Stump the Stiffs Week 4, 11-20-15

Friday! Short work days, long fun filled nights and of course, Stump the Stiffs! This week we’re staying, for the most part, all in the Western Conference. We’ve got the Denver Nuggets trying to get revenge on the Phoenix Suns, a matchup of up and coming (Utah Jazz) vs. old and refusing to fade (Dallas Mavericks), a prediction on how much Brock Osweiler will air it out in his first career start and more!

For the the picking triumvirate this week we have Denver Stiffs sole, and first ever, female writer Kayla Osby, long time Stiffs commenter Timing and Nuggets subreddit participant /u/tehKEVSTAR. Can tehKEVSTAR continue Reddit's early dominance? Will Kayla be the much needed lucky charm for Stiffs writers in StS the same way she is for the Nuggets when she writes the preview? Will Timing dominate because after all, it is everything? Let's find out, pick time!

Kayla Osby: I fully expect Denver to play an inspired game after the beat down the Suns gave them a week ago. If the Nuggets want to survive the extremely tough stretch up ahead, this is a must-win, and hopefully they recognize that. I also expect Dallas to win against Utah at home. The Mavericks have won eight in a row against Utah when Dirk Nowitzki is playing, and they’re on a roll right now having won five straight games. I picked Houston to win in Memphis because sometimes after losing a head coach, teams come together and play better than before. Coming off an overtime win against the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday in which James Harden scored 45 points, they might be in the process of turning the corner. As far as Detroit vs. Minnesota, I picked Minnesota because they’re desperate for their first win at home. They’re coming off a heartbreaking loss in overtime against the Orlando Magic they will want to bounce back from, while the Pistons may enter this game with their guard down after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. I’m picking the over on 250 yards for Osweiler just because I’m optimistic that watching Peyton Manning from the sideline for so long will prepare him for handling the pressure in the biggest game of his career.

Timing: As my fellow Larry very rightly said last week, no way I’m picking anyone against our Nuggets. We’re kicking the Suns’ asses and then we’re ending that freaking Warriors streak, no compromise (April playoffs run, baby!). Mavs beat the Jazz because I’m tired of betting against them and letting them fool me. Rockets takes this one because it was all Kevin McHale’s fault (right?). Detroit loses to the Wolves because it’s what they’ve been doing during this road trip. Finally, since I don’t know much about NFL football, I’m picking over 250yds passing for Brock Osweiler, thus leading to people wrongfully asking Peyton to retire immediately.

/u/tehKEVSTAR: Bledsoe will have his way again, but the Nuggets win a tight one and get sweet revenge for last Saturday’s blowout. The Mavs are on a roll, and the talented young Jazz aren't quite ready to grab a road win against a savvy, well-coached squad. The Rockets need to figure things out fast on and off the court after McHale’s firing, but the Grindhouse will prove a frustrating place to try. The Baby Wolves will have their work cut out for them defending the Reggie Jackson-Andre Drummond pick-n-roll and keeping Detroit off the glass. Kubiak will help Brock ease in largely with shorter throws and easier reads, while slowly working in more stretch-zones and play action.

And there you have it! If you'd like to participate be sure to reach out to our moderators here at Stiffs (Russ Hamilton, Mancar, CombatChuk) or our good friend Alec Gwin to bandwagon onto Reddit's winning ways (@alecgwin).

If you’re keeping score (we called the Ty Lawson boos a push by the way, so everyone lost that one):

Stiffs Staff: 7-8

Stiffs Commenters: 9-6

Nuggets subreddit: 10-5