What a weekend!! Christmas came early this year boys and girls, as this weekend was arguably the best of the year in sports. We had the Warriors 24 game heater coming to an end in Milwaukee, Connor McGregor silencing the critics on his second punch, and the New York Jets demolishing the Titans to stay in the wildcard race (I don't care what anyone thinks, its on the same level). But more importantly than all of those, NBA League Pass was free for the entire weekend!! So it was back to the ol' drawing board for B Catz, as I was able to watch almost every team and get a good feeling for where everyone is at after the quarter mark of the season.
TOR +5 vs. IND
The Raptors recently lost center Jonas V to a broken hand and it doesn't sound like he will be back until early January. Usually when a team loses their big man, its basically a death sentence, but I would argue this is an acceptable loss for the Raptors. DeRozan won eastern conference player of the week, and his running mate Kyle Lowery continues to play like one of the top guards in the NBA. With Big V out, this means more shots for the duo and more opportunities for the bench to come in and carry the load (time to start earning that contract Terrance Ross). The Pacers are still shooting the ball extremely well from deep, but PG13 has cooled off, and no other player on the team is playing at a high level. Raps are too deep for the Pacers here, take the points.
PHX +4 vs. DAL
I have to admit, if I owned stock in the Suns I would have sold it about a month ago, because I didn't know what their identity was and where they were going. Now I am calling the front office daily asking if they accept food stamps for "Suns stock". For some reason they keep hanging up, but you know who hasn't hung up their official bust status as an NBA player? Alex Len. If you follow DP, you would know that we didn't care for him at all, and thought the Suns taking him at six was an absolute joke. Well, it took a few years, and he is nowhere near a finished product, but he might actually be a competent NBA center!! I got the chance to watch him in person last week, and he dominated against the Magic!! He was attacking the boards like Porzingis, and used his height like a big man should! If he can continue to play well while Chandler is out, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Suns make a move upward in the standings. Devin Booker continues to get more playing time because he's the future GOAT and deserves it, while you always know what you are getting from the all-Kentucky backcourt. Phoenix likes to run and gun and I won't be surprised if they take an old Dallas team (currently starting Ray Felton at PG....seriously) and run them out of their own building.
UTA +12.5 vs. SAS
My super sleeper of the night!! I got the chance to watch Utah play twice this weekend (both times against OKC) and let me tell you something, the Jazz aren't dead without Rudy Gobert! They were surprisingly feisty against the Thunder and the only reason they lost both games is because KD and Westbrook are playing like gods, while the rest of us mere mortals watch in awe. Don't get me wrong, I love the Spurs. Fantastic team that when is all said and done could knock out Golden State in the playoffs (you heard it here first!!), but getting this many points is an absolute must take for me.
NOP +3 vs. POR
Finally the super shaky pick of the night. Damien Lillard loves playing against Anthony Davis, presumably because he was drafted sixth while Davis went first, and goes off every time they meet. Davis has never won in Portland which really doesn't help my case here either. But I'm gonna go with the ol' "he's due for a win!!!" angle that never seems to work out!! Pelicans are ever so slowly creeping back towards .500, and tonight they get a big win in rip city to help their cause!
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