RADIO
Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and if you didn’t, Monkey Knife Fight has 12 of the 14 games already posted, so let’s make some quick cash for tonight and turn your luck around. Six of tonight’s contests have point totals of at least 230, so let’s target four of those games and make this is easier on ourselves.
Sacramento still figuring out whether their win streak was a fluke or not and there are few better tests than playing a healthy Boston Celtics. Vegas is giving the Kings 7.5 points which is enticing based on their recent play, but unless they put on another shooting clinic their defense won’t hold up well against the Celtics attack. They should finish close enough to make it a good loss (for the team) but a bad beat. (for bettors)
MonkeyKnifeFight.com is always ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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SAC @ BOS
Jayson Tatum (BOS) MORE 28.5 Points – De’Aaron Fox (SAC) MORE 24.5 Points
Has there been a more exciting narrative to watch over the past couple seasons than what the Kings are doing right now? Granted, they lost last game, but the victory beam is real and it is powerful. This is the last game on their road trip and De’Aaron Fox will have one of his tougher matchups on the season. Luckily, it’s still the regular season so it won’t be anything he can’t handle, but the Celtics are not going to just let him fly by, going unpunished for 25-points. With the amount of points being scored, Jayson Tatum and Fox with both lead the charge and finish close to 30-points.
For Fox, that puts him over, but Tatum basically needs to put up 30-point or it’s a major loss. Tatum is in the better position to do so, but he’s also allowed to have bad nights and his incredible averages are anchored by big performances rather than consistency. Not a great sign. If we base this matchup on defense rather than individual performances, everything falls in favor of the Celtics and Tatum. The Kings defense isn’t abysmal, but by the end of tonight, there is likely to be one or two people using that word to describe Sacramento’s ability to guard Tatum. If it’s any consolation, that’s the case any time Tatum has even a remotely good night.
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UTA @ GSW
Steph Curry (GSW) MORE 28.5 Points – Jordan Clarkson (UTA) MORE 21.5 Points
With the highest point total of the night, there won’t be a more exciting game to watch than Jazz-Warriors. Neither team is playing at their peak, but with the number of capable scorers and tactfulness of the coaches, it’s sure to be good basketball. Stephen Curry has scored 129 points across his last four games and looks to be acting as a point guard more than primary shooter. He will get his shots up, but there is reason to be concerned with how his last couple games have gone, putting up nine assists in his most recent outing, with a 15-assist game prior to that, and a 10-assist game preceding that.
Betting on Jordan Clarkson is not something I’m proud to have a lot of experience doing…But when you’re in a state that doesn’t allow gambling, sometimes you have to work with what you got. In this case, betting on Jordan Clarkson usually feels like walking up to a tree, nailing five dollars to it and then throwing that tree in a wood chipper. Nothing against the player, he plays his role to a “T”, but sometimes players have bad nights and Clarkson is just now starting to find some consistency in his scoring. Five or six games in a row is absolutely an uptrend and worth some consideration betting wise, but it’s hard to see Clarkson as an entirely different player because of a few 20-point games to start the season. Ride the hot-hand for as far as it will take you since it’s not likely to last.
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BKN @ IND
Kevin Durant (BKN) MORE 27.5 Points – Tyrese Haliburton (IND) MORE 18.5 Points
When Kevin Durant plays, he’s viable to have a huge night, but since he’s gotten a bit older, the fire that would propel him to put up massive numbers isn’t there. He seemingly plays down to the competition in what looks like an effort to conserve energy. For example, when an opposing player is having a good game, Durant is usually there to match every shot. It could be an effort to get teammates involved and simply taking fewer individual attempts, but saying that the high-scoring games that he built his career on are frequent is too bold and optimistic. That being said, no one on the Pacers can keep up with Durant in the slightest and 30-points should be a cake walk.
As someone who put down money on Tyrese Haliburton double-doubling and Indiana winning their last game, it was a roller coaster to watch him have 11 assists and just three points heading into the last 16 minutes of game time. He still hit the double-double mark, but the Pacers lost and it’s hard to look at his lack of scoring as anything but a culprit. There’s no reason to point fingers, but when your role players finally step up, and in some cases have career nights, but your best players flopped, it can create rifts in the locker room. Not saying it did, but there’s no way that Haliburton is wanting to make it two bad games in a row. Expect an emphasis on his shooting tonight.
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CHI @ OKC
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) MORE 29.5 Points – DeMar DeRozan (CHI) MORE 27.5 Points
There is little doubt that either of these players are going to score under 30-points tonight. There is so much working for them in terms of matchup, role in the offense, recent play, that the stars are simply aligned for them to have solid nights. Playing with Zach LaVine can sometimes take away from DeMar DeRozan’s stats when LaVine is extremely hot, but even then, both can coincide within an offense and still be productive. As for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he is the Thunder offense and the only thing keeping him from having huge nights is the lack of support in what-should-be close games.
Fortunately, when Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammates perform poorly he does more. The Bulls aren’t a great team, but they aren’t roll-over-team by any means. Their one major weak spot, however, is their lack of a defensive big in the paint, precisely where Gilgeous-Alexander likes to do most of his work. With neither team providing defensive foundations outside of a few players like Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort, the defensive game plans should be lacking enough to where both star players put up points.
Play the Contest Now on Monkey Knife Fight
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