NBA: BLOCKBUSTER DEAL PRODUCING MIXED RESULTS
The two teams involved in the blockbuster trade of Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups are involved in a great TNT doubleheader on Thursday night.
The first game begins at 8 pm ET with the Denver Nuggets traveling to Cleveland to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers. You can find the latest odds here. The second game begins at 10:30 pm ET with the Detroit Pistons at the Golden State Warriors.
Denver at Cleveland
Denver is 4-3 on the year, but they are 3-0 since Chauncey Billups has been added to the lineup. Those wins have come over Dallas and Memphis at home and Charlotte on the road in their last game on Tuesday.
Denver only allowed 80 points to Charlotte and 90 to Memphis. That’s a big change for a Nuggets defense whose previous best effort was giving up 98 points in the season opener. Denver has also made their backers happy by going 3-0 against the spread with Billups.
Billups looks like a much better fit with superstar Carmelo Anthony than Iverson was, as he doesn’t mind sharing the basketball and he knows how to play team oriented defense.
Cleveland (6-2) has won five games in a row after starting out the season at 1-2. The big difference has been the play of James. He’s averaged 37 PPG over the last four games and more importantly, shot 53% from the floor. That’s compared to 22 PPG on 42% shooting in the first four.
James is getting a little more help from his supporting cast this year, but he needs to be on his game Thursday night or this Nuggets team can shock them. Denver has won the last five meetings between the squads, including twice in Cleveland. However, Cleveland is 4-0 at home straight up and 3-1 ATS.
Detroit at Golden State
While Denver has flourished with Billups in the lineup, Detroit (5-2) has had a rockier road with Iverson. The Pistons dropped their first two games post trade to New Jersey and Boston, both times as a favorite. The Celtics game was particularly awful and they lost badly in their own building.
The Pistons did get a win Tuesday night in Sacramento 100-92. Iverson led the way with 30 points on 19 shots. The problem Detroit right now is that guard Richard Hamilton is struggling badly since the trade, shooting just 12-44 (27%). Hamilton was very vocal about not liking the trade and he looks really out of sorts.
Golden State is 3-5 and has failed to cover the spread in four of the last five games. They were able to snap a two game losing streak on Tuesday by beating Minnesota at home in overtime 113-110, but that was another ATS loss.
The Warriors biggest problem is a familiar one, they give up a whopping 105.3 PPG while scoring 102.6. They are also dealing with injury problems with Corey Maggette and Al Harrington both banged up.
Harrington is out for this game while Maggette is questionable and that means Detroit has a great chance to improve to 2-2 under ‘A.I’.
