Portland Trail Blazers (18-11) at Phoenix Suns (19-10)
Portland's 6 game winning streak ended against the Wizards on Sunday so they'll be eager for a rebounding performance against the Suns. Defensively they were poor against Bradley Beal (37 pts) so they'll need to shutdown Devin Booker in this matchup, who can put up similar numbers. On the flipside, Lillard scored 35 pts against the Wizards and will be keen to get the better of Chris Paul.
Meanwhile, the Suns have recovered nicely from a shocking second half against the Nets with 2 easy wins over the Pelicans and Grizzlies. They also gave their starters plenty of rest in the recent 31 pt win over the Grizzlies, which should help them overcome a poor record against Portland.
With two of the better teams in the West going head to head, we're expecting a high scoring affair. As such, the Over is 6-1 in the Suns last 7 games and the Trail Blazers are 6-2 against the Over on the road.
Stadium Record
The Suns have won 7 of their last 8 home games. Portland holds a nice 5-1 record at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Portland has owned the Suns in the last 10 with an 8-2 record and have won the last 2 meetings by 10+.
Best Bet
Charlotte Hornets (14-15) at Utah Jazz (24-6)
The Hornets were involved in a wild finish (and controversial) against the Warriors as Terry Rozier nailed a field goal as time expired to give the Hornets a huge 102-100 home victory. However, getting a victory in Utah this season is proving to be a tough challenge and the Hornets will be need to be at their very best. The key will be LaMelo Ball as he fills the starting role for Graham and he does have a good matchup against the Jazz.
The Jazz suffered a rare loss last time out as they went down to the Clippers 116-112, which snapped a 9 game winning streak. However, the Jazz are 13-0 at home and will be confident of continuing that streak here. Charlotte struggle to defend Small Forwards at the moment so look for the likes of Bogdanovic and Ingles to lead the way.
It's always tough to back against the Jazz on their home court and we're not prepared to do so against an inconsistent Hornets team. So as mentioned, Bojan Bogdanovic has a nice matchup against the Hornets and he looks nice value to beat 18+ pts. He scored 23 pts in his last game and recently hit 19 against the Heat at home.
Stadium Record
Utah has won 13 straight at home. The Hornets are 0-5 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Jazz hold an 8-2 record in the last 10 meetings since 2016.
Best Bet
Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Lakers
The Wizards have won 4 straight against the Celtics, Rockets, Nuggets and Trail Blazers so they'll be really confident in another tough matchup against the Lakers. In their last win, the Westbrook and Beal combination continued. Beal scored 37 pts and Westbrook tallied 13 assists. So the pair will be the key against an undermanned Lakers team.
The Lakers have lost 2 on the trot against the Heat and Nets so they'll be keen for a bounce back. However, there's no Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder. So the pressure is on LeBron James to lead the way and the Lakers bench. LeBron does have a good matchup against the Wizards lacking defence so that should be a key gameplan for the Lakers.
With the Lakers struggling through an injury crisis and they've won their last 4, we like the value on offer for the Wizards to keep this one close for 4 quarters.
Stadium Record
Los Angeles are 5-2 at home this season. The Wizards have lost their last 3 against the Lakers at this venue since 2017.
Head to Head Record
The Lakers have easily won the last 2 meetings by 11+.
Best Bet
