Best Sports Betting Picks Today: NBA, College Basketball Predictions for February 13th | Deadspin.com

It’s the final day before the NBA All-Star break, and we will check out a pair of games. One involves Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; the other includes Stephen Curry.

This makes me wonder if Curry knows in his own mind that he is no longer the top scorer in the league. Would the legendary Curry say out loud that SGA is now that guy?

Curry and the Golden State Warriors (27-27) will finish the break at the Houston Rockets. Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder own an NBA-best 44-9 record entering their road clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

We’ll also look at a college basketball game between Gonzaga and visiting San Francisco. The Bulldogs are having trouble staying ranked for the second straight season.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AT MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Oklahoma City has recorded seven straight victories, and all of them have been by double digits with an average winning margin of 24.1. The routs include beatdowns of 34 over the Sacramento Kings, 29 over the Milwaukee Bucks and 31 over the Phoenix Suns in succession, plus a 36-point trouncing of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 50 or more points in three of his last 11 appearances and hasn’t scored fewer than 25 points since Dec. 28. OKC outscored Miami 32-8 in the fourth quarter Wednesday for a 115-101 home win.

OK, so Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is sure looking forward to this game after putting up 49, 41 and 44 points over a three-game span before having 28 in Wednesday’s 103-101 loss to the Bucks. Edwards is baking from long range and has made 23 3-pointers over the last four contests.

Minnesota is just 15-13 at home this season after going 26-15 all of last season. Plus, Gilgeous-Alexander lit the Timberwolves up for 40 points in a 113-105 home win on Dec. 31 when Edwards had just 20.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 35-plus points, +130 (DraftKings)

GOLDEN WARRIORS AT HOUSTON ROCKETS

The Warriors are battling to get into a play-in spot while the Rockets are fourth in the West, which is crazy considering Houston last made the playoffs in 2020. Golden State is hoping Jimmy Butler will provide a serious lift, and thus far, the motivated Jimmy has shown up.

Butler has scored 20 or more in all three games since Golden State acquired him from the Miami Heat. He had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday’s 111-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Curry scored 25 against Dallas after topping 30 in four straight games.

The Rockets have won two straight games following a season-worst six-game skid in which five of the losses were on the road. That type of showing makes folks wonder how Houston will fare on the road in the playoffs despite its talented roster.

Tari Eason had 25 points, Jalen Green scored 22 and Amen Thompson contributed 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s 119-111 win over the visiting Phoenix Suns. Golden State is 2-1 against the Rockets this season, but Houston is primed to even the series.

Rockets -2, -108 (DraftKings)

SAN FRANCISCO DONS AT GONZAGA BULLDOGS

The West Coast Conference feels non-existent this season, and that’s a product of Gonzaga having slipped a few notches. It’s not the four nonconference setbacks that are troublesome, but the three WCC losses over the last seven games are very un-Zag-like.

The road loss to Saint Mary’s doesn’t feel so bad, but losing at home to Santa Clara didn’t even happen when the Broncos had current NBA players like Jalen Williams for three years and Brandyn Podziemski for one (not at the same time). Is coach Mark Few losing his touch? Is the NIL era preventing Gonzaga from getting the transfers they used to score? 

Can Drew Timme be allowed back in a league in which he can excel? The Bulldogs figure to beat San Francisco but look at the WCC standings – the Dons are in second place, just above the Bulldogs.

San Francisco has won four straight games – it beat Saint Mary’s on Feb. 6 – so expect the Dons to keep it close. They need both Malik Thomas (19.2 ppg) and Marcus Williams (14.4) on top of their games to notch an upset.

San Francisco plus-14.5 points, -115 (DraftKings)