Pistons vs. 76ers
The 76ers look extremely sharp right now. Nick Nurse is putting Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in position to succeed and the surrounding pieces, like Kelly Oubre, DeAnthony Melton, Tobias Harris, and Nic Batum, have filled their respective roles perfectly. They sit at 6-1 to start the season. The Pistons, meanwhile, played the Bucks tough in their most recent loss, but they've dropped 6 straight and are very shorthanded with injuries. Aside from the injuries, to me the biggest issue with Detroit is their lack of spacing. They start two traditional bigs in Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren and their two starting guards, Killian Hayes and Cade Cunningham, are both currently shooting lower than 33% on three pointers. I think when the Sixers build a lead in this game, the Pistons will struggle to keep up.
Prediction: 76ers -8.5
Spurs vs. Wolves
The Wolves have won 4 straight games, including huge wins against maybe the two best teams in basketball in Denver and Boston. A big part of the story has been the ascension of guard Anthony Edwards to superstardom. But, I think we also need to look at the improvement in Minnesota's defense. They've held their opponents to 110 points or less in 5 of their 7 games. The interior defense, keyed by Rudy Gobert, has been excellent and the perimeter defense has also been sharp. They held Denver to 8/21 on three pointers and Boston to 11/39. Edwards, Mike Conley, and Jaden McDaniels deserve credit. The Spurs are always exciting because of the Victor Wembanyama show yet it hasn't always translated to wins. I think it's simply because they are such a young team and they are still establishing consistent, winning play. Of their main players, Keldon Johnson and Malaki Branham have been particularly inconsistent. As for Wemby, I think Rudy Gobert is going to be highly motivated to contain him. Expect the Wolves to play great defense again and win by double digits.
Prediction: Wolves -6.5
Grizzlies vs. Jazz
These two are not off to good starts: the Grizz are 1-7 and the Jazz are 2-7. They met on November 1 in Utah and the Jazz won convincingly, 133-109. Each team is shorthanded right now. Memphis is down two preseason projected starters in center Steven Adams and point guard Ja Morant. The Jazz will be missing their starting center Walker Kessler. I like the Jazz here because first, Memphis hasn't shown anything this season to make them 4.5 point favorites. Second, the Kessler injury is going to force Will Hardy to play more creative lineups. I think we'll see him rotate Lauri Markannen, John Collins and Kelly Olynyk at the big positions and pair them with three wings. I think the outcome is going to be a high-octane offense-minded game, and I just don't think the Grizzlies have the firepower to separate. Take the Jazz in this one.
Prediction: Jazz +4.5
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