NBA action continues tonight with several key matchups. Get a preview of the Grizzlies vs. Rockets, Knicks vs. Pistons and Clippers vs. Heat games.
After nine teams – including several playoff contenders – were in action on Sunday, the NBA has a few squads on the second night of a back-to-back tonight. For now, it appears that the Los Angeles Lakers (taking on the San Antonio Spurs) and Los Angeles Clippers (taking on the Miami Heat ) will be able to return to action on Monday amidst the tragic wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Hopefully, those teams can provide a glimmer of hope – and an escape from the tragedy – for their fans tonight.
The matchup of the night will happen in Houston, as for the second time in a week, the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets take on the No. 3-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in a Western Conference battle.The New York Knicks are playing the second night of a back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons tonight, and guard Jalen Brunson was banged up – despite a 44-point game – on Sunday against Milwaukee. Brunson left the floor in the third quarter with a right shoulder issue, but he did return to the game. Still, on the second night of a back-to-back, does Tom Thibodeau try to limit his star player’s minutes? Maybe not, but the return of Miles McBride was noticeable in the Knicks’ win on Sunday, as the former second-round pick played nearly 20 minutes and attempted nine shots, finishing with seven points, five rebounds and five assists despite shooting 0-for-4 from 3. This season, McBride is averaging 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, clearing this line in 19 of his 29 games. McBride is shooting 39.0 percent from 3, so his 0-for-4 showing on Sunday is far from the norm. If he continues to push double-digit shot attempts, he should soar past this total against the Pistons.Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane has picked up his scoring in recent weeks, and he’s cleared 27.5 points, rebounds and assists in 11 of his 17 games since Dec. 1. Over that stretch, Bane is averaging 19.1 points (on 13.7 field goal attempts per game), 5.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. He did fail to clear this prop against Houston earlier this month (16 points, four rebounds, four assists), but the two teams combined for 234 points in that game. If this matchup also ends up being a high-scoring affair, Bane should be in the mix to clear this prop for a 12th time in 18 games. Even though his scoring has been down this season (16.8 points per game), Bane has really done everything else at a high level, averaging 5.8 rebounds (on 9.7 rebound chances) and 5.1 assists (on 8.2 potential assists) per game.Even with Kawhi Leonard back for the Clippers, Norman Powell has still been arguably their most efficient – and best – scorer this season. Powell is averaging 23.7 points per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from behind the arc. In the two games that Leonard has played, Powell has 20 and 25 points, attempting 16 and 17 shots in those games. That’s right in line with his full season usage (16.9 shots per game), and now Powell gets to face a Miami Heat team that ranks 18th in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage and 15th in opponent 3s made per game. Leonard is going to continue to ramp up in the coming weeks, but I’m still buying Powell as the leader of this offense heading into Monday’s matchup
NBA GRIZZLIES ROCKETS KNICKS HEAT
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