NBA Betting Picks – Nuggets Hear the Thunder!

Hoop Hopes – Ricky Rothstein makes his picks for tonight’s NBA action!

Oklahoma City at Denver
The Thunder might be the hottest team in the League right now, but they’re not getting it done against the number. Oklahoma is a storming 19-4 straight up, but a pretty meh 13-10 against the spread. That can happen sometimes with the best teams – they play within themselves, doing enough to win but not enough to really butter someone up and down the court.

Tonight, OKC is a three point road favorite at Denver, a low number given the Thunder’s public profile. Of course, Denver isn’t exactly chopped liver – first year coach Brian Shaw inherited a fifty-win team and Denver only lost by two at Oklahoma last month, 115-113. That said though, the Thunder have won their last six straight and are on a roll. It’s hard to see the Nuggets living with Oklahoma City for the whole game.
Hoop Hope 1 |Oklahoma City -3.0

Portland at Cleveland
The Cavaliers have won three of their past four but they could be in for a rude awakening tonight. Portland is a -4.5 point road favorite at Cleveland and, with the way they’re currently playing, the Blazers could scorch the Cavaliers without really trying. Portland is 21-4 straight up and an impressive 18-7 against the spread for the season.

Everybody had heard about LaMarcus Aldridge at the start of the season but the name coming more and more to people’s lips now is Damian Lillard. The sophomore point guard stuck a knife in the Pistons to deny them a famous win in overtime on Sunday night, and he looks set to continue to orchestrate the Trailblazers’ high-octane offense tonight at Cleveland. Kyrie Irving, Lillard’s opposite number is good, but he’s only one guy – Lillard will have options everywhere, options that will prove too many and too potent for the Cavs to shut down.
Hoop Hope 2 | Portland -4.5

Sacramento at Charlotte
The Kings and Bobcats are playing at a difference level to the Thunder or the Trailblazers, but that doesn’t mean their games are worthless in terms of NBA betting. Rudy Gay got a lot of criticism for being a ball hog in Toronto but the Kings are grateful that there’s more than one person on the court willing to take a shot.

For all that, the Kings will struggle to take something from the Bobcats. We’re inclined to think of Charlotte as being helpless but the Bobcats would be the seventh seed in the East if the playoffs started today. They’re not pretty, but those cats are getting damnably hard to beat.
Hoop Hope 3 |Charlotte -2.5

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