NBA Parlay Picks of the Day
Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Friday, January 29, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
History in Rematches
Indiana and Charlotte face each other for the second consecutive time.
It’s important to consider how each team has performed in rematches because rematches demand a unique skill set, such as the ability of both players and coaches to make adjustments while considering the adjustments that the opponent might make.
The Pacers have faced the same opponent twice in a row two different times.
After accomplishing a similar result with Boston in the rematch, Indiana beat the Raptors by 15 points after losing the first game against them.
But for the Hornets, the results in their rematches have been similar to or worse than the results in their first game.
More recently, they lost by three to Toronto after losing by three to Toronto two days before. They also lost to Orlando after beating Orlando one day before.
History suggests that Pacer backers should not worry about the Hornets after Indiana beat this team two days ago.
Charlotte’s Transition Game
There are match-up details that reinforce the expectation that Indiana will cover tonight's spread.
Charlotte’s half-court offense is not very good. Long droughts that allow the other team to go on a run and prolonged tendencies to turn the ball over characterize many Hornet efforts.
Overall, the Hornets are weighed down by their shooting inefficiency. They rank 23rd in field goal percentage.
While they lack guys who can consistently get buckets in the half-court, the Hornets want to run in order to accrue easy baskets.
So forcing turnovers and fastbreak points are essential to Charlotte’s offense.
For all of its shooting inefficiency, Charlotte ranks sixth in fastbreak points.
Without that higher quantity of fastbreak points, the Hornet field goal percentage would obviously go way down.
So to make the Hornet offense even less effective, Indiana wants to confine the Hornets to the half-court.
Indiana’s Transition Defense
Indiana is one of the most resistant teams to an opposing transition attack.
The Pacers rank 10th in limiting opposing PPP (points per possession) on field goal attempts in transition.
Myles Turner is crucial in this respect. He is able to race back to the basket where he’s exerted a dominant rim-protecting presence throughout the season.
As Turner protects the basket with his league-leading 4.2 blocks per game, the rest of Indiana’s defense is able to locate the ball and organize itself.
Generally, though, Indiana allows transition opportunities at one of the lowest rates.
Malcolm Brogdon has acclimated to his role at point guard. His steady ball-handling helps the Pacers allow the sixth-lowest rate of turnovers, thus undermining the opponent’s endeavor to procure easy transition opportunities.
Inside Scoring
Indiana wants to attack the rim more than any other team.
The Pacers attempt the most baskets within five feet of the basket largely because of Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis can bully his way to the basket, but also employ acrobatic moves. He was 9-for-10 from the field in his last game against the Hornets.
As measured by opposing field goal attempts within five feet of the basket, Charlotte has a tough time stopping opponents from getting to the basket.
The Hornets are known for giving away cheap turnovers. But they also lack the kind of Myles Turner, which Indiana possesses, who reliably gets back on defense in order to protect the rim.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards
Friday, January 29, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET at Capitol One Arena in Washington DC
Interior Defense
Washington is sorely in need of rim protection.
Jordan Bell is technically the Wizards’ leading shot-blocker, although he is only playing as much as he is because the team is shorthanded.
After playing three games for them, Bell ranks 40th in the NBA in blocks per game.
This lack of a shot-blocker helps explain why the Wizards allow one of the highest field goal percentages within five feet of the basket.
Hawks In The Paint
This is the type of game where John Collins and Clint Capela will thrive.
Both big men rank third and fourth, respectively, among Hawk players in points per game.
Capela is good at setting screens, which is a big reason why he fits in Atlanta’s offensive scheme.
Finally giving Atlanta a viable option at center, Capela ably attacks the rim as the roll man and makes himself a target for lobs.
As for Collins, he connects with point guard Trae Young well. He’s able to score a lot because he gets assisted baskets.
Offensively, he’s characteristically more versatile than Capela given his ability to space the floor with his three-point shooting ability and given his ability in transition
While Collins leads Atlanta in PPP in transition, Capela is not far behind.
De’Andre Hunter is worth mentioning as well since he’s scoring 5.6 more points per game than he did last year. As he drives inside, he forces defenders to respect his pull-up shooting ability.
Russell Westbrook
Washington’s key player, big-time signing Russell Westbrook, has been almost as bad this season as he ever has been in his career.
Compared to last year, Westbrook is averaging 9.1 fewer points per game. His play has been especially worse recently.
Injuries have set Westbrook back. In general, he’s measurably less effective and less ambitious at the rim, which is problematic because he’s always been an awful shooter.
Trae Young
The Wizards rank last in points allowed per game partly because their defense regularly gets crushed against ball-screen-heavy offenses.
Young, who is blistering with a 36.7 point-per-game average in his last four games, loves to operate off of ball-screens where he can slither his way to the basket or shoot.
Atlanta will only need him to match Bradley Beal’s output tonight because the Hawks possess a more efficient and well-proven array of options to support Young’s scoring by slicing up Washington’s feeble interior resistance.
Parlay Verdict
Indiana promises to redeliver a solid effort in its rematch with the Hornets by confining their offense to the half-court and by employing especially Brogdon and Sabonis as weapons inside both in Indiana’s half-court game and in transition.
Atlanta, with a stronger supporting cast for its leading scorer plus stiffer interior resistance, will deal the Wizards their fourth-straight 20-point loss.
Best Bet: Parlay Hawks -4.5 at -108 and Pacers -3 at -108 at +271 odds with Heritage
Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Friday, January 29, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
History in Rematches
Indiana and Charlotte face each other for the second consecutive time.
It’s important to consider how each team has performed in rematches because rematches demand a unique skill set, such as the ability of both players and coaches to make adjustments while considering the adjustments that the opponent might make.
The Pacers have faced the same opponent twice in a row two different times.
After accomplishing a similar result with Boston in the rematch, Indiana beat the Raptors by 15 points after losing the first game against them.
But for the Hornets, the results in their rematches have been similar to or worse than the results in their first game.
More recently, they lost by three to Toronto after losing by three to Toronto two days before. They also lost to Orlando after beating Orlando one day before.
History suggests that Pacer backers should not worry about the Hornets after Indiana beat this team two days ago.
Charlotte’s Transition Game
There are match-up details that reinforce the expectation that Indiana will cover tonight's spread.
Charlotte’s half-court offense is not very good. Long droughts that allow the other team to go on a run and prolonged tendencies to turn the ball over characterize many Hornet efforts.
Overall, the Hornets are weighed down by their shooting inefficiency. They rank 23rd in field goal percentage.
While they lack guys who can consistently get buckets in the half-court, the Hornets want to run in order to accrue easy baskets.
So forcing turnovers and fastbreak points are essential to Charlotte’s offense.
For all of its shooting inefficiency, Charlotte ranks sixth in fastbreak points.
Without that higher quantity of fastbreak points, the Hornet field goal percentage would obviously go way down.
So to make the Hornet offense even less effective, Indiana wants to confine the Hornets to the half-court.
Indiana’s Transition Defense
Indiana is one of the most resistant teams to an opposing transition attack.
The Pacers rank 10th in limiting opposing PPP (points per possession) on field goal attempts in transition.
Myles Turner is crucial in this respect. He is able to race back to the basket where he’s exerted a dominant rim-protecting presence throughout the season.
As Turner protects the basket with his league-leading 4.2 blocks per game, the rest of Indiana’s defense is able to locate the ball and organize itself.
Generally, though, Indiana allows transition opportunities at one of the lowest rates.
Malcolm Brogdon has acclimated to his role at point guard. His steady ball-handling helps the Pacers allow the sixth-lowest rate of turnovers, thus undermining the opponent’s endeavor to procure easy transition opportunities.
Inside Scoring
Indiana wants to attack the rim more than any other team.
The Pacers attempt the most baskets within five feet of the basket largely because of Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis can bully his way to the basket, but also employ acrobatic moves. He was 9-for-10 from the field in his last game against the Hornets.
As measured by opposing field goal attempts within five feet of the basket, Charlotte has a tough time stopping opponents from getting to the basket.
The Hornets are known for giving away cheap turnovers. But they also lack the kind of Myles Turner, which Indiana possesses, who reliably gets back on defense in order to protect the rim.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards
Friday, January 29, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET at Capitol One Arena in Washington DC
Interior Defense
Washington is sorely in need of rim protection.
Jordan Bell is technically the Wizards’ leading shot-blocker, although he is only playing as much as he is because the team is shorthanded.
After playing three games for them, Bell ranks 40th in the NBA in blocks per game.
This lack of a shot-blocker helps explain why the Wizards allow one of the highest field goal percentages within five feet of the basket.
Hawks In The Paint
This is the type of game where John Collins and Clint Capela will thrive.
Both big men rank third and fourth, respectively, among Hawk players in points per game.
Capela is good at setting screens, which is a big reason why he fits in Atlanta’s offensive scheme.
Finally giving Atlanta a viable option at center, Capela ably attacks the rim as the roll man and makes himself a target for lobs.
As for Collins, he connects with point guard Trae Young well. He’s able to score a lot because he gets assisted baskets.
Offensively, he’s characteristically more versatile than Capela given his ability to space the floor with his three-point shooting ability and given his ability in transition
While Collins leads Atlanta in PPP in transition, Capela is not far behind.
De’Andre Hunter is worth mentioning as well since he’s scoring 5.6 more points per game than he did last year. As he drives inside, he forces defenders to respect his pull-up shooting ability.
Russell Westbrook
Washington’s key player, big-time signing Russell Westbrook, has been almost as bad this season as he ever has been in his career.
Compared to last year, Westbrook is averaging 9.1 fewer points per game. His play has been especially worse recently.
Injuries have set Westbrook back. In general, he’s measurably less effective and less ambitious at the rim, which is problematic because he’s always been an awful shooter.
Trae Young
The Wizards rank last in points allowed per game partly because their defense regularly gets crushed against ball-screen-heavy offenses.
Young, who is blistering with a 36.7 point-per-game average in his last four games, loves to operate off of ball-screens where he can slither his way to the basket or shoot.
Atlanta will only need him to match Bradley Beal’s output tonight because the Hawks possess a more efficient and well-proven array of options to support Young’s scoring by slicing up Washington’s feeble interior resistance.
Parlay Verdict
Indiana promises to redeliver a solid effort in its rematch with the Hornets by confining their offense to the half-court and by employing especially Brogdon and Sabonis as weapons inside both in Indiana’s half-court game and in transition.
Atlanta, with a stronger supporting cast for its leading scorer plus stiffer interior resistance, will deal the Wizards their fourth-straight 20-point loss.
Best Bet: Parlay Hawks -4.5 at -108 and Pacers -3 at -108 at +271 odds with Heritage
