Xam’s Gem(s):
Maple Leafs Money Line -156
Toronto has been a bit up and down to begin the year, but no one is questioning their offensive abilities. They have scored 3 goals or more in 6 of their last 9 games, and in 5 of those games they scored 4 or more goals. Their issue is on the defensive side. The Flames have been inconsistent on offense, however. They started the year 2-7 and while they’ve been better in their last couple of games, they still can struggle to score on the road. Calgary is averaging 2.67 goals per game, even with the 10 goals they’ve scored in their last 2 games.
Rockets Money Line -130
The Rockets have been a frisky team to start the year, and have won 4 straight, all of them at home. Even when they played Golden State in their own building, they played well defensively, holding them to 106 points. The Pelicans have been blown out in 3 straight games, the last 2 being on the road. They are surrendering over 126 points on this 3-game losing streak. Even with Zion playing for the Pelicans, they’ll need to play better defense than they’ve shown recently.
Suns Money Line -158
The Suns have won 2 straight and are playing a Lakers team that has struggled to score points recently. The Suns have scored 114 or more points in 5 of their last 6 games. The Lakers have scored more than 107 points just twice this year, with one of them coming at home. Anthony Davis is coming off another injury as well, so it remains to be seen where the Lakers will get their points from in this game.
Xam’s Prop(s):
Mikael Backlund Over 2.5 Shots on Goal -152
Backlund has a whopping 10 shots in his last 2 games and has 3 or more shots in 7 games this year. In 4 of those games, he has 5 shots or more. This game between Calgary and Toronto should be a high scoring affair, which will give Backlund plenty of chances to shoot.
Chet Holmgren Over 25.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -118
This game has the potential to be the highest scoring game of the night, which should give Holmgren plenty of chances to impact this game. Holmgren has shown an ability to impact the game in a variety of ways, as evidence by his 18.5 points in November as well as nearly double digit rebound totals. The Kings don’t always play the best defense, either. They have surrendered 114 or more points in 5 of their last 7 games.
Kevin Durant Over 42.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -104
Durant always seems to get up to play when he faces the Lakers, as evidence by the 39 points he averages against them. He’s been his usual dominant self offensively this year, averaging over 30 points per game in his last 5 games. However, he’s contributing in other areas as well. He has 5 or more assists in 3 of his last 5 games, and 6 or more rebounds in 3 of his last 4 games.