The NBA brass has to be thrilled to have the Los Angeles Lakers – and, more importantly, LeBron James appearing in the finals of the first-ever NBA in-season tournament. James seems hell-bent on adding this championship to his already full mantle, and has been winning his ongoing war against Father Time. The last obstacle in his way is the mighty….Indiana Pacers?! Who will walk away with the title? Here are my NBA picks for December 9th.
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NBA Picks December 9th
Indiana Pacers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Tipoff – 8:30 pm EST
Spread: Lakers -4
Total: 240.5
As much as LeBron has stamped his name on this tournament, the same can be said for his counterpart on the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton. Probably not known to many casual fans before now, the Indiana point guard has averaged 26.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 14.0 apg, and hit eight three-pointers over the two knockout games of this tournament (against powerhouse Boston and Milwaukee teams, no less). He leads a super-charged, high-octane offense not seen in quite some time in the league, averaging over 128 points scored per game.
But is it enough to get past old man James? I’m predicting the breakout party ends with a whimper tomorrow in Las Vegas, as LeBron looks like he won’t allow anyone to stop him from this latest goal of his. And Anthony Davis isn’t too shabby of a sidekick for the old man, either. Lakers minus four is the play. As for the point total, my calculation gives me 239, so the 240.5 line is pretty much unplayable in my eyes.
Best Bet: Laers -4 (-110)
If you’d like even more info to help make your NBA bets for December 9th, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
