Our free NBA Picks are out for Wednesday, November 17th, 2021! Make sure you check our NBA Picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Washington Wizards @ Charlotte Hornets – 7pm ET
The best team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards, find themselves as two point underdogs on the road against the Charlotte Hornets tonight. Despite being on a five-game winning streak, the Wizards are getting points from the Hornets, who have won three straight of their own including the Warriors in their last start.
Tim Newton
This is a tough one as personally, I quite like what the Hornets have done so far this season while I’m also not a fan of Washington’s squad and think they are seriously overachieving at the moment. However, the stats, and wins, don’t lie. Washington are just one of five teams league-wide that are in double digit wins, while the Hornets are just one game above 0.500.
Charlotte may have gotten off to a hot start, ranking 2nd for points per game and 3rd for three-point percentage, but the reason they haven’t been able to close out games is their porous defense. The Hornets give up the most points per game in the league, and while it isn’t crazy high numbers, it is almost two points per game more than they are scoring themselves.
On the other hand, you have a Washington side that is winning games on the gritty end of the floor. Ranking just 16th for points per game and 20th for three-point percentage, the Wizards are 7th for opponents’ points per game and they are the best in the league for three-point defense. That means that they aren’t letting you score, aren’t letting you shoot well and grinding away for their victories.
Ultimately, Charlotte’s victory over Golden State, a very good defensive side, was due to the Warriors having an off shooting night. I don’t expect that to happen with the Wizards here and I like them to pick up the win on the road.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Washington Wizards (+110)
Denis Kirilov
The Washington Wizards will travel to Charlotte in an attempt to maintain their 5-game winning streak. In this run they might have defeated some of the weakest teams in the NBA at the moment, but they also managed to overcome the challenge of the Milwaukee Bucks and of the Memphis Grizzlies. Their team will surely be a one to watch during this season, as it will be really exciting to see how players like Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrel, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will perform under pressure. Moreover, this will be Spencer Dinwiddie’s first season as a leader of the Wizards with Bradley Beal being rested a bit more than usual due to injuries and personal reasons.
On the other hand, the Charlotte Hornets managed to build a very interesting and compelling team as well. Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball lead the Hornets, but they have a back-up from Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier III, and Mason Plumlee. Kelly Oubre Jr. also found his rhythm in Charlotte as he dropped 37 points off the bench against the Grizzlies. The Hornets are on a 3-game winning streak and in their last match they put an end to the Warriors’ undefeated run. Right before this, they found a way past the Grizzlies and the Knicks. It will be an electrifying matchup between some of the most underrated players in the NBA and I don’t feel confident enough in picking a winner. Rather, I will go with the option for “over” points in this game as many players have been getting buckets from both teams this season.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Over 214.5 (-110)
The Washington Wizards are 10-3, and the No. 1 seed in the East.
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/gelOM6mA2S
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 16, 2021
Michael Lantz
Two of the NBA’s biggest surprises faceoff on Wednesday night as the 10-3 Washington Wizards visit the 8-7 Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte has produced one of the NBA’s best offenses, as they sit second in points per game this year. They’re also coming off a big victory against the Golden State Warriors, who they beat 106-102 on Sunday night. They hope their win against the best team in the Western Conference can carry over to the game in which they’ll be playing the best team in the Eastern Conference just three days later.
The Washington Wizards just keep finding ways to win. Even with Bradley Beal out on Monday night they got a 27-point performance from Spencer Dinwiddie as they were able to take down the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. Beal will be back on Wednesday against the Hornets, as the Wizards hope to apply their much improved defense against the offensive skill of Charlotte players including LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and more. The Hornets may have gotten to Golden State’s defense, but it’s going to be hard to go back-to-back games, in which they’ll now face a Wizards team that allows the lowest opponent field goal percentage. In addition to that, Gordon Hayward is listed as probable, so the Hornets may not have him at full-strength, if at all. I think this one will be close and it’s great to have these two teams turn into “must-watch” basketball, but I’ll keep rolling with the Wiz.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Washington Wizards (+110)
Noah Dunlap
This has the potential to be a great matchup, but one that widely flies under the radar. Washington has surprisingly been one of the best teams in the league so far this season, behind Bradley Beal, but also getting serious help from new additions Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma. To help out even more, the Wizards have even been getting solid minutes from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which has been surprising to quite a few people as well. This help from the supporting cast has allowed Washington the ability to run off five straight wins, and now they’re going for number six against a surging Charlotte team.
After starting the year extremely well, the Hornets hit a lull for about two weeks, but have since turned it on again, entering this one on a three-game winning streak, including having just knocked off Golden State on Sunday. With LaMelo Ball looking like one of the best point guards in the NBA (even though it’s only year 2), and getting solid minutes from a supporting cast that features Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, and Kelly Oubre Jr., and it’s easy to understand why the Hornets are buzzing again. With the fact that it looks like Bradley Beal will miss this one for Washington, I’m leaning slightly towards Charlotte to extend their winning streak to four, ending the Wizards own streak along the way.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets -2 (-110)
Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30pm ET
The Atlanta Hawks host the Boston Celtics in a clash between two sides that made the playoffs last season and are yet to live up to expectations so far this season. After making the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks were supposed to take a jump into the elite teams in the East while Boston, behind Tatum and Brown, looked like they were ready to arrive on the biggest stage. While it is still very early on in the season, this matchup looms to be an important one for either side to get back on track.
Tim Newton
After four games on the road, for four losses, the Hawks have returned home and looked to get back in a groove. They have had back to back big wins, first over a shorthanded Milwaukee team and a terrible, but developing, Orlando side. While that level of competition doesn’t seem like much, it is comparable to what they will face tonight – a Boston side without their 1B, Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics have managed to stay a float with Brown out of the lineup, going 3-2 over the five game span that he has missed due to his hamstring injury. However, all they have beaten is a rebuilding Toronto side, a rebuilding Cleveland side and a shorthanded Milwaukee side, but they beat them by much less than the Hawks did.
Looking at tonight’s clash, the loss of De’Andre Hunter is massive for Atlanta, especially his defense against Jayson Tatum. While it is hard to replicate his sort of effort and intensity, they do have the likes of Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish to throw at him. It then just comes down to whether John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic can provide appropriate scoring relief for Trae Young and, at home, I think they’ll be able to do that.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Atlanta Hawks (-174)
Denis Kirilov
The Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks will have their first meeting for the season in State Farm Arena. Both teams are disappointing their fans for the moment as Boston are 9th, while Atlanta floats in 13th place in the East. The Hawks rely mainly on Trae Young, but with his 6’2’’ height it’s not easy to drop 30 points each single game. Josh Collins will need to level up his game in order to bring the much-needed help for Young. Clint Capela knows well how to provide his playmaker with a clear opportunity to pass inside the paint and such actions might drive a lot of people from Trae in order to cover the Swiss center. Bogdan Bogdanovic will have a hard task to be efficient from the 3-point line, but I see a huge potential in him.
On the opposite side, we have the Boston Celtics who are a team with great traditions in the NBA, but they couldn’t live up to the expectations lately. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are expected to lead the team this year, but even if one of them fails to deliver, they have Dennis Schroder and Al Horford who might cover them. However, things are not looking bright for the Celtics as they can’t really show off with a big win this season apart from their outplay over the Miami Heat. They have been quite inconsistent and I think this will go on for a long, long period this season. I will go with the Hawks as I don’t see who will stop Trae Young from dropping 35-40 points tomorrow night.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Atlanta Hawks (-174)
Michael Lantz
The Boston Celtics appear to be on the up, as they now sit at 7-7 after a 2-5 start. A majority of their run back to .500 has come without all-star Jaylen Brown who is battling an injury. As expected, Jayson Tatum has been pretty electric, but the Celtics have been getting good production from role players including veteran Al Horford, free-agent acquisition Dennis Shroeder, and young talent like Robert Williams (who is questionable for Wednesday’s game). Coach Ime Udoka has got to be pleased with what he’s seen of late and C’s fans have got to be impressed with the early days of his tenure.
The Celtics will travel to Atlanta on Wednesday night to take on a Hawks team that’s looking for a similar surge as Boston. The Hawks sit at 6-9, but were 4-9 just last week before consecutive wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic. Getting a couple wins might have just been the psychological hurdle for Trae Young and Co. to clear. Now they look to take their energy into this game against the Celtics. Unfortunately they lost young talent DeAndre Hunter for almost two months with a tendon injury; they also may be without Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter who are day-to-day. Missing both of those two would be a major loss for Atlanta, but imagaining at least one of the suits up I expect this to be a pretty solid battle. I’m a bit on the fence because of the potential people out, so I think I’ll take Boston to cover on the road.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics +4 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Both of these teams had high hopes coming into the year. And after roughly the first month of play, both teams have been massive disappointments. Atlanta, after making the Eastern Conference Finals last year, can’t seem to get any help from anyone not named Trae Young, as Clint Capela, John Collins, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have all been disappointments with their play this season. Trae Young can score with the best in the league, but his size causes him to be somewhat of a defensive liability, and with the role players not doing their part, this has caused major struggles from the Hawks this season.
The problem is that the same can be said for the Boston Celtics, as they have a roster that from a talent standpoint should be playing much better than they are currently. Jaylen Brown has been playing decent basketball, and Jayson Tatum has shown flashes of being what he’s supposed to be, but the consistency hasn’t been there. Much like Atlanta, the supporting cast has been playing relatively poorly, and the shooting has been absolutely abysmal for the C’s. With both teams being in a hole to start the year, for this one, I’m going simply with the fact that Boston has two guys in Tatum and Brown who have shown the ability to score in bunches when needed, whereas currently Young is the only player for Atlanta that has shown that same ability. Due to two being greater than one, I’m taking Boston to win a tight one on the road in a game that features more points than I think many may expect.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (+146)
Los Angeles Lakers @ Milwaukee Bucks – 7:30pm ET
Over their last ten games, being decimated with outs, the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled to find their footing. They currently sit two games below 0.500 and now have to host a LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers. This would typically be one of the games of the season, as we have seen over the last few years, but the injuries and outs may leave us feeling hollow afterwards.
Tim Newton
While the Lakers will still be without LeBron James, the Bucks are likely to add Khris Middleton back into the fold and that should be more than enough to help Milwaukee get back on track. They have gone just 3-7 over their last 10 games, but will play with their Big Three of Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday for just the third time this season, with their other two games producing wins.
Especially when you consider that the Lakers are just 4-5 without James in the lineup and have only been on the road three times this season, losing two of them and needing overtime to win the other. Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook seem to have figured out how to play without #6 in the lineup and the return of Talen Horton-Tucker from injury has helped the offense, but it is hard to see them competing, especially when the Bucks will want to prove a point in this.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucks did cover, as eight point favorites, but that is too many points to be laying in my opinion, especially when Middleton is likely to have some rust but still put up a fair few attempts. However, they are certainly going to win the game and can be chucked in as a safe leg in your parlays for the day.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-335)
Denis Kirilov
The last two NBA champions are facing each other on Wednesday in Milwaukee. The Los Angeles Lakers hoped last season that they could repeat their Championship, but failed in their mission early in the Playoffs with a 4-2 loss to the Phoenix Suns. On the other hand, Milwaukee ended a 50-year drought with their title last season, defeating the Suns 4-2 in The Finals. The Lakers started off this campaign in a more conservative fashion as they somehow managed to be up 8-7 after much inconsistency in their performance. They have suffered losses to the Thunder and to the Timberwolves, but at the same time got wins over the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets.
The Milwaukee Bucks have an excuse to their awful start to the season as they are 6-8 in the East. They have been struggling with injuries from the very beginning of the season as both Middleton and Lopez have been out until now, and Jrue Holiday returned to play just a couple of games ago. It’s obvious that Giannis’ form is far away from what he has shown us in the Playoffs last year and it will be immensely hard to carry the team on his own. However, with the help of Bobby Portis, Jrue Holiday, and players like Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen, I think that the Bucks are the superior team in this matchup. Hence, I will go with them covering the spread hoping that they won’t disappoint and deliver in front of their home crowd in Fiserv Forum.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -8 (-110)
Khris Middleton will be back from health and safety protocols on Wednesday in time for our game vs. Lakers 👊 pic.twitter.com/x2J6FzFrjR
— Bucks Nation (@BucksNationCP) November 14, 2021
Michael Lantz
In what some predicted would be a potential NBA Finals match before the season, is now two teams that have had to fight to stay alive in their respective conferences. Don’t get me wrong, it’s early in the season and when it’s all said and done, I fully expect the Bucks and Lakers to be high-seed playoff teams, but for now they’ve had to overcome injuries to their top players with the Lakers being Lebron-less and the Bucks having Kris Middleton and Brook Lopez miss large chunks of time.
Luckily, for the Bucks, it appears Middleton may be back soon—as soon as Wednesday night’s game against the Lakers. Middleton is questionable to play, but even if he does I expect for him to take a couple of games to find his rhythm.
Meanwhile, the Lakers actually started out ok without Lebron James. Aside from an embarrassing loss to the inferior OKC Thunder, the team went 3-1 in their first four. Unfortunately teams have fingered them out as they’ve lost two of three, with both losses being blowouts. The Lakers hope that Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook can step up and have big games, but the fact that they’ve been struggling to stay consistent is frustrating; it won’t get any easier against a Bucks team at home. Middleton or not, expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to feast on the inside against this L.A. Lakers team that some aren’t afraid to call a bit “soft”. I’ll take the Bucks.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-335)
Noah Dunlap
Milwaukee continues to fight the injury/Covid bug to start the year, which in large part explains their poor start to the year. They’ve been without Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Khris Middleton for much of the start of the year, which has put immense pressure on Giannis to single-handedly lead his team, which he has done a decent job of, but it’s certainly been far from perfect and you can certainly see the toll that this pressure has been having on his performance.
For the Lakers, after winning the title two years ago, they continued the trend of trying to buy another title, and currently the results have been disastrous. The new additions from this offseason, up to this point, haven’t been working, as Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, and for the most part Carmelo Anthony, have had little to no impact on any type of on-court results. There have been flashes of what the veteran All-Star team can achieve, as they have some good wins on the year, but there have also been some really inexcusable losses along the way. In this one, with Jrue Holiday having returned a few games ago, and some reports that Khris Middleton may be available, I like a healthier Bucks squad to get the win at home, in extremely tight fashion. Given how tight I think it will be, I think the better play with the most value is the Lakers with the points.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +8 (-110)
Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns – 10pm ET
The Phoenix Suns will host the Dallas Mavericks in the first of two matchups between the sides over the next three nights. The Mavericks seem to have figured things out of late, winning two straight and four of their last five, but the Suns are on a completely different level right now, looking for their 10th straight victory tonight.
Tim Newton
It is hard to see the Suns losing this one isn’t it. The sides met three times last season and Phoenix won all three, plus they are clearly in incredible form at the moment, with their nine straight wins. What is even more impressive is that Deandre Ayton returned from injury in their last game and he, along with Devin Booker and Chris Paul, scored 20+ points and helped them secure the win.
Meanwhile, Dallas has been inconsistent, as per usual. Luke Doncic tries hard but is never sure whether Kristaps Porzingis or Tim Hardaway Jr will actually be there to provide adequate support. In Monday’s win over Denver, Porzingis was the star of the show, with 29 points and 11 rebounds, and the Mavs were able to win 111-101. Will he rock up tonight against a very good defensive side?
Ultimately, given the Suns are at home, they have a massive edge here. Dallas ranks just 22nd in points per game this season and there is an eight point disparity in their performance at home and on the road, with the road being the inferior of the two. The 100.7 points per game they average on the road is the 4th worst in the league, and an extra bonus for this game, Phoenix forces the second most turnovers in the league. So not only do the Mavs struggle to score on the road, the Suns get after you better than nearly everybody in the league. Like the Bucks over the Lakers, Phoenix is a super safe bet to add some value to your parlay for the day.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-350)
Denis Kirilov
Two of the top 3 teams in the Western Conference will go head-to-head in a battle that will decide who is more worthy to be right after the Golden State Warriors. The Dallas Mavericks are 3rd with 9 wins and 4 losses, while the Phoenix Suns find themselves in the 2nd spot with 9 wins in a row. They might have faced only teams from the bottom half of the NBA or such teams who are either struggling with injuries or inconsistency, but such achievement cannot be underestimated. Dallas will surely be their biggest challenge so far in their run, but they might be without Luka Doncic who has some issues with his ankle and is questionable for the game.
Phoenix, on the other hand, are healthy and are eager to get to another shot at the title this year. Chris Paul still hasn’t said his last word, while players like Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Cameron Payne might be playing their best basketball these years. I think they are favourites to reach deep in the Playoffs, but we will see how this goes. As for their game against the Mavericks, I will give my preferences to the Suns not only because Luka Doncic might miss the match. They have been classes above Dallas recently as they are the more complete and more balanced team, while the Mavs rely too much on a single player. I will trust them to cover the spread given by the bookmakers.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -8 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After what appeared to be a bit of a runner-up hangover from the NBA Finals last season, the Phoenix Suns are looking back and ready to put last season behind them. They’re on a nine game win streak and now sit near the top of the west with a 10-3 record. The Suns’ “Big Three” of DeAndre Ayton (when healthy), Devin Booker, and Chris Paul, continue to grow more comfortable together as they set their sights on a Dallas Mavericks team that sits one game behind them in the Western Conference standings.
Dallas was thrilled to get payback against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night as they won 111-100 after losing to the Nuggets by 30+ at the end of October. The team is really starting to get the performances they had hoped for from Kristaps Prozingis, as he’s been electric in the month of November. Now, he’s gonna have to continue that electricity like never before. It was announced Tuesday that Luka Doncic will miss Wednesday night’s game with an ankle injury. Doncic isn’t expected to miss too much time, but he’ll definitely be out a bit. Porzingis and the Mavs supporting cast will have to step up, but going against this hot Suns team may be a little over their heads.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -8 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This is another matchup that should be entertaining, even though we got to this point quietly. After slow starts from both of these teams, they’ve both managed to find themselves in the top-3 of the Western Conference, with Dallas getting there on the back of Luka Doncic, while Phoenix has done so in a more balanced way, utilizing virtually their whole roster to get here. Behind Devin Booker, Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton, and Cameron Johnson, the Suns enter this one on a nine-game winning streak, even though they ran these wins off quietly
With reports that Luka may miss this one as he’s dealing with a slight ankle issue, and even if he does play he’s far less than 100%, which leaves Dallas to rely heavily on Kristaps Porzingis to try to get a win against arguably the hottest team in basketball. While I think Porzingis is a fine player, he’s not a guy I’m willing to build a team around, or want to have to shoulder the load against one of the league’s elites. With all of this in mind, I’m taking Phoenix to continue their winning streak, in pretty comfortable fashion.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -8 (-110)
Chicago Bulls @ Portland Trail Blazers – 10pm ET
We round out the night with the Chicago Bulls looking to add another win to the ledger on their West Coast trip, this time taking on the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bulls sit near the top of the East with a 10-4 record, while the Blazers have been hard to catch but also performed much better at home.
Tim Newton
As the introduction states, the Blazers have been hard to catch. However, there is a clear trend beginning to form. They are 1-7 on the road, but at home, like they are tonight, they are 6-1. Portland hasn’t lost at home since their opening game of the season but now they face what is potentially their toughest test of the lot.
Chicago has been on fire to start this season, and their big two of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan have been the driving force behind that. They have been unstoppable offensively, and they look even better in games, like against the Lakers on Monday, when Lonzo Ball joins the party as well. Ball has 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against his former side, while LaVine added 26 and DeRozan had a game-high 38.
Looking at Portland, they actually score more than the Bulls do so far this season, and actually score 13.5 points per game more when at home. The difference is, the Blazers shoot worse from deep, they turn the ball over more, they allow more points and they force less turnovers. Portland is clearly a better side when playing at home this season, but how can they possibly compete with the Bulls in this one?
Tim’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-102)
Denis Kirilov
The Portland Trail Blazers host the Chicago Bulls in the last game for Wednesday night in the NBA. The paradox with the Blazers is that they are 100% healthy as of now and they still struggle against most of the teams in the association. Damian Lillard is so out of form that sometimes it will be better for the Blazers to play without him. CJ McCollum and Norman Powell do their best to compensate for Lillard’s mediocre performance, but their efforts come up short on numerous occasions. Josip Nurkic also gets dominated inside the paint by the opponents’ center and this is another unusual thing for the Blazers. Portland will need to work hard on solving these problems as early as possible so that they can have enough time to recover until the end of the season.
The Chicago Bulls is probably one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA at the moment. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Lonzo Ball have been getting buckets like crazy in the early stage of this campaign. They are 2nd in the East right behind the Washington Wizards and they will look to contest the 1st place in the upcoming games. Alex Caruso and Nikola Vucevic further strengthen the team with their presence on the court, but the latter tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss a couple of matches. However, even without him and with Tony Bradley replacing him, I think that the Bulls are huge favorites to win this one. I am confident to choose them over the inconsistent Blazers all day long.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-102)
Zach’s face after DeMar pulled out the half-spin fadeaway over AD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KvIgQYU5l0
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 16, 2021
Michael Lantz
The Chicago Bulls continue to show they’re an elite team, even after they lost Patrick Williams for the year and Nikola Vucevic for a few games to COVID. After a tough loss against the Golden State Warriors, the Bulls rebounded nicely, beating both L.A. teams at the Staples Center. They’ll look to bring their pesky defense to Portland to take on a Trail Blazers team that’s battling some injuries of their own.
Portland has been off to a disappointing start, but they got a great win Monday night as they beat a good defensive team in the Toronto Raptors. Even better, they got 24 points from Damian Lillard who had been listed as questionable up until game day due to an abdominal injury. It was one of Dame’s better offensive games of his season, but as his abdominal injury persists, he might have to miss Wednesday’s clash against the Bulls. In addition to Lillard, the Blazers may be seeing Norman Powell sidelined as well (left ankle sprain). It’s tough to make a call with both of these two listed as questionable, but I’ll still go with the Bulls regardless. Chicago has been resilient when battling team injuries, and their defense should irritate the Blazer shooters enough to walk away with a victory.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-102)
Noah Dunlap
What has happened to the Portland Trail Blazers? After spending years as being roughly a 4-5 seed in the Western Conference, they’ve fallen completely flat this year, and look like one of the worst teams in the conference. This is due in large part to the fact that Damian Lillard has looked all out of sorts so far this year, which has put more pressure on CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Norman Powell to lead the way, which they have shown an inability to do so far this year.
It doesn’t help that they’re now welcoming in one of the best teams in the league, as the Bulls currently sit at 2nd in the East. Using key off-season moves that landed them Lonzo Ball and DeMar Derozan, the Bulls have had one of the most consistent offenses in the league, as they also have Zach LaVine to lean on when it deems itself necessary. Even with LaVine dealing with a thumb issue, this Bulls roster is far too balanced, especially with how Derozan is currently playing, for a Portland team that has by and large been atrocious to open the year. Give me Chicago to get yet another win on their West Coast road trip, this one probably coming is easy fashion.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-102)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
