Category Archives: NBA

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Sunday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Thunder vs Pelicans)

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Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans

(13-14)                                   (13-13)

Start Time: 7:00 PM EST

TV Channel: Local/League Pass

Preview: This is going to be a big test for New Orleans as they will go up against a strong Pelicans squad who recently beat the Rockets on Friday night behind yet another huge game from young star, Anthony Davis. Davis, who was the 1st overall pick just two years ago, has been an absolute beast this year and is averaging 24.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 2.9 BPG (Blocks Per Game). If the Thunder want to have any chance of taming Davis tonight, then they are going to need their NBA All-Defensive First Team member, Serge Ibaka, to do what he does best and block anything that comes his way in the paint. Next, the Thunder are also going to need a big game from Russell Westbrook because without reigning MVP, Kevin Durant, OKC is going to be lacking a major scoring presence if Westbrook is unable to produce.

Prediction: I believe that the New Orleans Pelicans will come away with the victory tonight behind a monster game from the future of the NBA, Anthony Davis. Davis has looked supreme on both sides of the court this year and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. His wingspan of 7’4” gives him a ridiculous advantage in all aspects of the game and especially helps him to block shots which all has added up to make the Pelicans serious playoff contenders.

Points Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Russell Westbrook (27.2 PPG) NOP – Anthony Davis (24.1 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Steven Adams (7.0 RPG) NOP – Omar Asik (10.5 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Russell Westbrook (7.2 APG) NOP – Jrue Holiday (7.0 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Saturday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Spurs vs Mavericks)

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Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs

(19-8)                            (17-10)

Start Time: 8:30 PM EST

TV Channel: Local/League Pass

Preview: After recently acquiring Rajon Rondo from Boston, the Dallas Mavericks have moved up from a ‘good team’ to now an ‘elite team’. Rondo is as good as they come in terms of Point Guards in the NBA, and will automatically help the Mavericks win. So far this season, Rajon is averaging 8.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, & 10.8 APG and will join a Dallas line-up which already includes an elite scorer in Monta Ellis, a terrific rebounder in Tyson Chandler, and of course a future Hall of Famer with Dirk Nowitzki. Right now San Antonio hasn’t looked strong and are coming off a game last night which included their second straight game that lasted three overtimes which will obviously play into some fatigue for the defending champs. Also, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker are once again doubtful for tonight’s game after missing the last few due to various injuries. If the Spurs want to shock the Mavs in Monta’s first game with a Dallas jersey, they are going to need guys like Boris Diaw to step up and produce big numbers in a much needed victory for San Antonio.

Prediction: I believe the Mavericks will pull of the win tonight in front of their home crowd on a night where there should be a very warm welcoming for newly acquired All-Star, Rajon Rondo. The Mavs starting five will be too hard for the Spurs to handle as they are missing some key defenders in Parker and especially Kawhi Leonard who was part of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last year.

Points Per Game Leaders:

DAL – Monta Ellis (20.6 PPG) SAS – Tony Parker (16.0 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

DAL – Tyson Chandler (11.5 RPG) SAS – Tim Duncan (11.0 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

DAL – Monta Ellis (4.7 APG) SAS – Tony Parker (5.3 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

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

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San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers

(17-9)                           (20-6)

Start Time: 8:00 PM EST

TV Channel: ESPN

Preview: Both of these teams will be entering tonight’s game without their usual line-ups. For Portland, they will be without Robin Lopez who broke his hand Monday and will be out for several weeks. As for San Antonio, they will be missing two key players, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, due to minor injuries. Kawhi will be out tonight because of a torn ligament in his hand, but it has been reported that he will not miss extended time and could be back towards the beginning of next week. Tony Parker will be absent from his 4th straight game due to a nagging hamstring injury which will allow Cory Joseph to start another one for the Spurs. Back on Tuesday, when these two teams met for the first time this season, Joseph provided a decently strong showing in the absence of Parker, scoring 12 points and grabbing 5 boards. There main contributor, however, was Leonard who scored 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists but as already stated, he will not be playing here tonight. In their last matchup, San Antonio fell to Portland 108-95 in a game where Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan all did not play. Tonight, they will have Duncan and Ginobili back to hopefully get some revenge on Portland, but it is going to be rather difficult without arguably their best all-around player, Kawhi Leonard, not playing. One other reason that this is going to be a hard one for the Spurs is that Blazers point guard, Damian Lillard, averages about 26+ points per game against the Spurs in his career which could help factor into Portland getting their 21st win.

Prediction: I believe Portland will pick up their 4th straight victory behind which should be a great game from 3rd year Guard, Damian Lillard. Lillard has looked very strong this year, averaging about 20 PPG and leading this Blazers team to an early 20-6 record.

Points Per Game Leaders:

POR – LaMarcus Aldridge (22.2 PPG) SAS – Tony Parker (16.0 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

POR – LaMarcus Aldridge (10.4 RPG) SAS – Tim Duncan (11.0 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

POR – Damian Lillard (6.2 APG) SAS – Tony Parker (5.3 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

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

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Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder

(21-3)                                   (12-13)

Start Time: 10:30 PM EST

TV Channel: TNT

Preview: Coming into this game are two teams with different mindsets; one looking to start a new winning-streak, and the other looking to build on their own. The Warriors, after recently losing a tough one in Memphis against a very talented Grizzlies team, are looking to get their groove back after losing for the first time in over a month. Oklahoma City, however, currently have the longest win-streak in the NBA with 7 straight, and have also won 9 out-of their last 10. The main person to thank for the Thunder’s hot streak is last year’s MVP, Kevin Durant, who is averaging 21.5 PPG in only about 30 minutes per game due to him having to recover from an injury which forced him to miss the start of the season. KD is trying to bring OKC back into playoff contention after they started the season very poorly as a result of his absence. If Oklahoma City wants to win this game, they are going to have to really spread the ball all-around the court as they are one of the worst teams in terms of assists in the league. They currently sit at 27th in the league with only about 20 per game. This is going to be a huge problem as the Warriors have a very talented defense however they will be without Andrew Bogut who is a huge presence in the paint.

Prediction: I think the Warriors will hand the Thunder their 14th loss and not allow them to get back to .500 due to the fact that the Thunder fail to pass the ball and highly rely on Westbrook and Durant to carry the team.

Points Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Russell Westbrook (26.4 PPG) GSW – Stephen Curry (23.5 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Steven Adams (7.0 RPG) GSW – Andrew Bogut (9.3 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

OKC – Russell Westbrook (6.8 APG) GSW – Stephen Curry (7.6 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Wednesday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Spurs vs Grizzlies)

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San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies

(17-8)                           (20-4)

Start Time: 8:30 PM EST

TV Channel: Local/League Pass

Preview: In their second matchup of the season, the Memphis Grizzlies will look for revenge after being handed a loss from the Spurs in their first matchup back on December 5th. This is going to be a relatively difficult game for the Grizz as they have lost 10 straight games to the Spurs and are also coming into this one after just playing a hard-fought game versus Golden State last night. One perk for Memphis, however, is that Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard will be out tonight due to various injuries. It should also be noted that Manu Ginobili sat out on Monday due to a lower back injury which could force the Spurs to rest him again tonight. Tim Duncan, on the upside, looks ready to go tonight as he got a scheduled rest-day on Monday, which the 38 year old does receive regularly. This will be a very interesting one to watch because big players such as Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have been playing extraordinary so far this year but both did play 32+ hard-fought minutes just last night, which could factor into their stamina.

Prediction: I believe with the absence of Hall of Famer, Tony Paker, and reigning Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs could be in for tough loss as Memphis has looked very strong so far this year. The Grizzlies shouldn’t have a problem pounding the Spurs perimeter defense which, without Kawhi, will be very easy for Memphis sharp-shooters to take advantage of.

Points Per Game Leaders:

MEM – Marc Gasol (19.6 PPG) SAS – Tony Parker (16.0 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

MEM – Zach Randolph (11.0 RPG) SAS – Tim Duncan (10.8 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

MEM – Mike Conley (6.2 APG) SAS – Tony Parker (5.3 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Tuesday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Warriors vs Grizzlies)

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Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors

(19-4)                               (21-2)

Start Time: 8:00 PM EST

TV Channel: ESPN

Preview: In what might as well be the greatest matchup so far this season, the 1st place Golden State Warriors will take on the 2nd place Memphis Grizzlies. Both of these teams have looked basically unstoppable and are combining for 40 wins in just 46 games so far this year. Golden State will be looking to improve their franchise best, 16 straight wins, as they take on a Memphis team who is just two games behind them for 1st place in the West (and in the NBA). One problem for the Warriors this season has been injuries as they have consistently been losing some high caliber players such as All-Star David Lee to a nagging hamstring injury and Andrew Bogut to a knee problem. The Warriors still have, however, been able to keep up this insane start to the season with help from former Michigan State standout, Draymond Green, who has been able to contribute 13.4 PPG and 8.0 RPG in what has been his first season with a consistent spot in the starting line-up due to the absence of David Lee. This is going to be a tough battle for the Warriors, though, because Memphis is very strong at home with their only loss coming by a defeat from the Defending Champs, San Antonio.

Prediction: I think the Warriors will continue their franchise-best win streak and pick up number 17 in-a-row tonight as they will edge out Memphis in a game which could see multiple overtimes. Both of these teams have Top-10 defenses and this one, I believe, is going to come down to which team has the better offense and the Warriors are the second highest scoring team in the NBA right now while the Grizz are 10th. Advantage: Warriors.

Points Per Game Leaders:

MEM – Marc Gasol (19.4 PPG) GSW – Stephen Curry (23.7 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

MEM – Zach Randolph (11.0 RPG) GSW – Andrew Bogut (9.3 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

MEM – Mike Conley (6.3 APG) GSW – Stephen Curry (7.7 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Monday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Spurs vs Trail Blazers)

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San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers

(17-7)                             (18-6)

Start Time: 10:00 PM EST

TV Channel: Local/League Pass

Preview: In just their first matchup since the Blazers were defeated by the Spurs in the 2nd Round of last year’s playoffs, Portland will look to prove that they have the upper-hand now a quarter of the way into the new season. With Pop choosing to rest all of the “Big Three” (Duncan, Ginobili, Parker), the Trail Blazers will look to pound the ball down low to All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who will try to take advantage of Duncan not being present. A win tonight would inch Portland closer to the top-seeded Golden State Warriors who are currently 3.5 games above the Blazers and 4.5 games ahead of San Antonio. The Spurs do have Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, though, and will hope to have him control the tempo of the game and pull out a stunning win.

Prediction: The absence of Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker will be too much for the Spurs to overcome and will lose this game in a disappointing fashion. Aldridge will have a huge night of scoring as the Portland Trail Blazers will earn a huge win in front of their own crowd in a rematch from last years playoffs.

Points Per Game Leaders:

POR – LaMarcus Aldridge (22.2 PPG) SAS – Tony Parker (16.0 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

POR – LaMarcus Aldridge (10.0 RPG) SAS – Tim Duncan (10.8 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

POR – Damian Lillard (6.1 APG) SAS – Tony Parker (5.3 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

Sunday’s NBA Matchup to Watch (Lakers vs T-Wolves)

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Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers

(5-17)                                             (7-16)

Preview: Obviously this does not, at first glance, seem like a “must-watch game,” but bear with me. Kobe Bryant, who is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, is about to pass yet another milestone tonight as he is just 9 points away from leaping ahead of Michael Jordan for the 3rd most points in NBA history. Right now, Jordan, who is considered the “Greatest of All-Time”, sits at 3rd place with 32,292 points which puts him just behind Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). Once the Black Mamba passes Jordan, this will add to his vast array of achievements he has collected in his 19 years in the league which include 16 All-Star Games, 11-time All-NBA First Team, and 5 NBA Championships. At 36 years old, Kobe looks to be on the decline as other young Lakers, such as Nick “Swaggy-P” Young, look too take the reins from the Legend. Do not count Kobe out just yet, though, as I guarantee he will pass many more records before his career is done.

Prediction: I believe Kobe will steal the show tonight as I am positive that he would like to make a debate as to who really is the “Greatest of All-Time.” While Nick Young wowed the crowd Friday night when he scored 28 points including a game-winning three, tonight will be Kobe Bryants moment as he will become the third highest scorer in the history of the NBA.

Points Per Game Leaders:

MIN – Kevin Martin (20.4 PPG) LAL – Kobe Bryant (25.4 PPG)

Rebounds Per Game Leaders:

MIN – Nikola Pekovic (8.1 RPG) LAL – Jordan Hill (9.0 RPG)

Assists Per Game Leaders:

MIN – Ricky Rubio (10.0 APG) LAL – Kobe Bryant (5.0 APG)

NBA, Tanner Horelick

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

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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)

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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)