Kyle Cash

Damian Lillard is currently doing that thing he does where he’s completely unstoppable, and Portland is thriving because of it. Even with C.J. McCollum shaking off the summer rust, the Trail Blazers have started the season 3-1 and sit in 4th in the Western Conference standings. Roster continuity tends to lend itself to early season success as other teams integrate rookies and new acquisitions, but Nik Stauskas seems to fit like a glove. The Heat are another team with many of the same parts and the spread reflects that being only 1.5 to Portland. Kyle Cash looks at who will come out ahead as he offers his NBA pick.

I spoke briefly about my love for Luka Doncic’s Dad-bod, so let me introduce to you John Wall’s new body a.k.a The Divorced Dad-bod. Bradley Beal spent the summer putting on sympathy weight for his pregnant wife; John Wall looks like he became impregnated himself, and his game and the team has suffered for it. Does this added… personnel make the Wizards overvalued by sportsbooks this year?

The Thunder are currently the worst offense in the league. With the absence of Westbrook for 2 of those games, we can go ahead and give them a pass, and let’s assume their season starts tonight. Last season, the Thunder ranked inside the top-10 in both Offensive and Defensive efficiency. Will that team show up against the Celtics?

This ain’t your Grandfather’s Dallas Mavericks team; this team scores a ton! They are coming into this game with the 4th best Offensive Efficiency in the league, and versus a team like Atlanta that likes to push the tempo (2nd in the NBA in pace), the Mavericks will be able to play fast and loose. Who benefits more from this style of play tonight? Kyle Cash has the NBA pick.

In the three match-ups last year Joel Embiid averaged 26 points and 9 rebounds in only 28 minutes per game. If Ben Simmons is unable to go tonight, the offense will run through the post, and the big Cameroonian is going to do what he does best – dominate and talk smack. Is he enough to handle Detroit and revived Blake Griffin? Kyle Cash has his NBA prediction.

Last season, the Orlando Magic came out like gangbusters for the first couple of weeks of the season. Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic were making threes like a jumbo version of the Splash Brothers, and their 6-2 start to the 2017-18 season is probably, like, the 5th best Orlando Magic moment in team history. Which version of the Magic should you expect versus the Celts? Kyle Cash has his NBA pick.

We are still waiting to hear from the league about possible suspensions for last night’s altercation, but I think it is safe to assume that Houston will be without Chris Paul for tonight’s affair. So both the Clippers and the Rockets are without Chris Paul! Who has the advantage in this Paul-less game?

the Lakers are a mess. Lonzo and Rondo are repetitive and not helpful, Ingram and Kuzma still look a year away, and LeBron’s Tonto to his Lone Ranger is a 24-year old sophomore in Josh Hart. It might take a while to iron out the wrinkles of their scheme, but for now, we can at least expect the Lakers to not shoot 7-for-30 from behind the arc. The Lakers want to have a good game at home but can they handle Houston? Kyle Cash gives his prediction.

On the Friday night NBA betting board we have a great match-up between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors north of the border in the Big Smoke. The Beantown Boys were impressive in their opener taking it to the 76ers, but can they duplicate that performance against the Raptors on the road? The host is a -2.5 point favorite on most boards with the total at 209.