There are only four NBA basketball games on the program for tonight, three of which are happening with California teams in the spotlight.  After a full ticket of 12 games on Wednesday, most of the NBA is resting up for a big weekend of basketball action.

Lakers Want A Win After Last Night’s Loss

Wednesday evening featured two teams going at it that are emerging as two of the best teams in the league.  The LA Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers played it down to the wire last night with Doc Rivers’ ‘Phila’ team pulling off the victory in the final seconds of the contest to beat the mighty Lakers by a single point 107-106.

For tonight, we find those same 14-5 Lakers hosting the 4-14 Detroit Pistons at the Staples Center as 10-point favorites.  The Over/Under is set at 215 for the contest and bettors who would like to win an easy $100 betting the moneyline on the Lakers tonight will have to risk a cool $530 to do so.  The Lakers are looking at -530, while the Pistons are getting +390.

The Lakers might be a little tired, but you can bet that they will be moving back into the win column tonight after losing on the road for the very first time this season in Philadelphia.  With topflight players like Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin on the roster, the Pistons could break out at any time.  However,  against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company, it probably won’t be tonight.

Trail Blazers Hit Houston

The 7-9 Houston Rockets will host the 9-7 Portland Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston today as 4.5-point favorites and Over/Under set at 230 for the game.  The Rockets’ sensational 6’10’’ center, Christian Wood, is averaging 23.5–points per game with ten rebounds thrown in for good measure.  It is beginning to be clear the reasons why Houston traded James Harden.

Portland head coach Terry Stotts talked about the Rockets in a pre-game interview, stating, “Houston’s a different team now than they were before when they had James Harden.  It seems like offensively there’s more movement, there’s more passing.  It just seems like they’re playing with more enthusiasm.”

Of course, they still have John Wall, Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo.  The Rockets, at -180 tonight, will be alright now as they take on the beat up Portland Trailblazers (+148), who have had a rough time of it this season.  Except for a short 4-game win streak, they have lost more than they have won and small injuries keep getting them down.

COVID-19 Hits Clippers, Heat

The 13-5 LA Clippers will travel to tropical Miami to take on the 6-11 Heat in a contest which some are calling the “battle of the depleted.”  Miami is favored by just 4 points, with the Over/Under at 214.5 for the contest.  The moneyline has Miami at -177 and +145 for the Clippers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Clips and the Heat this season, and both teams are missing some vital parts at the moment.  The good news for Miami is that 5-time All-Star Jimmy Butler is back on the sidelines after missing nine straight games due to the COVID-19 protocols in place by the NBA.

The Clippers’ two biggest guns, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have fallen into the COVID-19 morass and it is still unknown when they will emerge.

Suns Host The Warriors

The 10-8 Golden State Warriors and the 8-8 Phoenix Suns will be matched up at the PXH Arena in Phoenix for a late NBA game today.  The contest will feature two of the best point guards in the business, as Stephen Curry and Chris Paul go head to head in a game in which the Suns are only 1.5-point favorites to win.  The Over/Under is set at 220.5, and the moneyline has the Suns at -121 and the Warriors at +102.  Even though last night produced several upsets, this isn’t likely to be one of them tonight.