Basketball Experts Picks Challenge: Week 4 Picks

It’s Week 4 of our NBA basketball experts picks challenge. We’ve polled people from all over the NBA landscape to compete, with the winning organization receiving a donation to the charity of their choice.

It’s said that an NBA team doesn’t truly know what they have until at least a quarter of the way through the season. We’ll be there soon enough, but until then, we’ve got our fair share of “will that continue” scenarios — cough DeMar DeRozan cough — and that makes our picks challenge all the more difficult.

Our experts put together a strong Week 3, with Shane Young and Drew Garrison putting out our first perfect weeks of the competition. Week 4 won’t have the same kind of success I’d wager, as the lineup is very difficult, so let’s take a look at the matchups for FanSided’s Basketball Experts Picks Challenge!

Week 4 Matchups (total votes in quotes)

11/14 : Oklahoma City Thunder (5) at Detroit Pistons (8)

The unstoppable force (Russell Westbrook) versus the immovable object (Andre Drummond)? The Drummond effect is real, as the Pistons are the No. 5 field goal percentage defense in the NBA, allowing just 43.1 percent.

11/15: Charlotte Hornets (8) at Minnesota Timberwolves (5)

Despite a recent two-game losing streak, the Hornets are one of the league’s surprises, behind Kemba Walker’s 25.3 points per game. The Wolves are no slouches at home, especially after Andrew Wiggins 47-point outburst in a win against the Lakers.

11/16: Golden State Warriors (10) at Toronto Raptors (3)

There was never any panic in Golden State, and their 8-2 record is nothing to be ashamed of — but look out, as the Kevin Durant/Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson combo is figuring it out, scoring 89 points in a recent win over the Suns.

11/17: New York Knicks (7) at Washington Wizards (6)

Carmelo Anthony is underperforming, Derrick Rose is asking for more foul calls and Kristaps Porzingis is blossoming before our eyes. Still, the Knicks are 3-6 and are getting blown out too often. The Wizards are a mess, and having John Wall and Bradley Beal in street clothes doesn’t help.

11/19: Phoenix Suns (8) at Philadelphia 76ers (5)

You’ll hear terms like “growth” and coaches will refer to “building towards the future” with these two teams, but they’ve both played well against good clubs (Suns vs. Warriors, 76ers vs. Cavs) and when a game has Devin Booker and Joel Embiid in it, you’re bound to enjoy it.

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