NBA Picks

How are sportsbooks and players handicapping these Embiid-less 76ers? Keith Franks breaks down the recent play of this squad as Philadelphia Center Joel Embiid remains out as he continues to recover from a knee injury. In his absence the Sixers are 4-3 SU. Once again, the Sixers will turn to veteran Amir Johnson.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results, but the definition of apathy is whatever the hell the Warriors did the other night versus Boston. The Dubs would’ve had a better chance if they had sat their top talent in favor of a couple of guys who would’ve tried harder and actually looked like they wanted to be there. And, that may be the biggest question mark when handicapping a Warriors game right now… Which version of these star players will show up? Kyle Cash gives his NBA prediction for for tonight’s Nuggs and GSW meeting.

Indiana will be playing this game on two days of rest. Indiana wrapped up a three-game home-stand against the Bulls on Tuesday and now are playing their first away game in a two-game road trip. Milwaukee has had three days to prepare for this game and will be playing their first game in Milwaukee after ending a grueling five-game road trip on Monday. How much of a factor is rest and is it big enough to look at the bookmaker’s huge line of Bucks -11?

In a lot of ways, OKC and Portland are mirror images of one another: two superstars in their primes, a hulking center, defensive-minded athletic 3-and-D forwards and a pension for bowing out of the playoffs early. But where they differ is on the defensive end. OKC is an elite, long-armed, active defensive unit, and they’ve managed to maintain their cohesion while playing at an up-tempo speed. Their league-leading forced-turnover percentage can do damage against Portland’s backcourt, and if they can force Lillard and McCollum into sloppy ball-handling, this will get ugly quick. Kyle Cash looks at how one of the NBA’s best backcourts will do versus the OKC D!

A few months ago, LeBron James was the leader of the title-contending Los Angeles Lakers and making videos declaring himself as “the greatest of all time.” Today, he’s six weeks away from an early summer vacation filled with brown-nosing rappers, tampering with free agents and filming bad sequels to beloved cult classics. The Nuggets are obviously the better team but how will they stack up against the spread? KC takes on the bookmakers and this question with his daily NBA pick.

The Sixers have gone 4-2 since Embiid has been sitting to rehab his knee. The Sixers have turned to veteran Amir Johnson to fill in at Center. In his last game for Philadelphia, Johnson produced 13 points, two assists, and five rebounds against Orlando. Can the Sixers keep winning without their big man in the post? Bookmakers think they can tonight, opening the Bulls as 5.5 point underdogs!