March1, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

Miami at #15 Virginia - Even in a win the Cavaliers still can’t reach 65 points. They failed to eclipse that mark yet again, but their defense played well today in the 62-51 win. This was a Virginia game we have to come to expect, great defense and okay offense. The Cavaliers shot just 40% from the field, but held Miami to 38% shooting and only committed eight turnovers. In other words they won the Virginia way.

NBA:

Indiana at Philadelphia - Philadelphia won this game because of the depth that they have. Shake Milton scored a team high 26 points in leading the 76ers to the 130-114 win. When your leading scorer is a guy who doesn’t start and you win the game, that is impressive. That is a testament to how deep this team is, and why they have a chance to win it all.

Denver at Chicago - The line was five and the Nuggets ended up winning by six. Nikola Jokic outplayed Zach LaVine in this game, scoring39 points and adding 14 rebounds. It was just enough for Denver to cover the spread.

Cleveland at Houston - Once again we gave the Rockets too much credit. We said they were at least going to put up 100 in losing to the Cavaliers. They couldn’t even do that. Cleveland won 101-90, handing Houston their twelfth loss in a row. That is four straight wins for Cleveland.

Charlotte at Portland - The Blazers snapped a four game losing streak behind 29 points from Carmelo Anthony, who led the way in the 123-111 win. Damian Lillard added 23 points and 10 assists for Portland, but it was the throwback performance by Melo that impressed us.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#16 Oklahoma at #17 Oklahoma State - Let’s see a best of seven series between these two teams. Another good game ended with a 79-75 win for Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys earned the season sweep of the Sooners. Not quite the offensive explosion of a couple days ago, but a really good game none the less.

NBA:

Dallas at Orlando - We picked the Mavericks to cover 6.5 points. They won by six. The fact that Vegas is this good consistently amazes us. Luka Doncic was one assist short of a triple double with 33 points and Jalen Brunson added 24 for Dallas. That is now four straight losses for the Magic, who couldn’t stop Luka in this one. Then again, who can?

Utah at New Orleans - That is now two losses in three games for the NBA leading Jazz. Utah fell to New Orleans 129-124, behind 26 points and 10 rebounds from Zion Williamson. New Orleans led this game by eleven entering the fourth quarter, and held on as Utah mounted a spirited comeback attempt. It fell just short.

Brooklyn at San Antonio - James Harden had a 30 point triple double as the Nets beat the Spurs 124-113 in overtime. The win was the first for the Nets in San Antonio since January 22, 2002, stopping a 17 game losing streak on the road against the Spurs. We picked the Spurs because we went with a feeling, and they forced overtime, so we were close. Just not close enough.