Jonas Valanciunas made the first basket for the New Orleans last night, cashing our +400 prop. That made it 2 straight days with a winning selection. With a massive 10 game NBA slate tonight, there are plenty of options to choose from to make it three in a row. Let’s not dwell on things and dive straight into my selections. And do not forget to check out the rest of our NBA picks too.
7'3″ Kristaps Porzingis should be a hard man to beat for any player jumping for the ball. Do not be surprised to see the San Antonio Spurs lose out to him too. That is especially true since they traded away their main big in Jakob Poeltl before the trade deadline. With Bradley Beal out for the Wizards, look for the Latvian to play second fiddle to no one. With him making over 50% of his field goal attempts in his last 2 games, that is justified too. He has made the first basket for the Wizards in 3 of his last 9 starts. Look for him to use his height advantage to shoot over the Spurs frontline tonight. With the visitors 29th in offensive rating over the last 10 games, he could get multiple attempts.
The Portland Train Blazers have been a dominant team at winning the opening possession of late. Over the last 10 games they have claimed the ball first on 9 occasions. Look for that to continue tonight against Nikola Vucevic, who hardly has the best leaping ability among centers. From there look for Damian Lillard to take over. He is currently on the injury report but is listed as probable to play. He has made the opening shot for his team 3 times over his last 9 starts, more than any other Trail Blazer. Look for the point guard to go straight at Nikola Vucevic in a pick and roll situation. The center from Montenegro struggles in the open floor and blocks less than a shot per game. Expect Lillard to get to the rim as a result.
Austin Reaves has been getting MVP chants from the Lakers fans and his recent play has deserved it. He has scored 50 combined points over his last 2 games and seems great value to get the first points in this one. Anthony Davis will have a size advantage over the Thunder and Jaylin Williams. That will make him favourite to win tip and get the ball on the first possession. The Thunder are a great at getting bigs to give up the ball and rank 4th on the season in opponent points in the paint. Look for Davis to give up the ball and for the hot shooting Reaves to be the first person he is looking for. He has made over 60% of his field goals in 3 straight games and should be well positioned to finish against a scrambling defence.