DeAndre Jordan (C, Los Angeles Clippers)
Los Angeles Clippers are coming into the next match after breaking their 2 game losing streak with a win over New Orleans Pelicans (133:105). Their next opponents are Portland Trail Blazers, who are currently in a bad form. They have lost 3 consecutive matches against Milwaukee (115:107), Memphis (88:86) and Indiana (118:111). If there is one area Portland lacks in, it’s defence. Their poor defensive stats this season are not promising, as they are ranked second worst defensive team in the NBA. So despite being able to score, they give up too much easy points to the opponents. DeAndre Jordan is averaging 11.3ppg, 12.7trb and 0.6ast this season and he is currently performing very well, with 2 great performances behind him. Against Golden State Warriors, he scored 10 points, to which he added 12 rebounds. In the next match against Pelicans, DeAndre ended the match with 19 points, 9 rebounds and a steal. For the upcoming fixture I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t extend his great performances with another double digit score. Pick DeAndre Jordan to pass the 10 point mark.
Prediction: DeAndre Jordan Over 10.5 points
Ryan Anderson (PF, Houston Rockets)
In the upcoming fixture, Houston Rockets host Brooklyn Nets at Toyota Center. Looking at Rocket’s recent form, they have been on fire. At the moment they are on a 6 game winning streak so morale in the squad surely is high. Brooklyn Nets on the other hand are not in a good position. They have lost 16 matches out of 22, which is a terrible record to say the least. They have got a lot of problems in the defensive end of the floor, as they are ranked the worst defensive team in the league. On average they let opponents score 114.9ppg. Now to our pick. Ryan Anderson is averaging 12.5ppg, 5.6trb and 1.1ast this season, which is a bit worse compared to his career average, but the margin is insignificant. In the past 3 matches, he has averaged 10ppg, which is not a promising number, but as stated before Brooklyn Nets do not defend their basket as they should, so we can see many more points from every Houston player. In my opinion, this should be enough for Ryan to reach his season average in points. Betting on Ryan Anderson to score 13 or more points gives us a great value depending on the circumstances.
Prediction: Ryan Anderson Over 12.5 points
Damian Lillard (PG, Portland Trail Blazers)
We are back to the match between Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers and we will be focusing on one of the key players of the visiting team, Damian Lillard. Lillard has been playing extremely well this season. He is averaging 27.8ppg, 4.8trb and5.6ast. With numbers like that he is without the doubt the best scorer for Trail Blazers, followed by C.J. McCollum (22.6ppg). The next match as mentioned before will be against Los Angeles Clippers, who should not be underestimated at home. They are holding a strong home record of 8-4. In addition, Clippers are ranked at respectable 3rd position in defensive efficiency and 5th position in offensive efficiency this season. This match should be a good test for Portland’s offence due to clippers solid defensive work. Lillard has scored 30 or more points in last 3 out of 4 matches, so you could expect him to put up a lot of points on the board once more against Clippers. But I disagree. He struggled against Memphis (“only” 19 points) who are a great defensive team, but so are Clippers. He will still play an important role for his team, but just don’t expect him to get near 30 point mark.
Prediction: Damian Lillard Under 26.5 points
Kyle Lowry (PG, Toronto Raptors)
Lowry is having a great season so far. He is averaging 21.3ppg, 5.0trb and 7.3 ast. He is coming from a team-high 34 point game against Boston Celtics, which was 2nd win in a row for Raptors. In the next match-up, Raptors will host Milwaukee Bucks at Air Canada Centre. On the contrary to Raptors, Milwaukee is on a 2 game losing streak. They have lost to Hawks (110:114) and Wizards (110:105). Milwaukee are ranked 11th in defensive efficiency this season and let opponent score 102.7 ppg on average. The main concern I have for Lowry is his minutes. He has played 859 minutes this season so far and quite frankly that a lot. There is no problem yet, but an injury could be around the corner. This concern has been addressed by his coach, who said he is aware of it and they are trying to keep Lowry’s minutes down as much as possible, but on the other hand they need them to win games. Resting him for important matches is crucial for Toronto. With that in mind, Lowry will surely be rested more in the upcoming match, which will result in less points.
Prediction: Kyle Lowry Under 22.5 points
Jabari Parker (PF, Milwaukee Bucks)
We are back at the Toronto Raptors v Milwaukee Bucks match, but now we are focusing on Jabari Parker. Parker is averaging 19ppg, 57.trb and 2.1 ast this season. In the past 4 matches, he has proven himself with an average of 21.2ppg. This number could have been higher if he had not failed to impress in the match against Washington, where he scored only 8 points. He has been phenomenal throughout the season, but his latest performance worries me. Toronto are not the best defensive team in the league, nor are they the worst. They sit in the middle of defensive ranking table. But after a performance like the one against Washington I don’t see Parker going over 20 points. betting on Under 20.5 will be my pick for today.
Prediction: Jabari Parker Under 20.5
