November 7 Games
PHO @ CHA: With starting SG Gerald Henderson out 2-4 weeks (sprained foot) it’s an opportunity for Ramon Sessions to shine, and sixth man Ben Gordon will get extra minutes. The Suns are notoriously poor on the road, so this game could be close, but I like Marcin Gortat and Luis Scola vs. the Charlotte bigs.
BRK @ MIA: If Gerald Wallace (sprained ankle) can’t play, who will guard LeBron James? Even if Crash does suit up, and is sound enough to keep LBJ in check, Joe Johnson will have his hands full with Dwayne Wade. As much as I like Nets backup PG (and occasional SG) C.J. Watson, his Miami counterpart Ray Allen is better. So it goes.
IND @ ATL: One player is the key to this game. Josh Smith (ankle) was a limited participant in yesterday’s practice and is listed as questionable. If he plays, I like the Hawks. If he doesn’t, it’s a tossup. Indiana has been completely unable to replace Danny Granger, out indefinitely with a sore knee. They tried Gerald Green, then Sam Young as the starting SF but have lost in Charlotte (!) and been embarrassed in San Antonio.
MEM@ MIL: Without much fanfare, Marc Gasol has been brilliant so far, while the Bucks are like a bagel, with a big hole in the middle. You do the math. Zach Randolph is back to his old form as a double-double machine, so the frontcourt tilts this one to the visitors.
WAS @ BOS: Even if the Wizards had John Wall and Nene, this would be a tough matchup. Rajon Rondo can do whatever he wants to A.J. Price and Paul Pierce is way too good for Trevor Ariza, who looks a bit lost anyway. I’ll guess that Jared Sullinger starts again, with Brandon Bass as the PF-C backup. Factor in SF-PF Jeff Green and we still don’t know how minutes (and production) will be shared among that trio.
ORL@ MIN: If they hadn’t played so well in Chicago last night, I’d like the Magic’s chances better. On the theory that they are tired, the Timberwolves look like the better play. Nikola Pekovic has the advantage in size at C, Andrei Kirilenko has been superb since Kevin Love (hand) went down and the Minnesota bench is stronger, with Chase Budinger and Alexey Shved sharp lately.