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Monday, November 3
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Pick 'n' Roll: Monday's best NBA bets
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Cleveland at Dallas (-3, 191.5)
The Cleveland Cavaliers relied primarily on their defense to win games last season, but an offseason acquisition was expected to provide more offensive help alongside LeBron James.
Right now, it's James who's looking to regain his scoring touch.
The league's reigning scoring champion will try to break out of his offensive funk on Monday night when the Cavaliers travel to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks, who are looking to build off their first win of the season.
A summer trade for point guard Mo Williams, who averaged 17.2 points last season with Milwaukee, was expected to give Cleveland (1-2) another shooter and potential distributor to feed James, who averaged 30.0 points in 2007-08 to win the league's scoring crown.
Williams is averaging just 13.3 points through three games, but it's been James' struggles that have been the primary reason for the Cavaliers only scoring 91.0 points per game thus far. After shooting a career-high 48.4 percent last season, James is averaging 19.7 points on 43.1 percent shooting.
James went 6-of-15 and scored only 15 points on Saturday in Cleveland's 104-92 loss at New Orleans.
"I never really got into a comfortable zone all night tonight,'' said James, who is 0-for-9 from 3-point range this season. "We still were in the game going into the fourth quarter. But late in the game, I never got into it.'
Pick: Cavs
Chicago at Orlando (-7, 196)
Rookie Derrick Rose is coming off his best game with Chicago (2-1), scoring a career-best 26 points in a 96-86 win over Memphis on Saturday. The point guard, who was 11-of-20 from the field and added six rebounds and three assists, leads rookies with 18.3 points per game.
"All I'm trying to do is win the game," Rose said. "If that takes me to score 20 some points or five points it doesn't matter as long as we win."
Coach Vinny Del Negro said he's looking for more from Rose, who led Memphis to the NCAA championship game last season, as he tries to get the Bulls to be more aggressive offensively.
"He's so athletic and he can get to the basket and finish," Del Negro said. "I told him when he comes off the pick and roll and they let off him to let it fly. He had more control of the game tonight and I think it will continue to get better. He competes."
The Bulls didn't do that against the Magic last season, dropping all four matchups and getting outscored by an average of 22.0 points in the final three games.
To avoid a fifth straight loss, Chicago needs to improve its shooting. The Bulls shot a league-low 43.5 percent from the field last season, and after hitting 50.7 percent in a victory over Milwaukee in their season opener, shot 29.8 percent in a 16-point loss at Boston on Friday and 38.1 percent against the Grizzlies on Saturday.
Pick: Magic
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Monday, November 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick 'n' Roll: Monday's best NBA bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland at Dallas (-3, 191.5)
The Cleveland Cavaliers relied primarily on their defense to win games last season, but an offseason acquisition was expected to provide more offensive help alongside LeBron James.
Right now, it's James who's looking to regain his scoring touch.
The league's reigning scoring champion will try to break out of his offensive funk on Monday night when the Cavaliers travel to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks, who are looking to build off their first win of the season.
A summer trade for point guard Mo Williams, who averaged 17.2 points last season with Milwaukee, was expected to give Cleveland (1-2) another shooter and potential distributor to feed James, who averaged 30.0 points in 2007-08 to win the league's scoring crown.
Williams is averaging just 13.3 points through three games, but it's been James' struggles that have been the primary reason for the Cavaliers only scoring 91.0 points per game thus far. After shooting a career-high 48.4 percent last season, James is averaging 19.7 points on 43.1 percent shooting.
James went 6-of-15 and scored only 15 points on Saturday in Cleveland's 104-92 loss at New Orleans.
"I never really got into a comfortable zone all night tonight,'' said James, who is 0-for-9 from 3-point range this season. "We still were in the game going into the fourth quarter. But late in the game, I never got into it.'
Pick: Cavs
Chicago at Orlando (-7, 196)
Rookie Derrick Rose is coming off his best game with Chicago (2-1), scoring a career-best 26 points in a 96-86 win over Memphis on Saturday. The point guard, who was 11-of-20 from the field and added six rebounds and three assists, leads rookies with 18.3 points per game.
"All I'm trying to do is win the game," Rose said. "If that takes me to score 20 some points or five points it doesn't matter as long as we win."
Coach Vinny Del Negro said he's looking for more from Rose, who led Memphis to the NCAA championship game last season, as he tries to get the Bulls to be more aggressive offensively.
"He's so athletic and he can get to the basket and finish," Del Negro said. "I told him when he comes off the pick and roll and they let off him to let it fly. He had more control of the game tonight and I think it will continue to get better. He competes."
The Bulls didn't do that against the Magic last season, dropping all four matchups and getting outscored by an average of 22.0 points in the final three games.
To avoid a fifth straight loss, Chicago needs to improve its shooting. The Bulls shot a league-low 43.5 percent from the field last season, and after hitting 50.7 percent in a victory over Milwaukee in their season opener, shot 29.8 percent in a 16-point loss at Boston on Friday and 38.1 percent against the Grizzlies on Saturday.
Pick: Magic
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