NBA Basketball Betting Picks & Odds: October 29th 2008

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NBA Picks: Detroit Pistons -10.0 (-110) Basketball Odds - Wed October 29th ‘2008 8:05p
The Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons open up their seasons tonight at the Palace in Auburn Hills. Indiana experienced some front office and roster turnover in the off season while the Pistons got a new coach. We are going with the Pistons -10 in tonight’s tip-off. Detroit’s president of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, fired Flip Saunders after the Pistons were dismissed from the playoffs prior to the Finals for the third straight year. The club, however, is largely the same one that won 59 games last season and outscored opponents by an average of 7.4 points per game (second only to Boston). The Pacers are a really young squad this season and have a few new faces that will be significant contributors (T.J. Ford, Kareem Rush). It may take awhile for them to come together and really find an identity and that does not bode well for them this evening. Detroit will set the tempo, as they usually do at home, and they have a big advantage on the blocks against the Pacers. Indiana will probably rely a great deal on the three-pointer with Dunleavy and Granger getting most of the shots. This is something they are good at, but the Pistons are excellent at defending it, limiting teams to just 33.2 percent beyond the arc last year. The Pacers do not have anybody to match-up adequately with Rasheed Wallace or Tayshaun Prince and that will spell doom for them in tonight’s game. The spread is a little wide, but with good reason. Detroit will cover this one at home as the Pacers feel their way through this game and the first half of the season. Things to consider: Detroit is 13-7 ATS the spread in their last 20 as a home favorite. Detroit is 9-1 ATS in their last 10 as a home favorite with a total between 185 and 190. Free NBA Picks: Take the Pistons -10 (-110) - Courtesy of Matt Foust

Basketball Betting: Oklahoma City Thunders -2.5 NBA Odds - Wed October 29th ‘08 8:05p
The Bucks went 26-56 in the weaker Eastern Conference last year. They spent the offseason revamping the roster and jumped at the change to bring in Scott Skiles as the new head coach. The hope was that Skiles could inject the tough defense and unselfish play that characterized his former team, the Bulls, prior to last year’s meltdown. After watching the Bucks play last night, there is clearly plenty of work for Skiles to do. Milwaukee went 1-7 in the preseason, showing no signs of cohesion and team chemistry. They allowed a Bulls team with a rookie point guard making his NBA debut to control the action in the second half. Richard Jefferson looked out of sorts with his new club. Center Andrew Bogut was bothered by his sore ankle, held to a modest nine points and seven boards. New point guard Luke Ridnour had more turnovers than assists. Their opponent last night, Chicago, the worst shooting team in the league last year, shot 51% from the floor. The Bucks committed 30 team fouls. It was not a pretty defensive showing. Skiles: “We were a step slow and we were slapping at people. Pretty much every category, they owned. Things don’t get much easier for the Bucks tonight as they travel to Oklahoma City on the second night of back-2-backs to face the Thunder in their debut in their new digs. We saw the move to Oklahoma City completely transform a hapless Hornets franchise into playoff contenders, as they fed off the crowd’s energy and became a strong home team immediately following their temporary move from New Orleans. Look for the Thunder to feed off that same energy tonight, earning a win in their debut at the Ford Center. Take Oklahoma City. - Courtesy of Ted Sevransky

New Jersey Nets @ Washington Wizards o192.5 (-110) - Wed Oct 29 ‘08 7:05p
Even with the Washington Wizards missing Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood, and the New Jersey Nets losing Richard Jefferson in the off season, we still see these teams approaching 200 points tonight. After all, the Wizards front court is as potent as any in the game with Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, and they could easily take advantage of a Nets front court that is not renowned for its defense. In fact, that is exactly what happened the last time these clubs met, albeit with the Nets winning that game 109-106. The two starting Washington forwards combined for 55 points (Butler 28, Jamison 27), and we would not be shocked by a repeat performance tonight, keying another triple-digit total output. Now the Nets have changed considerably since that last meeting, trading away Jason Kidd in the interim in addition to the loss of Jefferson. This is a team in rebuilding mode, but they can potentially have an excellent backcourt if Vince Carter comes to play each night, as new point guard Devin Harris could be a superstar in the making with some decent parts around him. Finally, let us face the fact that the Wizards do not play defense either, so if the Nets can get anything from a revamped front line, we see no reason why this contest cannot resemble that last meeting where 215 points were scored. NBA Free Pick: Nets, Wizards Over 192.5 (-110) - Courtesy of LT Profits

Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers o190.0 (-110) - Wed Oct 29 ‘08 6:05p
The Over went a perfect 4-0 in all the head-to-head meetings between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers last season, and we are looking for a carbon copy tonight. Now granted, Philadelphia did have Allen Iverson for a couple of those meetings, but in reality they did not suffer offensively after trading him away. In fact, the Sixers averaged 100.8 points per game after the All-Star break, and they may improve on that figure with the addition of Elton Brand, who instantly gives them the inside game they lacked. As for the Raptors, well, they are what they are. This is a team that will frequently score 100 points and allow 100 points in the same game, yet their biggest off-season move was the acquisition of Jermaine O-Neal, which adds even more offense but does nothing to help the defense. Look for the scoreboard operator to be kept busy tonight. NBA Free Pick: Raptors, 76ers Over 190 (-110) - Courtesy of LT Profits