Recap: Friendly reminder to you all + self: make sure to see if the player you pick is starting before selecting him for two props (i.e. Joe Harris).
First Pick: Lauri Markkanen O17.5 pts vs CHA (-125)
Fact #1: Markkanen has eclipsed 18+ points in two straight.
Fact #2: The Hornets are allowing an average of 24 PPG to the SF position over their last seven games.
Second Pick: Bulls 1st Quarter ML vs CHA (+105)
Fact #1: Due to a postponed game against Washington on Wednesday, the Hornets have had the past five days off, so I’d expect the tiniest bit of rust to be shaken off through the first 12 minutes.
Fact #2: The Bulls are 9-5 ATS in the 1st quarter this season.
Third and Fourth Picks: Mason Plumlee O8.5 pts (-110) and O7.5 rbs (-122) vs HOU
Fact #1: Christian Wood is out tonight. For you “casuals” out there like Shaq, that means there are a lot of rebounds up for grabs tonight.
Fact #2: With PJ Tucker playing the 5, I have to imagine he draws Plumlee and Blake is matched with Boogie Cousins on both sides. That’s a 5-6 inch advantage for Plums.
Fact #3: Plumlee has eclipsed 9+ points in three straight and has 8+ boards in three of his last five.
Fifth Pick: Malcolm Brogdon U22.5 pts vs ORL (+105)
Fact #1: Brogdon has yet to string together consecutive games over 23 points — that’s literally the logic behind this pick.
Sixth Pick: Kyrie Irving O26.5 pts vs CLE (-117)
Fact #1: Collin Sexton got the best of Irving, so it’s only fair for Kyrie to return the favor. Irving returned with 37 points on Wednesday and no Durant should mean he could get at least 30 this season.
Seventh Pick: James Harden O28.5 pts vs CLE (-110)
Fact #1: Harden’s point totals in three games with BRK are 32, 34 and 21. The 21 came with Durant on the floor. With him out tonight, that’s a lot of shots for him and Kyrie to have in their quest for 30 each.
Fact #1: The Pistons allow 25.9 PPG to the small forward position this season.
Fact #2: Bridges has totaled 12+ points in five of his last six contests.
Second Pick: Zion Williamson O22.5 pts vs CHA (-130)
Fact #1: Zion has outings of 24 and 29 over his past two contests.
Fact #2: The Hornets allow an average of 25 PPG to the power forward position.
Third Pick: Bucks -6 spread vs UTA (-110)
Fact #1: Third game in four nights for Utah and they have looked bad on this road trip.
Fact #2: The Bucks are averaging 127 points per game over their last three, meanwhile the Jazz have only cracked 110 once over their last five contests.
Fourth Pick: Cole Anthony O14.5 pts vs HOU (-110)
Fact #1: Markelle Fultz is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Fact #2: Anthony reportedly won’t play Fultz-like minutes, but he shouldn’t need to do so to hit this number.
Fact #3: The Rockets allow 27.8 PPG to point guards this season.
Recap: We can only go up from here. Donte DiVincenzo had 11 points at the half and because the Bucks were thrashing the Bulls, he had no reason to take another shot. The Clippers looked like they were on the second end of a back-to-back and the Celtics forgot to bring their scoring prowess from the Memphis game into Detroit. Lastly, Gordon Hayward was well on his way to reaching 19, but they got the doors blown off them and the starters were pulled.
First and second Picks: Richaun Holmes O11.5 Pts (-141) and O8.5 Reb(-106)vs HOU
Fact #1: Holmes got busy in this first half of this 2-game series, posting 22 points and 13 rebounds on Christmas Eve.
Fact #2: Holmes has 20+ points in two straight contests.
Fact #3: Holmes has secured 9+ rebounds in four of five games this season.
Fact #4: The Rockets are 27th in rebounds per game.
With the NBA playoffs now underway, a handful of The 300s team members have taken the NBA bracket challenge. The picks are in, and here’s what we’ve got for finals predictions. We’ll routinely check in after each round is finished and see who actually knows what they’re talking about. Here’s what we’re looking at for finals predictions:
GRENGA
FINALS: BUCKS vs. THUNDER WINNER: THUNDER
The Bucks were the best team in the NBA this year, and Giannis is unstoppable. They are getting healthy at just the right time, and although last years ROY Malcolm Brogdon will miss the first round, they won’t need him. I think the Celtics will give them some trouble in the second round, but I’m just not sold that the Celtics can play consistent enough to beat the NBA’s best team, especially since they only finished the year one game over .500 on the road. The Bucks dominated Toronto in the regular season, so I don’t think they’ll have a problem with them when they eventually meet up in the ECF. As for the Sixers, that process is still going.
In the West, the Thunder have a long road to the championship, but I think this is their year. Paul George is playing out of his mind, and when you combine his MVP-caliber play with constant triple-doubles from Westbrook and a defensive post-monster in the form of Steven Adams, I think they have what it takes to beat anyone in 7. They swept the season series against Portland, the Nuggets are set up for an early exit with the youngest team in the playoffs, and I think they matchup against the Bucks as well as anybody. The biggest question is whether or not they play the Warriors in the WCF. I have the Rockets topping the Warriors because they won the season series, but I might be falling for a trap. Honestly, I’m just sick of the Warriors and want any excuse to root against them. We’ll see how it goes.
BIG Z
FINALS: RAPTORS vs. WARRIORS WINNER: WARRIORS
“Short and sweet here. I’m going with the Warriors. The NBA is a top-heavy league and there’s no reason not to take the favorite. As for the Celtics, I think they’ll make it past the Bucks to the Conference Finals because they’ve got so much talent. I think they’ll fall to the Raptors in the conference finals though, because when the going gets tough I think they’ll ultimately pack it in. This will mark 3 straight championships and 4 outta 5 for Dubs.”
JIMMY LIPS
FINALS: BUCKS vs. ROCKETS WINNER: BUCKS
“Milwaukee — the league’s best team in the regular season — has a cupcake path to the Finals. The Bucks went 14-2 against their division this season and neither of those 2 losses were at the hands of the Pistons, who lost all four contests by an average of 14.75 points. Being that I have the Victor Oladipo-less Pacers beating the Celtics in Round 1 (in 7 games), the Bucks 14-2 record against the Central still applies here. Now, the Pacers did top the Bucks back in late December, however that was Milwaukee’s third game in four nights. When the Bucks meet the Raptors in the ECF, it’ll be the first time they’ve been there since George Karl was at the helm in 2001. In games in which Mr. Leonard played, the teams split the two meetings but haven’t played since January 31. That shouldn’t matter overall and Milwaukee should advance to its first Finals appearance since the 70s.
Out West, spoiler alert: the Rockets are beating the Warriors in Round 2. This is a healthy Rockets squad and they will get the Warriors a round earlier, assuring they are fresh. Houston took 3 of 4 during the regular season, including the classic at Oracle on January 3 that went to OT thanks to The Beard. They’ll meet Denver in the WCF because there isn’t a strong enough case to build for OKC beating a formidable and hungrier team like the Nuggets in a 7-game series. The Beard and CP3 get the Rockets to their first Finals appearance since 1995 when they won back-to-back chippers with some guy named Olajuwon at center. Rejoice, NBA fans. We will get to see this season’s top two MVP candidates face off in June. Milwaukee swept the season series. And yes, I know, CP3 didn’t play in one of those games.
Bucks in 6. The Greek World Order begins this summer.”
RED
FINALS: CELTICS vs. WARRIORS WINNER: WARRIORS
“I’ve got the Celtics making it through the toughest road in the East, going through the Pacers, Giannis and the Bucks, and Kawhi and the Raptors before falling to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Celtics match up with the Warriors better than any other team in the NBA, but its hard to pick against the team that is one Kyrie Irving circus shot away from being back to back to back to back champions. Warriors in 6.”
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