Hoop Hopes – Ricky Rothstein makes his picks for tonight’s NBA action!
Toronto at Washington The Leafs getting to the NHL playoffs last year was shocking enough for the long-suffering people of Toronto, but the Raptors making shapes now in the NBA as well? These are heady times in the Queen City.
Astonishingly, a four game winning streak sees the Raptors currently at the head of the Atlantic Division, three games ahead of Boston, going into tonight’s visit at Atlanta. Toronto’s doing it against conventional wisdom too – instead of building around a star, the Raptors traded theirs, Rudy Gay, to Sacramento and have put together their current 8-2 run through selflessness and hard work on defense.
Tonight, Toronto visits Washington, which has not been a happy venue for the Raptors historically. Washington is one of the stronger teams in the league thanks to its excellent guards, John Wall and Bradley Beal. Toronto beat Washington in Toronto in November but home court will see Washington through in the end tonight. Hoop Hope 1 | Washington -3.0
New York at Houston New York won straight up as twelve point underdogs at San Antonio last night – having slain one big beast, can the Knicks go on and do the same at Houston? Well, that’s hard to say. Houston is having an odd season, either winning big or losing big. Houston averages a 12.5 point winning margin and a 12 point losing margin. Tonight’s line, unsurprisingly, is Houston -11.5.
The clever bet in this matchup is to take the under. Beating the Spurs last night will have taken its toll on the Knicks’ legs, while Houston is likely to play a little more conservatively to make sure of the win. Hoop Hope 2 | Under 206.0 points
Golden State at Atlanta The Warriors are on a roll. After a patchy start to the season, the Warriors found their mojo half-way through December and haven’t looked back. Golden State has won seven straight games, with last night’s victory over Miami at Miami the highlight.
Tonight, Golden State is a three point favorite at Atlanta, where the Hawks are still reeling from the loss of inspirational center Al Horford to a season-ending shoulder injury three games ago. The Hawks have manfully stepped up in Horford’s absence but eventually that’s going to tell. My dollar says it starts telling tonight. Hoop Hope 3 | Golden State -3.0
Follow Ricky Rothstein’s Hoop Hopes every night – he’s 33-24, .579, for the season so far!
