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It’s a Wednesday Pick n’ Roll featuring some of the best young players in the NBA including Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Be a part of this free-to-play game courtesy of PointsBet.
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To help you out, here are the eight questions for this week’s contest along with some statistics and suggested picks.
Question #1 Most Points Scored by a Player
De’Aaron Fox vs. Indiana Season Avg. 23.2ppg
Trae Young vs. Detroit Season Avg. 28.0ppg
Donovan Mitchell vs. Boston Season Avg. 25.7ppg
Jayson Tatum vs. Utah Season Avg. 26.7ppg
Each of the players in this category has the capability of exploding offensively on any given night. Boston (#1) and Utah (#9) are Top Ten defensive teams in the NBA. Detroit (#23) and Indiana (#24) are in the bottom third of the league defending the rim. As a result, it makes sense to look at De’Aaron Fox and Trae Young as the primary candidates to win this category. Trae Young and the Hawks face the Detroit Pistons whose games have hit the OVER in their last three outings.
Suggested Answer: Trae Young to score the most points of this group.
Question #2: Kings Points vs. the Pacers
0-97, 98-104, 105-112, 113-118, 119-125, 126+
The Kings have lost seven of their last eight games. In those seven, the OVER has hit in five of those games. Sacramento has averaged 114 points per game during this stretch. The Pacers’ defense has been less than good. In their last eight games, their opponents have averaged 120 points per game. Expect that trend to continue.
Suggested Answer: The Kings to score 119-125 points vs. the Pacers
Question #3: Pacers’ Rebounds vs. the Kings
0-37, 38-40, 41-43, 44-46, 47-50, 51+
Indiana is averaging close to 54 rebounds per game while allowing nearly 45 per contest. That 54/game for the season has climbed to nearly 56 rebounds per game the last three games. Expect more of the same from the Pacers vs. the Kings.
Answer: Indiana to tally 51+ rebounds vs. Sacramento
Question #4: Jazz Assists vs. the Celtics
0-18, 19-21, 22-23, 24-26, 27+
The Utah Jazz average 22.4 assists per game but on Wednesday night the Jazz take to the court against the stingiest defense in the league in the Boston Celtics. Add in the fact that this will be Utah’s third game in the last four nights and there is no discounting the effects of fatigue. Lean to the UNDER here.
Answer: Utah to tally 19-21 assists vs. Boston
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Question #5: Celtics’ Points vs. the Jazz
0-94, 95-103, 104-109, 110-116, 117+
Boston has been the most efficient team in the league on offense and defense basically since Marcus Smart returned to the lineup more than a month ago. A team that was floundering the first third of the season is now flourishing. The Celtics are 21-4 in their last 25 games. On offense, they are averaging almost 120 points per game (119.84) over the course of those 25 games. The Celtics are a freight train rolling down the tracks currently and although the Jazz are the league’s 9th most stingy defense, expect Boston to get its share of buckets.
Answer: Boston to score 117+ points vs. Utah
Question #6: Total 3-Pointers Hawks vs. Pistons
0-17, 18-22, 23-25, 26-29, 30+
These two teams combine on average for 23.7 three-pointers per game. In their last three games, the Pistons themselves have made 14 3s per game which is up from their season average of 11.2 per contest. Atlanta has dropped to an average of 12 per game in their last three games. Detroit’s improvement behind the arc is in large part due to the sudden maturation of rookie Cade Cunningham. Because his improvement has been consistent the second half of his rookie campaign, you can count on their recent improvement behind the arc to be the new norm.
Answer: The Pistons and the Hawks to make a combined total of 23-25 3-Pointers.
Question #7: Winner of Kings vs. Pacers
Margin of Victory
1-2, 3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11+
On February 8th the Kings and the Pacers made one of the larger trades of this season. At its core, Sacramento traded Tyrese Halliburton and Buddy Hield to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis. Has either team as a result experienced a miraculous climb back into the playoff picture? In a word, no. The Indiana Pacers are 4-6 in their last ten games and the Sacramento Kings are 2-8 in their last ten. Take the home team to win this game filled with so much uncertainty.
Answer: Pacers to win by 7-8 points against the Kings
Question #8: Winner of Jazz vs. Celtics
Margin of Victory
1-2, 3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11+
The Boston Celtics are a machine and have been for the past 25 games going 21-4 in that span. Ime Udoka’s club has won four of their last five games and they have won those four by an average of 30.5 points. Yikes! Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics have transformed themselves from a fringe playoff team to a threat to claim at least the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Jazz are playing better of late as they are finally getting healthy, but this will be their third game in four nights. The Jazz are on the road and no doubt fatigue has to be factored into the equation.
Answer: Celtics to win by 11+ points against the Jazz
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