NBA - 501 Phoenix Suns @ 502 Charlotte Bobcats
Projected Line: 195 Points
These two teams have already played a combined of six games and lowest pace in any of their games was 93, which means that both teams are playing faster than usual, having in account the philosophy of both coaches. Charlotte managed to be competitive in Dallas until a certain moment of the game. Dallas started the game extremely well, then allowed a comeback from the Bobcats in the 2nd quarter, just to outscore them at the end of the 2nd quarter and start of the 3rd quarter with a 19-4 run! Perhaps Charlotte's tiredness was a factor in here. The Mavericks also pounded Charlotte on the perimeter with good rotations that allow them to have easy looks outside: 20-31 FG from +16 feet! The Bobcats will now face Phoenix, who is yet to have a great offensive chemistry, however Goran Dragic is a smart player, who combines well on the pick and rolls with both Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat, who will have an edge down low against Byron Mullins and Brendan Haywood.
The Bobcats are causing problems to their opponents on offense with their guards penetrating quite well into the basket, something they did quite well against Dallas, as the Mavericks lack big men to protect well the paint. But when the guards stopped attacking the basket due to lack of energy and started trying jump shots, Charlotte's offensive momentum stopped! The Bobcats struggled offensively on their season debut against Indiana, as the Pacers' imposing frontcourt stopped the guards from penetrating with success, preventing Charlotte from making damage near the basket: 11-21 FG at the rim + 0-1 FG from 3-9 feet. But when they faced the Mavericks, Charlotte had a nice game near the basket with 15-25 FG at the rim and 5-11 FG from 3-9 feet. Considering the fact that Phoenix also lacks the athleticism on the wings to stop Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, while Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat aren't good defenders at the paint neither, I expect Charlotte to have a decent offensive game due to their usual transition plays, second chance points and also with good execution from their guards.
On this scenario of a fast paced game, a totals line of 191 points can be comfortably reached with a decent offensive game from both teams. We don't even need both teams having awesome shooting nights, as both teams around 45% FG should be enough for this game to go Over the total posted. Therefore, I'll be taking the Over in here.
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