We are going to have plenty of NFL news throughout the week, but the NBA season is still in full swing. There are eight games in the basketball world Monday night, giving us plenty of opportunities to look at some betting lines.
Memphis Grizzlies at Phoenix Suns
Total: 227.5; the pick: UNDER
This one will be close but I’m going with the under here. We know that the Suns are playing much slower this season, ranking 27th in the NBA in pace of play. And while the Grizzlies have been playing faster as of late, ranking fourth in pace over the last 10 games, both of these teams have been playing well on the defensive end. Phoenix has been a top-tier unit all year long but over the last 10 games, both teams are top-five defensive rating. The Suns have the personnel to slow down a player like Ja Morant by putting either Chris Paul or Mikal Bridges on him. And while Jonas Valanciunas is a skilled offensive center, his style of play is more conducive to slower-paced games. Give me the under.
New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
Total: 224.5; the pick: UNDER
With the way the Nets are scoring points, it is hard to go with the under in any of their games. However, this New York defense is no joke, ranking fourth in the league in defensive rating. Meanwhile, they have been playing slow all season long, as no team is sporting a slower pace than the Knicks (96.6). New York has also been the best isolation defense in the NBA this season, coughing up the fewest points per game off the play type (3.7), while also allowing the fewest points per possession (0.78) and lowest field goal percentage (35.6%). That is notable when facing James Harden and Kyrie Irving, who rank first and second, respectively, in isolation points per game on the season. And because Brooklyn isolates so much, their pace isn’t anything crazy, ranking 24th in that department over the last 10 games.
New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
Spread: BKN -7.5; the pick: NYK cover
Staying with this game, I like New York to cover here. For the season, they are covering a healthy 56.4 percent of the time, good for the fifth-best mark in the league. And with their defense and some of the numbers we’ve already discussed, the Knicks have a great chance of not shutting down this Nets offense but slowing them down just a bit. And Brooklyn has blown out some inferior teams as of late but when they have faced average to above average teams, the games have been close.