The NBA is back, hoop freaks! Their Thursday schedule includes six games and it features some new faces in new uniforms, headlined of course by DeMarcus Cousins, who’s now a Pelican. They’ll be visited by James Harden and the Houston Rockets, who also has a new guy in sweet-shooting Lou Williams.
The matchup is one of our picks for today’s edition of BGTBO. Read on below and see what other game is!
NBA News & Predictions
- 2017 NBA Draft Expert Picks and Predictions
- 2017 NBA Draft Sleepers
- 2017-18 NBA Championship Odds Update
New Orleans Hornets vs. Houston Rockets (8:00 PM ET)
Line: New Orleans Hornets (+4) vs. Houston Rockets (-4); total: 228.0 – view all NBA lines
The Pelicans headed to the All-Star break winning four of their last six games (4-2 SU and ATS), and they are just two-and-a-half games out of the eighth spot in the West.
Barring any problems on paper works or whatnot, this will likely be DeMarcus Cousins’s (27.8 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 4.9 APG) first game for the team. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly he and Anthony Davis (27.7 PPG, 12 RPG, 2.5 BPG) could gel together.
The Rockets, meanwhile, are only 9-9 in their last 18 outings (7-11 ATS), although we can fully expect them to better moving forward. The addition of Lou Williams (18.6 PPG) to a run-and-gun offense that already has James Harden (29.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 11.3 APG), Eric Gordon (17.2 PPG) and Ryan Anderson (13.9 PPG) is simply scary. “Clutch City” is currently second in the league in scoring (114.4 PPG) and offensive efficiency.
These two squads last met in mid December, with Houston coming out on top, 122-100. Harden tallied a triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 13 rebounds) and Eric Gordon unloaded seven threes (29 points).
Writer’s Prediction
The Rockets (-4) win, 118-109.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors (10:30 PM ET)
Line: Los Angeles Clippers (+13.5) vs. Golden State Warriors (-13.5) total: 230.0 – view all NBA lines
The Clippers are riding a four-game winning streak. In that span, they are plus 10 on points (103.3 PPG to 93.3 PPG) and only allow opponents to shoot 41.6 percent from the field. Blake Griffin is posting 23.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in that stretch.
HOWEVER, they will be facing a team that they haven’t beaten this season. The Warriors are seemingly mopping the floor using the Clipps, as they won their three matchups by an average of 25.3 points. The Dubs’ three-headed monster on offense – Stephen Curry (24.7 PPG), Klay Thompson (22.1 PPG), and Kevin Durant (25.8 PPG) – are all averaging 20-plus PPG this season and they combine for over nine threes every night.
FULL PREVIEW
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors sweep (-13.5) the season series, 120-104.
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