Even with a shorter NBA card of five games, there are still quite a few juicy games on the schedule with the Nets, Nuggets, and Lakers all in action.
The Brooklyn Nets return home after a 1-1 road trip to face the Memphis Grizzlies, who are still in search of their first win on the season. As for the Nets, it’ll be a quick turnaround for them after they were upset as 13-point favorites to the Hornets in Charlotte yesterday. Fatigue could be an issue for them, given that tonight’s matchup against Memphis will be their third game in four days.
Denver has gotten off to a winless start this season after an improbable playoff run last season where they rallied from three games down to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets will welcome a Rockets team that will be missing as many as six players due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.
The Lakers seem to have rebounded from their opening loss to the crosstown Clippers. Lebron and company have rattled off back-to-back double-digit wins against the Mavericks and Timberwolves. Tonight’s game against the Blazers will be the third game in four nights for the Lakers. As for the Blazers, they needed overtime to seal their first win of the season against the shorthanded Rockets. Portland is 1-1 on the season after opening with a loss to the Utah Jazz.
KEY MATCHUPS
Rudy Gobert will be matched up against Al Horford when the Utah Jazz face off against Oklahoma City. Gobert is leading all NBA players with 17 rebounds per game. The Jazz have shot poorly from the field and have the third-worst shooting percentage (42%) of any team in the league. This is creating extra opportunities for Gobert, who is also averaging 6 offensive rebounds per game. He should be able to continue this pace against Horford, who only average 1.5 offensive rebounds last season and didn’t collect any in the Thunder’s opening game at Charlotte. FanDuel has set his rebound total at 12.5, and he should be able to exceed that tonight.Another matchup that should have some intrigue will be at the small forward position in Brooklyn between Kyle Anderson and Joe Harris. In his first game this season, Harris pulled down seven rebounds but has only managed to grab three in his last two games. With Durant likely to rest tonight and Dinwiddie also out due to an ACL injury, Harris will likely be asked to provide more scoring punch, which could pull him further away from the basket. As for Anderson, he’s grabbed 24 rebounds in the first two games of the season. This could signal a change in how he’s being utilized by Memphis, particularly in how he’s playing off the ball. In his seventh season, Anderson seems to have more responsibility, and this could bear some watching in tonight’s game. FanDuel has set his rebounds total at 6.5, and that number might be a bit short given my projections.
NOTABLE LINE MOVES
- Hawks from -7 up to -10
- Grizzlies from +7 down to +4
- Jazz from -5 up to -9
- Pistons-Hawks total 226.5 down to 223
- Grizzlies-Nets total 235 down to 230
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