Anthony Edwards . . . Rising.
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Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 NBA Season so far: 139-161-4, -$344.10
(Standing Caveat: The universe is chaotic. Life is unpredictable. Things happen. Like injuries. And COVID protocols. In following Seattle O’Sullivan’s betting advice, be advised that you should always monitor your bets during the day to make certain unforeseen things have not occurred which might change your wagering opinion. Thank you.)
San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 pm Eastern
The Pick: Cleveland -210, bet $35.42 to win $17; Cleveland -5.5 (-110), bet $16.48 to win $15
Cleveland’s trading of Ricky Rubio and picks to Indiana for Caris LeVert is a clear sign that the Cavaliers think their time is now. Rubio was a solid performer this season but is hurt and is older; LeVert is younger and an underrated offensive talent. In a macro sense, Cleveland is hungry now. In a micro sense, that means they’re trying to win every game, including a home game against a team they should definitely beat. The Cavs are 17-9 at home (both straight up and against the spread) and 20-6 as a favorite. San Antonio is 9-26 as an underdog and might be the least interesting team in the league. Boring teams are still able to win, of course, but generally not against rising teams that have realized they might be able to make the NBA Finals this year.
Toronto Raptors at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 pm Eastern
The Pick: Oklahoma City +10 (-106), bet $18.55 to win $17.50; Oklahoma City +400, bet $2.50 to win $10
Oklahoma City is a bad team, this much is true, and they’re only 9-17 at home, which makes sense because again, they’re bad. But, but, but - they’re 15-8-3 against the spread at home. Their +/- against the spread at home is +1.5. My unscientific theory is, Oklahoma City the actual city is so boring that opposing teams get lulled to sleep. A more likely theory is, the Thunder are a bad team that plays hard, and that translates to better performances in their own arena. I mean, OKC is 32-18-3 against the spread all season - that’s second in the NBA, for heaven’s sake. In any event, ten points is a big spread to lay for a Raptors team that’s on the rise but sure ain’t the ’85 Bears (as I may have mentioned, the ’85 Bears are always the standard when making the point that something not all that threatening, different sport or no). Toronto has won six straight but are 3-7 ATS against Oklahoma City in their last ten games. They’ve also lost seven of their last ten in OKC. They play Houston tomorrow night, so this is almost like a layover. All this translates to a closer game than expected. I’ll take ten points, and even put a small taste on an upset.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings, 10 pm Eastern
The Pick: Minnesota -9 (-114), bet $14.20 to win $12.50
Before making this play, I did some research to see how sportsbooks handle it when a game is interrupted by angry fans storming the court because their team’s GM traded away their best young star. I know I’m not alone in saying this, but as much as I like Domantas Sabonis, I simply don’t understand why Sacramento traded away Tyrese Halliburton. He was the brightest star in the darkest of black holes. My Lord. So tonight, I’m going to go with the team that didn’t most recently demonstrate they’re a franchise that has no clue what they’re doing (I’m not arguing Minnesota is competent, note the phrase most recently). The Timberwolves have won five straight, five straight ATS, and after a win average +3.4 against the next spread. Also, they didn’t just trade away their youngest and best player. My Lord.
Player Props: Anthony Edwards over 22.5 points (-116), bet $17.40 to win $15; Anthony Edwards over 4.5 rebounds (-106), bet $15.90 to win $15