NBA Parlay (+273) March 14: Cavs Cover and Trail Blazers Achieve Upset
Best Bet: Parlay Cavaliers -7.5 at -110 & Trail Blazers +2 at -105 at +273 odds with Bookmaker
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte Won't Beat You From Deep
On offense, Charlotte is rather disinclined to shoot the three.
To give the Hornets credit in a sense, this is an intelligent disinclination.
They lack overly efficient three-point shooters.
Besides missing a player who can use three-point shooting to make the Hornets a threat, Charlotte misses a collective group of good three-point shooters.
Guys like forwards PJ Washington and Gordon Hayward and guards Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr (who is listed as 'probable' tonight with a back injury) all shoot below 36 percent.
Charlotte's Offense
Instead of shooting threes, the Hornets primarily want to attack the basket.
This inclination is evident in, for example, the common intention of point guard Terry Rozier to drive the ball, although he has garnered a reputation for failing comically to draw the fouls that he tries to draw.
Partly because of Rozier, the Hornets attempt the fourth-most field goals within five feet of the basket.
They will thrive against a defense that lacks sufficient rim protection while they will struggle against a defense that boasts strong interior defenders.
Cleveland's Defensive Strength
I chose Cleveland as one of my plays for this parlay because it is clear which sort of defense the Cavaliers are: they thrive at protecting the rim.
Overall, within five feet of the basket, they rank 10that limiting opposing field goal attempts, fourth at limiting opposing field goal percentage, and fifth at limiting opposing field goals made.
For their interior defense, they boast the shot-blocking talent of mobile rim protector Evan Mobley.
The Cavalier big man established himself as a solid rim protector and overall defender early in his career since being a first-round draft pick.
His mobility is evident in his unique ability to switch onto defenders on ball screens and still to remain stout as a rim protector.
With the likes of Mobley to deal with, Charlotte will fail to get much going at the basket, which is problematic because the Hornets rely on scoring at the basket.
Cleveland's Offense
The Cavaliers' offense is predicated primarily on a pick-and-roll attack that features most especially two different guards who are eminently comfortable with using screens and with ball-handling.
These two guards are Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
They are also the team's two leading scorers, so much of the team's success emanates from their ability to score a lot.
Both promise to thrive in the ball-screen game against a Hornet defense that allows the third-most points against the pick-and-roll for the ball-handler play type.
New York Knicks vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 10 p.m. ET at Moda Center
Portland Loves to Shoot The Three
It is true that star Trail Blazer guard Damian Lillard might not play -- he is listed as 'questionable' for tonight's game with right calf tightness.
Lillard's absence would surely move the line in the Knicks' direction, although matchup considerations move me already to like the fact that Portland is catching points.
The Trail Blazers, with or without Lillard, match up well against the Knicks because they love shooting three-pointers.
Shooting guard Anfernee Simons, forward Jerami Grant (also listed as 'questionable' -- he has a bruise on his left quad), forward Cam Reddish and others all count among their team's at least fairly high-volume group of shooters who would take more shots in Lillard's absence.
These three players shoot 36.1 percent or more from deep, and Portland has more efficient options, too.
New York's Perimeter Defense
Portland's desire to shoot threes -- overall, this team attempts the ninth-most threes per game -- is valuable against a Knick perimeter defense that has been porous throughout the season.
New York allows wide-open three-point attempts with the sixth-highest frequency and open three-point attempts also with the sixth-highest frequency.
Moreover, the Knicks are one of the worst teams at limiting opposing three-point attempts.
These stats indicate that they do a poor job of contesting three-point attempts and struggle likewise to run teams off the three-point line.
New York has the sort of defense against which Portland's offense will be eminently comfortable.
Portland's Improved Ball-Screen Defense
Conversely, the Knicks' offense will be uncomfortable against Portland's defense.
This might be unusual to read, because in recent years the Trail Blazers have garnered a reputation for defending poorly.
But through tactical adjustments they have improved.
Most meaningfully, they allow one of the fewest points now against the pick-and-roll for the ball-handler play type.
They abandoned the hard hedge and other ineffective tactics and instead have their center touch the screener before sagging off the driving ball-handler, or they'll ice to keep the ball away from the middle.
A Knick team that relies heavily on this play type will struggle to score against Portland's improved defense.
Best Bet: Parlay Cavaliers -7.5 at -110 & Trail Blazers +2 at -105 at +273 odds with Bookmaker
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte Won't Beat You From Deep
On offense, Charlotte is rather disinclined to shoot the three.
To give the Hornets credit in a sense, this is an intelligent disinclination.
They lack overly efficient three-point shooters.
Besides missing a player who can use three-point shooting to make the Hornets a threat, Charlotte misses a collective group of good three-point shooters.
Guys like forwards PJ Washington and Gordon Hayward and guards Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr (who is listed as 'probable' tonight with a back injury) all shoot below 36 percent.
Charlotte's Offense
Instead of shooting threes, the Hornets primarily want to attack the basket.
This inclination is evident in, for example, the common intention of point guard Terry Rozier to drive the ball, although he has garnered a reputation for failing comically to draw the fouls that he tries to draw.
Partly because of Rozier, the Hornets attempt the fourth-most field goals within five feet of the basket.
They will thrive against a defense that lacks sufficient rim protection while they will struggle against a defense that boasts strong interior defenders.
Cleveland's Defensive Strength
I chose Cleveland as one of my plays for this parlay because it is clear which sort of defense the Cavaliers are: they thrive at protecting the rim.
Overall, within five feet of the basket, they rank 10that limiting opposing field goal attempts, fourth at limiting opposing field goal percentage, and fifth at limiting opposing field goals made.
For their interior defense, they boast the shot-blocking talent of mobile rim protector Evan Mobley.
The Cavalier big man established himself as a solid rim protector and overall defender early in his career since being a first-round draft pick.
His mobility is evident in his unique ability to switch onto defenders on ball screens and still to remain stout as a rim protector.
With the likes of Mobley to deal with, Charlotte will fail to get much going at the basket, which is problematic because the Hornets rely on scoring at the basket.
Cleveland's Offense
The Cavaliers' offense is predicated primarily on a pick-and-roll attack that features most especially two different guards who are eminently comfortable with using screens and with ball-handling.
These two guards are Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
They are also the team's two leading scorers, so much of the team's success emanates from their ability to score a lot.
Both promise to thrive in the ball-screen game against a Hornet defense that allows the third-most points against the pick-and-roll for the ball-handler play type.
New York Knicks vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 10 p.m. ET at Moda Center
Portland Loves to Shoot The Three
It is true that star Trail Blazer guard Damian Lillard might not play -- he is listed as 'questionable' for tonight's game with right calf tightness.
Lillard's absence would surely move the line in the Knicks' direction, although matchup considerations move me already to like the fact that Portland is catching points.
The Trail Blazers, with or without Lillard, match up well against the Knicks because they love shooting three-pointers.
Shooting guard Anfernee Simons, forward Jerami Grant (also listed as 'questionable' -- he has a bruise on his left quad), forward Cam Reddish and others all count among their team's at least fairly high-volume group of shooters who would take more shots in Lillard's absence.
These three players shoot 36.1 percent or more from deep, and Portland has more efficient options, too.
New York's Perimeter Defense
Portland's desire to shoot threes -- overall, this team attempts the ninth-most threes per game -- is valuable against a Knick perimeter defense that has been porous throughout the season.
New York allows wide-open three-point attempts with the sixth-highest frequency and open three-point attempts also with the sixth-highest frequency.
Moreover, the Knicks are one of the worst teams at limiting opposing three-point attempts.
These stats indicate that they do a poor job of contesting three-point attempts and struggle likewise to run teams off the three-point line.
New York has the sort of defense against which Portland's offense will be eminently comfortable.
Portland's Improved Ball-Screen Defense
Conversely, the Knicks' offense will be uncomfortable against Portland's defense.
This might be unusual to read, because in recent years the Trail Blazers have garnered a reputation for defending poorly.
But through tactical adjustments they have improved.
Most meaningfully, they allow one of the fewest points now against the pick-and-roll for the ball-handler play type.
They abandoned the hard hedge and other ineffective tactics and instead have their center touch the screener before sagging off the driving ball-handler, or they'll ice to keep the ball away from the middle.
A Knick team that relies heavily on this play type will struggle to score against Portland's improved defense.
