NBA Pick One – Post 16: November 10, 2010

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Last Night’s Pick – Pau Gasol – 31 P1P

Gasol has been, dare I say, the best player on the undefeated Lakers and last night he didn’t really show it. You know you are good when I say you only had 18 points and 10 rebounds with 3 assists. Worst game of his 2010 season. Of course I had picked him then. Just how the season is going.

NBA.com’s Expert Pick for Tonight – Russell Westbrook – Thunder

“Lost in the debates between Paul vs. Williams and Rondo vs. Rose is the Thunder’s dynamic point guard, Russell Westbrook. Although not there yet, he’s narrowing that gap and becoming one of the better guards in the game. Having MVP favorite Kevin Durant as a running mate doesn’t hurt either. As for tonight’s match up, the Sixers are in the bottom half in defense, and Westbrook is scoring at a better click than his numbers from last season. He had his best assist numbers – 14.5 a game – against Philadelphia last year, nearly doubling his normal output. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention he sacrificed his scoring – 8.5 a game – to put up those assist numbers. Choosing him is somewhat of a risk, but a calculated one that looks at his 21 points a game this year and hopes it won’t diminish too severely in the wake of a high assist night.”

Still using last season stats. Have to love it. The 76ers are 14th best in the league when it comes to assists allowed per game. Additionally, point guard Jrue Holiday is averaging 2 steals per game, one of only 14 players in the NBA to be doing so. Holiday has been causing issues for opposing point guards all season. There are better options out there.

My Pick for Tonight – Andray Blatche – Wizards

Blatche over Wall for tonight.

The Houston Rockets now own the NBA’s worst mark of points allowed per game with 112.7 while averaging 112 of their own. They are also the only team in the league allowing more than 90 field goal attempts per game.

One may be leaning toward John Wall in this case but hold up, delve deeper into the stats.

Even though the Rockets allow the most points in the NBA on the most shot attempts, they are 13th in the NBA when it comes to assists allowed per game. You then have to look at the rebound numbers. If the points aren’t coming off assists, they are coming off the rebound. They are 27th in the league in offensive rebounds allowed per game. Also, Rocket opponents have only attempted 115 three-point shots, the least in the league. Most of the work is done on in the inside against the Rockets despite the threat of Luis Scola and Yao Ming.

Andray Blatche is the number two option on a horrible Wizards team. Look for him to benefit from the match-up.