Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 3rd Edition

The Philadelphia 76ers apparently will not be getting former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz back anytime soon. Fultz is still seeing specialists for an alleged shoulder injury. It’s just a very strange situation with that guy, who essentially has the yips when it comes to shooting. Probably best for everyone if Philly were to trade Fultz. Here’s a look at two interesting matchups this week. Check back for the latest NBA odds.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 3rd Edition

“That’s what it was?!”

DeRozan was so focused, he didn’t even realize how much of a beast he was!#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/RhNr9dgzfc — FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) 3 de diciembre de 2018

San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz

• When: Tuesday, 9 PM ET (NBA TV)

The front end of a back-to-back for the Spurs, meaning Coach Gregg Popovich could rest a key player or two as he is known to do. What the heck is going on with the Spurs? They are in a major funk and their defense has been atrocious – that used to be the team’s calling card. Popovich blames himself.

“It’s a game where you try to continue to get better at all aspects,” Popovich said. “We’re obviously discombobulated on offense. So a lot of that has to do with me. I’ve got to do a better job there. I think defensively, we’ve obviously got to shore up our effort and our wisdom at that end of the court. So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Doesn’t help that the Spurs take way too many midrange shots. The team’s three primary scorers — DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Gay —prefer to shoot from the midrange. That’s just not what the modern NBA is about. Either 3-pointers or layups. That’s what wins.

The Spurs have dealt with injuries to seven different players, combining for 71 total games missed through the season’s opening 22 games. San Antonio’s 2018 first-round draft pick, Lonnie Walker IV, suffered a meniscus tear on Oct. 3. and has yet to return to action. Four days later, point guard Dejounte Murray suffered a torn ACL. Pau Gasol is also currently out.

Utah won the 2017-18 season series against San Antonio 3-1. The Jazz averaged 110.3 points on .479 shooting from the field and .455 from beyond the arc. Ricky Rubio posted solid numbers against the Spurs, averaging 21.7 points on .581 shooting, including a .778 (7-9 3FG) clip from distance, 8.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 37.7 minutes. The Jazz have won four of their last five meetings against San Antonio and have scored 100+ points in six consecutive games against the Spurs.

The Jazz made a trade last week, acquiring sharpshooter Kyle Korver from Cleveland. In his first game with the Jazz since 2009-10 season, Korver recorded 14 points, going 4-6 from beyond the arc, and two rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Korver is currently one of just three players in NBA history to knock down 2,000+ three-pointers while shooting at least .400 from beyond the arc. Korver (2,242 3FGM/.432 3FG%) is joined by Ray Allen (2,973 3FGM/.400 3FG%) and Stephen Curry (2,191 3FGM/.438 3FG%). Korver also ranks fourth all-time for three-pointers made in NBA history (2,242 3FGM).

Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)

• Record: Tied 5-5
• Score: San Antonio 100.40 / Utah 100.10
• Field Goal Percentage: San Antonio 46.64 / Utah 46.80
• Rebounds: San Antonio 41.00 / Utah 37.90
• 3 Point Shots: San Antonio 79-204 / Utah 99-242
• Steals: San Antonio 7.90 / Utah 6.90

Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors

• When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET (ESPN)

Preview of the Eastern Conference Finals? Certainly could be. Toronto enters the week with an NBA-best record of 20-4 and on an eight-game winning streak. Toronto is averaging 118.5 points and shooting .517 (356-688) from the floor over the last eight games. Pascal Siakam is +110 during the win streak and is the only Raptor to finish with a positive +/- rating in all eight victories.

You will want to check on the status of Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry for this one. Lowry (sore back) was questionable for Monday’s game against the Nuggets. He sat out Saturday. Fred VanVleet would start if Lowry can’t go by Wednesday and he’s one of the better backup guards in the league.

Toronto beat the visiting 76ers 129-112 on Oct. 30, but Philly didn’t have Jimmy Butler yet. Lowry had 20 points and 13 assists. The Raptors had 13 steals, hounding Philadelphia into a season-worst 23 turnovers. It was Philly’s 12th straight loss in Toronto. Ben Simmons narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, but also committed 11 turnovers. The Sixers have not won in Toronto since a 93-83 victory on Nov. 10, 2012.

Lowry’s next double-double will be his 100th in a Raptors uniform. Lowry is fourth on the team’s all-time double-doubles list behind only Chris Bosh (239), Jonas Valanciunas (137) and Antonio Davis (110). Lowry leads Toronto with 11 double-doubles this season. Toronto leads the NBA with a .494 (1057-2141) field goal percentage this season. The Raptors have shot 50 percent from the field in 12 games; something they did 24 times last season.

Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)

• Record: Toronto leads 8-2
• Score: Philadelphia 102.40/ Toronto 115.30
• Field Goal Percentage: Philadelphia 45.05 / Toronto 46.58
• Rebounds: Philadelphia 41.50 / Toronto 43.90
• 3 Point Shots: Philadelphia 101-303 / Toronto 99-281
• Steals: Philadelphia 7.90 / Toronto 10.80

Expert NBA Betting Picks

Back Toronto and Utah.