The Houston Rockets announced Tuesday afternoon that former NBA player Robert Reid died at 68. Reid was a 13-year NBA veteran, 10 of which he spent with the Rockets. Reid was drafted in 1977 in the second round by Houston after playing four years of collegiate ball at St. Mary’s University.
After Reid’s first five years in the league, he announced his retirement due to religious reasons, but after taking a year away to devote more time to his Pentecostal faith, Reid returned to the Rockets and played eight more years in the league. During his time with the Rockets, he was a key piece in Houston’s many postseason runs.
Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta released the following statement on Reid’s passing:
“It is with great sorrow that my family and I received the news of the passing of Rockets legend, Robert Reid. I have had the privilege of knowing Robert for over 40 years, and his presence always brought joy and positivity to any room he entered. I will never forget watching the Rockets teams he was a part of in the 80s compete in the Finals and the love he had for the game. My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Diana, and all those who held him dear. Robert’s absence will be deeply felt, and he will be fondly remembered.”
During the 1980-81 season, Reid was the third leading scorer behind Hall of Famers Moses Malone and Calvin Murphy, averaging nearly 16 points a game. Despite finishing with a 40-42 record, the Rockets made a surprising run to the NBA Finals that year before falling to the Boston Celtics, and Reid was a key piece in that postseason success.
Three years later, Reid, Hakeem Olajuwon, and the Rockets again found themselves in the NBA Finals after getting past Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Lakers in the Western Conference finals during the 1985-86 season. They met the Celtics in the NBA Finals again and lost once more.
After 10 years with the Rockets, Reid was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, where he spent a season and a half, then he played with the Portland Trail Blazers for a year before ending his career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1991.
Reid ranks in the top 10 of many categories in the Rockets record books, including games played (4th), steals (5th), points and rebounds (8th), blocks (9th), and assists (10th). He played a significant role in the Rockets’ first two NBA Finals appearances and helped lay the groundwork for the franchise’s two championships that followed in the ’90s.
Before the 2023-24 season, the Golden State Warriors reportedly offered Klay Thompson a two-year, $48 million contract extension. That’s a significant chunk of change, but a far cry from the five-year max he signed in 2019 that is set to expire after the season.
Things haven’t gone his way since then. Thompson is shooting career-low percentages from both the floor and from behind the 3-point line. Warriors coach Steve Kerr brought him off the bench for the first time since his rookie season in Golden State’s last game before the All-Star Break. Meanwhile, owner Joe Lacob has said that “plan 1A” for the offseason is to get below the luxury tax line, a difficult task if Thompson returns on a hefty contract.
All parties involved would prefer Thompson retire as a Warrior. He even told The Ringer’s Logan Murdoch that he would be open to a reduced role if it meant staying in Golden State — which may be a necessity given the rise of Brandin Podziemski. But if push comes to shove and the Warriors aren’t willing to pay Thompson what he believes he is worth, Marc Stein is reporting that there are increasing murmurings about one team that might: the Orlando Magic.
The fit is obvious. The Magic rank 27th in 3-point attempts and 29th in 3-point percentage. Their No. 5-ranked defense is built around four starters in Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. (along with reserve Jonathan Isaac), who can defend multiple positions, making it easy to protect Thompson on that end of the floor as he continues to decline. Eight players have given the Magic at least 750 minutes this season. They are all 26 and under, and not one of them has played in a playoff game. Thompson has obviously played in quite a few.
Orlando’s balance sheet for next season is complicated. They are currently looking at over $30 million in cap space, but that figure could go up or down depending on what they decide to do about their own players. Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris, key role players on this year’s team, are both set for unrestricted free agency. Joe Ingles has an $11 million team option. Isaac’s $17.4 million salary is non-guaranteed. The Magic can generate a max salary slot if they want to. They can also operate above the cap.
Thompson won’t generate anything close to a max offer, but something like that two-year, $48 million offer he turned down in the offseason makes plenty of sense for Orlando if Golden State won’t step up to the plate. It’s a short enough contract not to affect their long-term plans and would expire before Banchero’s inevitable max extension kicks in for the 2026-27 season.
It would also give the Magic badly-needed short-term shooting and veteran experience as they attempt to rise from the play-in range of the standings to genuine championship contention. Wagner and Banchero handle the ball more than most pairs of forwards, so the Magic could get away with not having a traditional primary ball-handler in their backcourt. If they ever decided to trade for one, Thompson’s hefty cap number on a short deal would be helpful.
The Magic are in a “use it or lose it” phase of having cap space. Wagner and Suggs become extension-eligible this offseason, but those deals wouldn’t kick in until the 2025-26 seasons begin. That gives them the 2024 offseason to spend their space before, at least from a salary perspective, they lock into something resembling their current roster. From that perspective, a Thompson pursuit would be relatively low-risk. He checks several boxes for them at a very limited opportunity cost. If they eventually want to pursue a high-priced guard that fits closer to the age range of the rest of their core, they’d still have enough draft capital and matching salary to do it down the line.
The Warriors should be the favorite to sign Thompson this summer. Nobody wants to see dynastic players finish their careers elsewhere. But as a starter or a reserve, Thompson still has plenty to offer a winning team. If the Warriors don’t pay him for that, maybe the Magic will.
JJ Redick doesn’t want to hear any more excuses from recently installed Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers. While appearing on ESPN on Tuesday morning, Redick didn’t shy away from harsh criticism of his former coach, who spoke during All-Star Weekend about the difficulties of coming in midseason to take someone else’s job. Rivers was hired in late January after the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin, and since then, Milwaukee has gone just 3-7.
Rivers said that taking over the Bucks job has been “probably more difficult than I thought,” but Redick was fed up with hearing the excuses.
“I’ve seen the trend for years; the trend is always making excuses,” said Redick, who played under Rivers for four years (2013-17) when they were both with the Clippers. “Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of the season is hard… just like getting traded in the middle of the season is hard for a player. We get it. But it’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus.”
Redick also took issue with Rivers’ comments following Milwaukee’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in their final game before the All-Star break. The Bucks lost 113-110 to a Grizzlies team that didn’t play any starters or significant role players, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the rest of Milwaukee’s rotation played heavy minutes. After that loss, Rivers said, “We had some guys here, we had some guys in Cabo,” questioning his players’ effort.
“They lose to Memphis, ‘oh it’s his players’ fault,'” Redick said. “Memphis was playing G League guys and two-way guys.”
Redick ended his rant by calling out Rivers’ comments after he said the Clippers consulted him before making the blockbuster trade that landed them James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Then you look at his quotes over the weekend; now he wants to take credit for the James Harden trade to the Clippers working out?” Redick said. “He wants credit for that? There’s never accountability with that guy.”
Redick played under Rivers for four years when they were both with the Los Angeles Clippers, so there’s a personal history of knowing how he is as a coach. And from the sounds of it, Redick clearly has strong opinions about how Rivers, as he views it, doesn’t take accountability when his team doesn’t live up to expectations.
One of Rivers’ current players, Patrick Beverley, took to social media to defend his coach and call out Redick. Beverley, who played for Rivers with the Clippers before reuniting with him by getting sent from the 76ers to the Bucks at the Feb. 8 trade deadline, said Rivers “saved” Redick’s career.
This Man Doc actually saved your career. Started you when no one else wanted 2. And u retire go on TV and say that. @jj_redick
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) February 20, 2024 Redick responded to Beverley on social media, pointing out that when a sign-and-trade was executed to send him from the Bucks to the Clippers in 2013, something that would’ve needed his approval before being done, he was fielding a similar offer from another team before ultimately deciding to join L.A.
Pat my guy I had a four year offer with player option for the same money to be a starter for a different team. FOH “saved my career”. https://t.co/5lXowm2j8e
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) February 20, 2024 Despite the slow start to Rivers’ tenure in Milwaukee, there’s still time for him and the Bucks to turn things around. They are third in the Eastern Conference, but there will be a ton of pressure for him and this roster to make a deep run in the playoffs. After making three major moves in trading for Lillard, firing Mike Budenholzer to hire Griffin, and now pivoting to Rivers midseason, all eyes are on Milwaukee to see if this complicated situation will work.
The NBA, as much as any other sports league, tends to surprise us with unexpected moves. From Wilt Chamberlain to Charles Barkley to Kawhi Leonard to Donovan Mitchell, we’re consistently shocked by NBA trades that we didn’t see coming.
With the Feb. 8 trade deadline rapidly approaching, how about a little thought experiment? We have plenty of lists of players who are likely to be traded. This season it’s Pascal Siakam, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray — the usual suspects. But the whole point of a shocking NBA trade is that it’s unpredictable. Maybe we need to start thinking bigger.
With that in mind, here’s a look at a handful of All-Star level players who could, in theory, be on the move. We’re not saying that any of these trades are likely (let’s chill with the social media attacks, please), but if we’re going to be surprised, perhaps one or more of these players will be involved.
Here are 10 big-name stars who could unexpectedly be traded before the deadline:
With all the focus on Dejounte Murray as the deadline nears, perhaps it’s the other Atlanta guard who could wind up finding a new home. Young has put up gaudy numbers in his five-plus seasons in Atlanta, but there are certainly questions about whether his style of play and defensive shortcomings are conducive to winning at the highest level. With the Hawks in free-fall (currently 15-23 and 11th in the East) and Young owed $138 million over the next three seasons, a surprise trade of the franchise player would be an effective way to hit the reset button.
After being traded from the Phoenix Suns last season, Bridges has looked every bit of a future No. 1 option — averaging 26 points in 27 games on 47/38/89 shooting splits. That hasn’t exactly continued this season, as Bridges’ numbers have fallen to 21 points per game on 45/35/84 splits. It’s becoming more evident that the lanky All-Defense wing is more of a complementary player (an excellent one at that) as opposed to a superstar, so it might be in Brooklyn’s best interest to trade him to a contender in exchange for young players and/or picks to help fuel its rebuild.
The Cavs have been playing well recently, but that shouldn’t obscure the problem they could potentially encounter if they allow Mitchell to enter free agency in the summer of 2025. Mitchell was open about thinking he was going to the Knicks before he was traded to Cleveland, so it might be dangerous for the Cavs front office to think Mitchell will eventually commit long-term. In the case of another early playoff exit, the rumors of Mitchell’s discontent and a potential trade request could be on the horizon. Perhaps it’s best for the Cavs to get ahead of things and trade him before their leverage severely diminishes.
The Nuggets have a winning formula they almost certainly don’t want to mess with, but one of the major concerns heading into their impending title-defending playoff run is depth. With the loss of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green from last year’s tight postseason rotation, they’ll have to rely on the likes of Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther to play crucial minutes. If the font office feels they’re not enough, they can turn Porter into multiple quality pieces due to his $33 million price tag. He also has three years left on his contract after this season, providing security for any team who would potentially trade for him.
Green’s troubles have been well documented, but he’s largely been considered a difficult trade candidate due to the remaining three years and $78 million on his contract after this season. That may not be the case, however. The Warriors enter Monday at 12th in the Western Conference, and if they don’t turn things around quickly, they must seriously consider heading in a different direction. Green may have worn out his welcome in the Bay after his latest suspension, but he would still be desirable for a contender given the way he’s performed on both ends over the past few seasons. Last year the Warriors’ net rating improved by a team-best 12.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.
With Kawhi Leonard already locked up with an extension, George said he was “very optimistic that something will get done” for him as well. But what if it doesn’t? Leonard was willing to take less than the max for the benefit of the team, but if George refuses to do the same, perhaps he and the Clippers will be at an impasse. It’s a lot of hypotheticals, of course, but if they don’t see an agreement forthcoming with George, a surprise trade before the deadline would be one way to bolster the Clippers’ future fortunes.
Towns was the subject of plenty of trade rumors this past offseason, but the Wolves’ strong performance to start the year has quieted them significantly. That being said, Minnesota’s financial future is frightening with the salaries of Towns, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, along with Jaden McDaniels’ extension set to kick in next season. Towns has done a great job fitting in, but Edwards is clearly the alpha moving forward. Another team could easily talk themselves into Towns being their top offensive option given his unique skill set for his size, and Minnesota could shed a large salary while perhaps adding some depth.
The reports of Williamson butting heads with the Pelicans’ brass have trickled in consistently over the past few seasons, so it’s not crazy to imagine a break-up between the two at some point. Having missed only eight games this season and getting in better shape every day, Williamson’s trade value is as high as it’s been since his rookie year. His fit with Brandon Ingram is murky, and other GMs must be salivating at the thought of a five-out offense with Williamson having a cleared-out paint to operate. Conversely, Ingram, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas would also be freed up offensively in New Orleans. It would be a shock, but a Williamson trade could actually make some sense.
Despite solid counting stats (24 points, nine rebounds, five assists per game), Randle’s efficiency has fallen off significantly this season as his 3-point shooting has taken a serious hit. More than that, it’s become clear that there’s a ceiling on the Randle-Jalen Brunson duo in terms of championship aspirations. If the Knicks are going to go big and bring in another star, Randle is likely the one heading out the door — not only because of his $26 million yearly salary, but also since it’s hard to see him coexisting with two other stars.
The Jazz are red hot and Markkanen is playing great — what better time for Danny Ainge to pull off a sneak attack? The 7-foot sharpshooter would fit into virtually any lineup and is on a team-friendly contract through next season, so he’ll have no shortage of suitors around the league. The Jazz reportedly don’t view Markkanen as untouchable, but it would take a hefty haul to get him. It will be interesting to see if Ainge and the Jazz are swayed by any potential offers heading into the deadline.
The Washington Wizards (7-31) will try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they host the Detroit Pistons (3-36) on Monday afternoon. Washington snapped a six-game losing streak with a 127-99 win at Atlanta on Saturday. Detroit has not won a game since the end of December, losing all seven of its games in January. The Pistons are coming off a 112-110 loss to Houston last Friday and they have the worst record in the NBA.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Monday at Capital One Arena. The Wizards are favored by 5.5 points in the latest Wizards vs. Pistons odds, while the over/under is 240.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Pistons vs. Wizards picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Detroit-Washington. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Wizards vs. Pistons spread: Wizards -5.5 Wizards vs. Pistons over/under: 240.5 points Wizards vs. Pistons money line: Wizards -218, Pistons +180 Wizards vs. Pistons picks: See picks here Why the Wizards can cover Washington snapped a six-game losing streak with one of its most impressive performances of the season on Saturday night, cruising to a 127-99 victory. Kyle Kuzma poured in 29 points, while Jordan Poole added 20 points. Atlanta shot a season-low 34% from the floor and failed to score 100 points for the first time this season, ending a streak of 94 straight games with at least 100 points.
Small forward Deni Avdija finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, while center Daniel Gafford had 10 points and six rebounds. Kuzma leads the Wizards with 22.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, scoring in double figures in nine of his last 10 games. Washington has won 16 consecutive home games against Detroit, and the Pistons are riding an 18-game road losing streak.
Why the Pistons can cover Detroit has lost all seven of its games this month, but three of those contests have been close calls. The Pistons took Utah to overtime before losing to Golden State by just four points, with both of those outings coming on the road. They covered the spread as 8-point home underdogs against Houston on Friday, coming up just short in a 112-110 final.
Four of Detroit’s five starters finished in double figures against Houston, led by 19 points and seven rebounds from small forward Kevin Knox II. Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren each scored at least 15 points, while point guard Alec Burks chipped in 19 points off the bench. Washington is 2-13 in its last 15 home games, and it has covered the spread just one time in its last seven Monday home games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Wizards vs. Pistons picks The model has simulated Pistons vs. Wizards 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
We’ve got another exciting Western Conference matchup on the NBA schedule as the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to tip at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday at Crypto.com Arena as part of the NBA on MLK Day action. Los Angeles is 19-21 overall and 13-7 at home, while OKC is 27-11 overall and 11-6 on the road. The teams have split their two head-to-head matchups this season both straight up and against the spread.
The Lakers won 129-120 as 3.5-point road underdogs on Dec. 23, while the Thunder captured a 133-110 win as 5-point favorites at home on Nov. 30. This time around, Los Angeles is favored by 1 point in the latest Lakers vs. Thunder odds and the over/under is 238 points. Before entering any Thunder vs. Lakers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Oklahoma City-Los Angeles. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Lakers vs. Thunder spread: Lakers -1 Lakers vs. Thunder over/under: 238 points Lakers vs. Thunder money line: Lakers -111, Thunder -108 Lakers vs. Thunder picks: See picks here What you need to know about the Thunder The Thunder extended their winning streak to four games against the Magic in their most recent tilt. Oklahoma City came out on top against Orlando by a score of 112-100 on Saturday. It was another big night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 37 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup with a knee injury and his absence would certainly change the complexion significantly. One of the leading NBA MVP candidates, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.5 points, 6.4 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game this season.
What you need to know about the Lakers Meanwhile, Los Angeles came up short against the Utah Jazz on Saturday and fell 132-125. D’Angelo Russell put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 39 points and eight assists. Those 39 points set a new season-high mark for him.
Anthony Davis also had a triple-double with 15 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. With LeBron James (ankle) listed as questionable for Monday, Davis and Russell will have to carry another heavy load on Monday against the current No. 2 seed in the West. Los Angeles is currently the 11th seed and would miss the NBA play-in tournament if the postseason were to begin today.
Key Betting Info Davis (ankle) has been upgraded to probable for Monday’s matchup while James and Gilgeous-Alexander are listed as questionable by their respective squads. For the season, Davis has averaged 25.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and he’ll need to help pick up the slack for James’ lost production if he’s unable to participate.
Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Thunder are 6-2-1 against the spread in their last 9 games as the road underdog. The Thunder are 9-4-1 against the spread in their last 14 games when not the favorite. The Lakers are 3-3 against the spread in their last 6 games when the spread was between -3 to +3. How to make Lakers vs. Thunder picks The model has simulated Lakers vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The Toronto Raptors (15-24) will return from a six-game road trip when they host the Boston Celtics (30-9) on Monday night as part of the MLK Day NBA schedule. Toronto dropped the final three games of the road trip, including a 145-113 setback at Utah on Friday. Boston bounced back from a loss to Milwaukee with a 145-113 win over Houston on Saturday, remaining unbeaten at home this season. The Celtics are in first place in the Eastern Conference, leading the second-place Bucks by 2.5 games.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday at Scotiabank Arena. Boston is favored by 7 points in the latest Raptors vs. Celtics odds, while the over/under is 243.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Celtics vs. Raptors picks, you’ll need to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Boston-Toronto. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Raptors vs. Celtics spread: Celtics -7 Raptors vs. Celtics over/under: 243.5 points Raptors vs. Celtics money line: Raptors +233, Celtics -286 Raptors vs. Celtics picks: See picks here Why the Raptors can cover Toronto will be happy to return home for the first time since New Year’s Day, when it picked up a 124-121 win over Cleveland as a 2.5-point favorite. Pascal Siakam poured in 36 points in that game, shooting 13 of 20 from the floor and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. All five starters scored at least 14 points, including a 20-point effort from Scottie Barnes.
Siakam scored a game-high 27 points in the loss to Utah last Friday, while Barnes had 19 points and three assists. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett are getting set for their second home game since being acquired from the Knicks last month. Boston has lost three of its four road games in January, falling to the Thunder, Pacers and Bucks.
Why the Celtics can cover The Celtics are coming off a 145-113 win over Houston on Saturday, as Jaylen Brown scored 32 points in 28 minutes and Jayson Tatum had 27 points before getting ejected in the fourth quarter. Tatum and Brown are one of the top duos in the NBA again this season, combining to average more than 50 points per game. Kristaps Porzingis, who had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists against the Rockets, is the third-leading scorer with 19.2 points per game.
Toronto is riding a three-game losing streak and is coming off one of its worst showings of the season, getting crushed by the Jazz in a 145-113 final. Utah outscored the Raptors in every quarter, taking a 17-point lead into halftime. This is not a favorable spot for the Jazz to bounce back, especially when they are fatigued after a six-game road trip and have to face the top team in the conference. See which team to pick here.
How to make Raptors vs. Celtics picks The model has simulated Celtics vs. Raptors 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Gregg Popovich, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs take on Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on MLK Day. The Spurs are aiming to improve on a 7-31 record, while the Hawks look to bounce back from four losses in the last five games and a 15-23 record overall. Zach Collins and Sidy Cissoko are out for San Antonio, with Doug McDermott listed as questionable. De’Andre Hunter (knee), Mouhamed Gueye (back), Vit Krejci (shoulder) and Wesley Matthews (calf) are out for Atlanta.
SportsLine consensus lists Atlanta as the 8.5-point favorite for this 3:30 p.m. ET tipoff. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 246.5 in the latest Spurs vs. Hawks odds. Before making any Hawks vs. Spurs picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns!
Now, the model has set its sights on Spurs vs. Hawks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Hawks vs. Spurs:
Spurs vs. Hawks spread: Hawks -8.5 Spurs vs. Hawks over/under: 246.5 points Spurs vs. Hawks money line: Hawks -336, Spurs +267 San Antonio: The Spurs are 9-10 against the spread in road games Atlanta: The Hawks are 3-14 against the spread in home games Spurs vs. Hawks picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Spurs can cover The Spurs are catching the Hawks at the best possible time. Atlanta has disappointed greatly on the whole this season, but the Hawks have struggled badly in recent days. Atlanta is 3-8 in the last 11 games, with opponents out-scoring the Hawks by 8.6 points per 100 possessions in those contests. The Hawks also suffered back-to-back home losses on Friday and Saturday, losing by 23 points per game. San Antonio’s offense ranks in the top five in the NBA in assists, and the Spurs are facing a porous Hawks defense that is capable of yielding friendly results.
Atlanta is in the bottom five of the NBA in defensive efficiency this season, giving up 120.4 points per 100 possessions. That jumps to 124.2 points per 100 possessions in January, and Atlanta is dead-last in the league in opponent field goal percentage (50.5%). The Hawks are also in the bottom three of the league in 2-point percentage allowed, 3-point percentage allowed, assists allowed, fast break points allowed and second-chance points allowed, with opponents also generating more than 56 points in the paint per game. See which team to pick here.
Why the Hawks can cover Atlanta has not been dominant at home this season, but the Hawks have the advantage against a Spurs team that has an ugly -11.5 net rating on the road. The Hawks also have the superior offense on paper, scoring almost 1.18 points per possession. Atlanta is in the top six of the NBA in free throw creation (25.3 attempts per game), free throw accuracy (81.3%), and offensive rebound rate (32.1%), with the Hawks also scoring 15.8 second-chance points per game.
The Spurs struggle to score on a consistent basis, putting up only 1.09 points per possession. That places San Antonio in the bottom three of the NBA in offensive efficiency, and the Spurs struggle in both shooting efficiency and offensive rebounding. San Antonio is shooting only 45.8% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range this season, with the Spurs then grabbing only 25.9% of available offensive rebounds. The Hawks are forcing 14.8 turnovers per game on defense, including 8.2 steals per game to rank in the top five of the NBA. See which team to pick here.
How to make Hawks vs. Spurs picks SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 242 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread is the better value. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
The Houston Rockets travel to Wells Fargo Center to meet the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday afternoon. The matchup is the first game of a full slate across the NBA on MLK Day. Houston is 19-19 overall, with Philadelphia entering at 24-13 overall and 14-6 at home. Joel Embiid (knee) is available for Philadelphia after being listed as questionable earlier in the day, with De’Anthony Melton (back) and Robert Covington (knee) ruled out and Mo Bamba (knee) listed as doubtful. Tari Eason (lower leg) is out for Houston.
SportsLine consensus lists Philadelphia as the 8.5-point favorite for this 1 p.m. ET tipoff. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 228 in the latest Rockets vs. 76ers odds. Before making any 76ers vs. Rockets picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Sixers vs. Rockets and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Rockets vs. Sixers:
76ers vs. Rockets spread: 76ers -8.5 76ers vs. Rockets over/under: 228 points 76ers vs. Rockets money line: 76ers -346, Rockets +274 HOU: The Rockets are 6-10-1 against the spread in road games PHI: The 76ers are 14-6 against the spread in home games 76ers vs. Rockets picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Rockets can cover The Rockets have a tremendous offensive fulcrum in Alperen Sengun. The young center is averaging 21.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and Sengun is shooting 54.1% from the field. In the last 13 games, Sengun has upped his production, averaging 25.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. While Sengun anchors an offense that also ranks in the top 10 of the NBA in turnover prevention, Houston’s defense is top-notch.
The Rockets are allowing only 112.1 points per 100 possessions this season, ranking in the top quartile of the league. Houston leads the NBA in fast break points allowed (10.0 per game), and the Rockets are in the top five in opponent field goal percentage (45.6%) and opponent 3-point percentage (34.0%). The Rockets also rank in the top five in assists allowed (24.3 per game) and points allowed in the paint (46.2 per game), with Houston securing 72.7% of available defensive rebounds in 2023-24. See which team to pick here.
Why the 76ers can cover Philadelphia has high-end scorers in Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Maxey has scored 20 points or more in eight straight games, and he is averaging 26.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. Harris put up 37 points on 14-25 in Philadelphia’s most recent game, and he is averaging 23.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in January. The Sixers also have a meaningful home-court advantage, with Philadelphia entering this game at 14-6 overall with a +10.2 net rating at Wells Fargo Center. Houston is just 4-13 away from home with a -6.9 net rating, swinging things toward Philadelphia.
The 76ers are also elite across the board on offense, including a top-six mark in the NBA in offensive efficiency, scoring 119.1 points per 100 possessions. Philadelphia is in the top tier of the league in turnover avoidance, fast-break points, points in the paint, offensive rebound rate and second-chance points, but the free throw line is the top centerpiece for the 76ers. Nick Nurse’s team leads the NBA in free throw accuracy (84%) and free throw creation (26.9 attempts per game) this season. See which team to pick here.
How to make Rockets vs. 76ers picks SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 222 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
Survivor Series has officially been added to the WWE calendar for 2023. The Allstate Arena in Chicago will host this year’s event on Saturday, Nov. 25.
WWE announced the date and location for Survivor Series on Friday morning. The event is one of WWE’s classic “big four” shows alongside SummerSlam, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, more recently dubbed as the “big five” to include Money in the Bank.
Survivor Series traditionally incorporates titular elimination-style matches featuring two teams consisting of four or five superstars each. Last year’s show adopted the “WarGames” branding and incorporated a team-based, time-interval match that took place inside a cage constructed around two adjacent rings. Friday’s announcement was absent any mention of WarGames, but that could change as storylines develop closer to the event.
Last year’s event was headlined by a WarGames match pitting The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn) against the joint forces of Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch), Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens.
