NBA Weekend Betting: A pair of wagers for Sunday's action

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 05 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Kevin Durant doing what he does best

"In my opinion Durant should win the MVP award this year after his incredible season. This young man is averaging nearly 30 points per game and is one of the most explosive players in the game."

Nick Shiambouros rounds up the latest news from the NBA before hunting down a pair of tips

The Los Angeles Lakers were beaten 114-111 by a resilient Miami Heat team on Thursday evening. There were 31 lead changes in this very entertaining affair that was decided in overtime. As usual Dwyane Wade led the way for Miami with 27 points which delighted the home crowd.

Kobe Bryant scored 39 points for Los Angeles but the rest of the team were not very productive on offense. As previously reported when the Lakers are not playing well they rely solely on Bryant for scoring and become one dimensional.
　
On Wednesday the Dallas Mavericks made it nine wins in a row after squeezing by Minnesota 112-109. Dallas are only five games behind the Lakers in what is becoming a very competitive Western Conference. Dallas are now [17.5] to win the NBA championship which is still a little big in my view.
　
Over in the East the Cleveland Cavaliers made it five wins in a row after beating the dismal New Jersey Nets 111-92 on Wednesday. The Cavs hold a six game lead over Orlando and have every chance of finishing the year with the best record in the East.

The most interesting news from Cleveland this week is that LeBron James has filed paperwork with the NBA to change his jersey number from 23 to 6. James has stated in the past that he would like the league to retire the number 23 in honour of Michael Jordan. This is a most unusual move by LeBron as this change would not come in to effect until next season. For the record, James wears the number 6 in practice.

There are some very interesting games taking place this weekend with significant playoff implications.

On Sunday Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Sacramento in a Western Conference match-up. Oklahoma have been on fire in the second half of the season and are in sixth place in the West. In my opinion Durant should win the MVP award this year after his incredible season. This young man is averaging nearly 30 points per game and is one of the most explosive players in the game. Make no mistake this young man is already a superstar and he can only get better. I make the Thunder my best bet of the week as they should easily dispose of a poor Sacramento team.
　
Another game taking place on Sunday features the Denver Nuggets who host the Portland Trailblazers. Portland come in to this game in good form having won seven out of their last ten games. The Trailblazers have climbed to eighth place in the West and are back in the playoff hunt. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have finally found their form and this could spell trouble for Denver.

The Nuggets will be heavily favoured on Sunday but they could have a tough time against a resurgent Portland team. Denver are a very gifted team but they do give up a lot of points and this could be a crucial factor on Sunday. I think Portland could upset Denver and I will be backing them in the outright market.

Recommended wagers:
Sunday back Oklahoma with the advertised handicap
Sunday back Portland in the outright market