Don’t look now, but the Miami Heat are pushing hard in the Eastern Conference, winners of five in a row and eight of ten to move past Boston into second place, four games behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlotte has dropped five in a row to slide to tenth place, but no one in the East is colder than the Atlanta Hawks, who have dropped ten games in a row. In the Western Conference, Denver is still red-hot, winners of nine of ten and holding onto second place, 2 ½ games behind the Lakers, who rebounded from a skid last week and have won two straight. Sacramento has cooled off in a big way, losing seven in a row, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are in free fall, having dropped nine of ten. If the NBA is on your sports betting radar for the last week of 2019, be sure to check out our top two NBA betting primo picks.
Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 30th Edition
With the Lakers taking a dip, the Heat surge to No. 2 in our latest Power Rankings 📈 pic.twitter.com/IF3qndQQU5
— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2019
Monday, December 30
Miami at Washington (7:00 pm ET)
Miami’s five-game winning streak includes some reail nail-biters. They won in Philadelphia by four, routed the Knicks at home, and then beat the Jazz, the Pacers and the 76ers by a combined five points. That last win over the 76ers came in overtime on Saturday night, as the Heat trailed by five points two different times in the last two minutes of the fourth period and trailed at two different times in the extra frame. However, they kept fighting, getting 25 points, nine boards and nine assists from Jimmy Butler. Goran Dragic scored 19 points, and Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro put up 16 points apiece. On the season, Miami is 6-0 in overtime and 8-1 in games with a final margin of five or fewer points.
The next test for Miami comes in Washington, losers of five of their last six. The Wizards beat the New York Knicks on the road before going to Detroit and taking a 30-point whipping from the Pistons. Then they came home and lost at home to New York, 107-100. Isaiah Thomas and Jordan McRae each had 20 points for the Wizards, and Gary Payton II chipped in 15. Washington had to play without Bradley Beal (right leg soreness). Missing his 27.8 points per game took its toll, but he is expected to play on Monday. Will it be enough?
NBA Betting Prediction: Miami 104, Washington 100
Tuesday, December 31
L.A. Clippers at Sacramento (5:00 pm ET)
The Clippers have split their last eight games; in their last three, they have sandwiched losses to Oklahoma City and Utah around a comeback win over the Lakers. That loss to the Jazz came on Saturday night, as they came to Staples Center and hung 120 points on the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard scored 20, and Paul George chipped in 19, but Utah scored 11 unanswered points to finish the game as the Clippers did not score in the last 3:35 of the game, making just four baskets in the fourth period. George missed all three shots in that last period, as the Clippers wasted 16 points off the bench from Lou Williams and a dozen points from Patrick Beverley. Can the Clippers get things going against the Kings?
Sacramento took a disappointing five-point loss in Denver on Sunday night, as the Kings appeared to give their best but could not deliver the win. Nemenja Bjelica put up 27 points for the visitors, and De’Aaron Fox posted 18 points and 13 assists. Sacramento got four three-balls, two from Bejlica and one from Buddy Hield (who had 20 points and eight assists of his own), to close within three points, but Denver made six free throws in crunch time. Marvin Bagley III missed the game with a left foot sprain and remains questionable for Tuesday. Can the Kings match their effort again when the Clippers come to town?
NBA Betting Prediction: Los Angeles 118, Sacramento 112
