Teams are hitting the 50-game mark of the NBA season, and the court action is intensifying. So, too, is the world of NBA betting. In order to give you all the tools you need to make a wager at the sportsbook, here is our weekly look at some of those surging and some of those slumping in the NBA.
Let’s check the latest NBA news, stats, injury report, and NBA lines. We’ve got plenty of NBA picks for you to consider.
Eastern Conference Who’s Hot
- Nic Claxton – Teammate Kyrie Irving may have some more gaudy numbers but it’s time we give this Brooklyn Nets big man some time on the Who’s Hot department. He’s been atop the field-goal percentage leaderboard for most of the season and is pulling away amid an impressive stretch. Claxton is averaging 23.2 points on 81.4% shooting to go along with 11.0 rebounds over his last five games. His current 74.29% mark from the floor would be an all-time record if he can sustain it.
- Dejounte Murray – He’s cooled off just a tad the last couple of games but deserves some props for the past couple of weeks as a whole. Murray has seven straight games of 20 points or more, during which he’s posted a 25.9 average on 56.3% shooting. It has helped that the Atlanta Hawks finally got hot, winning six of eight.
- T.J. McConnell – Two weeks in a row because why not. The Pacers would much rather have Tyrese Haliburton there than McConnell, but you can’t fault the veteran guard for the team’s slide without their best player. He’s averaging 15.8 points on 66% shooting over the last nine games – the first of which saw Haliburton leave with injury – and has handed out 10.0 assists in his three starts. Oh, and he’s 6-for-6 from the arc in the last six games.
Western Conference Who’s Hot
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – He’s been here before and could probably claim inclusion almost every week. His recent production cannot be ignored, as the budding superstar has three straight games of 34 points or more (35.7 in the stretch), including a game-winner on the road against the leaders in the West. That’s an MVP-like run.
- Norman Powell – The Los Angeles Clippers are getting hot primarily because Kawhi Leonard is comfortable and this guy is red-hot off the bench. Powell had a 30-point game in 30 minutes in the Clippers’ last loss and is averaging 20.5 on 59% shooting in just 25.9 minutes during the team’s four-game winning streak.
- D’Angelo Russell – Russell has heated up from long range of late, making 24-of-48 3-pointers over a six-game stretch. He’s averaging 21.8 points and 6.7 assists in that span, and he put in 39 turnover-free minutes in Wednesday’s big win at New Orleans.
Eastern Conference Who’s Not
- Tyler Herro – Two weeks in a row here. He’s just not finding the stroke. Herro was 4-for-19 from the floor against Boston on Tuesday and is 6-for-34 from long range since coming back from an Achilles injury. It should be noted that Herro is getting double-teamed constantly, and he’s making plenty of plays to compensate for the poor shooting. He had six assists, zero turnovers and a big steal in the closing seconds of the win over the Celtics.
- LaMelo Ball – He had another layoff of three games due to ankle and wrist issues and returned to help Charlotte to a big win over Chicago on Thursday, nearly recording a triple-double. However, he was 2-for-15 from the floor (6-for-31 over the last two games) and had six turnovers with his eight assists. It’ll come for the super-talented Ball, but it’s a bit choppy right now.
- Aaron Nesmith – He’s out there because he’s a high-energy guy who mixes it up, plays solid defense and can sometimes score. Without Haliburton around, the scoring has been hard to come by. Nesmith is averaging 6.3 points over his last seven games and has missed all 12 of his shots over the last two.
Western Conference Who’s Not
- Malik Monk – He’s relied upon for some bench scoring in Sacramento. Lately, it’s been absent. Monk is averaging 6.3 points in a six-game slump while shooting 28.9%. He did have a near triple-double with 13 points in a rout of Memphis the other night but then followed it up with a 2-for-7 effort in a loss to Toronto.
- CJ McCollum – This is another one that comes with a bit of an asterisk. McCollum has been tasked with so much for New Orleans with both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram (until this week) out. Teams can focus a lot of their defensive attention on McCollum, and it’s led to some less-than-stellar numbers. He had a recent three-game stretch in which he made 4-of-27 3-pointers and turned the ball over 16 times (compared to 16 assists). With Ingram back the other night, McCollum had a pretty good game and he’ll be fine in the long run. We’re nitpicking.
- Dillon Brooks – He recently showcased his defensive chops by (sort of) slowing down LeBron James, who Brooks says only wants to go right. But his shot has been a bit off and his Grizzlies are suddenly sinking. Over the past seven games, Brooks is averaging 9.4 points – more than six below his season mark – on 33.3% shooting.
