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NBA Best Bets: Bucks vs Jazz & Full Thursday Slate
SportsGrid
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11/7/2024
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00:00
Live right here on the early line on SportsGrid.
00:08
This is not going to happen that many times this year, so when it does, you must appreciate
00:14
it.
00:15
The two premier...
00:16
Actually, you know what?
00:17
After football season, we might be back together a lot.
00:18
The two premier NBA handicappers on the network.
00:21
That's Donny Rightside and myself, Ben Stevens, DRS, an atrocious start to the year for both
00:28
of the teams that face off tonight in Milwaukee.
00:31
The Bucs are 1-6.
00:33
The Jazz are also 1-6.
00:36
Maybe we expected poor play out of Utah.
00:39
Not the case for Doc Rivers and the Bucs.
00:42
They are a 9-and-a-half point favorite at home tonight who gets a desperately needed
00:48
win in the state of Wisconsin.
00:50
Yeah, that line, as you see on the graphic, was 9 early this morning.
00:53
It's actually up to 9-and-a-half.
00:54
If you're just reading lines, that is a stone cold line that there is for the Milwaukee
00:58
Bucs, and rightfully so.
00:59
Anthony Koop will be back in the lineup.
01:00
There's much more firepower in the Bucs' side, but it's crazy that they sit there with one
01:04
win on the season.
01:05
That one win was opening night against the horrendous Philadelphia 76ers that didn't
01:09
even have Paul George at that time.
01:11
So I'm looking at the...
01:13
It's not even a handicap where it's like X's and O's, Countee George out of a big night,
01:16
Colin Sexton.
01:17
Forget about that side of it.
01:18
This line is screaming.
01:20
A terrible basketball team is favored by double digits.
01:23
I'm going to ride the line in this one.
01:24
I'll lay the 9-and-a-half.
01:26
It was the first win of the year for Utah on Monday against the Chicago Bulls.
01:32
They won that game outright in the Windy City, 135-126, as an underdog.
01:39
In fact, they have only covered as a dog three times this year.
01:44
Utah has been an underdog in all seven of their games.
01:48
In two of their three covers, total over.
01:52
Milwaukee covered on opening night.
01:54
They have lost six straight since.
01:55
They have only covered once.
01:57
It was against the Cavs earlier this week, losing that game by two.
02:01
It is a stone-cold Milwaukee-Bucks line, and you are right, DRX, Giannis is back.
02:07
So how does Chicago respond, who's actually been off to a pretty solid start this year
02:11
by Bulls' expectations after gifting the Utah Jazz their first game, or first win of the
02:18
season?
02:19
Tonight, inside the United Center.
02:20
We only have three games in the NBA tonight.
02:22
The Bulls, an eight-and-a-half-point underdog against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.
02:27
Total at .227, down by a hook.
02:29
What do you like?
02:30
Yeah, all at eight o'clock tonight, too.
02:32
This line opened up at Fandul, minus seven, is now creeping up as high as minus eight-and-a-half
02:35
that we see now in a total listed at .227.
02:38
For me, just looking at the starting lineups, doesn't look bad for the Bulls.
02:41
Giddy White, Levine, Williams, and Vucevic, I am going to take this and take the points
02:45
at home, saying, you know what, Chicago, you should be able to stay within double digits
02:49
of a Timberwolves team that is more talented.
02:52
I'll take the home team Chicago Bulls tonight with the points here.
02:55
The Minnesota Timberwolves, favorite in every game this year, are four-and-three and just
03:00
two-and-five against the spread.
03:02
Normally a defensive standout last year, the T-Wolves over in four-of-seven, Chicago over
03:07
in five-of-eight.
03:08
The RS, the Bulls started three-and-two, and it was the first time in nearly two years
03:13
Chicago was above .500.
03:15
They have now dropped three in a row.
03:17
They have not covered in any of those three, and they have gone over in three consecutive
03:22
games.
03:23
San Antonio Spurs, of course, we brought you the news earlier this week, or maybe you have
03:28
seen.
03:29
Greg Popovich is dealing with a health issue at this moment for San Antonio.
03:33
The Spurs, a four-point home favorite tonight against the Portland Trailblazers.
03:38
Victor Wiminyama trying to turn this San Antonio franchise back into one with winning ways.
03:43
It's been a slow start here in his sophomore season in the NBA.
03:46
Yeah, kind of disappointing, too, because the Spurs are at home.
03:49
This line opened up at the FanDuel Sportsbook here in New Jersey at five-and-a-half.
03:51
Now we're down to actually four as the live number, and a total that's listed at 218.
03:56
So once again, it's not necessarily chasing lines per se, but we're having the feel that
04:00
San Antonio shouldn't really be a favorite in this game, and it's more of a toss-up.
04:04
I'll go road team Portland Trailblazers and bet against, or bet with, I should say, that
04:08
line movement dropping at about a point-and-a-half right now.
04:11
Yeah, the Spurs were an underdog in basically every game last year, or a good majority of
04:16
their games, I think 73 of 82, something of the sort.
04:20
San Antonio only a favorite once this year against the Jazz team we have talked to you
04:24
about that has been off to a dismal start this season.
04:27
They did win that game 106-88, covering as a short two-point favorite.
04:32
Game also stayed under.
04:33
San Antonio under in four of their first five, now over in three straight.
04:40
I still think San Antonio, playing their best basketball, total stay under because
04:45
of the defensive presence of Victor Wemenyama.
04:48
Portland also three-and-five this year.
04:52
They have been an underdog in every single game.
04:56
They're five-and-three against the spread, so they have been decent in terms of their
05:01
odds expectation.
05:02
In fact, outside of their last game against New Orleans, that they won outright.
05:07
This is the shortest number that the Portland Trailblazers have seen as an underdog every
05:12
other game, a six-and-a-half point spread or greater.
05:15
Of course, Scoot Henderson on one side for Portland, third overall pick.
05:20
Now two summers ago, Victor Wemenyama, the number one overall pick for San Antonio.
05:26
He has struggled this year a little bit, has Wemby.
05:29
DRS, when you look at the season awards, of course, Victor Wemenyama, 20-1, 25-1 to win
05:34
the NBA MVP award before the year got underway.
05:38
He is now at 100-1 with that MVP honor because it has not been the prolific start that many
05:45
expected out of Wemby in his second year.
05:47
I know there's always a lot of expectations on him.
05:50
I remember his first, you know, summer league game where he didn't play that well.
05:53
He's an absolute bust.
05:54
I can't believe they took him.
05:55
The guy from France, you got to at least let him play in the NBA.
05:57
He looks just fine.
05:58
He'll be just fine this year, too, because his usage rate is going to be absolutely massive
06:02
the rest of the way.
06:03
So maybe you are getting a discount on Victor Wemenyama because young players typically
06:07
get better as their early seasons move.
06:09
Do we expect Wemenyama to come and have a triple-double every single night, a quadruple-double
06:14
at this point?
06:15
No, but I guarantee you by January and February, those numbers will be crazy good.
06:18
It's just a matter of can San Antonio hang around and play meaningful basketball games
06:23
to sort of amplify what he's doing.
06:25
That's also part of it, right?
06:26
I believe the win total for the Spurs prior to this season was somewhere in the mid to
06:31
upper 30s.
06:32
39.5 is the number that kind of sticks in my brain.
06:36
If that is the case and they get close to that, there's still probably not going to
06:40
be a playoff team in the Western Conference or in the play-in tournament, but it just
06:44
shows growth for this San Antonio organization.
06:47
In fact, DRS, right now, there are nine teams around the Western Conference, at least a
06:51
game above 500 or better.
06:54
There are only two in the Eastern Conference.
06:57
The undefeated Cavs and the reigning champs, the Celtics, at seven and two.
07:03
Everybody else in the Eastern Conference is an even 500 or worse, not the greatest brand
07:09
of basketball in large part around the NBA to begin this season, now over two weeks in.
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