All posts by thorelick

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Friday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Bulls vs Trail Blazers)

Leave a comment

Chicago Bulls vs Portland Trail Blazers

(13-8)                   (17-5)

Start Time: 7:00 PM EST

TV Channel: ESPN

Preview: What seemed like a questionable move in the offseason, when the Bulls acquired Pau Gasol, has now turned into an undoubtedly great pick-up by Chicago. Gasol is now averaging around 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. The headline at the beginning of the year, however, was not the acquirement of Pau Gasol but of course, Derrick Roses health. After starting the year on a bad note with strained hamstring which left him in-and-out of games, he has recently picked it together scoring 23 points on Wednesday against the Nets. This is going to be a good test to Rose as he will try to prove that he can produce yet another solid game. Now for the Blazers; they have won 8 out-of their last 10 games and are coming off a disappointing loss to the T-Wolves on a night where they missed nearly 50 FG on 38.8%. Portland will be looking to gain some ground on the 1st place Warriors here as they look to get a nice win following a tough loss.

Prediction: I believe that with a healthy Derrick Rose, Chicago is one of the best teams in the NBA, but without him they are a borderline playoff team. This game is going to completely rely on the former MVP and if Rose is feeling good tonight, then Chicago will run away with the victory. Based on what I saw against the Nets, Rose looks healthy and ready to lead Chicago on a nice playoff run.

Points Per Game Leaders:

POR – LaMarcus Aldridge (21.7 PPG) CHI – Jimmy Butler (21.5 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

POR – LaMarcus Aldridge (9.9 RPG) CHI – Pau Gasol (12.2 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

POR – Damian Lillard (6.2 APG) CHI – Derrick Rose (5.1 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Thursday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Thunder vs Cavaliers)

1 Comment

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers

(8-13)                                     (13-7)

Start Time: 8:00 PM EST

TV Channel: TNT

Preview: LeBron vs Kevin Durant; they’ve combined for the past three MVP awards (two going to LeBron) and are always a show to watch whenever they play. Both teams started off the year disappointingly but have battled back, each on their own respective win streaks. Immediately when the Cavs started off the new season on a bad note, fingers were flying about whose fault it was and how the Cavs would never contend for a championship. Now Cleveland is 20-games in to the season and all that talk has stopped. They’ve looked hot recently, winning their last 8, and coming off a good win vs the Wizards in which LeBron hit a clutch three to give the Cavs the lead in the final minutes. OKC hasn’t looked terrible as of late either since getting back MVP Kevin Durant, and have won a decent streak of 3-games. It’s no doubt that KD is still lingering with injuries and is not yet back to his MVP-caliber ways, but has been getting the job done and helping the Thunder win some games. Both the Cavs and Thunder look to be back to their Championship-contending ways and will look to battle each other in what looks to be an exciting game in their first matchup since LeBron’s return home.

Prediction: I think the Cavs are going to continue their winning ways and defeat the Thunder in a game where LeBron and Kevin Durant will battle each other all night long. Look for LeBron to have a big game and make a statement about who is the real MVP now.

Points Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Russell Westbrook (24.3 PPG) CLE – LeBron James (24.8 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Serge Ibaka (7.5 RPG) CLE – Kevin Love (10.0 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Russell Westbrook (6.6 APG) CLE – LeBron James (7.7 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Wednesday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Warriors vs Rockets)

Leave a comment

Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors

(16-4)                             (18-2)

Start Time: 10:30 PM EST

TV Channel: Local/League Pass

Preview: Golden State hasn’t lost since November 11th when they were shut down by San Antonio, and will look for their 19th win tonight as they face off against a Howard-less Rockets team. The Warriors will look to Andrew Bogut as the man to step up as Houston is without one of the premier big-men in the NBA, Dwight Howard, as he recovers from a knee injury which first kept him out on Nov. 19th. This is going to be a very interesting game as Golden State is spectacular at home with a 7-1 record, but the Rockets are also outstanding while on the road with a record sitting at 8-1. The Rockets usually rely heavily on the defensive end, but with an elite defender wrapped up on the bench, they will most likely look to even it out on both sides of the court. While both teams are among the Top-6 in opponent points per game, this one is going to come down to who can finish off more of their opportunities on the offensive end. Consistency is going to determine who will come out of this game with the victory.

Prediction: I believe that the Golden State Warriors will pull off a close win in this matchup mostly due to two reasons; 1.) James Harden can’t play defense so Klay Thompson will take advantage of this and have a big game 2.) Warriors are coming into this game on a 13-game win streak and are the unquestioned hottest team in the NBA right now which could propel them to the ‘W’ if this were to turn out to be a close one

Points Per Game Leaders:

HOU – James Harden (25.2 PPG) GSW – Stephen Curry (23.1 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

HOU – Dwight Howard (11.3 RPG) GSW – Andrew Bogut (9.3 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

HOU – James Harden (6.6 APG) GSW – Stephen Curry (7.7 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Monday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Clippers vs Suns)

Leave a comment

Los Angeles Clippers vs Phoenix Suns

(14-5)                                       (12-9)

Start Time: 10:30 PM

TV Channel: Local/League Pass

Preview: Back on November 15th, the last time these two teams faced off, Chris Paul was absolutely on fire and contributed 32 points including 5-6 from 3-point range, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds in a game where the Clippers beat the Suns by a score of 120-107. The score of this game does not show everything, though, as the Suns looked statistically better throughout most of the game except for one key area; Field Goal Percentage. Phoenix was atrocious on the offensive end, only making 38% of field goals and 36% of 3’s. If the Suns had been able to finish on the offensive end, this game may have had a different outcome. Today is a new day, however, and the Suns will look to bounce back from a tough loss to a very talented Houston Rockets team that defeated Phoenix by 5 points on Saturday night. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has looked very sharp as of late and will be looking to build off their 7-game win streak which included one against those same Rockets. This is going to be a very interesting game as the Suns are a primarily offensive based team while the Clippers are more balanced on both ends of the court, only allowing 98.5 points per games (9th best in NBA). If the Suns want to get revenge on PG Chris Paul and the Clippers, they will need to have contributors all throughout their team which could be difficult should key 6th man, Isaiah Thomas, not be available tonight due to an ankle injury.

Prediction: I think the Los Angeles Clippers will come out of this game with a win tonight as they look to be a more complete team so far this season than the Suns and also have some momentum as they have won 10 out of their last 11 games.

Points Per Game Leaders:

PHX – Goran Dragic (16.0 PPG) LAC – Blake Griffin (22.9 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

PHX – Markieff Morris (6.6 RPG) LAC – DeAndre Jordan (12.2 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

PHX – Eric Bledsoe (5.7 APG) LAC – Chris Paul (9.8 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Saturday’s NBA Matchup to Watch

Leave a comment

Chicago Bulls vs Golden State Warriors

(12-7)                      (16-2)

Start Time: 8:00 PM

TV Channel: NBATV

Preview: The Warriors are the hottest team in the NBA right now and are entering this game with a league best, 11 game win-streak, also 1.5 games above the Rockets for 1st place in the Western Conference. Chicago, on the other hand, have been off-and-on during their last 10 games, winning a respectable 5 and still maintaining 4th place in the East while still only 2.5 games out of 1st. If the Bulls want to win this game tonight, they are really going to need to step up their defense which as of now, ranks 17th in opponent points per game at 99.9 PPG. If they continue this horrid defense, the Warriors will put on an offensive showcase as they average 106.8 PPG which is good for 3rd in the NBA. This is going to be a very tough assignment for the Bulls as they face a red hot Warriors team who have looked basically unstoppable these past few weeks, led by Steph Curry who averages around 23 points and 8 assists per night.

Prediction: The Warriors are going to pull off a win tonight as they are undefeated in their last 11 games and their stellar offensive ball movement will propel them to a hopeful victory. As long as Stephen Curry can continue his miraculous shooting ways, the Dubs will pick up their 17th win and 12th straight.

Points Per Game Leaders:

GSW – Stephen Curry (23.4 PPG) CHI – Jimmy Butler (21.6 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

GSW – Andrew Bogut (9.4 RPG) CHI – Pau Gasol (11.4 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

GSW – Stephen Curry (7.8 APG) CHI – Derrick Rose (5.1 APG)