Yesterday was a case of “so close, yet so far away” for The Big Dog. After the resting of LeBron James made our option on the Miami Heat a lay down misere, which basically covered us for the day… we watched in horror as the Orlando Magic squandered a 96-86 fourth-quarter lead, losing 103-101 to the LA Clippers. Disappointed but not discouraged, The Big Dog is back for another day and it’s a pair of margins that has caught his eye, along with a bonus prop bet that looks simply too good to refuse. Curious? Well all shall be revealed…
Golden State Warriors @ Brooklyn Nets
The defending NBA Champions are now an unprecedented 21-0 and their all-conquering roll shows no signs of slowing… or does it? The Warriors aim for their 26th straight win, dating back to last season, as they head to Barclays Center to face a Nets team that gave them some trouble, last time around. Although Brooklyn’s overall record (5-14) would suggest that 22-0 is a forgone conclusion, the hosts are 4-3 at home. More importantly, they are also responsible for the only time Golden State have been taken to overtime, during the undefeated start to the season. That game, eventually won 107-99, was also at Oracle Arena and wasn’t part of a back-to-back set. By comparison, this time the Warriors are 24 hours removed from being pushed all the way by a brave Toronto Raptors. The 112-109 win, due once again to some Steph Curry crunch-time heroics, was Golden State’s second win by three points in the last three games. It stands to reason that this will be the most fatigued that the Warriors roster will feel, to date and they are likely to again be without Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, due to injury. One thing is for certain, they won’t want to repeat the start they had against the Nets, at Oracle. The champs came out uncharacteristically flat and trailed 36-21 after the first period. The Nets themselves are coming off their own sluggish start, never recovering from a 42-21 quarter time deficit, in a 108-91 loss to the Knicks. While The Big Dog isn’t quite prepared to say that the Brooklyn Nets will cause the biggest upset in years, this is a classic example of a game where an inferior side catches an opponent at the perfect time and creates an unexpected result. Golden State have proven, time and time again, that they can find ways to overcome adversity and they will find a way to get to 22-0… but there could be some very scary moments along the way and The Big Dog expects that Brooklyn will lead at one of the first three breaks.
Selection #1
Golden State Warriors (1-10) @ $2.80 (William Hill)
Selection #2
Any Other Result (Wire To Wire) @ $2.20 (William Hill)
Los Angeles Lakers @ Detroit Pistons
The Kobe Bryant retirement parade enters Detroit, where the home side has won three straight on their current homestand and four overall at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Lakers are preparing for their fourth stop on a season-high eight-game road trip, having already lost to the Philadelphia 76ers but restoring some pride with a 108-104 win in the nation’s capital. Kobe produced a throwback performance in Washington, with 31 points on 10 of 24 shooting, in what was by far his best performance of the season. Looking at the numbers, it seems unlikely that he will be able to easily replicate that output, against the Pistons. Bryant is shooting a career-worst 30.4% from the field, while continuing to take the most shots on the Lakers roster. That and that alone is going to be enough to cost the team wins. Unfortunately, as a team, the reading doesn’t get any better. The Lakers rank in the bottom half of the league in attack (22nd), defence (20th), field goal percentage (24th), 3-point percentage (24th) and turnovers (14th highest). While they’re not a terrible rebounding team (15th at 43.6 per game), that happens to be Detroit’s greatest strength. The Pistons, lead by young star Andre Drummond, rank third in the league, with 47.2 boards per game. This is hardly surprising, considering that Drummond is accounting for 17 of those, on a nightly basis. Detroit’s only Achilles heel (sorry Kobe) in this match is at the free-throw line, where they sit 27th of all teams and hit only 65.5% of their shots. The Lakers can claim this as their strong suit. They succeed 78.5% of the time, from the charity stripe, good enough for 7th. Reggie Jackson has been in great form during the Pistons’ last three games. The former Thunder guard has averaged 29.3 points and 9.7 assists. Given the Lakers’ leaky defensive system, he figures to again go large and propel his team to a dominant win. Unless Kobe manages to hit at least fifty percent of his shots, this game will be a blowout.
Selection
Detroit Pistons (11+) @ $2.10 (Luxbet)
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