January 27, 2021 Results:
What we got right:
College Basketball:
Miami at #16 Florida State - Make that five straight double digit wins for Florida State, as they beat Miami 81-59. Florida State and Virginia are a step above everyone else in the ACC right now. They square off February 15th and what should be a great game, provided both teams play like they have been the last month.
#20 Virginia Tech at Notre Dame - Well we got our easiest pick of the day right. That makes us feel good. Virginia Tech beat Notre Dame 62-51, holding the Fighting Irish to just 35% shooting. With the win, Virginia Tech stayed in third place in the ACC, behind Florida State and Virginia. Speaking of Virginia, that is who Virginia Tech plays on Saturday.
#14 Wisconsin at Maryland - For the first half the bad Maryland team showed up as they trailed Wisconsin 38-20 at the break. In the second half the good Maryland showed up, but it wasn’t enough as the Badgers held on for the 61-55 win. This game was a microcosm of the Terrapins season. They look really good in some games and really bad in others.
NBA:
Detroit at Cleveland - Boy the Pistons are bad. Detroit dropped to 4-14 with the 122-107 loss to Cleveland. Collin Sexton scored 29 points for the Cavaliers and Andre Drummond had another double double against his former team, going for 23 points and 16 rebounds. Cleveland improved to 9-9 on the season and continues to be a pleasant surprise in the Eastern Conference.
Denver at Miami - Miami just has no one that can score put the ball in the hoop right now. Kendrick Nunn led the way for the Heat with 17 points, but only him and Bam Adebayo scored more than ten in the 109-82 loss at the hands of the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic led six Denver players in double figures, scoring 21 points in the win.
Milwaukee at Toronto - Got to give the Raptors credit, they hung tough in this one. It was only a one point game entering the fourth quarter, but the Bucks did just enough to cover the 6.5 point spread, winning 115-108. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Milwaukee, coming up one assist shy of a triple double.
Oklahoma City at Phoenix - We were wrong in saying Phoenix was going to get the win, but right in saying Oklahoma City was going to cover. The Thunder beat the Suns 102-97, behind a vintage performance from Al Horford. Horford scored 21 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Chris Paul scored 32 points against his former team, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
Dallas at Utah - Utah just keeps rolling, winning their tenth game in a row. As we predicted, the Jazz got a very balanced effort with four players scoring 17 or more points. Luca Doncic did have a big game in scoring 30 points, but he didn’t have enough help in the loss. With the Lakers losing the Jazz now have the best record in the NBA.
Minnesota at Golden State - James Wiseman had his best game as a pro, dropping 25 points in leading the Warriors to a 123-111 victory over the Timberwolves. Minnesota is the Western Conference version of the Pistons, as they just aren’t competitive in most games. Their next chance at a victory will come against the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia 76ers. We don’t like their chances in that one either.
What we got wrong:
College Basketball:
Penn State at #13 Ohio State - Penn State kept this game close, but couldn’t close the deal in losing 83-79. Even though Ohio State won, they can’t be happy that they let Penn State hang around in this one. The Buckeyes next matchup is a tough one against Michigan State, so they will need to go back to the drawing board and fix some things defensively.
#17 Creighton at Seton Hall - With ten minutes to go in the game, Seton Hall had a 68-54 lead and we were feeling good about our pick. In the final ten minutes Creighton outscored the Pirates 31-13 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Blue Jays have to be happy about that comeback, but also can’t keep digging themselves holes like that they have to climb out of. They need a complete 40 minute performance, which we haven’t seen from them in awhile.
Kansas State at #2 Baylor - Um, so apparently 24 points was not too much. Baylor raced out to a 44-9 lead over Kansas State and then coasted the rest of the way in the 107-59 beatdown. We knew Kansas State wasn’t a good basketball team, but we didn’t think they were this bad. Sheesh.
#25 Louisville at Clemson - Clemson got out of the loss column with a 54-50 victory over Louisville, ending their three game losing streak. This game was not pretty, with both teams shooting under 40% from the field, but the Tigers made a couple more baskets than the Cardinals to earn the win. his game did nothing to prove to us that either one of these teams is good.
NBA:
Indiana at Charlotte - The big question was answered and Domantas Sabonis did play for the Pacers. Not only did he play, but he had a triple double in leading Indiana to the 116-106 win. Our pick would probably have been different if we had known Sabonis was going to play, but that’s the breaks.
Sacramento at Orlando - The Kinds held the Magic to only 107 points, which is 13 points less than they usually allow, in the 121-107 win. Buddy Hield scored a season high 29 points for Sacramento, leading all five starters in double figures. The Magic got big games from Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Kings.
Brooklyn at Atlanta - Yes this game went into overtime, and yes Brooklyn still got the win, but they allowed 128 points in this contest. They will be able to outscore a lot of teams in the regular season, but they need to tighten up defensively if they are going to go far in the playoffs. Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving all scored over 25 points for Brooklyn, but there offense has never been in question.
Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia - Tobias Harris hit a jumper with 3 seconds left to hand the Lakers their first road loss of the season. The 76ers got 28 points from Joel Embiid and a triple double from Ben Simmons in the 107-106 victory. LeBron James scored 34 points for the Lakers in defeat.
Boston at San Antonio - DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points in leading the Spurs to a 110-106 victory over the Celtics. DeRozan led a balanced effort, with all five Spurs starters scoring in double figures. The Celtics got 25 points from Jayson Tatum and 24 from Jaylen Brown, but the rest of the team was held in check. Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart had identical box scores, both going 6-15 from the field and 2-7 from three point land in scoring 14 points. Boston needs more from Kemba if they are going to win games like this.
Washington at New Orleans - The Wizards have entered Timberwolves territory as a team we will stay away from. After New Orleans won the game 124-106, you have to wonder how much longer Bradley Beal will be in Washington. Beal scored 47 points, but once again got no help from anyone on his team. He will be gone by the end of February.