already been depleted by trades and beyond that, superstar Carmelo Anthony is also out of the lineup nursing a shoulder injury.
The Rockets are 12-5 on the road this season and one of the main reasons they’ve had so much success away from home is because of their defense. They allow just 97.4 points per game on the road, which is third-best in the NBA. Considering the Knicks are the league’s lowest scoring home team at 89.9 points per game, all signs point to this being a route. Take the Rockets. Pick: Rockets -12.5
Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers
Odds: Trail Blazers -8.5
The Heat are coming off an 88-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets, which is definitely a positive for them, but the problem is they don’t seem to have much success against the rest of the NBA. They’ve won all three of their meetings with the Nets this season but have won just 12 times in their 32 other games against everyone else.
Offense continues to be the main weakness as they are 27th in scoring with just 94.1 per game. It doesn’t get any better for them on the road as that average dips even further to 93.9. The challenge on Thursday is going to be that Portland is a multi-dimensional team that has plenty of depth, so how are the Heat going to keep up? Portland has won 15 of 17 at home and has the second best overall record in the West. They’ve won 10 of 12 whereas the Heat have lost seven of 10.
Interestingly enough, this season, the Heat have won eight times when posted as the underdog and have lost and failed to cover every subsequent game. Miami hasn’t won consecutive games since Nov. 22 and 23. Don’t expect that to happen tonight either.
The Trail Blazers are 6-1 as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points, are 15-2 against teams with a losing and 15-2 versus teams from the Eastern Conference. All signs point to this being a fairly one-sided affair, so take the Trail Blazers minus the points in this one. Pick: Trail Blazers -8.5
