January 18, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

St. Johns at #25 UConn - St. Johns has played tougher competition than UConn this year, and the Johnnies experience helped them at the end of this one. This was a tight game the closing minutes, but St. Johns made more plays and got the 74-70 win.

Florida State at Louisville - At the time of writing our picks column yesterday Louisville was ranked. By the time the game started the new rankings had come out and they weren’t. We are still taking this is as a win even though neither team was ranked at the time of tip-off, but if Florida State keeps playing like they did last night they will be ranked soon. The Seminoles won 78-65 in the Yum Center and handed the Cardinals their second straight loss.

#9 Kansas at #2 Baylor - Held on by the skin of our teeth. For most of the day we were counting this as a loss. Even with a minute left this was a 15 point game. Kansas hit a three pointer at the buzzer to get within eight, while our spread was 8.5. Sometimes you have bad beats, and sometimes you get lucky. Oh, and in the game, Baylor looked like the best team in the country. They need to figure out a way to schedule #1 Gonzaga in the regular season.

NBA:

Orlando at New York - This game was a lot lower scoring than we anticipated, but still backed the right horse with the Knicks getting the 94-81 win. The Knicks won on back to back nights for the first time since 2017. What Tom Thibodeau is doing with the Knicks right now is impressive. He is getting them to compete every single night. That has been missing from New York for years.

Minnesota at Atlanta - All five starters scored in double figures for the Hawks in the 108-97 victory over the Timberwolves, snapping out of their mini funk. The Timberwolves defense is a sieve right now, and without Karl-Anthony Towns we don’t see that improving. D’Angelo Russell had 31 points in the loss for Minnesota, but he has got to learn how to play on the other end.

Detroit at Miami - For awhile there this felt like a loss to us. Detroit had a 19 point lead on Miami, and the Heat looked like the didn’t want to be there. Miami eventually woke up, held Detroit to 46 second half points, and got the win 113-107. For the Pistons, they have to be wondering what is going on with Blake Griffin. He scored just five points in 36 minutes, and only took two shots inside the three point line. They need more from their highest paid player.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

Nothing

NBA:

San Antonio at Portland - Yesterday wasn’t a good day for the Blazers. In addition to losing to the Spurs 125-104, they found out they will be without CJ McCollum for at least a month. McCollum was playing the best basketball of his career this season, so that was a huge blow to a Blazers team looking to compete in the Western Conference.

Phoenix at Memphis - This was a close game throughout. Neither team had more than a ten point lead the entire way. In the end, it was Ja Morant and the Grizzlies making a couple more plays than the Suns, and the results were a 108-104 win for Memphis. These two teams have similar styles, so when they play it usually is a close game. Can’t wait for the next time they play.

Milwaukee at Brooklyn - Speaking of similar styles, this game featured some of the best offensive basketball players on the planet. Between Giannis for the Bucks and Kevin Durant and James Harden for the Nets, it was beautiful basketball to watch. In the end it was the Nets who made the big shot, a Kevin Durant three with 36 seconds left, and Brooklyn held on for a 125-123 win.

Dallas at Toronto - Toronto is started to find its footing, having now won three games in a row after a 116-93 win over Dallas last night. That is two straight poor performances from the Mavericks, who now drop to 6-7 this season. Luca Doncic had his worst game of the season, only scoring 15 points in the loss. Kyle Lowry had 23 points and 7 assists in leading the Raptors to the win.

Houston at Chicago - Even with Victor Oladipo and Christian Wood playing well, the Bulls still got the 125-120 win over the Rockets. Zach LaVine continued his strong start, scoring 33 points for Chicago. LaVine led seven bulls in double figures, who won on back to back nights for the first time this season.

Golden State at Los Angeles Lakers - What a fourth quarter for the Warriors. The Lakers led 92-81 after three quarters, but the Warriors outscored them 34-21 in the last frame for a 115-113 victory. Steph Curry scored 26 points, but it took him 22 shots to do it. The big surprise for Golden State was Kelly Oubre Jr., who scored 23 points on 9-18 shooting in the comeback win.