Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – October 22nd Edition
After 30+ point showings from both JJ and @JoelEmbiid, the two talk about taking pride in working to improve everyday. #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/ZJNc9IaNmw
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) 21 de octubre de 2018
Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons
- When: Tuesday, 7 PM ET (NBA TV)
The 76ers bring a two-game winning streak into this one following Saturday’s 116-115 home win over the Magic. JJ Redick hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left. He finished with 31 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 32 minutes. Redick hit eight 3-pointers; he struggled in the first two games this year, shooting only 3-of-11 from deep.
Joel Embiid was dominant on Saturday, scoring 32 points (13-of-26 FGs) with 10 rebounds, three assists, and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes. This is the second time in his career that he has posted back-to-back 30-point outings, the first coming last November.
After Saturday’s game, coach Brett Brown said that he doesn’t believe that Ben Simmons’ (back tightness) injury is serious. Simmons left after eight first-quarter minutes and did not return. That would be huge if Simmons can’t play. The Aussie’s 13 career triple-doubles rank as the eighth-most among active players. He already has the second-most triple-doubles of any NBA player through their first 100 career games; only Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson has ever posted more.
The Pistons are 2-0 following Saturday’s 118-116 win in Chicago. Blake Griffin scored 33 points with 12 rebounds, five assists, no turnovers, and five 3-pointers in 35 minutes. He’s off to a great start. Since 2010-11, Griffin has recorded 69 career games with at least 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists, which is the fifth-most games among all players in the NBA.
Detroit went 0-4 against the Philadelphia 76ers last season. Andre Drummond averaged 12.0 rebounds in the four games. He led the NBA in rebounding last year and is pulling down 16.5 per game this season. Prior to last season, Detroit had won six of the last seven contests against Philadelphia. The all-time series record between Detroit and Philadelphia is 138-177 in favor of the 76ers. The Pistons hold a 78-64 record against the 76ers at home.
Dallas Mavericks at Atlanta Hawks
- When: Wednesday, 7 PM ET (ESPN)
Two exciting rookie point guards face off here in the Mavs’ Luka Doncic and the Hawks’ Trae Young. On draft night, Dallas moved up two spots to get Doncic, who was selected by Atlanta at No. 3 while the Mavericks picked Young for the Hawks at No. 5 as part of a trade. The Mavericks also sent a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2019 to Atlanta.
Doncic had the best game of his young career on Saturday, scoring 26 with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block, and four 3-pointers in 36 minutes against the Wolves. On October 19 at Memphis, Young became the first Atlanta Hawk 20-years-old or younger to record 20 points and nine assists in a game.
Some think the Hawks made a huge mistake in doing that. Wouldn’t be the first time they quickly traded the No. 3 overall pick. In 2001, the Hawks made Pau Gasol the No. 3 overall pick and then traded his draft rights to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Gasol is a future Hall of Fame so that certainly was a huge mistake.
The Hawks have taken the last nine regular-season meetings with the Mavericks (after Dallas won 21 of the previous 29). The Mavericks’ last regular-season win over the Hawks came on 10/30/13 (Dallas defeated Atlanta, 118-109, in its 2013-14 season opener). The Hawks have won five straight and six of the last seven regular-season matchups in Atlanta. The Hawks have also taken four straight and six of the last eight regular-season showdowns in Dallas (after the Mavericks went 10-1 at home against the Hawks from 1998-99 through 2008-09).
Atlanta’s Vince Carter and Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki are both in their 21st NBA seasons, which is tied for the most in league history (Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, and Robert Parish are the only other players to play 21 years in the NBA).
However, Nowitzki (sore left ankle) will be out through at least the end of this month. Harrison Barnes is also injured, dealing with a strained right hamstring, and not likely here.
