NBA Betting Picks and Analysis Wednesday, Nov 20th, 2013

Wednesday, November 20th, 2013

Sacramento Kings at Phoenix Suns -5.5 Total: 195

After failing to end their two game skid last night at Sacramento, Phoenix welcomes the Kings to the Valley of the Sun and the second leg of back-to-back.

At 5-5, the Suns have been one of the biggest surprises in the league so far. However, they have lost three games in a row, including last night’s loss against Sacramento. The Kings led much of the game but could not close the deal against the lowly Kings. They held a seven point lead late but committed three turnovers in a row in the final minutes, allowing the Kings to score the 10 points of the game.

The win was significant for Sacramento. It was just their second in nine games, pushing their record to 3-7 on the season. DeMarcus Cousins was dominant in the win, leading the Kings with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Shooting guard Eric Bledsoe, the team’s leading scorer, missed last night’s game and is questionable to play in tonight’s contest. If he can’t go, Gerald Green will be in line for another start. He had a team-high 23 points in last night’s loss.

I incorrectly predicted that the Suns would cover against the Kings in Tuesday’s article, but I like them much better in this spot after coming off a loss. The revenge factor in this one is massive after the tough loss the Suns experienced the night before in Sactown. I expect Phoenix to come out firing right out of the gate and win this one with no issues.

The line may go up in this one, and I think at -5.5 it is a steal. Grab it now before it goes up any further.

Pick: Suns -5.5 with www.bovada.lv

Utah Jazz at New Orleans -10.5 Total: 194.5

The Utah Jazz have had a terrible season so far with just one win. They head to New Orleans to face the team they received their lone win on Wednesday night.

The Jazz, at 1-11 sport the league’s worst record and are in the bottom five in nearly every statistic. They rank 29th in scoring at 88.6 points per game and last in the league in turnover ratio. However, the Jazz put together their best performance of the season last Wednesday against the Pelicans in a 111-105 win.

The Jazz rallied late in the second half to get the win and were lead in scoring by Gordon Hayward with 27 points. Richard Jefferson and Enes Kanter also had tremendous nights. Since then, they have lost three straight games and have been held under 90 points in each contest.

The Pelicans have taken three out of four on their home floor, including a 135-98 beat down of the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Second year center Anthony Davis scored a season-low in points with 13 but added a career-high eight blocks and nine rebounds. The win improved the Pelicans record to 4-6 in what has been an up and down season.

Utah will be without bench forward Marvin Williams who scored 16 points the last contest between these two teams. New Orleans is mostly healthy coming into this one.

I’m sure the Pelicans had this game marked on their schedule after their loss last week to the Jazz, a game that gave them their first win of the season. Not only is New Orleans coming off three days’ rest, but they are excellent at home and the Jazz are especially horrible on the road. They have lost by an average of 17.5 on the road this season.

Their road woes add to a satisfying revenge spot for New Orleans, a team that continues to show improvement from their poor year last season. The Jazz are easily the worst team in the league and should be blown out of the building tonight.

Pick: Pelicans -10.5 with www.topbet.eu

Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks -3 Total: 214.5

Houston heads into Dallas on Wednesday night looking to notch their fourth win in a row as they take on the Dallas Mavericks, one of the best home teams in the NBA.

After struggling with their offense at some points during the year, the Rockets have found their groove over the past week and a half. During their three-game win streak, they are averaging over 113 points per game on 51 percent shooting.

Houston blew out the Boston Celtics last night, putting up 40 points in the first quarter in what would end up being a rout. Terrance Jones had a career-high 24 points in the 109-85 win. Howard added 11 points, and 10 boards and James Harden scored 15 in a game that was pretty much over by halftime. The Rockets starters sat for much of the second half.

The Mavericks improved their record to 7-4 on Monday with a home win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Monta Ellis led the Mavericks in scoring in the win with 24 points and also dished out 10 assists.

These two teams played each other in just the second game of the season, on Nov. 1st at Houston. The Rockets won that game 113-105.

Even though the Mavericks are stalwarts at home, this game is a mismatch. The Rockets are a young team, so a back-to-back’s mean a lot less, especially because in last night’s contest the starters sat the majority of the second half.

Houston has 7-8 guys playing out of their minds, including Terrance Jones, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons. This is even without mentioning centerpieces Dwight Howard and James Harden. If Houston was a small favorite in this game it would not be unreasonable. I think they go into Dallas and hand them their first loss on their home floor.

Pick: Rockets +3 betting with www.betonline.ag