12 November 2008

Battle in the Big Easy

TORONTO (-5.5) over Philadelphia - No Deron Williams, no Memo Okur, and no win for the Sixers at home against Utah last night. Anyone else feeling underwhelmed by this team so far?

BOSTON (-10.5) over Atlanta - The defending champs should send the East's only remaining undefeated team to their first loss in a manner similar to the way they dealt with the Hawks in four home games during last year's first round playoff series.

Indiana (-2.5) over NEW JERSEY - We're not too excited about a fully healthy Nets team, much less one that could be without Devin Harris once more.

LA Lakers over NEW ORLEANS (-1.5) - Getting points with the Lakers is a rare opportunity, and we'll bite. This is the class of the West until proven otherwise, and the Hornets have been less than consistent of late, losing recently to Atlanta and Charlotte.

Orlando (-6.5) over OKLAHOMA CITY - The Magic aren't likely to play as poorly as they did against Portland on Monday, and this Thunder group is really quite bad.

MEMPHIS (-4.5) over New York - This Knicks team is already baffling us on a nightly basis, and when that happens, we've learned this decade that the way to deal is to start rolling the dice against the 'Bockers.

LA CLIPPERS (-6.5) over Sacramento - The Clips are finally healthy, and the Kings (sans Kevin Martin) aren't. Sacramento also plays the tail end of a back-to-back. This should be a bopping.

PHOENIX (-3.5) over Houston - The Rockets' offense looks particularly unimpressive thus far. Acks wonders if another turn-back-the-clock-to-2001 performance is in the cards for Shaq. Don't hold your breath on that part, though.

MIAMI (-2.5) over Portland - For those who haven't noticed, we really like the talent on this Miami team. Dwyane Wade ahs spent the first two weeks of this season making it loud and clear that he has returned in full force. Nice to see an aberration of a Portland victory in Orlando brought the line down, especially since Acks reports that Brandon Roy may sit with back issues.

MILWAUKEE (-2.5) over San Antonio - The tail end of a back-to-back seems like a tough task for an aging team with only one of its three stars healthy.

Utah (-2.5) over WASHINGTON - The Wizards have been putrid so far. The Jazz have been highly impressive without Deron Williams. We'll let those trends reverse themselves before we start picking in any other manner.

Last night: 5-3
Season: 55-50

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