NBA Betting Preview: Day 7
Last updated: Oct 24, 2018, 12:10AM | Published: Oct 23, 2018, 9:15AM
We've just finished a wild day 6 of the NBA, with an action-packed 9 game slate now in the books. Charlotte didn't help us as they were blown out by the Raptors, but the Celtics and Magic played out a lower scoring affair that saw us clinch the Under, whilst the Blazers and the Wizards fell asleep during the third quarter before overtime saved the day and the Over.
Today we'll be focusing on all three games of the day 7 slate, as Detroit hosts Philadelphia, New Orleans welcomes the Clippers to town, and the high-flying Denver Nuggets host Sacramento.
Philadelphia @ Detroit
Banged up Philadelphia heads to Detroit to take on the Pistons, as a sore Ben Simmons looks likely to play (back injury), but Wilson Chandler (out), Jarryd Bayless (out) and Mike Muscala (day-to-day) are all on the injury report.
The Pistons meanwhile are 2-0 under new coach Dwane Casey, with Blake Griffin out to prove a point to his critics. Unlike most teams though, the Sixers have the physicality in their frontcourt to match the Pistons' Griffin and Andre Drummond.
Key Stats and Trends: this clash sees two top-10 defenses from 2017/18 matchup, and there hasn't been a heap of change in personnel for either team as far as their starting lineups go.
Markets haven't been put up yet for spreads or totals, so today we're going for Philadelphia to win. They're good value at $1.83 and should have too much talent for the Pistons even on the road. Simmons will be the difference - if he suits up.
Key Play: Philadelphia Win
Los Angeles Clippers @ New Orleans
The LA Clippers come to the Big Easy to take on the in-form Pelicans, who have jumped out of the gates to start the season. New Orleans drilled the Rockets and the Kings in their first two games, and they'll look to make it three in a row against LA.
So far this season the Clippers have been competitive and tough to beat, about what you'd expect from Doc Rivers' team. They've been as close to 0-3 as they have to 3-0, but currently, sit at 2-1 after tight wins over Houston and Oklahoma City and a narrow loss to Denver.
Key Stats and Trends: the Pelicans love to run, and the Clippers prefer a slower style. New Orleans pace is 108.75 (3rd in the NBA) compared to the Clips' 102.0 (19th). It'll be interesting to see whether New Orleans will be able to speed it up to their desired run-n-gun play.
The Clippers are 1-2 on the O/U so far this season, whilst the Pelicans high-scoring efforts have seen them go 2-0. The market will adjust to the Pelicans scoring, and tonight's the night they go Under.
Key Play: Under 237 Points
Sacramento @ Denver
An exciting young Sacramento squad still flying high after a win in Oklahoma City heads for the Mile High City, as Denver hosts the Kings in what should be a fun game. The Kings have shown bright flashes of fun scoring potential so far this season, and the Nuggets have been superb to start 2018/19.
Nikola Jokic has been as unplayable as ever and has shown defensive strides through the first 3 games. De'Aaron Fox leads a talented and young Kings core, and they've shown they won't be pushovers on a nightly basis.
Key Stats and Trends: Denver has swallowed teams whole defensively so far, posting the best Defensive Rating (92.9) in the NBA. The Kings are top 5 offensively but bottom 5 defensively, and they can't guard anyone.
The Kings are 3-0 O/U this season whilst the Nuggets are 0-3, so I can't trust either result. Look for Denver to go 4-0 ATS with a big home win.
Key Play: Denver -11
Season Record: 5-5
