With the NBA season now in full swing, it's time for a number of teams to get a wriggle on or otherwise risk falling too far behind to make the playoffs.
LeBron's Lakers, a LeBron-less Cavaliers and Westbrook's OKC have all had slow starts to the season.
They will all be out in search of a win on Friday.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons
NBA Odds: Cavaliers $3.57 (+7.5) / Pistons $1.30 (-7.5)
Pistons fans will be ecstatic with how their team has started the season under new coach Dwane Casey.
The team from Detroit have won their opening three matches by 3, 2 and 1 points respectively.
The reigning coach of the year, Casey is certainly showing why, having engineered three nail-biting victories that the Pistons probably would've lost in previous seasons.
On the court, Andre Drummond has been rebounding up a storm in the paint, and part of why the Pistons are performing so well.
But it is Blake Griffin who has been on fire.
Griffin's last outing was something to behold, racking up a monster 50 points in the Piston's 1-point win over the 76ers.
Not only was this a career-high for Griffin, but he came up with an insane "and one" play to win the game.
Griffin tied the score with his lay-up with only 1.8 seconds on the clock, and then knocked down the subsequent free-throw that proved the difference.
If Griffin can come close to replicating that performance, an underwhelming Cavaliers will be blown off the court.
The Cavs just haven't looked the same without LeBron.
More responsibility has fallen on Kevin Love's shoulders, but he is yet to deal with this added pressure.
Love's trademark 3-point shooting is off- a worrying sign for the team from Cleveland.
And with a short back-up after their Thursday game against the Nets, Cleveland look to be outclassed in Detroit.
Key NBA Stat
When these teams met in pre-season, the Pistons won by 19 points: Detroit Pistons to win by 11+ @ $2.49
NBA Pick: Detroit Pistons to cover the -7.5 point line @ $1.92
Reasoning: Keep in mind that Kevin Love didn't play when these teams met in pre-season. He is due for a strong performance that would keep the score more respectable.
Boston Celtics @ Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA Odds: Celtics $1.93 (+1.5) / Thunder $1.87 (-1.5)
This is one of the highlight fixtures of the week, as Boston make the trip down to Oklahoma City to take on the likes of Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
OKC are still looking for their first win of the season and their task won't get any easier here.
A positive for the Thunder is that Westbrook has been absent through injury for the most part, only returning to the side last time out against the Kings.
The triple-double specialist was only two assists short of notching up his first of the campaign in his season debut game.
Westbrook obviously took no time at all to shake off the cobwebs, so expect another strong performance here.
Whether it will be enough to get OKC over the line is another question.
He won't win the game on his own, and therefore needs support from not only George, but the Thunder's younger generation who have to take the next step in their NBA development.
Boston meanwhile have underperformed since their impressive season opener against the 76ers, losing two of their next three.
Their last outing in Orlando was a particular disappointment, going down by 3 points to the unfancied Magic.
It was Boston's 3-point shooting that let them down in this game. Irving (2/8), Tatum (0/5), Brown (1/4), and Rozier (1/5) all had poor shooting days from beyond the arc.
When you throw away this many chances to score, it is near impossible to get the win.
The problem head coach Brad Stevens has to deal with is managing Boston's plethora of scoring players.
This is especially true now that Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are back in the team after long injury lay-offs.
Key NBA Stat
Oklahoma City have lost all 3 of their games this season, by an average margin of 12 points: Boston to win by a margin of 11+ @ $5.40
Free NBA Pick: Boston to win @ $1.93
Reasoning: Boston's 3-point shooting couldn't be as bad as last time. Expect a huge improvement on the scoreboard against a side that conceded 131 points at home last game.
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Odds: Nuggets $1.55 (-4.0) / Lakers $2.47 (+4.0)
The Nuggets have started the season as if they were fired out of a cannon.
Four wins from four games and the team from Denver are sitting pretty at the top of the Western Conference ladder.
One of these four wins came against Golden State, demonstrating the kind of form the Nuggets are in.
And the good news for fans of the team from Colorado is that star man Nikola Jokic still has room for improvement.
The big Serb had a whopping ten triple-doubles last season. He will be looking to exceed that number this campaign.
With young guard Jamal Murray hitting the scoreboard, the future is looking bright in Denver.
The Lakers (at the time of writing) are yet to record their first win of the NBA season, despite bolstering their squad with LeBron.
It's not as though the Lakers have been that bad, they've just come up against better opposition.
The three teams that they have lost against thus far (Blazers, Rockets, Spurs) all rank amongst the best teams in the West.
Their last defeat to the Spurs would've been particularly hard to take, going down by one point.
LeBron sent the game to overtime with an incredible long-range three-pointer, only for Aussie point guard Patty Mills to sink the game winning basket in the added period.
While the Lakers will be looking to bounce back at home, they will have to cope without Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram, who will both miss with suspension after their involvement in the brawl against the Rockets.
That might allow LeBron to take over. There is every chance that he will dominate in a game-winning performance in front of a partisan Lakers crowd.
Key NBA Stat
The last 6 encounters between these sides have been won by the home team: LA Lakers to win @ $2.47
Free NBA Pick: LA Lakers to win @ $2.47
Reasoning: While the Nuggets are undefeated this season, they've only had to play one away game.
This bet is great value in a match-up where the home team has tended to dominate.
Oct 25, 2018 07:01 PM
AAP
Key NBA Stat
NBA Pick: Detroit Pistons to cover the -7.5 point line @ $1.92
