The Big Dog got his bark back yesterday, after a few mediocre days. Not only were both selections successful, the celebration had begun with almost a full quarter to play, when the OKC Thunder cruised beyond 103 points. Today presents a jam-packed card of ten games and as usual, The Big Dog has found the best of the best, if you’re looking for pre-Christmas profit.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Detroit Pistons
The 12-10 Detroit Pistons love playing at home, especially recently, having won their last five at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Memphis Grizzlies are a .500 team on the road (5-5) and would usually represent a significant challenge for Stan Van Gundy and his crew… but there are two huge factors in the Pistons’ favour, heading into this game. Firstly, this is the second game in a back-to-back for Memphis, after being blown off their home court 125-88 by the Thunder. As if that preparation wasn’t bad enough, centre Marc Gasol suffered an ankle sprain and is questionable to take his place in the line-up. With this being a road game and the second contest in two nights, it’s safe to say that Gasol is not likely to play. Even if he is able to go, the Pistons are a very different prospect in front of their home crowd. Their record of 8-2 is the second best in the Eastern Conference and the 5th best in the league, although they currently sit 12th in the East. Both teams rank in the bottom half of the league in attack and the top half in defence, with Detroit holding a significant rebounding advantage (+6.7 per game) and Memphis doing the same in terms of free-throw percentage (+18.4%). Gasol’s likely absence will certainly make things easier for Andre Drummond. The Pistons centre had one of his worst games of the season, during a 104-84 loss in Charlotte, after getting into significant foul trouble and being limited to just 24 minutes on the court. Refreshed and needing to bounce back, The Big Dog expects a huge game from Drummond, which should propel his team to a solid win.
Selection
Detroit Pistons (-4) @ $1.95 (William Hill)
Los Angeles Lakers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Farewell tours collide in Minneapolis, as the Lakers visit the Timberwolves, at Target Center. All the talk has been around Kobe Bryant’s decision to call it a career at season’s end but this is also the last go-around for Kevin Garnett, now playing in his 21st NBA season. While the world has followed the procession of bad losses for the Lakers, the Timberwolves have quietly produced one of the more puzzling records in recent memory. Minnesota have been awful at home (2-9) but have the second best Away record in the entire league (6-3). It would seem to be just a matter of time before the T-Wolves turn things around, in front of their long-suffering fans… and a match-up against the worst team in the Western Conference should be just what they need. Minnesota’s last three home losses have come by a combined 13 points and they gave the Clippers all they could handle, two nights ago, before falling 110-106. It should come as no surprise that the Timberwolves have an edge against the Lakers in every major stat, aside from turnovers (Minnesota commit 0.6 more per game) but the real reason this game caught The Big Dog’s eye is the likely match-up between Kobe Bryant and Andrew Wiggins. Kobe’s individual struggles have been well publicised, while Wiggins has been averaging a team-high 21.1 points for the T-Wolves. Now faced with an opponent that allows 105.5 points and gives up almost 25 free-throw attempts per game, Wiggins (who ranks 7th in the league with 7.7 free-throw attempts, on average) should produce an attention-grabbing stat line and be a major contributor towards Minnesota’s third home victory. The line is right on the limit for The Big Dog… but the points should be covered fairly comfortably.
Selection
Minnesota Timberwolves (-7) @ $1.95 (William Hill)
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