Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Hornets (+1.5, 190)
The Hornets are having chemistry issues this season, which came to a head when the Phoenix Suns handed New Orleans a 124-104 beating Wednesday night.
The loss was the Hornets’ sixth of the season and dropped the franchise to second last in the Southwest, just ahead of the 1-8 Memphis Grizzlies. The defeat also dropped the axe on head coach Byron Scott, who was fired Thursday afternoon.
“We’re not getting in a flow,” forward David West told The Times-Picayune after the Phoenix loss. “Guys other than C.P. (Chris Paul), he’s the only guy on the team that gets a consistent flow of good looks on a nightly basis. We’re going to struggle when that happens. We’ve got to figure out some new ways to attack because we go against these teams that are indoctrinated into their system, and we’re going to struggle.”
West is one of the biggest culprits. The All-Star is scoring just over 15 points per game after averaging more than 20 points a night in each of the last two seasons. He scored only 10 points versus the Suns, shooting 3-for-9 from the field Wednesday.
New Orleans could find it tough to gel when it takes on the defensive-savvy Portland Trail Blazers, who have held opponents to under 90 points per game this season.
Pick: Portland -1.5
Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles Clippers (+2.5, 209)
The Toronto media was all a buzz Wednesday night following the Raptors’ 99-89 win over the Chicago Bulls as 5.5-point home favorites.
The focal point of their attention was a baseline jam from rookie DeMar DeRozan in the second half that brought the Air Canada Centre crowd to its feet.
You’ll have to excuse the beat writers’ bias excitement. It’s just been a while since they’ve seen a member of the team play above the rim, going back to Vince Carter’s heyday above the border. DeRozan finished the game with Nine points and nine rebounds for his best NBA performance in eight games.
"I thought DeMar in the third quarter just really gave us a lift. He chased balls. He rebounded. He was aggressive," coach Jay Triano told the Toronto Star. "I thought he had maybe one of his best games as a pro."
The rookie should continue to help Toronto pick up wins, especially with a four-game Western road trip beginning against the Clippers Friday. It will be a homecoming for the Los Angeles native, who played his one college season at USC.
Pick n Roll 11/13
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