Greetings from the USA, as The Big Dog presents his first selections while on location at the home of the NBA! Having shaken off the jet lag, it’s time to get back down to business and with the regular season winding down fast, there are two games to focus on that should help an already profitable month of March stay in the black.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Toronto Raptors
The Thunder are virtually confirmed as the number three seed in the Western Conference but that hasn’t stopped them playing some of their best basketball of the season, lately. Having won their last seven games, they’ve slipped 5.5 games clear of the fourth-placed Clippers but remain 10 games behind the Spurs, with only nine regular season games remaining. With the pressure off, Oklahoma have been doing it easy, winning by an average of 16.9 points during their current streak, which has also seen them improve their application on the defensive end. Ranked a disappointing 14th in the league for points allowed, at 102.8 per game, they have limited their last nine opponents to an average of 99.2 per game. Considering they remain the second most potent offence in the NBA, they will be awfully hard to stop if they can routinely keep teams under 100 points in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors are still chasing the staggering Cleveland Cavaliers for top spot in the East. A win today would put them just two games behind the Cavs and if Kyle Lowry has anything to do with it, they will be doing all they can to secure home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Raptors have built what will be their most successful regular season in franchise history on the back of tenacious defensive pressure. Already fifth in the NBA for the season, in points allowed per game (98.3), Toronto have taken it to another level over the last seven games, allowing just 93.7 per night, which included 112 against the Houston Rockets. If both teams keep up their respective defensive trend, the game total line on offer will be much too high. The Big Dog says jump on the unders.
Selection
Under 211.0 (Total Points) @ $1.92 (Luxbet)
San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies
It is often said that teams can find themselves in the position of having nothing to play for. In every remaining road game, the San Antonio Spurs will be the very definition of this concept. Gregg Popovich’s men remain undefeated at home, a record they are quietly focused on keeping in tact, while they are guaranteed to finish no lower than second in the Western Conference. This means that every game away from the AT&T Center represents nothing more than a chance to give their aging stars some welcome rest before the playoffs. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard remain out and while LaMarcus Aldridge could return to the lineup, it’s hard to imagine him playing big minutes. It’s a situation that completely levels the playing field for a Grizzlies team that is still decimated by injury. The difference is that the Grizzlies will play hard to win this game because it’s the only way they know how… and holding onto the fifth seed will at least give them a fighting chance in the first round of the playoffs. The Spurs are excellent and it’s a mark of that excellence that bookmakers still consider the San Antonio B team a six-point favourite, over a home side that has much more to play for. The Big Dog sees it differently and thinks that not only will Memphis cover the spread but if the game is still relatively close with a quarter to play, they will win it down the stretch. The value for the Grizzlies here is absolutely off the charts.
Selection
Memphis Grizzlies @ $2.95 (Luxbet)
Tools
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