10-29-08

[Mr. IWS]

Brandon Lang

WEDNESDAY

5 Dime Hornets

FREE - Jazz

[Mr. IWS]

Big Al-

3* Los Angeles Clippers
3* Oklahoma City Thunder
opinion: phoenix Suns

[Mr. IWS]

Scott Spreitzer's

Minnesota (-) over Sacramento

We have two teams that did not make the postseason last spring, yet only one of them made off-season improvements that can help this year. While the T-Wolves are likely to struggle to reach the playoffs again this season, they have made some nice additions since they last took the court, as they attempt to build around Al Jefferson. Minnesota picked up veteran Mike Miller and drafted UCLA bruiser Kevin Love. Randy Foye can be explosive, especially against teams that play no defense like tonight's opponent. Corey Brewer has improved his strength and also found his jumpshot in the off-season. And, while they won't have Telfair due to a suspension, the bench is decent. Keeping Rashad McCants in a Minnesota uniform will pay dividends right from the start, especially with the signing of Miller. Back to the team that plays no defense. The Kings are young and they want to run. But they were a horrible defensive team last year and that was WITH Ron Artest on the roster. Now, with Artest in Houston, the Kings will be challenged even more than ever on the stop end. Also, while the T-Wolves showed their improvements in the exhibition season, Sacramento looked lost most of the time. While you don't want to put a lot of merit into preseason results, it does mean more when you're talking about a young team that doesn't know how to win. Learning to win is something the Kings definitely did NOT do. They went 1-7 SU, losing their final six preseason tils. The Kings, predictably, were horrible on the defensive end, allowing 110 or more points on five occasions. In fact, they dropped their final three preseason games by an average score of 115-101. The T-Wolves will likely be on the outside looking in when the playoffs begin next spring, but they're the much better team in this matchup.

PLAY MINNESOTA

[Mr. IWS]

BEN BURNS

I'm taking the points with the LA CLIPPERS. The Lakers got off to an impressive start last night and it's true that they've always had their way with the Clippers. Still, they're playing the second of back to back games here and they've never been particularly sharp when coming off a strong defensive performance. In fact, they're just 67-84-10 ATS the last 151 times they were coming off a game in which they held their opponent to 151 points or less. More recently, if we look at the last 17 times that the Lakers played the second of back to back games, we find that 12 of those games were decided by single-digits. Given the Lakers long run through the playoffs last season and then with Bryant and Gasol seeing extended playing time in the Olympics, I won't be surprised if the Lakers do experience some fatigue in tonight's back to back spot. The Clippers come in with new faces, including Baron Davis, and a fresh attitude. They'd really like avoid being blown out in their opening game and I look for them to give a huge effort, en route to earning at least a cover. *Best Bet