Mike's Picks (2 Live)
Mike's Past Picks
The Jazz have ruled out Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson for this game. Even Keyonte George was added to the injury report as questionable with an illness. Kyle Filipowski produced 25 points and eight rebounds in his last game against the Pistons and has averaged 16.3 points and 10.0 rebounds over his last four starts. The Wizards have the third-worst defensive rating and have allowed the most rebounds per game in the league, leaving Filipowski with tremendous upside.
Ty Jerome scored 16 points over 23 minutes against the Bulls on Tuesday. He has scored at least 12 points in 12 of his last 15 games. That included a matchup against the Heat in which he scored 20 points over 30 minutes. The Heat are dealing with a lot of key injuries, so this game could get out of hand in a hurry. If the Cavaliers do race out to a big early lead, their starters might not play much in the fourth quarter since this is the second game of a back-to-back set. There should be enough minutes available to Jerome for him to hit this over.
Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic are all out for the Heat. Tyler Herro is also questionable with an illness. With the Heat being so shorthanded lately, Duncan Robinson has logged at least 29 minutes in four straight games. He scored at least 17 points in three of those games. The Cavaliers have played at the ninth-fastest pace in the league, so added minutes and shot attempts give Robinson a favorable opportunity to hit this over.
Ivica Zubac has dominated the Suns this season. He has faced them three times and he scored at least 21 points in each of them. Norman Powell (hamstring) is out for the Clippers, which could help Zubac receive added shot attempts. Zubac scored at least 20 points in three of the last five games without Powell. The Suns have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league and don’t have much talent at center, so look for Zubac to thrive again.
Ty Jerome has been instant offense off the bench for the Cavaliers. Coming into Tuesday, he has scored at least 19 points in four of his last five games. While he doesn’t play a ton, he has been able to score in bunches because he is shooting 51.6% from the field. The Bull shave played at the third-fastest pace in the league and they have the fifth-worst defensive rating, so this matchup works in Jerome’s favor. There is also plenty of blowout potential, which could leave Jerome with added minutes. The over is the way to go here.
The last time DeMar DeRozan faced the Mavericks, he scored 42 points and shot 15-for-22 from the field. It’s important to note that the game was played in Dallas. DeRozan is averaging 23.7 points per game on the road this season, compared to 20.1 points per game at home. The Kings need him to score even more with Domantas Sabonis out, so DeRozan should receive ample opportunities to reach this over.
The Mavericks are 19-12 at home. The Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis for at least one week, so the Mavericks lack of size up front isn’t a huge detriment here. The Kings are 1-2 without Sabonis this season. The one win came at home over the Jazz. The losses were at home against the Hawks and at home against the Pistons. I think the Mavericks win this game, but I’ll go the more conservative route and take them to cover.
The Bulls don’t have much size up front, which puts them in a tough spot when it comes to defending long, athletic wings. Obi Toppin has played them two times already this season. The first time, he scored 17 points over just 21 minutes. The second time, he scored 12 points over 23 minutes. With another 20 or so minutes likely coming his way this time around, look for him to reach double-digit points.
This has been one of my favorite player props to target lately. Since the Kings traded away De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan has recorded at least nine combined rebounds and assists in nine of 10 games. During that span, he averaged 4.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. The Rockets are a good defensive team, but DeRozan recorded at least nine combined rebounds and assists in both previous meetings with them this season. I’ll play this over again.
The Suns and Pelicans will be playing each other for the second straight night. The Suns lost Thursday, but Devin Booker scored 36 points over 42 minutes. That marked his fourth straight game with at least 28 points. It has helped his cause that he logged at least 35 minutes and attempted at least 20 shots in all four games. The Pelicans have the third-worst defensive rating in the league, so I’ll take this over again.
The last time Ja Morant faced the Knicks, he scored just 10 points over 27 minutes in a blowout loss in New York. Since then, Morant has scored at least 23 points in five of eight games. Part of the reason for his increased production is that he averaged 18.4 shot attempts and 6.6 free-throw attempts over those eight games. This should be a much closer contest in Memphis, so expect Morant to play more in this rematch.
Aaron Wiggins scored 24 points over 29 minutes against the Nets on Wednesday. Over his last 12 games, he has averaged 19.2 points. That included him scoring at least 14 points eight times. This is a great matchup against the Hawks, who have played at the second-fastest pace in the league. Alex Caruso (rest) has also been ruled out, which should leave Wiggins with added minutes. Look for Wiggins to stay hot in the scoring column.
As good as the Thunder can be on defense, they have allowed at least 116 points in four of their last five games. Both the Hawks and Thunder rank inside the top-seven in the league in pace of play, so this could be another high-scoring affair. Caris LeVert has averaged 30 minutes over his last six games, leaving him to score at least 13 points five times. We only need 12 here, so I like this over.