My Pre-Game Picks For Today’s Games – 1.23.21
It’s a Saturday of NBA hoops, and we have 7 games on the schedule today. I will be giving my pre-game picks for all of today’s games, and predicting a winner for each game.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves
The Pelicans spacing has been their main problem, as they haven’t been able to create space. They are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, but they might have found a solution. They played very fast in the first half against the Jazz, and it was working. They were torching the Jazz from 3, and it was creating open driving lanes for Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. They should continue to try and push the pace, as they are usually a half-court team, which hasn’t worked. Look for New Orleans to play fast.
The Timberwolves are a mess, to put it lightly. They have struggled mightily without Karl Anthony Towns, as they just haven’t figured things out on either end. They are bottom-5 in defensive efficiency and offensive efficiency, as they just struggle. Anthony Edwards cannot shoot to save his life, as he’s been very disappointing this season. The T-Wolves aren’t deep, and they continue their endless rebuild.
Final Verdict: This should be a win for New Orleans, regardless is they are playing fast or not. The T-Wolves are notoriously bad on both ends this season, and the Pelicans have the deeper roster and more talented team. I want them to play fast, and try and experiment with this, but this should be a easy win for New Orleans.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons
After dealing with Covid for a while, the 76ers are back at full strength, with all their weapons being red-hot. Joel Embiid dominated the Celtics down low, as he’s been playing like an MVP so far this season. Tobias Harris seems a lot more comfortable in the system, and Seth Curry has been the best shooter in the league this season. Ben Simmons has been up and down, but when he’s going, it becomes very tough to stop this 76ers tea, The 76ers offense is very explosive, and they have a top-5 defense in the league. This team is very tough to stop.
The Pistons… are in a very weird situation. They have lots of young talent with guys like Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and Sekou Doumbouya. But they also have former All-Stars in Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose. But the Pistons are bad, but they don’t even know it yet. They don’t play their young guys, when they are trending to a top pick in the draft. They need to play their young guys more instead of a washed Blake Griffin, as it doesn’t make sense why you’re not playing the younger guys on the team.
Final Verdict: 76ers>Pistons
Miami Heat vs Brooklyn Nets
The Heat have been hit hard by Covid, and it’s really made them struggle at times. They are missing 3 of their best players, including Jimmy Butler. They’ve managed to hold on to a decent record, but they desperately need to get healthy. Tyler Herro is unavailable for the rest of this road trip, and Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley remain out. The Nets do have a terrible defense, so the Heat might be able to keep up with Brooklyn, but I highly doubt it.
The Nets got smoked by one of the worst offenses in the league, as Cleveland dominated the Nets down low. Yes, Brooklyn was resting KD, but that defense was still horrible. The Nets offense isn’t the worry, and it likely won’t be when they have their star trio together. But their defense is just so bad, it kind of reminds me of the Kings. They do face a very short-handed Miami Heat, but Bam Adebayo will be a problem down low. But the Nets still have 3 of the best scorers in modern NBA history, and I doubt they lose this game.
Final Verdict: The Nets might have a bad defense, but their offense is so good, and the Heat are short-handed. This game will be pretty close in my estimation because of the Nets poor defense, but Brooklyn should be winning this game.
Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks
The Rockets won while missing two starters, but it doesn’t really count because it was the Pistons. They have some good players like Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo, but they are again short-handed, without Christian Wood and John Wall again. The Rockets lack depth, and their offense is nothing special. I doubt they can overcome being short-handed against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks have been winning games, despite missing 4 of their best defenders. They have been very short-handed, and yet they sit over 0.500 with a 8-7 record. A lot of that has to do with Luka Doncic, the 21-year old phenom who does everything for this team. But he’s had help. Kristaps Porzingis has been very good since his return, as he’s been taking less 3’s and smarter shots. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson are solid scorers, asked to score more because the Mavs are short-handed. The Mavs are still short-handed, but they still have Luka, and that trumps a lot of things.
Final Verdict: The Rockets are missing guys, as are the Mavs. But Dallas has been playing really well on both ends, and they have been getting things together. I doubt that the Mavs lose this game, as they should be getting their 3rd straight win.
Golden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz
The Warriors lost to the Knicks because Draymond Green yelled at James Wiseman. yikes. But it showed how important Draymond was, on both ends as he directs everything and is constantly teaching. The Warriors need some scoring from guys like Oubre, Paschall, and Wiseman alongside Curry, as he can’t do everything on his own. The Warriors defense will have to be good against a red-hot Utah Jazz team, and having Draymond on the floor helps that out a lot.
The Jazz have been on absolute fire as of late, as their 3-point shooting has been the key on their 7-game winning streak. Donovan Mitchell has been finding his rhythm, getting back to his bubble form. Conley has been shooting really well and Gobert anchors the paint. Jordan Clarkson has been one of the best bench scorers in the league, as he has been torching people. Bojan Bogdanovic has been getting things together, still recovering from wrist surgery. If the Jazz can shoot well, they are tough to stop. They have to stop Steph Curry from getting going, and force others to beat them.
Final Verdict: The gameplan is simple for the Jazz: don’t let Curry get going. If Curry gets going, it becomes very tough for people to stop the Warriors. The Jazz are a tough team to stop, and they have been shooting lights out lately, and I think that will continue here with their 8th straight win.
LA Lakers vs Chicago Bulls
The Lakers controlled the Milwaukee Bucks last time out, as their 3-point shooting and defense were the key to them winning. The Lakers have been the best team in the league, dominating on both ends. But LA tends to coast in games against inferior opponents. Expect them to look a little bit worse, as Lebron and company aren’t really trying. AD returns home to Chicago, so look for him to be aggressive, as he has been struggling to score as of late.
The Bulls contended well with LA the last time these two teams played, and they have a lot of young talent, with guys like Lavine, White, and Lauri Markkanen. They are still without Wendell Carter Jr, as they are weak down low. But the Lakers do tend to coast in these type of games, so if the Bulls can just hang in there, they can win this game.
Final Verdict: The Lakers obviously have the talent advantage in this game, and on paper they should dominate this game. But they have shown tendencies to coast in these type of games. Now I’m not saying LA will lose, but it might be closer than some people expect.
Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns
This game was crazy last night, with Denver coming from behind in the 2nd half, winning an OT thriller. Nikola Jokic has been at his best this season, one of the best centers in the league. Jamal Murray has struggled, as Denver needs him to be aggressive. With MPJ back in the lineup, the Nuggets get some more scoring. They need scoring from guys like MPJ, Morris, and Will Barton. Their defense was great in the 2nd half of that game, and they need to play good defense to win, but it will be tough against the Suns.
Phoenix blew yesterday’s game, a prime chance to beat Denver. While the Suns lost, more importantly, Devin Booker hurt his leg, and we still don’t know the extent of the injury, but it’s highly unlikely that he plays in this game. That means they need Chris Paul to score and not just pass. Deandre Ayton has been excellent as of late, and they need a big night from him. They need their shooters of Crowder, Johnson, and Mikal Bridges to hit their shots, and fill in the scoring gap left by Booker.
Final Verdict: The Nuggets are definitely at an advantage with the Suns not having Devin Booker. They just need Murray and their supporting cast to compliment Jokic, and they also need their defense to step up, and it’ll be a lot easier without facing Booker. The Suns need guys like Paul and Bridges to step up scoring wise, as without Booker they are missing 20 points. I think that Denver will win this game.
Game Of The Day Prediction
I think that the game of the day today will be Nuggets vs Suns again. These two teams are good, and very well-coached. The first game was very good, and even without Devin Booker playing for the Suns, this will still be a good game.
What Are Your Predictions For The 7 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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