Prepare yourselves for a spectacular night of basketball action, as the NBA serves up a pair of explosive games guaranteed to remove that frown off your face.
Our first game features an Eastern Conference clash at the Wells Fargo Center between the Atlanta Hawks and the lowly Philadelphia 76ers, who’ll both be looking to end their respective losing skids. Later on, we head to California as Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Sacramento Kings to cap off the night.
Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two matchups. And if you’re also into college hoops, check out our complete previews of Michigan Wolverines vs. Purdue Boilermakers and Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Michigan State Spartans.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 PM ET)
Line: Atlanta Hawks (-9) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (+9); total: 205.5– view all NBA lines
[sc:NBA250 ]For the second time in just three days, the Atlanta Hawks fell short against the same opponent—the New York Knicks. The Hawks were beaten, 107-101, last Tuesday night as the performances of Carmelo Anthony (23 points), Arron Afflalo (23) and Kristaps Porzingis (17) proved to be too much to overcome. That loss handed them their second-straight setback and lowered their record to 21-15.
Now, the Hawks shall strive once again to get it together when they go on the road for a date with the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. Paul Millsap, who’s averaging 21.2 points in the previous five games, should be able to take advantage of the Sixers’ horrid defense (104.6 points allowed per game) and hopefully lead his squad back into the winning column.
Speaking of the Sixers, they’ll be heading into this game with momentum on their side thanks to a surprising 10-point win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. Starring in that game was none other than newcomer Ish Smith, who had 21 points and 11 assists. Since joining the Sixers, the former Pelican is tallying 14.6 PPG and 8.2 APG.
Atlanta is 3-2 SU and ATS in its past five road games. Philadelphia, meanwhile, is 2-8 SU and 3-6-1 ATS in its previous 10 games at home.
Click here for our comprehensive preview of this matchup.
Writer’s Prediction
Atlanta (-9) wins by double-digits.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings (10:30 PM ET)
Line: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings– view all NBA lines
With the absences of Kobe Bryant (shoulder) and D’Angelo Russell (sore throat), the Los Angeles Lakers saw their season-high three-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday night thanks to the Golden State Warriors, who obliterated them, 109-88. Up next on their schedule is a clash with the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena.
The Purple and Gold should get a boost on offense in this one with Bryant (17.2 PPG) and Russell (11.6 PPG) set to return. Both should be able to rack up the points later since they’ll be matching up with the Kings, who own a league-worst 107.9 opponents’ points per game.
Meanwhile, the Kings’ defense may be horrible but their offensive game is totally a different story. Sacramento ranks third in the NBA with 105.9 points per game and a testament to this scoring onslaught is their fearsome one-two punch in Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins. The two stars are posting 42.9 points combined this season and are bound to stay hot opposite an 8-28 Lakers squad.
Sacramento is 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 home games. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has lost four of its previous five contests with the Kings.
Writer’s Prediction
The Kings’ defense remains porous but their offense provides enough points to overcome the Lakers. Sacramento doesn’t cover the spread, however.
Create a betting account now and don’t miss to bet on these two high-quality matchups.
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