Monday’s nine-game NBA slate had a little of everything. The night’s closest finish came in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers edged the Timberwolves 127-125 in a heart-pounding two-point battle. Boston dominated Chicago 134-99 for the evening’s most lopsided result, while Oklahoma City handled Phoenix 125-114 in a convincing Thunder showing. Dallas pulled off an upset in Miami, 113-109, and Golden State stunned Denver on the road, 134-114. Milwaukee held off Indiana 110-102, Houston topped Atlanta 120-110, Memphis escaped Utah 110-105, and Charlotte took care of Washington 110-103 to round out a busy slate.
The XO Sports model went 5-4 on the day, correctly calling Charlotte, Boston, Oklahoma City, Houston, and Memphis. The model’s three top picks split down the middle: Charlotte and Oklahoma City delivered, but the Denver pick backfired badly as Golden State dominated on the road. The Minnesota and Indiana picks also missed, though both were tight calls with probabilities under 57 percent. Overall, a solid if imperfect day for the model across a challenging nine-game slate.