Mike's Past Picks
Isaiah Hartenstein has dished out at least four assists in seven of his last nine games. For the season, he is averaging 4.2 assists per game. Joel Embiid (foot) and Andre Drummond (toe) have both been ruled out for the 76ers, so Hartenstein has the potential to dominate this matchup. There is some blowout concern, but I think Hartenstein will play enough to hit this over.
Evan Mobley has recorded at least 10 rebounds in four of his last five games. For the season, he is averaging 8.9 rebounds per game. Myles Turner is not a great rebounding center for the Pacers, averaging just 7.1 rebounds per game. When these two teams met Sunday, Mobley recorded 12 rebounds. Mobley also had at least 10 rebounds in two of three games against the Pacers last season. Expect him to be busy on the boards again.
The Lakers haven’t played in nearly a week because of the fires in California. Their veterans are well rested for this matchup, which is expected to be played. The Lakers have played the Spurs twice already this season, winning both games by at least five points. Both of those games were played in San Antonio. Few teams are equipped to guard Victor Wembanyama, but Anthony Davis is about as good as any option to try and slow him down. Look for the Lakers to cover at home.
This is the second game of a back-to-back set for the Knicks. They are 1-3 ATS in the second game of back-to-backs this season. They blew out the Bucks on Sunday, but Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges all logged at least 35 minutes. The Pistons are 9-2 over their last 11 games and are 13-6-1 ATS on the road this season. I like their chances to keep this close enough to cover.
Mark Williams has recorded at least nine rebounds in six of his last seven games. That included him grabbing 10 rebounds in his last game against the Suns. Since Mason Plumlee took over as the starting center for the Suns, the opposing starting center has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in six of seven games. I’m fine paying the juice to bet this over.
Nikola Vucevic has recorded at least 11 rebounds in five of his last six games. He has faced the Wizards two times already this season and he finished with at least 12 rebounds in both games. The Wizards have allowed the most rebounds per game in the league, setting up Vucevic nicely to haul in at least 11 rebounds again.
When these two teams met in Oklahoma City, the Thunder won by 10 points. That started a three-game losing streak for the Knicks, which they snapped Wednesday against the Raptors. The Thunder are 13-4 on the road with all 13 of those wins coming by at least four points. I can’t resist taking them to cover again.
Daniel Gafford (ankle) is officially listed as questionable for this game. When he suffered the injury Monday, head coach Jason Kidd said that he expected him to be out “for some time.” Gafford did not play Tuesday against the Lakers and I think he sits again Thursday. Dereck Lively II was limited to 19 minutes against the Lakers because of foul trouble, but he still finished with seven points and six rebounds. Facing the Trail Blazers is much easier than facing Anthony Davis. Expect Lively to stay out of foul trouble, play more and hit this over.
The Mavericks continue to play without Luka Doncic (calf) and Kyrie Irving (back). That has enabled Quentin Grimes to score at least 15 points in four of his last six games. That included a 15-point performance against the Trail Blazers. With added playing time and minutes coming his way again, Grimes could blow past this total.
Ron Holland has scored at least eight points in four of his last five games. He has the potential for added playing time Wednesday with Jaden Ivey (lower leg) and Ausar Thompson (illness) both out. Also helping Holland is that the Nets will be without most of their key starters. That means that the game could get out of hand early, possibly leaving Holland with even more minutes in the second half. It would not be a surprise if Holland logs close to 20 minutes in his game. If he does, he could blow past this over.
The Bulls have a better record on the road (10-8) than they do at home (7-11). While Ayo Dosunmu (calf) has been ruled out, the Bulls are in good shape on the health front. The same can’t be said for the Pacers, who have listed both Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) and Myles Turner (illness) as questionable. Turner might be the bigger concern because he was just added to the injury report Wednesday. I think the Bulls can keep this close enough to cover.
The Thunder have won 15 games in a row and the Cavaliers have won 10 games in a row. Something will give Wednesday. Alex Caruso (hip) has been ruled out, leaving the Thunder without one of their top defenders. The key stat for this game is that the Cavaliers are 18-1 at home. Look for them to exploit Caruso’s absence and grab another home victory.
In his return from a four-game suspension Monday, Naji Marshall started and scored 16 points. He took 15 shots and played 33 minutes. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford will all be out Tuesday, so Marshall has a clear path to around 30 minutes. He has averaged 18.3 points over the six games that he has logged at least 30 minutes this season. The Lakers have the 10th-worst defensive rating in the league, making this over even more appealing.
Mark Williams has grabbed at least nine rebounds in five of his last six games. The one time he didn’t during that span, he just missed with eight rebounds. The Suns are now starting Mason Plumlee at center. Plumlee has allowed opposing starting centers to grab at least 10 rebounds in three of four games since he took over as a starter. Those centers were Jaren Jackson Jr., Trayce Jackson-Davis and Guerschon Yabusele. This is a great spot for Williams to dominate the glass.
Victor Wembanyama has scored at least 27 points in six of his last nine game. The Bulls have played at the third-fastest pace and have the seventh-worst defensive rating in the league, so this is a favorable matchup for the Spurs. The Bulls also tend to get cooked by opposing centers. In their last game, they gave up 44 points to Karl-Anthony Towns. The game before that, they allowed 25 combined points to Alex Sarr and Jonas Valanciunas. Nikola Vucevic won’t be able to slow down Wembanyama.