Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – November 19th

The Sacramento Kings have been one of the pleasant surprises of this NBA season, yet there are reports out there that a disconnect between the front office led by Vlade Divac and coach Dave Joerger could lead to the coach’s dismissal. The Kings finally show promise and might fire their coach? That would be very Kings-like. Here’s a look at two interesting matchups this week. Check back for NBA odds on gameday.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – November 19th

A W in Washington 🎥 pic.twitter.com/wlC4btcnM8

— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) 19 de noviembre de 2018

Portland Trail Blazers at NY Knicks

• When: Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET (NBA TV)

  There’s some talk that Blazer All-Star Damian Lillard could demand a trade if the Blazers flop in the postseason again. And where might Lillard ask to be sent? The Knicks. With Lillard under contract until 2021, his value is at an all-time high right now so if the Blazers did decide to undergo a makeover, he’d bring back a ton in any trade. LeBron James and Kevin Durant both left small-market teams for a bigger stage. Lillard might want to that route. I’m sure the fans will be chanting his name at the Garden on Tuesday.

Lillard ranks as the fourth-leading scorer in Trail Blazers history and should pass Terry Porter for third perhaps as soon as late this week. Lillard became the fourth player in franchise history to reach 11,000 points on Oct. 27 He achieved the feat in 474 games, making him the fastest player in team history to reach the milestone. Lillard also is third on the franchise list in assists but he has a ways to go to catch Terry Porter (5,319) and Clyde Drexler (4,933).

Portland is holding opponents to 107.9 points per game, the eighth-lowest average in the league. The Trail Blazers are one of eight teams that have held their opponent under 100 points at least four times this season.

The Knicks have a good-looking rookie in Mitchell Robinson, who is third in the NBA in blocks per game in the month of November at 2.75. Robinson is second in BPG in the NBA among rookies at 1.86 per game (First- Wendell Carter Jr., 1.88) and 10th in the NBA.   Portland was 2-0 vs. the Knicks last year. Lillard averaged 34.5 points (52.6% FG, 52.9% 3-PT, 90.0% FT), 1.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.50 steals. CJ McCollum averaged 15.5 points (33.3% FG, 58.3% 3-PT, 100% FT), 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. averaged 17.5 points (38.9% FG, 45.5% 3-PT, 50.0% FT), 4.0 rebounds and 1.50 steals for New York.

LA Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers

• When: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

From an actual competitive standpoint, the Lakers should demolish the Cavs, who are absolutely terrible. However, this is probably the marquee game of the week because it’s LeBron James’ only game in Cleveland. When James first return to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat, the fans booed him like crazy. They won’t this time, not after LeBron brought the city a championship.

James played 11 seasons for Cleveland (2003-2010, 2014-2018), winning an NBA title with the team in 2016 and remains the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (849), points scored (23,119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228), steals (1,376), field goals made (8,369), three-pointers made (1,251), free throws made (5,130) and triple-doubles (64).

Lakers coach Luke Walton played for the Cavaliers for over a season (20 games in 2011-12 and 50 games in 2012-13). Cavs coach Larry Drew played for the Lakers for two seasons (1989-1991). On Feb. 8, 2018, the Cavaliers acquired guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr. from the Lakers.

The Cavs are pretty short-handed right now with Sam Dekker (ankle), George Hill (shoulder) and Kevin Love (foot) all out injured. Coach Larry Drew said that David Nwaba will remain a part of the Cavs rotation going forward. With the Cavs facing a rash of injuries, Nwaba has seen his minutes increase of late. However, Drew said that Nwaba has earned a role going forward. “We’ll find a way to get David in there because he brings too much for the table,” Drew said. Over Cleveland’s last two games. Nwaba has tallied 29 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 12-of-17 from the field.   This season, Cleveland has outrebounded their opponent in 11 of 14 games, including each of the last five (since 11/5 at ORL). During the five-game stretch, the Cavs are outrebounding opponents by an average of 9.4 rebounds per game (49.8-40.4).

L.A. is without point guard Rajon Rondo. He had successful surgery on Thursday and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks. Rondo fractured the third metacarpal on his right hand in Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. This will be the 113th all-time meeting between the two teams, with the Lakers holding a 62-50 series advantage.

Expert NBA Betting Picks

Take the Blazers and Lakers.