Monday 21st January

Hi guys, plenty of early Basketball today so I am looking forward to settling down and watching all night!

Indiana @ Memphis, Over 172 points, 1.95 LOST

I am fully aware that these are the two slower scorers in the league but for me this points line is offering us huge value here. Indiana's offence is beginning to click scoring more heavily in recent matches. We really rely on Paul George shooting hot for this to happen but he is playing extremely well recently. With this game also being live on national TV the referee's will tend to be quite hot on off the ball fouls therefore stopping the clock and getting teams in the Bonus quite early. This offers value on the overs line and I will be taking that tonight.

Rockets @ Bobcats, Rockets money line, 1.30 WON

The Rockets have been through a rough patch recently which is partly due to scheduling but I really like what i see from them. James Harden can sometimes be a little bit too much in favour of iso'ing himself and trying to drive through the lane but when Houston share the ball and get Lin in on the act they are very effective. Omar Asik is having a very prolific season in the 5 position and should dominate a weaker team such as the Bobcats. Houston need to keep Kemba Walker quiet and they should see this through for the W against a weak Bobcats team.

Lakers @ Bulls, Bulls -1, 1.95 (If DENG plays = LOCK - 3 unit bet if DENG is out 1 unit bet) WON

The Lakers right now are in turmoil, there is no other way of describing it. They were pitiful against the Raptors last night and on an ageing team a back to back against a hustling, hard working team such as the Bulls is not what they want. The Lakers will have to work extremely hard tonight against a great Bulls D and if Deng goes this should negate a lot of what Kobe offers but Jimmy Butler could do just an effective job in D. Hinrich is perfectly suited to keep Nash quiet and Noah should prove a nuisance to Howard. With Gasol and Kobe really lagging in D I can see Boozer and Rip scoring quite a few buckets tonight and this should provide Bulls with an easyish win.

Additional tip: Bulls -6 points, 2.80 (bet365) 1 unit bet IF DENG PLAYS WON


Nets @ Knicks, Knicks -3.5, 1.95 LOST

The Knicks were to be honest relatively average in London against the Pistons but nothing should fire them up more than a home game against their local rivals. The key for me in this match is the strength of the Knicks bench compared to the Nets. With the likes of J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire playing off the bench the Knicks have far more depth than Brooklyn. Tyson Chandler should be able to keep Brook Lopez quiet and I expect Melo Anthony to get decent looks against quite a weak defensive transition team.

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