Arriving off of a formidable – but losing – playoff effort last season versus the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers came roaring back to start the 2011-2012 season. The team is experiencing its best early record in the prior eight years, but are still struggling versus the more skillful teams in the league. While they’re 11-4 so far, simply 4 of those victories are versus teams with records above .500.
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With the Magic arriving to visit on Tuesday, January 24, the Indiana Pacers will have a better challenge on their hands, and they’ll need the home court advantage tonight. Indiana is unbeaten at home this season and will look to prolong their record to 6-0. If they’re able to pull out a victory, it will be the first time the team has started off a season with six consecutive home victories since the 2002-2003 season.
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But the Orlando Magic are a fearsome foe who are 11-5 on the season so far. And the recent past is all on Orlando’s side. The Orlando Magic have defeated the Indiana Pacers in Indiana in all the prior 3 bouts between the two. In fact, Orlando has won these matches on the road in Indianapolis by around 13 points. The newest competition between the two was January 26, 2011.
The Indiana Pacers will additionally have to find a way to handle Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard. Howard has directed the team to an 11-3 record over Indiana, and he has put up double-doubles in each of these contests. In spite of the challenges ahead for the Indiana Pacers, the sports book posts them as the -3 faves to beat the Orlando Magic. The total is set at 182.5.
Both teams come into this match with a 7-3 record over their last 10 contests. The Indiana Pacers have a 5-0 home record so far, while the Orlando Magic are 5-3 on the road. Watch for Orlando to make a astonishingly formidable showing after their catastrophic 87-56 loss to the Celts a couple of days ago.
Number one rated Kentucky versus the NCAA competition hopefuls Georgia? Sounds like a recipe for a blowout, especially as Kentucky barely regained that coveted No. 1 spot on the rankings for the 1st time in the prior 2 months. Whereas the Kentucky Wildcats are ahead of the rankings and enjoying an eleven game win streak, the Georgia Bulldogs can best be termed sporadic so far in the season.
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Kentucky is 19-1 and 5-0 in the SEC. They’re coming off of a particularly unpleasant game at home against Alabama, where they won their previous 15 points at the foul line. Luckily, the squad is pretty good from the free-throw line, where they landed 23-of-29 to keep hold of the win, 77-71. That victory, coupled with Syracuse dropping their 1st game of the season, put Kentucky back ahead. Their present eleven game win streak is furthermore their greatest since going 19-0 in the course of the 2009-2010 season.
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Georgia will have its hands full dealing with the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday, January 24. The Georgia Bulldogs won an invite to the NCAA competition for the 1st time in the last three years in 2011, but 2 of their main players advanced to the NBA. Since losing them, Georgia has lost a lot of their offensive touch, scoring simply 61.9 ppg with a terrible 39.9 percent field-goal ratio. The Georgia Bulldogs are presently 10-9 total and 1-4 in the SEC.
With the Kentucky Wildcats averaging 79.5 ppg, and the Georgia Bulldogs at 61.9, it’s not surprising the sports book is favoring Kentucky by 12 points. It might be a bargain taking the Cats, as the game may end up quite handily as a 15- or 20-point blowout. The total is set at 129, but and I would expect this match to go under the total. If Kentucky performs even a bit bit of defense, the Bulldogs’ offense may very well be properly shut down all night.
The Kings have their work cut out for them when they take on the Houston Rockets in Houston on January 13th. This is a condition of both teams reconstructing for the future as both teams look nothing like their early 2000’s heydays. The Kings look to go back to their former prominence in the west with outstanding play from their youthful stalwarts. The Rockets are still coping with the fallout from the retirement of Yao Ming. The Rockets are liked by 3 points by the sportsbook and this looks to be a hard game to call.
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Sacramento is paced by G Marcus Thornton and PG Tyreke Evans, which offer a youthful nucleus for the Kings to develop on. The frontcourt is bolstered by PF DeMarcus Cousins and his dependable play. The Kings are additionally helped by the experienced presence of SG John Salmons arriving from the bench as a deep threat. Former Indiana Hoosier great Keith Smart coaches the Kings.
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The Rockets look considerably diverse from the times of Yao Ming and Steve Francis running the show. Young PG Kyle Lowry runs the offense with aid from PF Luis Scola and PG Goran Dragic. Vets help the Houston offense with fellow SG’s Courtney Lee and Kevin Martin chipping in when they are able to. Ex- Celtics great Kevin McHale leads the Rockets at head coach.
Only not too long ago, this matchup might have been all over tv with competitors such as Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, and Bobby Jackson steadying the Kings. The Rockets had Yao Ming, Steve Francis, Robert Horry, and Tracy McGrady in it. The times have certainly changed things for both teams as the day of free agency and pay caps have made long-term dynasties nearly obsolete.
This ought to be a great matchup between these two once-mighty franchises with the game itself too close to call.
The AT&T Center could get some long distance action on Jan 13th as the Trailblazers go to San Antonio to battle against the Spurs. Portland is a young team trying to restore as the short but electric Brandon Roy era formally ended with his retirement in December. Former #1 pick Greg Oden has also had repeated problems with his knees as Portland apparently cannot shake the specter of Sam Bowie. The Spurs look to defend their court with amazing plays from their regular steady lineup. The Spurs are favored by 8 points and this looks to be an excellent wager.
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Portland is led by SF LeMarcus Aldridge who has competed well in the absence of Greg Oden. Veteran SF Gerald Wallace offers defense at a high-caliber for the Blazers with the backcourt rounded out by Raymond Felton as well as Wesley Matthews. Star G Jamal Crawford offers some scoring and a deep threat for the Blazers. It is a time of adjustment for the Portland Trailblazers and this season they look for ways to make a run at the playoffs.
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San Antonio looks to continue to be in the upper-tier of the west with Gregg Popovich again running the squad on the sideline. The Spurs are led by their standard three-man foundation of PF Tim Duncan, SG Manu Ginobili, and PG Tony Parker. Veteran SF Richard Jefferson offers an excellent alternate to Duncan’s inside prowess. C DeJuan Blair completes the starting lineup for the Spurs. Parker is reinforced by veteran PG T.J. Ford who is able to supply points and assists on limited minutes off of the bench.
This looks to be an excellent game between these two teams with the Spurs looking for their fans to raise the noise levels up. Portland is a young team of change trying to right the ship in a shortened season that looks to have a lot of questions about their future.
On January 12th, things get hot when the Cavaliers enter into Phoenix to battle against the Suns. A few seasons ago, this might have been an outstanding matchup with LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire going head up in a collision course. In the era of free agency nonetheless, times surely have changed as this matchup appears significantly different. Phoenix is favored by 6 points over the Cavaliers and this appears to be a safe wager.
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The Cavaliers have gone through quite a sea change in the last 3 years as a team. With the leaving of LeBron James still wreaking havoc on the team all this time later, the Cavs have struggled mightily to produce a quality basketball team to put on the court. The Cavaliers lost a record 23 consecutive games last year with the one bright spot arriving through Baron Davis who helped the team with a handful of late year victories. Baron Davis left for New York right after the lockout concluded and the Cavs again are faced with the contender of a tricky year. The Cavs are paced by vets PF Antawn Jamison and fan fave PF Anderson Varejao. SG Daniel Gibson and PG Kyrie Irving full the backcourt for the stressed Cavaliers.
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The Phoenix Suns also are dealing with changing times in this current NBA landscape. Celeb PG Steve Nash is constantly asked about his future as Nash is in his last year under contract. The rumor is that the Suns could possibly deal him to a contender before the year ends. Despite the fact that both Nash and the Suns front office deny those rumors, it is sure to be a minor diversion to the team. Ageless SF 39-year old Grant Hill has experienced a rebirth of sorts in Phoenix. This resurgence has persuaded former all-star SG Michael Redd to sign with the Suns at the league minimum contract to stage a miraculous comeback after two distressing knee injuries over the past 3 seasons in Milwaukee. C Marcin Gortat and SF Jared Dudley are doing their greatest to make up for the loss in frontcourt output due to Amare Stoudemire’s defection to the Knicks.
Saturday night on January 14th, the New York Knicks come into Oklahoma City to face the OKC Thunder in this major contest between these 2 squads. It’s a tale of 2 squads as the OKC Thunder come up with a constant squad of young guns against the Knicks who it appears from year to year constantly enters into play with lots of changes going on. The Knicks are favored by 4 points and this might hold unless Durant has one of his typical killer matches.
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The Knicks have had a soap opera in the previous fifteen years or thereabouts in the nba. From almost winning it all with Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston to Allan Houston’s well-known 100 Million-Dollar contract and his following knee injury and that just covers the butt end of the 1990’s. The Isiah Thomas era of the Knicks will go down in nba history as one of the most devastating campaigns in recent memory. With such failures in past years, the Knicks appeared to make a splash in the offseason and so they did after they secured Amare Stoudemire from the Phoenix Suns. The Knicks are paced by star SF Carmelo Anthony and the previously mentioned Amare Stoudemire at power forward. C Tyson Chandler provides presence and veteran leadership at center whereas young guns G Iman Shumpert and PG Toney Douglas round out the team.
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The OKC Thunder have had great promise within the last few seasons with superstar SF Kevin Durant breaking out and owning rival squads with his play. Oklahoma City is made up of a young team behind Durant with G James Harden, PG Russell Westbrook, and PF Serge Ibaka carrying the slack. PG Nick Collison is the one pillar from the old Supersonics squad, which shifted to Oklahoma City in 2008. The OKC Thunder are currently on top of in the rankings in this young season with great promise to finish out the season on top.
The United Center in Chicago will be in the spotlight as the Washington Wizards enter into town to battle against the Bulls. In past years, this matchup would’ve been the hardest ticket to get as the second comeback by Nike Jordan turned the Washington Wizards into press darlings all through the league. Jordan now is long retired nevertheless and the Washington Wizards have become an awesome youthful squad with vast amounts of prospective waiting to be tapped. The sportsbook has the Bulls preferred by 8 points which seems correct and seems like a quality wager with Chicago being cheered on at home.
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The Washington Wizards come into this year with an all new logo design and a new uniform to represent a change of attitude and maybe a change of luck. The Washington Wizards are a long distance from the days of Gilbert Arenas landing game-winning shots every other week. Young breakout stars SG Nick Young and PG John Wall who steady the Washington Wizards backcourt with outstanding play lead Washington. The Washington Wizards are rounded out by their frontcourt consisting of PF Andray Blatche, C JaVale McGee, and veteran SF Rashard Lewis. Look for the Washington Wizards to put up a quality competition versus the Bulls in this one.
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The Bulls have desired a return to the salad days of the 1990’s. They have had great youthful stars come through the organization such as Tyson Chandler, Ben Gordon, Jamal Crawford, and Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls this year are led by star PG and 2010-11 Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose who has helped the Bulls conspicuously since being drafted in 2008. Vets SF Luol Deng and PF Carlos Boozer offer some strength on the inside game. C Joakim Noah continues to be the most gifted center that the Bulls have experienced in years. Veteran SG Rip Hamilton covers the 2 location very well for Chicago in its’ mission to pursue farther into the playoffs.
The Staples Center will come alive on January 11th when the Heat competes with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Heat comes in with among the best records in the NBA boosted by a great lineup of stars. The Heat lead the NBA as a team in points scored and assists. The sports book has the Heat liked by 8 points and with the backcourt they contain, it appears to be a sure wager. Let’s take a closer look at the Heat this season and the things they provide.
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Miami brings non-stop scoring with superstar SF LeBron James guiding the way. SG Dwyane Wade additionally brings powerful scoring at the 2 slot with PF Chris Bosh’s dependable play at the 3. Bolstering the Heat attack are PF Udonis Haslem and PG Mario Chalmers who bring up the rear with a dependable supply of assists and rebounds. The Heat look to go deep in the playoffs this season after practically winning it all a year ago.
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Under the ownership of Donald Sterling, the LA Clippers have a long history of mediocrity. But things have modified in the last couple of seasons with large stars such as Blake Griffin altering the landscape for Los Angeles’ “other team”. The LA Clippers look to be content for a playoff placement this year in the always-difficult Pacific Division. Los Angeles is directed by celebrity PF Blake Griffin who has continued to be a threat to the basket and also the boards. Free Agent developments SG Chauncey Billups and celebrity PF Chris Paul offers veteran leadership that was sorely missing with the departures of Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. The LA Clippers are additionally benefited by the stellar play of SF Caron Butler and C DeAndre Jordan. Watch for this to be a great matchup between the established stars of Miami vs the young guns of the LA Clippers Staples Center will be electrified for this matchup.
These two teams have been doing relatively well this year. This should not be a surprise to anyone as both of these colleges are well noted for their share of victories in basketball for a lot of years. When Western Virginia visits Connecticut both these teams will be at it out on the court on January 9.
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The Mountaineers is arriving off an outstanding 21 point win against Rutgers Knights, where the senior Darryl Bryant took the Knights to school by dropping 29 points on them, in addition to Kevin Jones who had a nice game with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Connecticut on the other hand lost their prior game against the Seton Hall Pirates by 12 points. Jeremy Lamb was still outstanding nevertheless with 19 points.
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West Virginia is just a better team than Connecticut offensively when you compare these two teams. Defensively, Connecticut is the better team, but you have Kevin Jones who averages a double-double for the year and Darryl Bryant who’s just a monster offensively, which will help West Virginia get the edge over Connecticut. Kevin Jones will jump over people to get that rebound as he is one of the better rebounders in the league this year. The Huskies do not have anyone that can box this kid out. It ought to be a fascinating game to watch despite the fact that I would not say that this match up in the clash of the titans or anything of that sort.
If I were gambling on this game, I would bet for the Mountaineers winning against the Huskies considering the Huskies do not have anyone on the team that can guard both Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant. Both of them are going to make you pay if you leave them undefended. One of those will certainly have a big game on Monday January 9.
The ugly specter of the Lockout had loomed big over the NBA world until recently. The NBA has effectively tipped off in earnest over Christmas weekend with both the competitors and the owners ultimately arriving at an agreement. The NBA welcoming committee goes to the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. when the Celts (1-3) battle against the Washington Wizards (0-3). Both teams come into play with shaky records and a slow start to the season. The sports book appears to have the nod on the better squad as the line now stands – Boston (-7) 184 ½ .
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As their 56-26 record got them bounced out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 4-1 by the Miami Heat, the Celtics come into the game trying to bounce back from a frustrating season last year. As Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are in the final year of their particular contracts, this year signifies a turning point for the Celtics. It’s improbable that the Celtics will manage to resign both competitors as the “Big 3″ era might come to a close. In this young season, the Celtics are lead by Ray Allen and his standard long distance pyrotechnics. Superstar point guard Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce provide a steady complimentary force behind Allen. Kevin Garnett has gotten off to a slow start, however the damage of 15 earlier NBA seasons might be catching up with him. Guard Keyon Dooling has furnished a great shooting spark off of the bench. The Celtics come in averaging 96.3 PPG and allowing 100.8 PPG.
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The Wizards come into play trying to right the good ship formerly identified as the Bullets. The breakout of star shooting guard Nick Young who averaged over 20 ppg until going down with injury had buoyed Washington’s sub-par season last year, when they went 23-59. The Wizards this year are averaging 82.7 PPG, which is one of the worst showings in the league. Washington is allowing 97.7 PPG on average, which is slightly much better than the Celtics. Guards Nick Young and John Wall pace the balanced Wizards attack.