The Chandler Parsons Era, as it were, is over in Memphis and boy was it a costly mistake by the Grizzlies. The two sides have mutually agreed to part, and why not for Parsons? He’s still got $38 million due on his contract. Parsons has played just 73 games in three seasons with the Grizzlies after getting more than $90 million as a free agent in 2016. Here’s a look at two intriguing NBA matchups this week. Check back for NBA odds.
Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – January 7th Edition
Of the @NBA record-setting 41 ‼️ made threes in last night’s win, 21 came from the Dubs.
All of ’em ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OaVRosxWG9 — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) 6 de enero de 2019
New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors
- When: Tuesday, 10:30 PM ET (NBA TV)
- Where: Oracle Arena
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
The next time these teams play, it’s possible the Warriors star Kevin Durant could be in a Knicks uniform as some believe he may sign with New York as a free agent this summer. Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr.’s father, Tim Hardaway, was selected 14th overall by Golden State in the 1989 NBA Draft. A three-time All-Star with the Warriors, Hardaway spent six seasons with Golden State (1989-96), averaging 19.2 points, 9.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 422 games (387 starts).
These teams played on Oct. 26 and the Warriors won 128-100 despite trailing by three entering the fourth. The Warriors outscored the Knicks, 47-16, in the fourth quarter. The 31-point scoring differential was the largest by the Warriors during a 4th quarter in the Shot Clock era (1954-55). The last time the Warriors outscored an opponent by 30-or-more points in a quarter was on Nov. 18, 2017, at Philadelphia (3rd quarter, 47-15). The Warriors have won seven games this season by 20 or more points.
Golden State has scored at least 120 points in 17 games this season, posting a 15-2 record in those games. The losses came, both in overtime, at Toronto on November 29 (128-131) and vs. Houston on January 3 (135-134).
Meanwhile, Knicks rookie Kevin Knox has played the fourth most minutes per game in the entire NBA since Dec. 9 and coach David Fizdale acknowledged that he may be playing him too much.
“We talked about building [Knox] into a premier NBA player who can play both ends of the floor,” Fizdale said. “Just trying to give him a taste of what that entails. It’s not necessarily just the minutes you play but what are you doing in those minutes from an effort standpoint, from a competitive standpoint. How many calories are you burning? I’ll find ways to back him off and give him breaks here and there.”
Golden State has won nine straight in this series and four in a row at home.
Milwaukee Bucks at Houston Rockets
- When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET (ESPN)
- Where: Toyota Center
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
This one features the two current NBA MVP favorites on Houston’s James Harden, who won the award last season, and the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is definitely going to win an MVP Award at some point.
It’s the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last season, Houston swept. The Bucks haven’t won a season series since taking the only meeting in 2011-12 (3 ties since). The Rockets have won 8 of the past 10 games after losing three of the previous five meetings. Last year, Houston averaged 112.5 ppg on 46.8% FGs while Bucks averaged 105.0 ppg on 46.1% FG’s. Harden averaged 28.5 points in the two. Antetokounmpo averaged 29.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.50 SPG.
Of course, Houston is without star point guard Chris Paul due to injury and may not have Eric Gordon again for this one. He missed a fourth straight Monday with a sore knee. Austin Rivers will continue to start with him out and there will be more opportunity for Danuel House with the second unit.
Antetokounmpo was great Saturday vs. the Raptors, scoring 43 points (16-of-25 FGs, 8-of-11 FTs) with 18 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers in 40 minutes. Antetokounmpo fell one point short of his high for the season, and it was the sixth time in 2018-19 that he’s grabbed at least 18 rebounds in a game. Prior to Saturday, Antetokounmpo last made at least three 3-pointers in a regular season game March 25, 2018, vs. the Spurs. A 15.0% shooter from deep on the season, Giannis is shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc over his last five games.
The Bucks have won five of their last six games and still own the best record in the NBA at 27-11. Milwaukee’s 18-4 record at home is the third-best mark in the league, trailing only Denver (16-3) and Philadelphia (17-3). Milwaukee is the only team in the NBA to rank inside the top five of both offensive (3rd, 111.1) and defensive (4th, 102.5) rating this season. The Bucks’ net rating of 8.7 is the best mark in the league.
Expert NBA Betting Picks
Warriors make it 10 in a row vs. Knicks and Bucks beat Rockets.
