WE’RE ready for another week of NBA betting and look to get things started right on a Monday.
Just the lone standout play for me so let’s jump straight into it.
Phoenix Suns @ Houston Rockets
The Suns look to have found their swagger once more as they head to Houston riding a seven-game win streak after an indifferent start to their season.
Phoenix have quietly gone about establishing their identity at both ends of the floor as well, even in the absence of star C Deandre Ayton.
Monty Williams’ side are top-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency at the moment and the mismatches they present for Houston are glaring.
The Suns well-balanced offence has been a big part of their recent success. The team is third in the league in EFG% but, more importantly given how they started the season, they’re now 7th in turnover percentage – a big improvement after a sloppy start to the season.
While Ayton is likely to miss this match up once again the replacement level play they’re getting from JaVale McGee and Frank Kaminsky has been impressive, especially with the latter injecting a different dimension to the team’s offence that allows for flexibility in rotations for Williams.
The only real weak spot in Phoenix’s defence right now is their lacklustre transition D, but that’s unlikely to be exploited by a Houston team that is bottom-five in transition offence – both frequency and efficiency.
Things are spiralling pretty badly for the Rockets at the moment and this young team is still trying to work through its processes to create a true identity for itself.
My numbers make Phoenix a double-digit favourite here and I can see them carrying on their strong run of form against a flat and dour Houston team.
Our best bet: Phoenix Suns -8.5 $1.92 at PlayUp
