Author: voidsports1

Indiana Pacers vs Charlotte Hornets

The Indiana Pacers (6-31) travel to the Spectrum Center to take on Charlotte Hornets (13-24) tonight at 7PM ET. Charlotte are priced as 4.5 pt favourites, which seems awfully low given Indiana are winless in 13 games.

Charlotte have been steadily improving this season and in the last 10 games have a +2.4 point net rating and rank 2nd for 3 point shooting (41.5%). They suffered a disappointing defeat to Toronto yesterday, blowing a double digit lead in the 2nd half. Immanuel Quickley hitting a last second buzzer beater to take the victory. It was a scrappy game, with both teams putting in high effort, but struggling from the field.

It has been quite the dramatic fall for last year’s NBA runners up Indiana. From being a game away from winning the title last season, they have the worst record this season. With 13 straight defeats and star player Tyrese Hailburton out for the season, there doesn’t seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. Indiana rank 28th in offensive rating and 25th in defensive rating, it is difficult to find any particular metric they are performing well.

But with all that said, I believe Indiana will have the best player on the court tonight and that is veteran forward Pascal Siakam. He was electric in last year’s post season for Indiana, averaging 20.5 PPG. Almost all of the money is on Charlotte covering the spread tonight, but I don’t think that is a given if Pascal Siakam has a big scoring night and is supported by guards such as Nembhard and Nesmith.

Our Prediction:

Despite Charlotte being very strong against the spread on the second leg of back to back nights I saw enough against Toronto yesterday to feel concern for them. Scoring less than 100pts and recording 18 turnovers against Toronto.

As for Indiana, you’d expect to see some level of performance at some point and there have been tighter games in recent games such as Cleveland and Orlando.

Recent Form:

Betting Markets:

  • Indiana Pacers ML (+145)/Charlotte Hornets ML (-187)
  • Indiana Pacers +4.5 pts (-110)/Charlotte Hornets -4.5 pts (-110)
  • Over 232.5 pts (-110)/Under 232.5 pts (-110)

Injury Report:

Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton (Out), Obi Toppin (Out), Bennedict Mathurin (Out), Isaiah Jackson (Out)

Charlotte Hornets: Mason Plumlee (Out), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Out), Grant Williams (Out), Brandon Miller (Questionable)

Toronto Raptors vs Charlotte Hornets

Toronto Raptors (22-15) travel to Spectrum Center to take on the Charlotte Hornets (13-23). This will be the third and final meeting between the two sides this season, with the series currently split 1-1.

Charlotte are 1.5 point underdogs in this matchup, which on paper looks like an unreasonable line. However when you break it down, it is easy to see why the bookmakers are pricing this as a coin flip match. Charlotte have won back to back games convincingly against Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Charlotte are 9-4 when playing with LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller. In the last 10 games, no team in the NBA is shooting the 3 ball better than Charlotte (42.8%). They will need more of that tonight if they are to beat Toronto. The absence of Brandon Miller will be a miss for Charlotte.

The Toronto Raptors are 4th in the East, just a couple of games back from Boston in 2nd. However there is no real mention of them being a playoff contender. The lack of appreciation for Toronto’s work this season is bizarre. They are good on the road (10-7), rank 5th for defensive rating (112.3), and have a well balanced roster. I believe the scepticism is two fold; firstly the Raptors lack an “exceptional scorer” who has proven to do it in the post season, and secondly they are 3-9 against Top 6 seeds in the league. Do they have what it takes to beat the best? I’m not sure.

However Toronto will believe their depth and efficiency is enough to get past Charlotte. With Colin Ingram, RJ Barrett, & Scottie Barnes all averaging between 19-22 PPG there is depth in scoring for Toronto.

Betting Markets:

  • Toronto Raptors ML (-133)/Charlotte Hornets ML (+105)
  • Toronto Raptors -1.5 pts (-120)/Charlotte Hornets +1.5 pts (-105)
  • Over 230.5 pts (-110)/Under 230.5 pts (-110)

Our Prediction:

Charlotte are in fantastic form offensively. They have the best 3pt shooting efficiency in the last 10 games. I believe Charlotte will continue this into tonight and disrupt Toronto’s defensive setup.

With the playmaking of Kon Knueppel & LaMelo Ball, I don’t think there is much difference in quality between the two rosters on current form.

Recent Form:

Injury Report:

Toronto Raptors: Jakob Poeltl (Out), Chucky Hepburn (Out)

Charlotte Hornets: Grant Williams (Out), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Out), Mason Plumlee (Out), Brandon Miller (Out)

New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons

It’s a top of the table clash tonight as the New York Knicks (23-12) travel to Little Caesars Arena to take on Eastern Conference leaders Detroit Pistons (26-9).

It feels like an important game for Mike Brown’s side, who have suffered 3 defeats on the bounce. The Knicks trailed by as many as 17 points in the 3rd Quarter against Philadelphia on Saturday evening. It was a real shock, as there was an expectation amongst pundits that it would be a bounce back game from their previous defeat to Atlanta. Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns, & Mikal Bridges collectively shot 21/51 from the field.

Pushing the pace quickly off any defensive stops and turnovers, and executing 3 point opportunities will be key tonight. However missing Josh Hart & Landry Shamet who are the main perimeter shooters will be a blow.

Detroit bounced back well against Eastern Conference rivals Cleveland winning 114-110 on the road. It was a scrappy encounter with both teams shooting the ball with little efficiency. Cade Cunningham has had back to back ugly shooting nights. Despite scoring a combined 58 points against Cleveland and Miami, that has been from 13/38 field goal attempts. But when it has mattered, every player in the lineup has bought into their defensive setup. Detroit rank 5th for Opposition points per game and it’s their ability to stop teams scoring high which enables them to engage in a half court shooting battle.

It will be interesting to see whether New York try and reverse back to a quicker tempo to the game or will slip into Detroit’s half court shooting battle which would suit Jalen Brunson.

Our Prediction:

New York could be in real crisis mode if they lose this game. Many are backing New York to bounce back, but with an 8-8 record on the road I don’t see this happening.

Detroit are a strong defensive unit and hold a 12-3 record at Little Caesars Arena this season. They will be tough opposition tonight for New York.

Recent Form:

Betting Markets:

  • New York Knicks ML (-110)/Detroit Pistons ML (-110)
  • New York Knicks +1.5 pts (+100)/Detroit Pistons -1.5 pts (+100)
  • Over 233.5 pts (-110)/Under 233.5 pts (-110)

Injury Report:

New York Knicks: Landry Shamet (Out), Josh Hart (Out)

Detroit Pistons: Tobias Harris (Out), Jalen Duren (Out), Caris LeVert (Doubtful), Cade Cunningham (Probable), Duncan Robinson (Probable)

New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat

New Orleans Pelicans (8-28) travel to the Kaseya Center to take on Miami Heat (19-16).

Expect a really fast and transitional matchup between two teams that rank in the top third for pace in the league. It is a tale of two sides in terms of form going into this one. New Orleans Pelicans have lost 6 consecutive games and see themselves bottom of the West. They have only won two road games this season and look set to lose another tonight as 8.5 point underdogs. With herb Jones ruled out, both Trey Murphy III and Derik Queen questionable you would have to ask whether they have enough to compete against a well oiled Miami Heat.

Miami might see the return of Tyler Herro tonight who is listed as questionable. They come into this match with 4 wins in their last 5. They lead the league for pace in the last 5 games, and this could setup an end to end match tonight. Norman Powell being available is a big plus for Miami, as he is averaging 24 PPG in his last 5.

Our Prediction:

Both of these sides rank in the top third for pace this season. The stats do not support the over 248.5 pts typically lands in this encounter, but I think tonight will be fairly end to end with Miami players cashing in on terrible defence from New Orleans.

Injury Report:

New Orleans Pelicans: Sadiq Bey (Out), Dejounte Murray (Out), Hunter Dickinson (Out), Herb Jones (Out), Derik Queen (Questionable), Trey Murphy III (Questionable)

Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo (probable), Vladislav Goldin (Out), Tyler Herro (Questionable), Jaime Jaquez Jr (Questionable), Keshad Johnson (Out), Nikola Jovic (Questionable), Pelle Larsson (Probable), Terry Rozier (Out), Jahmir Young (Out)

Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons (25-9) travel to the Rocket Arena to face Cleveland Cavaliers (20-16) for their second meeting of the season. The first resulted in a blowout victory for Cleveland away from home by 116-95.

This game feels like it holds a different weight of importance for Cleveland as we roll into the New Year. After three straight wins, there is still an overall feeling of scepticism around this team after a poor start to the season. Cleveland limped over the line against a heavily depleted Denver on Friday night after a 4th quarter comeback. It was another poor performance in a season that has been littered with them. Cleveland had 16 turnovers, 7 more than Denver.

Donovan Mitchell will be key tonight, as he has been all season. Averaging 29.8 PPG with 49.7% FG. He was the catalyst for their victory over Detroit earlier in the season, scoring 35 points in just 29 minutes. Playing with pace will be the key for Cleveland. Detroit has the 2nd best half court defence in the league behind Oklahoma. They struggled to stop Miami on Thursday, who have been the quickest paced offence in the last 5 games. Cleveland will want to push the ball quickly and execute to stop Detroit having a good defensive night.

Detroit has lacked consistency in recent weeks. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but still top the East with an impressive 25-9 record overall. The key to their impressive start this season has been half court defence. They rank 2nd in the league for half court defence and rebounding. Teams have struggled to get good shooting opportunities.

A concern for Detroit fans will be their last performance against in form Miami, who showed the blueprint on how to disrupt Detroit. Play physical defence and then get out and run quickly in transition. Miami scored 26 fast break points compared to Detroit’s 18. This was the difference for Miami.

Betting Markets:

  • Detroit Pistons ML (+150)/Cleveland Cavaliers ML (-200)
  • Detroit Pistons +4.5 pts (-110)/Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5 pts (-110)
  • Over 238.5 pts (-110)/Under 238.5 pts (-110)

Our Prediction:

Tonight is an opportunity for Cleveland to put a marker down against an Eastern Conference rival. Their offence has been stagnant recently without Mitchell’s contributions, and I think that changes tonight.

Detroit are good at generating offence in different ways. There will be less presence in the paint without Duren, but I could see that resulting in faster offensive pace.

Recent Form:

Injury Report:

Detroit Pistons: Tobias Harris (Out), Jalen Duren (Out), Caris LaVert (Out)

Cleveland Cavaliers: Max Strus (Out), Larry Nance Jr (Out), Jarrett Allen (Questionable), Sam Merrill (Questionable), Dean Wade (Questionable)