Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 06 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Nick Shiamboruos is aiming to keep a winning run going with his weekend bets

"Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have developed a good understanding and are a potent combination. Denver are a high energy team that score a lot of points and I think the Hawks will have difficulty stopping them."

The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered another defeat at home losing 86-85 to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday evening as their poor start continued.

The Bulls kept pace with the Cavaliers for most of the game and made a huge stop for the win when the great LeBron James was denied by Joakim Noah in the dying seconds of the game for Chicago to record their first win in Ohio in two seasons.

As previously mentioned I am not totally convinced about the decision to sign Shaquille O'Neal during the Summer from Phoenix. As he is such a huge presence the whole rotation has to adjust to accommodate him. This clearly has not happened yet and I am not sure if it will.

The Phoenix Suns had the same problem with him last year and the end result was a complete disaster. O'Neal should become a bench player and Zydrunas Iigauskas should replace him as a starter.
　
Meanwhile the Boston Celtics continue to impress and are a perfect 6-0 after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road, 92-90 in an thrilling encounter on Wednesday night.
　
Over in the Western Conference the Denver Nuggets are also unbeaten at 5-0 after spanking New Jersey 122-94 in a one-sided game. The Nuggets have picked up where they left off last year and look very good in the early going.

The Los Angeles Lakers escaped with a win in Houston on Wednesday after some spectacular play by Kobe Bryant in overtime. Trevor Ariza had a chance to beat his old club in the last seconds but failed to convert for his new Rocket team in this 103-102 agonising loss.
　
There are some fascinating games taking place this weekend and let's hope our recent good run of fortune continues.

On Saturday the Nuggets travel to Atlanta and they will give the Hawks plenty to think about. Everything is going right for Denver owner Stan Kroenke and his unbeaten Nugget team.

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have developed a good understanding and are a potent combination. Denver are a high energy team that score a lot of points and I think the Hawks will have difficulty stopping them.

Atlanta has started the season well but they have always been a team that has struggled to score points. The Hawks will try to slow the pace of the game with their half-court offence but I think this Denver team will be up to the task.

On Sunday the Orlando Magic travel to the Oklahoma City Thunder and should come away with the win. New signing Vince Carter has slotted in very well in to the rotation and is a good addition to this quality team.

Dwight Howard leads this team and he will be tough to handle inside the paint.Orlando have shown me enough this year to suggest they are in for a decent season.

The Thunder are a team that are going to have another tough year but they do have a promising player in the shape of Kevin Durant. This forward is averaging 23.5 points per game and has only been a professional for two years.
　
I think the Magic should easily take care of the Thunder and I will be backing them for the win with the handicap.

Recommended wagers: Saturday back Denver in the outright market; Sunday back Orlando with advertised handicap

Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Joakim Noah, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Shaquille O'Neal