Things are really starting to heat up, as the battle for playoff seeding intensifies in both Conferences. With all teams having between 13 and 15 games remaining in the regular season, there are still ten teams in the Eastern Conference and nine teams in the Western Conference with a legitimate chance to continue into the post-season. The landscape in the East is especially intriguing, with Cleveland and Toronto clearing out at the top to fight for the number one seed and a logjam of four teams, seven games back, with half a game between them. At the lower end, there are three games between seventh-placed Indiana and tenth-placed Washington, with Chicago and Detroit between them. Meanwhile out West, all eyes remain on the record-setting Golden State Warriors, who likely have a winning break of 3.5 games on the quietly outstanding Spurs, who themselves are twelve games ahead of the Thunder. Things start to get interesting at the bottom end, with Portland, Houston, Dallas and Utah fighting for the last three playoff seeds and with only 1.5 games between them. It’s these jostling teams that will receive the lion’s share of the focus, as franchises with a more settled future look to rest players in preparation for a month’s time (or seven months’ time). With all this being said, The Big Dog has found two stand-out plays for your Saturday, as he looks to build on a run of six wins from the last eight selections.
Sacramento Kings @ Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have already missed a couple of opportunities to move into the East’s eighth seed, this week. Hosting a team that is only a mathematical chance of making the playoffs in the Western Conference should help them intensify their battle with the Chicago Bulls, who lead the Pistons by just half a game and currently occupy the number eight spot. Detroit have lost three of their last four games, having allowed an average of 117.75 points in that time. Their playoff destiny may directly relate to an ability to improve their defensive execution, in their final fourteen games. Scoring certainly shouldn’t be the issue against the Kings. Since winning three in a row around the All-Star break, Sacramento have dropped ten of twelve and virtually sent their season off a cliff. Amid continued examination of the tension between star DeMarcus Cousins and coach George Karl, the Kings have consistently been horrific on the defensive end. Their average of 109.5 points allowed has been the worst in the NBA for most of the season and they haven’t allowed less than 104 in a loss since December 27th. Their seven losses so far in March have come by an average of 8.4 points. While the Pistons have had issues getting wins lately, the wins they have been getting tend to come by comfortable margins. Their last seven wins have come by an impressive average of 13.1 points. With everything to play for, Detroit can’t afford to let this home game get away from them and after letting a fourth-quarter lead slip against the Hawks, The Big Dog expects the men from Motor City to handle their business against the mess that is the Sacramento Kings.
Selection
Detroit Pistons -7.0 @ $1.95 (William Hill)
Portland Trail Blazers @ New Orleans Pelicans
It seems remarkable, considering the personnel they lost in the off-season but the Portland Trail Blazers are neck-deep in the four-way battle for the final three playoff seeds in the Western Conference. They currently sit in the number six seed, only 1.5 games ahead of the Utah Jazz in tenth. Recent form for the boys from Rip City doesn’t look great, when you look solely at the win-loss column… but on closer inspection, their three losses in four games have come against the Warriors, Thunder and Spurs. The win in the middle of that deadly run against the best three teams in the Western Conference was a 37-point thumping of the Orlando Magic. That win came the night after the Blazers lost by 16 at Golden State. Today’s game also happens to be the second leg of a back-to-back, after a competitive showing in a 118-110 loss in San Antonio. Portland won the first and fourth quarters, while CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 49 points. After being able to hold their heads high against the confirmed Southwest Division champions, they will fancy their chances against the team that will finish last in that same division. New Orleans had lost eight of nine before beating a woeful Kings outfit, who were minus Rajon Rondo, on Wednesday night. The Pelicans roster has resembled a MASH unit for a huge portion of what has been a disastrous season, to the point where the final whistle of their 82nd game will feel like a mercy for fans and players alike. They have also found themselves down at halftime in seven of their last eight games, which is where The Big Dog steps in. Although burnt by the Trail Blazers ten days ago, when they gave up a 17-6 run to the Wizards and trailed 55-54 at the main break, that was only the second time in 21 victories where Portland had not taken a lead into the second half. A trend that strong was always going to be given an opportunity to redeem itself and with the odds for the double result being this juicy, today is the day. The Big Dog absolutely loves this play and expects the Portland Trail Blazers to move one step closer to sealing what many thought to be an unlikely playoff birth, before the season began.
Selection
Portland Trail Blazers/Portland Trail Blazers (HT/FT Double) @ $2.45 (Luxbet)
Tools
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