OPINION: RECENT BAD BEATS
Ending February with Some Bad Beats
Welcome to another edition of the recent bad beats. These just ruin your day and seem to never end.
NCAAB
Long Beach State vs Hawaii 2/27
Pick: Long Beach State +1.5 or ML +220
Long Beach State headed to hostile territory to face Hawaii. Long Beach lead by as much as 17 points in the first half of the game. Long Beach closed out the first half, taking a 38-31 lead in the locker room. It looked like Hawaii couldn’t keep up with Long Beach State’s pace.
However, the tides started to turn as Hawaii was able to take advantage of Isaiah Washington’s injury as we went on and off the court in the second half due to an injury. Long Beach State was missing his playmaking and scoring ability in key stretches in the game. He made an amazing layup when he returned but suffered another cramp a few possessions later.
Michael Carter III had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Beach. His teammates Joe Hampton and Jadon Jones both had 13 points.
James Jean-Marie was able to take advantage of the momentum shift contributing with 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. His teammate Justin Webster added 14 points and eight rebounds.
It was a back and forth game for the last two minutes but Hawaii was able to get more trips to the charity stripe. Hawaii outscored Long Branch 48-38 in the second half; thus, winning the game 79-76.
A frustrating game to watch if you took Long Branch by the spread or Moneyline because the team had so many changes to regain a lead down the stretch.
NBA
Player prop: Zion Williamson 30+ points
The Chicago Bulls were able to get a close victory thanks to Zach Lavine’s 36- point performance. In the final minute of play, he had a layup and sank four attempts at the free-throw line. Colby White added 25 points on the night.
The Bulls held off a possible comeback that could have sent the game into overtime but the New Orleans missed some easy points down the stretch. Jaxson Hayes also missed a key free throw in the game.
Zion Williamson played a total of 37 minutes in the game last night and went 10-17 from the field. Zion who scored 28, missed two shots at the charity stripe to cut the Bulls lead to two points with 1:23 left in the game.
Had he made both, Zion would have had 30 points on the night. He went 8-16 from the free-throw line in the game and missed a total of four in the 4th quarter. The Bulls ended up winning the game 128-124.
Player Prop: Damian Lillard over 3.5
It was a close game until the very end and Damian Lilard needed to make something happen. Lillard and Carmelo Anthony had 22 points each to keep the Portland Trail Blazers close throughout the game. Stephen Curry lead the Golden State Warriors with 35 points last night.
Lilard is lights out from behind the arc was held to just two threes by the time the game rolled into the fourth quarter. Curry’s three gave the Warriors a 101-96 lead with 3:57 left in the game.
Lilard was basically double teamed the whole game until he hit a deep three-pointer with 13.7 seconds left in the game. Lilard went 3-10 behind the arc. Lilard made 4 or more shots from downtown in seven of his last 10 games. The Trail Blazers rank eighth in three-point percentage while the Warriors rank sixteenth in defending the three ball.
