Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS for our NBA 2nd Rd Game of the Year. After winning the opener of this series and seizing home court advantage without Joel Embiid, the Sixers have given it right back with two bad losses with Embiid back in the lineup showing just how unpredictable this league can be at times. Philadelphia shot 50.6 percent in Game One but it has gone 62-157 (39.5 percent) over the last two games including 22-67 (32.8 percent) from long range as the Celtics defense has stepped up. But a lot of that can just be attributed to bad shooting, notably James Harden who had an all-world game in the opener and has been non-existent since then and he will be a key piece in order to even this series up. The Boston shooting has regressed in each of the three games and since the Hawks series as they shot 51.2 percent from the floor in the six games against Atlanta and after hitting 58.7 percent of their shots in Game One, the Celtics are just 81-178 (45.5 percent) the last two games and while that is much better than Philadelphia, it is not significant enough to call it dominant. This is a must win for Philadelphia or this series is toast and it is a great rebound spot as the Sixers are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (538) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The NBA playoffs have been anything but dramatic so far this season as of the first 53 postseason games, only six have been decided by four points or fewer. While the probability of the majority of games being decided by well over one possession are always higher, this ratio is absurdly high and has made many games unwatchable. Both of these games have been decided by more than four points although Game One had a chance to come down to the final seconds or head into overtime but Golden St. Missed a game-tying three-pointer with 9.7 seconds remaining. This being said, we are way overdue for a close game and this has the makings of it with the underdog being the favorable play. The Warriors made their adjustments on defense and blew out the Lakers in Game Two as they outshot them 50.5 percent to 42.6 percent and now they hit the road where they have been dreadful but did go 2-2 in Sacramento in the first series. A one possession game either way gets it done. Here, we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 revenging a road loss of 10 points or more going up against an opponent off a home blowout win by 20 points or more. This situation is 100-56 ATS (64.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (535) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS for our Western Conference Game of the Year. This is exactly what Phoenix did not want as coming into the postseason, it possessed arguably the best roster from a starting standpoint to make a run as it needed to avoid the injury bug that plagued them all season and down goes Chris Paul for the remainder of the series. Now in a 2-0 deficit, things are looking bleak for the Suns and linesmakers have dropped them to +650 to win the Western Conference. Game Two was there for the taking even with Paul out of the game as they entered the fourth quarter up three points but managed only 14 points on offense as they missed their first nine shots and they could not take advantage of a poor game from Jamal Murray who scored only 10 points. Getting to the free throw line only five times the entire game did them no good but we will see an uptick on that as they need to penetrate more and having an extended break of three off days helps them in the game planning with no Paul available. Denver is 4-12 ATS in road games after two or more home wins this season while Phoenix is 13-4 ATS in home games after playing a road game this season. Here, we play against road underdogs off three or more consecutive home wins, playing five or less games in 14 days. This situation is 39-16 ATS (70.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (532) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Warriors find themselves in an early hole after dropping Game One of this series on Tuesday and while they were able to come back against the Kings in the opening round after falling behind 2-0, those first two games were on the road where they have been awful and they need a big bounce back at home which we are expecting here. Golden St. is 35-10 at home and going back to the Sacramento series, it has lost two straight games here and while the Warriors did drop three straight home games earlier in the season, Steph Curry missed two of those games and Kaly Thompson missed another one. The Lakers got the one game they needed to head back to Los Angeles with home court in hand and they will be up for a challenge here. They are a game under .500 on the road and despite the recent win, they are just 13-22 as road dogs. Golden St. has been ice cold from the floor, shooting only 40.4 percent from the floor over its last three games which makes this team due for a show and this is the ideal spot to get hot once again after shooting 47 percent or better in nine of its previous 11 games. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a playoff game, in the 2nd game of a playoff series. This situation is 31-5 ATS (86.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (526) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Philadelphia stole the opener of this series and will head back home with home court advantage but that does not mean it will be out to steak another one. The initial reaction is the take Boston in this game in a vital spot to win but once again, there is no value in this number which is nearly identical from Game One because of the absence of Joel Embiid. James Harden had a game and silenced some of the naysayers that he was washed up but he showed that running the offense through him can still be successful. As mentioned in that Game One analysis, the Sixers still possess three star players who can make up for it and while the Embiid production and ability to take over a game will not be there, it can still be distributed as the minutes are not lost and while Harden may not duplicate what he did, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxie have the ability to step up even bigger. Take Harden out of the stat line and the Sixers still shot a solid 47.5 percent from the floor. The Sixers are now 12-5 this season without Embiid and while each situation is different and the competition is not on this same level each time, Boston has yet to show any sort of killer instinct through seven games of the postseason and Philadelphia should be a tough out again. 10* (521) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the NEW YORK KNICKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Miami was able to steal Game One of this series and going back to the opening round, it has won four straight games, all as underdogs but expect a different outcome tonight in a much more difficult spot. The Heat took advantage of a sizable edge from the free throw line and they outscored the Knicks 23-12 from the stripe while long range shooting also played a huge part as Miami was 13-39 (33 percent) compared to New York going just 7-34 (20.6 percent). Jimmy Butler has taken over in recent games as he is coming off another solid performance with 25 points and 11 rebounds in a team high 43 minutes despite rolling his ankle and he is now averaging 35.5 ppg in the postseason. He was able to finish the game but it does not look good as he is listed as questionable and while he could go, he will not be close to 100 percent. Overall, New York outshot the Heat 47.7 percent to 42.4 percent and won the rebounding battle by nine boards but the two vs. three pointers were not enough. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are also listed as questionable for New York but the Brunson injury does not look bad and Randle should return after missing Game One as a late scratch. Here, we play on favorites revenging a loss where opponent scored 100 or more points going up against an opponent off two or more consecutive upset wins as a road underdog. This situation is 68-31 ATS (68.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (518) New York Knicks

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Phoenix dropped the opener of this series as one bad quarter did it in as the Suns were outscored by 18 points in the second quarter as the other three quarters were played dead even. They outshot the Nuggets 51.2 percent to 47.5 percent but Denver attempted 17 more field goals which was the ultimate difference. The reasons for the disparity were turnovers, as Phoenix committed 16 compared to nine for Denver, and offensive rebounding as the Nuggets doubled up the Suns 16-8. Get those closer to even and Phoenix would have been right in the game but now the Suns find themselves in a big game to avoid a 2-0 deficit and we expect this one to be much closer with a good probability of the outright win. One reason is they have now been acclimated to the high altitude for five days as they now have an additional two days to go along with that one game which was the first one in Denver with the current roster in place. Winning in Denver is not easy as outlined in the Game One analysis but adjustments can be made Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points scoring 114 or more ppg on the season, after allowing 120 points or more in two straight games. This situation is 43-24 ATS (64.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (513) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS for our NBA Star Attraction. The big story here is that Joel Embiid is unlikely to go as he is doubtful with a knee injury but no player is worth a seven-point line swing based on power rating and previous meetings and that is what Philadelphia is getting here. Another recent example what that the Sixers laid only three fewer points against Brooklyn in Game One in his absence and while Boston is clearly a better team than the Nets, the adjustment is too big. They still possess three star players who can make up for it and while the Embiid production and ability to take over a game will not be there, it can still be distributed as the minutes are not lost. Boston got all it could handle against the Hawks and the one good thing for Boston getting stretched out against Atlanta was that it probably woke them up even though they know tougher competition awaits. The Celtics have been dominant at home and won three of the four regular season meetings but we saw what happened when Atlanta was without Dejounte Murray. Here, we play on underdogs after allowing 105 points or less in two straight games going up against an opponent after a combined score of 245 points or more. This situation is 43-18 ATS (70.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (515) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA 1st Rd Game of the Year. Sacramento stayed alive by taking out Golden St. by 19 points in Game Six to force the series back home and while it was a lopsided win, it was a fortunate one in which it happened. The Kings caught the Warriors on their worst shooting night of the entire season as they hit only 37.2 percent of their shots and coming into that game, Golden St. was 6-16 in its 22 games when shooting 44 percent or less from the floor and it was not because the Kings suddenly learned how to play defense, which they cannot, it was simply a bad night. Conversely, Sacramento shot only 40.4 percent and it came in 3-13 in its 16 games when shooting 44 percent or less which shows how fortunate it was. In this series, the Warriors had outshot Sacramento in all of the first five games prior to Friday and as long as they do not duplicate that performance offensively, they win this game. We have seen this line flip from the Warriors -1.5 to open and now at +1.5 in most places because of that disheartening home loss and their road struggles this season but this is a veteran team that has gone through playoff adversity before while the Kings are facing all of the pressure. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 revenging a loss against opponent off an upset win of 10 points or more as a road underdog. This situation is 34-10 ATS (77.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (505) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the NEW YORK KNICKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Miami became just the fifth No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the NBA postseason and while both teams suffered some significant injuries during the series, the Bucks caught the worst of it with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing most of Game One and the next two games completely which put them out of sorts the whole series but the Heat still deserve the credit. Now things will be getting more physical for Miami in what is not a very good matchup as it lost three of the four regular season meetings and were on the wrong end of the rebounding margin three times, all by double-digit boards. After splitting the first two games against Cleveland and snagging home court advantage, it did not take New York long as it won the next three games against the Cavaliers and the Knicks advanced past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. New York dominated on defense against Cleveland as it held the Cavaliers to fewer than 100 points in all four victories and can do the same with Miami despite the Heat offense coming to life against a supposedly good Bucks defense. Game One will put that on display. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having won three of their last four games, playing only their 2nd game in seven days. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (502) New York Knicks

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Phoenix and Denver split the four meetings this season with the Christmas Day matchup that Denver won in overtime being the only meeting with a resemblance of the current rosters in place. The other win in Denver in January was when Phoenix obviously had no Kevin Durant but was also without Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. The Suns won the two matchups at home but the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. and yet still stayed close against a full Suns roster and covered the 13 points in both. That gives us not a lot of season matchup history to go off of and the Nuggets have the opportunistic spot in Game One at home with a short price where they 37-7 on the season and that was after a 6-3 start. Two of the last four losses came without Jokic in the lineup so this is a very dangerous team at home at full strength. Phoenix took out the Clippers in five games but it was far from dominating against a depleted Clippers roster and while some of that can be attributed to not giving 100 percent effort, it is still a concern hitting the road. The Suns came into Denver early to acclimate to the high altitude but playing in a game here is a different story. 10* (554) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES for our NBA Star Attraction. We have been on Memphis the last two games as it was able to extend the series with a Game Five win on Wednesday after losing Game Four where it should have won and at the very least came away with the cover as the overtime underdog curse reared its ugly head. It is another win or go home situation for the Grizzlies and they will have to do something they have not done all season and that is win as a road underdog as they are 0-18 in this situation on the season but those past instances can be tossed away with what is on the line here. The LeBron James timeline in this series does say a lot. After Game One, the Lakers has two days of rest for the next two games and James was great in both, averaging 26.5 ppg on 51.2 percent shooting but over the last two games where there has been just one day of rest, he has averaged only 18.5 ppg on 37.1 percent shooting and this is the second consecutive game with travel involved. Since going 3-8 from long range in the opener, he is 3-28 (10.7 percent) from behind the arc. Here, we play against teams as a No. 7 seed in the playoffs. This situation is 171-109 ATS (61.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (549) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the SACRAMENTO KINGS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Golden St. has made an unlikely comeback in this series, dropping the first two games and storming back to win the last three and head home with a chance to close it out and that is what championship teams do. That being said, the Warriors are laying their biggest number at home of the three games thus far which is creating value on Sacramento in a game all we are asking for is a cover and the Kings are still playing with confidence. The big story from the last game was the status of De'Aaron Fox and his broken finger and his shot was clearly affected as he went just 9-25 from the floor including 3-10 from long range but he has struggled the whole series and now with a game played with that splint on his finger, he has gotten used to it over the last four days. Sacramento has gone 13-17 in games it was listed as the moneyline underdog so winning this game outright is far from out of the question. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points averaging 114 or more ppg on the season, after allowing 120 points or more in two straight games. This situation is 42-24 ATS (63.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (551) Sacramento Kings

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Boston had a golden opportunity to not be playing tonight as it had a 13-point lead with about six minutes remaining but the Hawks closed the game on a 23-8 run to force a Game Six. It was Trae Young that pretty much did it alone down the stretch as he scored the final 14 points for Atlanta and for a defensively sound team like Boston to let that happen is completely out of character. The Celtics outshot the Hawks by nearly seven percent from the floor yet could not come up with the needed stops and the moist frustrating thing for Boston has been the success of the offense that has not given it the results. Over the last four games, the Celtics have shot 52.4 percent from the floor yet have split those games and for the series, they are outshooting Atlanta 51.3 percent to 45.4 percent with the difference being the Hawks putting up 36 more field goal attempts. We are seeing early value here as this one could rise similar to Game Four. Here, we play on road teams revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite of seven points or more, off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.2percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (537) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES for our NBA Star Attraction. We had Memphis on Monday and it was looking good for a Grizzlies cover and then overtime hit and we all know what can happen with an overtime underdog and that came to fruition. The Grizzlies took the lead late in regulation on an end-to-end sequence on a defensive block that led to a breakaway with 10.8 seconds remaining but LeBron James made a layup with less than a second remaining to force overtime. Memphis fell to 0-18 as a road underdog this season so winning this series could be a problem as it will be dogged again in Game Six should they survive here and we see it as a blowout heading back home. The Grizzlies are 36-7 at home, outscoring opponents by 10 ppg and are laying a very reasonable number in a must win game and this is the game Ja Morant needs to take over after scoring only 19 points on 8-24 shooting and the offense as a whole has been trash the last three games, shooting a combined 39.9 percent from the floor. Here, we play on home favorites after having lost five or six of their last seven games, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 42-12 ATS (77.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (532) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Cleveland was able to salvage a split at home after a Game One loss but it was thoroughly embarrassed in the two games in New York as it held no more than a four-point lead in either game and now it is in a rough situation needing to win three games to avoid the series upset. The Cavaliers have relied on their defense all season but it was not on display in New York as they allowed 47 percent and 45.2 percent but the offense was more to blame as they scored just 79 and 93 points and they have been held under 100 points in all three losses. If there is any hop, Donovan Mitchell needs to take over this offense as after scoring 38 points in Game One, he has put up 50 points total over the last three games and this comes after scoring 40 or mire points in his last four regular season games that he played. This has not been a good matchup this season for Cleveland with the Knicks winning six of the eight meetings but now it is time for the Cavaliers to find out who they are. Here, we play on home favorites averaging between 108 and 114 ppg going up against teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg, after a combined score of 205 points or less two straight games. This situation is 31-8 ATS (79.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (530) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. After losing the first game of this series, the suns have taken control by winning the last three games and can close it out on Tuesday but are being asked to lay a huge number in doing so. They no doubt want to end it here and get all the rest they can but even down an insurmountable margin, the Clippers will not go away easy. They are without their top two players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George but the one player that has stepped up and will always go full force is Russell Westbrook and he kept them around in Game Four as the Clippers were down by just a bucket halfway through the fourth quarter before Phoenix pulled away late. The difference in that last game was from the free throw line as Phoenix was 21 of 27 from the stripe while Los Angeles was just 8 of 10 and it will need to make this more even which it should simply based on returning to the median. Norman Powell was a big factor in Game Three but was only 4-15 from the floor and his performance will be key as well. Teams down 3-1 in a series are not in good spots but there is too much value here in this elimination game. Here, we play on road teams revenging a loss against opponent, off a home loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 108-65 ATS (62.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (523) Los Angeles Clippers

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Supreme Annihilator. While this game is a similar situation to the Clippers/Suns game, Atlanta just seems to be done after not being in Game Four for the most part and now they will be without Dejounte Murray who has been suspended for bumping a referee after the game on Sunday and that is a massive blow. So far in the playoffs, Murray has totaled at least 23 points and played in at least 35 minutes in each game against Boston. The Celtics defense came up big in Game Four after allowing the Hawks to shoot 56 percent from the floor in the previous game as they allowed just 43.9 percent shooting. Going under the radar has been the Boston offense as it is shooting 51 percent in the series and it was able to do a better job on the boards on Sunday after it was outrebounded 48-29 in Game Three. If the Celtics take care of business in Tuesday night, it will have done what it needed to set up its series with the Sixers who were hardly challenged against the Nets and with Philadelphia already done in its opening series, the Celtics would like the extra rest as well. Here, we play against teams when trailing in a playoff series, with a winning percentage of between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 39-11 ATS (78 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (520) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES for our Western Conference Game of the Month. The Lakers came through for us on Saturday as it was a wire-to-wire beatdown with Los Angeles never trailing in the game while building a 35-9 lead after the first quarter. The Grizzlies made the game look closer than it actually was as they outscored the Lakers 33-23 in the fourth quarter, including 24 points from Ja Morant in a 45-point performance, but it was too late for any shot at a victory. Clearly, Memphis has to open the game better and with a lot more intensity to avoid going back home down 3-1 in the series which looks to be an insurmountable deficit in what is not a typical 2/7 matchup. Take away the game from Morant and the rest of the team was 23-67 (34.3 percent) from the floor including 7-29 (24.1 percent) from long range. The ejection of Dillon Brooks was the big storyline but Memphis was trailing big at that time as he was having a horrible game offensively so it mattered none and he will play a big part in this one defensively after avoiding a suspension for Game Four. We are going against the grain and the public here as despite 89 percent of early money on the Lakers, the line has not moved despite the Grizzlies being 0-17 on the season as road underdogs which is what the public will be looking to continue. Here, we play on teams failing to cover six or more of their last eight games against the spread, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 149-97 ATS (60.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (515) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We lost with Boston on Friday and we are coming back with the Celtics here after one of their worst defensive performances of the season. Atlanta shot 56 percent from the floor which was just the fourth time Boston has allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better in its last 25 games and it worst showing since January 3 when Oklahoma City shot 59.2 percent and hung 150 points against the Celtics. Defending the pick and roll has been a solid trait for this defense but that was not on display in Game Three and there will not be any adjustments to put into the plan tonight, it is all about effort. Atlanta used the high energy crowd crown to build a big early lead only to see it diminish and then eventually pull away but the Celtics have been one of the better road teams in the league as they are 25-17 and have not lost back-to-back road games since late January and they are 16-9 this season following a loss. Here, we play on road favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points off a loss as a favorite against opponent off a home win scoring 110 or more points. This situation is 60-28 ATS (68.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (505) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Game Two was another example of role players stepping up in the absence of a star player as Memphis was without Ja Morant and rode six players scoring double digits to go alone with a lockdown defense on their strong home floor to even up this series heading to Los Angeles. The Grizzlies got the benefit of an extra day of rest and Morant was a full participant in practice on Friday and while listed as questionable, he is likely going to go and the line is telling us likewise. Should he be a late scratch, that only benefits us here if bet early as this line will jump significantly if that happens. One of the stories getting a lot of pub heading into this game is Dillon Brooks challenging LeBron James to score 40 points and James is smart enough to not let that change his game as this offense revolves around Anthony Davis. With Davis on the floor, James averages 27.8 ppg on 17.9 attempts in Lakers wins, but 23.5 ppg on 16.3 attempts in losses. Memphis is now 36-7 at home but just 16-25 on the road and while the Lakers are just above average at home at 24-18, they have dealt with injuries and a very slow start. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points revenging a loss of 10 points or more, playing only their 2nd game in five days. This situation is 71-44 ATS (61.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (570) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS for our NBA Afternoon Dominator. The bad news for the Clippers is that they will once again be without Kawhi Leonard who is out with a knee injury but the good news is that they will have had more than a half day to prepare for the situation unlike Thursday when he was ruled hours before tipoff. Los Angeles fought hard in the Game Three loss and that will be the case again with the series on the line. Norman Powell was exceptional in his absence and arguably played a better game than a less than 100 percent Leonard would have as he scored a team high 42 points. This was not out of the blue however as he started in eight games during the regular season and ranked fourth in the NBA in total points off the bench. The Clippers have more depth and the quick turnaround from Thursday night to Saturday afternoon benefits them as Phoenix starters logged 189:15 minutes. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have played 85:56 and 89:19 respectively in the last two games alone. The Clippers bench has outscored the Suns bench 103-41 overall in the series. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams with +/- 3 ppg scoring differentials, after a combined score of 245 points or more. This situation is 61-22 ATS (73.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (566) Los Angeles Clippers

This is a play on the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for our NBA Star Attraction. Defense has been the story in this series thus far and Cleveland responded with a Game Two victory to even the series and it again came up strong on the defensive end. They have held the Knicks to 39.5 percent shooting, backing up their No. 1 ranked unit in efficiency and they have held the opponent to 44 or less shooting in five of their last nine games. on the other side, New York did well in Game One on defense but opponents have shot 49 percent or better in six of their last seven games. Cleveland made some key rotation changes in Game Two on offense and it made a huge difference. The lack of offense from forward Isaac Okoro in Game One, who scored only six points on 1-6 shooting despite constantly being open forced a switch as the Cavaliers shifted toward a more spread out offense, playing either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen at center with four perimeter players completing the rotation. It will not be surprising to see Okoro out of the starting lineup for Game Three. Here, we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 allowing between 104 and 108 ppg after two or more consecutive unders, going up against teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg. This situation is 35-11 ATS (76.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (557) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Playing a team coming home in a 2-0 series deficit is typically a good move considering the desperation at hand and while the Nets did not come through last night against Philadelphia, they had their chances but could not close against a much stronger roster. The Hawks are in the same situation but the way this series has opened, their chances of winning any game looks dire as the Celtics defense has dominated through the first two games. Coming in, Atlanta had the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA since the All-Star Break but the Celtics held the Hawks to fewer than 100 points for just the third time this season in Game One and in Game Two, the Hawks used a late surge in garbage time to surpass 100 points. Trae Young has shot just 35 percent from the floor on 40 attempts including 23.1 from long range and while he said he will be better at home, Derrick White and Marcus Smart will have something to say back about that as they have bottled him up and forced him to a team high 10 turnovers. Boston easily won both regular season meetings here and they will be too much again. Here, we play against underdogs with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 when trailing in a playoff series. This situation is 30-7 ATS (81.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (555) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. While this series is not over, the Warriors are in a must win situation as they head home down 2-0 to the Kings where they had a chance to even this series on Sunday, the ejection of Draymond Green came at a horrible time and he treated it as being it a motivator. Golden St. was down four points at the time and while it made a later charge to get within a point. The Warriors could not make crucial stops with the absence of Green who is now suspended for Game Three and we are getting line value with that. Golden St. fell to a miserable 11-32 on the road but is back home where it is 33-8 and needs both of these next two games. This is where Jordan Poole needs to step up as he has scored 21 points on 5-17 shooting with nine of those points coming from the free throw line. The Kings were the higher seed but came in as series underdogs even after the Game One win and are still just -170 favorites as their defense is an issue as they were outshot in both of those games. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points revenging two straight losses where opponent scored 100 or more points off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog. This situation is 35-11 ATS (76.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (550) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the BROOKLYN NETS for our NBA Divisional Game of the Month. This series has started the wrong way for the Nets as they have been blown out in the first two games, never leading Game One and then blowing an early 10-point lead in Game Two. They head home in probably the best chance for a win as a 3-0 deficit will completely deflate them. Brooklyn finished 23-18 at home and while this is a different roster than what it began the season with, it played well down the stretch. The Sixers are on a dominant path thus far but hitting the road up 2-0 can be a lethargic scenario. Philadelphia has dominated this season series with wins in all six games, four of which were at home. The Nets lost by three points in one of their home meetings and while the other home meeting resulted in a 29-point loss, it was the final game of the regular season where it was all reserves. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after being beaten by the spread by 42 or more points total in their last seven games going up against an opponent after going over the total by 36 or more points total in their last five games. This situation is 48-19 ATS (71.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (548) Brooklyn Nets

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS for our Eastern Conference Game of the Month. Milwaukee lost Game One of this series as Giannis Antetokounmpo exited the game after playing only 11 minutes with a lower back contusion and it is difficult for a team to see that happen and prepare on the fly as the Bucks were never in the game after that. He did not practice on Tuesday, and the Bucks officially listed him as doubtful for Game Two but with no structural damage and an extra day in between games, head coach Mike Budenholzer said he was still feeling encouraged he could to play. We are not counting on that and this line is reflecting that as it peaked at 9.5 and is down to 6 in most places Wednesday morning so we are getting value betting this game early with the added bonus that he could suit up. Bobby Portis will replace him if he does not go and the Bucks are 11-6 in his absence when all other starters are available and Portis has averaged over 17 ppg and 10 rpg as his replacement. Being overshadowed is that the Heat lost Tyler Herro to a broken hand in the game as well and this is the game where the rest of the Milwaukee players step up. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a playoff game, in the 2nd game of a playoff series. This situation is 27-5 ATS (84.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (542) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Memphis is another team that lost its star player as Ja Morant suffered a wrist injury and that completely took the sails out of the Grizzlies as the Lakers went on a game-ending 15-0 run three minutes after Morant went to the locker room. He is questionable and is a gametime decision and this is another instance where we are catching a line with him not playing as this one got to Memphis -3 in some spots and has settled into the Grizzlies getting a point Wednesday morning so we bet this now which will create exceptional value should Morant suit up. Again, we are not banking on that but it would just be an added benefit and Memphis has had time to prepare in his absence and this is where the remaining roster steps up in a must win situation. The Lakers have already captured home floor even with a split so there is hardly as much of a needed win for them here and are still playing in one of the toughest places in the league and the Grizzlies are 11-6 L17 games without Morant and all other starters playing. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 revenging a same season loss going up against an opponent off an upset win of 10 points or more as a road underdog. This situation is 33-10 ATS (76.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (540) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. New York was able to snag home court advantage with its Game One win on Saturday and Cleveland cannot get itself into a 2-0 hole. The Knicks were able to exploit the best defense in the NBA in the first quarter with 30 points but the Cavaliers clamped down the rest of the way by allowing just 71 points for the rest of the game and overall, they held the Knicks to only 42 percent shooting including 28 percent from long range. As expected, Donovan Mitchell paced the offense with 38 points on 14-30 shooting but the rest of the team shot only 41.5 percent and had just 22 made field goals. The good news is every one of the starters who was on the injury report as questionable played and have now had an extra day of rest. New York has taken the last four meetings this season, all outright as an underdog, after an October win by Cleveland so this is where the Cavaliers clamp down to keep this series within reach. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a playoff game, in the 2nd game of a playoff series. This situation is 24-5 ATS (82.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (534) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. A viable and value worthy bet in this series was Sacramento Game One/Golden St. Series +310 and half that leg is complete with the other half in a good place still as this is where the Warriors experience will take over. Golden St. is still favored to win the series at -150 despite losing Game One and that defeat was far from deflating as they had to take a game in Sacramento and it does not matter which one it is. The victory for the Kings opened them as favorites for Game Two but the line has quickly flipped to Golden St. being the slight favorite in a game where a win likely means a cover. One factor we mentioned in Game One was Andrew Wiggins coming back and likely being a non-factor which was the case as he scored 17 points off the bench but was just 7-16 from the floor including 1-8 from long range and we expect a bigger game from him with that first game under his belt. Give Sacramento credit as it trailed for the better part of the game but stayed focused and made some crucial late stops on defense which is not what it is known for as the Kings are No. 25 in defensive efficiency and that will come back and haunt them. Here, we play against home underdogs after a win by three points or less going up against an opponent after a loss by six points or less. This situation is 99-56 ATS (63.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (523) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS for our NBA Divisional Game of the Month. The Clippers won their final three games of the regular season to claim the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference to finish one game behind Phoenix but these teams are heading into the postseason pretty far from each other. The Clippers at +2,000 are ahead of only Minnesota to win the conference and remain at not full strength with Paul George out of the lineup which is a big blow going into the postseason. They have to rely on Kawhi Leonard, who has done it before by himself, but they catch a horrible first round draw facing this Suns team at the wrong time. Phoenix closed the season with two losses but both meant nothing as it had the No. 4 seed locked up and it played both of those games without their starters so this team is well rested and ready to make a run with arguably the best top to bottom roster in the postseason. Injuries were the story all season with Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton missing 17, 21 and 13 games respectively not counting those final two games while having newly acquired Kevin Durant out of action for most of his time but Phoenix is now as healthy as it has been since the start of the season and having added one of the best players in the league. This is a statement game to put the rest of the NBA on notice. Here, we play on favorites (revenging a home loss, off a home loss. This situation is 113-51 ATS (68.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (518) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Lakers are a sleeper pick to win the Western Conference and win the entire NBA Title as their odds have reflected that as they are currently +650 to win the west, the fourth best odds despite being a No. 7 seed and without having a home court edge in any series. This Game One line is showing the overreaction to that as well as the publicly backed Lakers lines being shaded throughout. Los Angeles was unimpressive in its play-in game win over Minnesota and opens this series in one of the toughest environments in the NBA and while there is experience, the athleticism will be tough to match up with. Memphis closed the regular season with losses in two of its last three games which were all meaningless as it has the No. 2 seed wrapped up for a while and all of those were on the road as were four of the last five with that lone home game coming against Portland so this is the first meaningful home game since March 31 so expect a crazy atmosphere. The Grizzlies finished 35-6 at home which was the best home record in the NBA and the best home record in the NBA since the 2016-17 Warriors. Here, we play on teams failing to cover six or seven of their last eight games against the spread, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 148-96 ATS (60.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (516) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the SACRAMENTO KINGS for our NBA Late Night Annihilator. Sacramento is coming off a magical season after clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2006 so this is the biggest game in the franchise in close to two decades. Sacramento got a tough draw in the first round by playing the defending World Champions so winning this series will be a challenge but this is a great spot to take the opener based on sheer energy alone. The Kings finished as the No. 3 seed with a 48-34 record and while they come in with three straight losses, those mean nothing since they meant nothing. Golden St. was in jeopardy of missing the postseason altogether at one point but finished strong by going 8-2 over its last 10 games to earn the No. 6 seed and it avoided the play-in tournament by two games. The Warriors will not have home court advantage in any series should all higher seeds win and they have struggled on the road with an 11-30 record. They get Andrew Wiggins back for the postseason but could be a non-factor early until he gets back into basketball form. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 after successfully covering the spread in four or more consecutive games, playing five or less games in 14 days. This situation is 65-33 ATS (66.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (508) Sacramento Kings

This is a play on the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The end of the regular season was meaningless for both New York and Cleveland as they had their seedings locked in place entering the final few games. The Cavaliers grabbed the No. 4 seed and home court thanks to an 11-5 run over their last 16 games and that includes a season ending loss against Charlotte where starters were held out or limited in minutes played. The key player to get healthy was Donovan Mitchell who missed the last two games with a sprained finger and while questionable, he will be good to go. He failed to score 20 points only 15 times this season and just six times in his 39 playoff games, where he is averaging 28.3ppg in the postseason. New York lost its final two meaningless games and while it has been a solid road team this season at 24-17 but the injury news is not as good. Julius Randle, who is averaging 25.1 ppg and 10.0 rpg, has missed the last 5 plus games with a left ankle sprain and will be out until later this month. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having won three of their last four games, playing only their 2nd game in seven days. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (506) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Miami learned a hard lesson in its play-in game against Atlanta that if you give up 63 rebounds, you are not going to win so expect a big effort on the boards Friday. The Heat remain home where they are 18-6 over their last 24 games and they have a big travel edge as they remain home after playing on Tuesday and the Bulls have to hit the road again following their game on Wednesday. One key factor for Miami is Jimmy Butler who tends to step up in the postseason but had a bad game against Atlanta on Tuesday. After averaging 21.4 ppg during the regular season last year, he averaged 27.4 ppg in his 17 playoff games and after 6-19 performance against the Hawks, he is ready for a massive game. Give the Bulls credit for coming back from a 19-point deficit against Toronto in their first play-in game and they were fortunate Toronto could not make a free throw. The Raptors went 18-36 from the stripe but Chicago now faces a team that is No. 6 in the league for free-throw rate while hitting 83.1 percent of their attempts, second best in the NBA. Here, we play on favorites off an upset loss as a home favorite going up against an opponent off an upset win as a road underdog. This situation is 90-48 ATS (65.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (570) Miami Heat

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO PADRES for our MLB Runline Dominator. San Diego is coming off a 4-3 east coast roadtrip culminated by a 5-2 loss to the Mets on Wednesday afternoon and the Padres have gone 7-4 following a 0-2 start. They are back home where they are 3-3 and they continue a stretch of 14 consecutive games against teams that will be competing for divisional championships. Milwaukee has dropped three of its last five games following a six-game winning streak and the pitching rotation is already going through challenges with two starters, Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser, sitting on the IL. The Brewers have still gotten some overachieving starts but that should end tonight. Nick Martinez has struggled in his first two starts as he has allowed four runs in each and is coming off an outing where he went only 4.2 innings against Atlanta but has gotten an extra day of rest in a rotation that has gone six deep through the first two turns. Milwaukee counters with Eric Lauer who has been moved up a day as he was originally scheduled to start on Friday and he struggled in his last start against St. Louis, allowing six runs on seven hits in just four innings. Here, we play on home favorites with a money line of -110 or higher where they draw four or more walks per game, after scoring two runs or less. This situation is 87-24 (78.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (956) San Diego Padres -1.5 Runs

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS PELICANS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Give Oklahoma City a lot of credit for being in this situation to begin win. The Thunder have the youngest roster in the NBA and were picked to finish in the range of anywhere between No. 13 and No. 15 but exceeded expectations to finish No. 10 and make the postseason. They still finished with a losing record and with such a young team, the pressure could get to them here. Oklahoma City closed the season with two wins two get here but went 2-6 prior to that and come in 16-25 on the road. New Orleans finished only two games better but dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the course of the season with obviously Zion Williams being the biggest loss as he has missed 53 games but the Pelicans also were without second leading scorer and assist leader Brandon Ingram for 37 games. They started off solid but then went through a 30-game stretch in January and February by going 8-22 but are playing some of their best basketball right now as they have won nine of their last 12 games. They are 27-14 at home and last year, they needed to win one game at home and one game on the road in the play-in tournament and will need to do the same so that experience helps. Here, we play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points revenging a loss of 10 points or more, playing only their 2nd game in five days. This situation is 92-57 ATS (61.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (568) New Orleans Pelicans

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES for our MLB Runline Annihilator. After a 15-3 win on Monday, the Phillies lost game two of this series last night 8-4 and are in a good bounce back spot to win big and we will be on the runline at + money. Philadelphia is off to a rough 4-7 start but are still being priced based on last season so there is no value in its moneyline which is why laying the -1.5 runs is the way to go here. Miami has won four of seven after a 1-4 start and it is coming off its best offensive showing of the season last night with the eight runs scored and it was just the second time all season the Marlins have scored more than five runs. They are 2-3 on the road with the pitching being the big liability with a 7.29 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. Zack Wheeler had a rough first outing at Texas but bounced back with a decent but not dominant effort against Cincinnati as he allowed two runs over 5.1 innings. He has excellent stuff as proven by his last two full seasons here with ERAs of 2.78 and 2.82. Miami counters with Edward Cabrera who has allowed only two runs in each of his first two starts but has not gone far as he has tossed only 4.0 and 2.2 innings in those games for a 5.40 ERA. He was solid last season as a late season callup as he allowed no runs in his first four starts but then struggled at the end. 10* (908) Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 Runs

This is a play on the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES for our NBA Play-In Game of the Year. Minnesota was able to secure the No. 8 seed in the play-in tournament by winning its final three games to finish two games over .500. It had an internal scuffle during the game on Sunday as Rudy Gobert threw a punch at Kyle Anderson and has subsequently been suspended for this game but it provided a spark as Minnesota came back from a 14-point deficit and that performance can bring in some huge momentum. The Timberwolves were one of the most underachieving teams in the NBA with 16 of their losses to the bottom 10 teams in the league. Making that harder to stomach is the fact that if they had four more wins, they would have the No. 4 seed and home court advantage in the first round. The Lakers are playing excellent with the best record in the Western Conference since the All Star break but the markets will continue to overreact to that and with the public being a Lakers favorite. Los Angeles is 23-18 at home which is nothing spectacular and face a team that has been solid on the road with the Timberwolves going 20-21 which is tied for the third best record on the highway in the Western Conference. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams with a +/- 3 ppg differential, after a combined score of 245 points or more. This situation is 60-22 ATS (73.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (563) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a play on the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES for our NBA Star Attraction. Both New Orleans and Minnesota are in the postseason but the outcome of this game will determine the head-to-head tiebreaker, which will come into play if Minnesota wins. The Timberwolves have won two straight to remain one game out of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference and a win here puts them into a tie with the Pelicans and they would get a home game in the play-in tournament thanks to the season series win over New Orleans. The Pelicans have also won two straight and going back have won nine of 11 and have a chance to move up out of the play-in but that is unlikely with the three teams ahead of them all double-digit favorites on Sunday. New Orleans comes in just 15-25 on the road. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 revenging a straight up loss as a favorite going up against an opponent after a cover as a double digit favorite. This situation is 43-11 ATS (79.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (558) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Star Attraction. It is a very interesting situation for Golden St. heading into its final two games of the regular season. The Warriors have won six of their last eight games to move into a tie with the Clippers for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference but both of those teams are just one game up on the Lakers and Pelicans which are in the top two spots in the play-in tournament. Obviously, Golden St. wants to avoid that drop into the play-in games and a win here accomplishes that but passing the Clippers is not ideal as the Warriors would rather face Sacramento in the first round instead of climbing to No. 5 and facing Phoenix. Win here and lose Sunday gets that done. Sacramento ended the longest playoff drought among all sports while also capturing the Pacific Division basically by default with all four other teams getting hit hard by injuries all season. The Kings have locked up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and with nothing left to play for, the roster will be short handed tonight with four double-digit scorers likely sitting led by De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis who are No. 1 and 2 with a combined 44.4 ppg. 10* (519) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS PELICANS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Knicks regular season is complete with two games remaining as they have cliched the No. 5 seed and will face Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs with plenty of rest upcoming. They have some momentum going right now with five straight wins but at this point, staying healthy heading into the postseason is more important. New York will be starting that rest early as Jalen Brunson will be sitting tonight after he missed the previous game against Indiana and there is no reason to rush him back. RJ Barrett is also likely going to sit again and any starters that open the game will not be pressed. New Orleans is playing solid right as it has won eight of its last 10 games following a horrible 7-20 run that nearly knocked the Pelicans out of the postseason. They are not only guaranteed a spot in the playoffs but still have an outside shot at getting into the top six and avoiding the play-in tournament as they are tied with the Lakers at No. 7 and trail the Warriors and Clippers by one game for the No. 6 slot. They close the season at Minnesota on Sunday and this could possibly be their final home game of the season depending on seeding as they could not host a play-in game should they remain in that group and the come in 26-14 at home. 10* (514) New Orleans Pelicans

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We have ridden Utah the last two games as the Jazz lost to Brooklyn and Los Angeles but covered both and those two losses by a combined three points were devastating and they have to be out of gas at this point. They have lost three straight and seven of their last eight to fall out of playoff contention as injuries have killed them at the wrong time. Utah is down three starters which are also their top three scorers and even though this is a must win or stay home game, the spot is not a good one. Oklahoma City has also lost three straight games but it remains in the driver's seat as if it wins its final two games, it makes the play-in tournament thanks to owning the tiebreak with Dallas. The Thunder have failed to cover their last eight games which is a streak we like to go against and they catch a break after playing Phoenix and Golden St. in their last two games. This number is reflecting the problem on the Jazz roster as Oklahoma City is seeing a 14-point swing from its last game against the Warriors but for good reason. Here, we play on road favorites after failing to cover the spread in three or more consecutive games. This situation is 124-79 ATS (61.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (579) Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS for our NBA Divisional Game of the Year. The Lakers remain on fire but last night took a lot out of them as they defeated Utah but nearly blew a late 10-point lead and needed overtime to secure the two-point win. Los Angeles has won four straight games, all on the road, and is 7-1 over its last eight games to move into the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference with the Clippers and it trails Golden St. by only a half-game to move into the No. 5 or slot so it is looking really good to avoid the play-in tournament but tonight will be challenge where four starters played over 38 minutes including over a combined 80 minutes from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Sitting at .500 on the road is impressive but now is in a tough spot playing a team in the same situation. The Clippers have been off since Saturday so there will be no load management scenarios coming into play tonight. They possess the same record as the Lakers at 41-38 and like their counterpart, they can move into the No. 5 spot but the loser tonight takes a step back and will be only one game ahead of Minnesota and New Orleans, or tied with the Pelicans should New Orleans defeat Memphis on Wednesday. The Clippers have lost two straight games and would love nothing more that grab the 4-0 season sweep. 10* (572) Los Angeles Clippers

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. This could be one of the epic falls of all time as Dallas was hovering around .500 and looked to make a splash by landing Kyrie Irving but that has gone the wrong way. The Mavericks are coming off a loss against Atlanta, but did cover, and are now 8-16 since the acquisition of Irving and while he and Luka Doncic have both missed time with injuries, they should not be this bad. There have been rumors of the two being shut down for the season but that is not going to happen just yet as the Mavericks are just a half-game out of the play-in tournament with three home games remaining so catching Oklahoma City is still a very good possibility. The Kings are coming off a win over New Orleans last night and have won three of their last four games and five of their last seven while clinching the Pacific Division with that victory on Tuesday. One more Memphis victory and they cannot get the No. 2 seed so there is hardly anything left to play for except to stay healthy and see who their first round matchup will be against. Sacramento improved to 25-14 on the road which is the best road record in the Western Conference but this is a tough back-to-back spot against a team with a lot more on the line. 10* (570) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Star Attraction. Boston is coming off a loss against Philadelphia last night and it was a bigger game for the Sixers than the Celtics as they were at home looking to keep their hopes of the No. 2 seed alive and avoid the 4-0 season sweep against their rival. While a Celtics victory last night would have locked up the No. 2 seed, they have a lot more wiggle room as all they need is one more victory to get it which would secure home court advantage against Philadelphia should the two teams advance past the first round. This is the first of three straight home games to close the season so the situation is great for Boston to close it now and get some rest the remainder of the way. Toronto is coming off a 20-point win at Charlotte last night, the second consecutive 20-point victory over the Hornets and the Raptors are locked into a spot in the play-in tournament and improved to just 14-25 on the road. The only thing they are playing for is getting a No. 7 or No. 8 seed to be able to play host to the first and second game but playing two straight games in Boston and finishing with a game against Milwaukee could pose a problem although they could face some resting teams over the last two games. 10* (562) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ as part of our NBA Tuesday Triple Play. This is a big game for both teams yet the line is over adjusted on the Lakers because they are playing well and are a very publicly backed team to begin with. Los Angeles has won three straight games, all on the road, and is 6-1 over its last seven games to move into the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference and it trails Golden St. and the Clippers by only a half-game to move into either the No. 5 or No. 6 slot and avoid the play-in tournament. The Lakers are a game under .500 on the road still and are laying just a couple buckets less than what they were laying against the 19-60 Rockets two days ago. Utah is playing for their playoff lives as the Jazz have lost two straight games and six of their last seven to fall into the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference, trailing the Thunder by a game and a half for the final play-in tournament berth. The Jazz are 22-16 at home to open this three-game homestand needing to pretty much win out but we are getting a substantial amount of points to at least get a cover. Here, we play against favorites after scoring 120 points or more in two straight games going up against an opponent after scoring 43 points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 50-23 ATS (68.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (552) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the CHICAGO BULLS as part of our NBA Tuesday Triple Play. Chicago has won two straight games to put itself in position to clinch a spot in the play-in tournament with a victory tonight as a win eliminates Orlando. With Milwaukee on deck, this is a game they know they need to take and they remain home after defeating Memphis by 21 points on Sunday to improve to 21-18 at home with two games remaining in Chicago to go along with a pair of road contests. Going back, the Bulls have won nine of 12 to get into this situation so they are playing some of their best basketball in a while. Atlanta defeated Dallas on Sunday in overtime and is guaranteed a spot in the postseason, most likely the play-in tournament but still have an outside shot at the No 6 spot which is unlikely. We have been riding this Hawks roller coaster for some time now and are going against them again as they improved to 39-39 on the season and it has now been 33 straight games where they have been within one game of .500. They have dropped their last five games following a win while covering just one of those. Here, we play against road teams after allowing 120 points or more going up against an opponent after two straight wins by 10 points or more. This situation is 80-43 ATS (65 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (544) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES as part of our NBA Tuesday Triple Play. Minnesota was rolling along with four straight victories but it has dropped its last three games to fall a game under .500 and is sitting right in the middle of the play-in tournament in the No. 9 spot but it is not guaranteed a spot yet with Dallas and Utah still alive. The Timberwolves can still move into the No. 6 spot but they have to win out and get some needed help along the way but it is game to game right now and this is a big one to get back on track and get that momentum back. Brooklyn meanwhile has won three straight games and is in good shape to claim the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference as it is ahead of Miami by two games with four games left. All three of the recent victories have been at home where the Nets are now 22-16 and this number has actually flipped with more on the line for Timberwolves which are back to playing with their full starting roster. The Nets have struggled against the better offensive teams, going 15-28 ATS in their last 43 home games against teams shooting 46 percent or better. Here, we play on road favorites revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite, off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (539) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our National Championship Enforcer. Connecticut comes in as the big favorite as it again rolled in the NCAA Tournament following a 13-point win over Miami and all five games have been won by at least that amount. That did put some early money on the Huskies as the number opened at -6 and has risen a point and a half as of Sunday night with 81 percent of the money coming in on Connecticut and that will not ease up. The Huskies have used incredible athleticism and length to blowout all five opponents but this is the worst of the two matchups that Connecticut could have gotten from the other semifinal matchup. One stat the no one will want to go against is the fact that Connecticut is 16-0 straight up and 15-1 ATS in nonconference games with the lone non-cover coming by just one point. San Diego St. has not been nearly as dominant in the tournament as it has won its last two games by just one point, the first team ever to win its Elite Eight and Final Four games by a single point. They make a tough matchup for the Huskies as they have the defense that is fully capable to ultimately keep this game close. The Aztecs possess the No. 4 ranked efficiency defense in the country and the last game against Florida Atlantic was the first time in the last nine games they have allowed an opponent to shoot better than 40 percent. San Diego St. is deep which makes opponents adjust and the Aztecs bench points are ranked No. 36 in the country and as long as they can control the pace for most of the game, this one stays close and they are more than capable of the outright victory. 10* (711) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the HOUSTON ROCKETS as part of our NBA Sunday Triple Play. As we enter the final week of the regular season, we are seeing lines being overadjusted for teams needing to keep winning to make a playoff push or for teams that have basically packed it in. The Lakers are playing some of their best basketball right now as they have won five of their last six games and are currently in the No. 8 spot and are looking good to remain in the playoffs as they are 2.5 games clear of the No. 11 spot with five games remaining. Los Angeles has been a road favorite only seven times this season and while they are 6-1 in those games, it has been favored by no more than five points in any of those games and now it is laying more than twice that high point. The Lakers were -3 favorites here just over two weeks ago and while there was no LeBron James in the lineup, this adjustment is too big. The Rockets are not a team that has packed it in or is riddled with injuries as they are still playing hard and will do so the rest of the season behind thing young roster of players that is competing for next season. Houston is coming off a win over Detroit on Friday and while the Pistons are horrible, they are seeing close to a 20-point line swing here. Houston is a respectable 8-8 ATS over its last 16 games and on the season, it has caught double-digits at home five times and those were all against some of the best teams in the NBA, not a team that is hovering around .500. 10* (522) Houston Rockets

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS as part of our NBA Sunday Triple Play. This could be one of the epic falls of all time as Dallas work hovering around .500 and looked to make a splash by landing Kyrie Irving but that has gone the wrong way. The Mavericks are coming off a loss against Miami last night and are now 8-15 since the acquisition of Irving and while he and Luka Doncic have both missed time with injuries, they should not be this bad. This is another overreaction line as Dallas is now getting a bucket more than it did last night against a Heat team that is ahead of the Hawks in the standings. Dallas is one game behind Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a remaining schedule that is very doable for a late season sneak into the postseason. We have been riding this Hawks roller coaster for some time now and are going against then again even though this could be considered a bounce back situation. Atlanta is coming off a loss against Brooklyn on Friday to move to 38-39 on the season and it has now been 32 straight games where they have been within one game of .500 so while the losses have not been piling up, neither have the wins. They are currently in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference where they have been for a while and are assured to be in the play-in tournament and the only thing left is who they will be playing. 10* (517) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ as part of our NBA Sunday Triple Play. Brooklyn is coming off a win over Atlanta on Friday which was its second straight victory and the Nets are firmly in the playoffs as they are currently No. 6 in the Eastern Conference and are out to avoid slipping down to No. 7 and force them into the play-in tournament. They are a game and a half clear of that so there is room and moving up is likely not an option as Brooklyn trails the Knicks by 2.5 games for fifth place with only five games left. The remaining schedule shows it should be no issue to remain in this spot as four of those five games are at home with the lone road game taking placed in Detroit. Utah has a lot more to play for but this line is saying otherwise. The Jazz have lost five of their last six games but are coming off a solid effort at Boston on Friday and they have fallen into the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference, a game and a half out of the final playoff spot so they will need to make a final week run but the good news is that three of the final four games are against teams they are chasing so there are possibilities but this is close to a must win even though the line says otherwise as does the public. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 off a home win scoring 110 or more points, playing a losing team. This situation is 58-24 ATS (70.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (511) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our Final Four Dominator. Of the Final Four teams, Miami has had the toughest run as the four teams it defeated had a combined seeding of 19, while San Diego St.'s opponents had a combined seeding of 32 and the Connecticut and Florida Atlantic opponents had a combined seeding of 31. The Hurricanes have had to rally from big deficits along the way so while it can be argued that they very well should not even be here, the experience from their Elite Eight exit from last season has been pivotal. This offense has caused problems and have a good matchup here with the unit that is ranked No. 4 in offensive efficiency. Connecticut is the favorite to win the National Championship as it has looked the most dominant and it is currently -125 to bring it home. The Huskies became the seventh team to win all four games by 15 or more points in reaching the national semifinals and these lopsided results have forced them to lay the big number here, the most they have been favored by over the previous three games. Connecticut does have the edge on offense with its No. 9 ranked efficiency unit against an average Miami defense but the Hurricanes have stifled two solid offenses the last two games when it counted down the stretch. 10* (703) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS for our NBA Star Attraction. New Orleans has won six of its last seven games including a 19-point win at Denver on Saturday as the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic. The Pelicans have moved into a tie with the Lakers for the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference with five games left and while they still have a shot at moving up into the No. 5 spot, they are just two games out of missing the playoffs altogether so this is a big game but it is also a big game on the other side. This is the start of a four-game homestand where New Orleans is 24-13 with the public squarely on its side tonight. The Clippers lost in Memphis last night in the second game of a two-game set there following a nine-point win two nights earlier. Los Angeles basically cashed it in after halftime as Kawhi Leonard, who played 18 minutes in the first half, did not return in the second half as he was given rest so he could go on Saturday which is becoming an absurd trend in the league with this needed rest. The good news is that no starter played for more than 25 minutes last night so the back-to-back situation is not a typical one and with the Clippers now tied with the Warriors, this is a spot to get back to winning after winning eight of its previous 11 games. 10* (503) Los Angeles Clippers

This is a play on the FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS for our Final Four Enforcer. Florida Atlantic is the unlikeliest team to be in the Final Four based on seeding but this team is no joke with 35 wins on the season and has now won 34 of its last 36 games. The Owls rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit, relying on their inside-out game to defeat Kansas St. as the balance remains a strength with four starters scoring in double figures and this balance is key against a great defense. They have already solved one as in their Sweet 16 win over Tennessee who owned the No. 1 ranked efficiency defense, the Owls' scored an impressive 1.07 points per possession and it will not get easier here but it is again doable. The Aztecs also rallied from a seven-point deficit in defeating Creighton that ended on a controversial foul call and they too are playing excellent with eight straight wins. San Diego St. relies on its defense that is ranked No. 4 in efficiency and it will also get a test here as after facing Alabama and Creighton and their No. 41 and 34 offensive efficiency rankings respectively, the Aztecs now square off against the No. 15 ranked efficiency offense. The Owls defense cannot be understated as they are No. 20 in defensive efficiency which makes it tough for the Aztecs which are No. 119 in offensive efficiency. 10* (701) Florida Atlantic Owls

This is a play on the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES for our NBA Revenge Game of the Year. This is the second game of a two-game set between the Clippers and Grizzlies in Memphis and the first meeting on Wednesday had a shocking result as Ja Morant was listed as questionable coming in while Kawhi Leonard was a late scratch yet Los Angeles won by nine points behind one of the best shooting efforts from Russell Westbrook this season. Leonard is questionable again tonight and whether he goes or not is not a huge concern as Memphis will be out for payback. The Grizzlies had their seven-game winning streak snapped with that loss and this is the second to last home game of the regular season for Memphis and it is a big one for the upcoming postseason. The Grizzlies have a two-game lead over Sacramento with five games left after this one for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference and home court advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. The defeat was just the sixth one at home for Memphis and in its previous five home losses, it played its next game as home twice and won those games by 21 and 15 points. Here, we play on favorites revenging a loss where opponent scored 100 or more points, off a home loss. This situation is 230-152 ATS (60.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (572) Memphis Grizzlies

This is a play on the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES as part of our NBA Friday Triple Play. We won with the Lakers on Wednesday as they built an 18-point lead and coasted the rest of the way. After that victory, they are once again the talk of the Western Conference, being dubbed as the team that can make the run to the NBA Finals but this team still has its issues and they are still far from making the playoffs. With the Pelicans win last night, Los Angeles fell into the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference and five of the six remaining games are against teams vying for either the postseason or playoff positioning. Minnesota is coming off a loss at Phoenix in a controversial officiated game which is becoming the norm in this league and the Timberwolves will be playing with some fire here. They had won four straight games prior to that and are working with a relatively healthy roster for the first time in a long while. They are tied with the Pelicans for the No. 7 spot and trail Golden St. by one game for No. 6 and the all important spot of facing Sacramento in the first round. Here, we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 after having won four or five of their last six games, with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 104-61 ATS (63 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (568) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a play on the HOUSTON ROCKETS as part of our NBA Friday Triple Play. Two of the worst teams in the NBA square off tonight as the Pistons and Rockets are both riding seven-game losing streaks. Houston is back home following a five-game roadtrip and its previous two home losses came against the Pelicans and Lakers and this is the first home game over its last eight games against a team not in playoff contention and the last one resulted in a 32-point win over San Antonio laying a very similar number. The Rockets are just 12-26 at home with this being the last winnable home game and this is just the third game all season they are home favorites with the first one also coming against the Spurs way back in December. The Pistons are coming off a pair of covers against Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, both nine-point losses, which followed five straight double-digit defeats. Detroit has six players averaging double digits in scoring and four of those are out tonight and it has been playing with a nine-man rotation over the last three games. They are 3-28 this season following an ATS win. Here, we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points revenging a straight up loss as a favorite, off a cover where the team lost the game straight up as an underdog. This situation is 140-84 ATS (62.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (570) Houston Rockets

This is a play on the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS as part of our NBA Friday Triple Play. Cleveland clinched a playoff spot two games back and while it lost to Atlanta in its last game, it was meaningless as this is the big one. The Cavaliers have a four-game lead over the Knicks for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference with five games left so a victory here gives them home court advantage against New York in the first round of the playoffs and they can coast the rest of the way. This is also a double-revenge spot for Cleveland as a victory evens the season series at 2-2 and avoids giving the Knicks the first tiebreaker. New York has won two straight games following a three-game skid to keep those home court hopes alive but it suffered a big loss in the last game as forward Julius Randle left the game early with a sprained ankle and will be out until the postseason which is a big loss as he leads the team in scoring and rebounding so now it is important just for the rest of the team to remain healthy for the next week and a half. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season after two or more consecutive unders with a scoring differential between +3 to +7 ppg going up against teams with a scoring differential between +/- 3. This situation is 44-18 ATS (71 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (562) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our NIT Thursday Dominator. North Texas put itself into a pretty big hole in the first half but the price of the defense that has carried this team took over in the second half as the Mean Green clamped down and held Wisconsin to just 13 second half points and shut the Badgers out for the final nine minutes of the game. as mentioned in that analysis, North Texas is ranked in the top 25 in four major defensive categories as they are No. 24 in Adjusted Defense, No. 8 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, No. 8 in Opponents Two-Point Shooting and No. 20 in Opponents Three-Point Shooting. The Mean Green improved to 16-5 away from home and now the two teams will meet for a rare fourth time this season. UAB needed overtime to take out Utah Valley which was its closest game of the NIT so far and it should be another tight game and we have to give the edge to the underdog Mean Green that will be more inspired after UAB knocked them out of the C-USA Tournament and likely cost them an NCAA Tournament bid. That meeting was decided by free throws as the Blazers outscored North Texas 25-15 from the stripe. That outstanding Mean Green defense will be the difference again as they add to their program record win total. 10* (666) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Star Attraction. While it will not be decided tonight, the top seed in the Eastern Conference will have a lot more clarity after this game. Milwaukee defeated Indiana last night to extend its lead to three games over the Celtics and a victory here all but assures the No. 1 seed with five games remaining for each team. A Boston victory cuts the lead to two games with the Celtics owning the tiebreaker with a 2-1 season series win which will make the final week a big one for both and if for nothing else, this will provide Boston a picture of how it stands up against the Bucks. The Celtics lost a big game at Washington on Tuesday which could have cut into the lead and prior to that defeat, the last four Boston losses were by a combined nine points and they remain on the road where they are 24-15 which is the second best road record in the league. Milwaukee has won two straight and five of its last six but only one of those wins came against a team firmly in a playoff position. The Bucks have been dominant at home at 30-7 and of those 37 games, 10 have come against the top ten and while they have gone 9-1, they have been far from dominant of late as the first four were by 14.5 ppg but the last five were by only 6.4 ppg and two of those were against Toronto by seven and eight points. 10* (549) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Utah has lost four straight games after a 14-point home loss against Phoenix on Monday and the Jazz are now in a bit of trouble as they trail both the Mavericks and Thunder by a game and a half for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They now go from significant underdogs in their last three games to road favorites but for good reason in this matchup and while they have not been good at laying points this season, they are playing with revenge and look to avoid a 3-1 season series loss against the second worst team in the conference. San Antonio was playing better as after a 16-game losing streak, the Spurs put together a 5-5 run but have now lost their last four games and while those were all on the road, they are now a good home team at 13-25 with six of those wins coming before the end of December. The injury list is piling up as three of their top five scorers are out tonight and they want this season to just be done and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 draft pick. They are 15-30 ATS against the west compared to 15-15 ATS against the east. Here, we play on road favorites revenging a loss where opponent scored 100 or more points, off a home loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 24-6 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (539) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. The Lakers had won three straight games and got a quicker than expected return from LeBron James in their last game as he came off the bench against the Bulls and of course they lost by 10 points at home. They are now on the road for the start of a five-game roadtrip playing with immediate revenge in hopes of remaining in the Western Conference playoff race. They are currently a half-game ahead of the Thunder for the No. 9 spot and are in position to move up to No. 7 as they are just a game and a half back but need a big road swing which starts tonight. The Bulls had won two straight games but lost to the Clippers by 12 points to close their three-game roadtrip and are back home where they are an average 20-17. Chicago is sitting in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will likely stay there as it is 2.5 games ahead of injury riddled Washington with seven games remaining. The Bulls were on a solid 7-2 run prior to that most recent loss but this is not a good spot with a lot of motivation coming from the Lakers side. Here, we play on road favorites revenging a loss where opponent scored 100 or more points, off a home loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 24-6 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (543) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Dallas is coming off a win over an injury depleted Indiana team that was missing its top three scorers to snap a four-game losing streak. They are now 8-13 since the acquisition of Kyrie Irving and while he and Luka Doncic have both missed time with injuries and even though that can be a compelling argument, the fact of the matter is they are not having that success yet because they have not played together to form that chemistry. Dallas is now 15-23 on the road while sitting tied with Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Philadelphia is coming off a loss at Denver which was its third straight defeat, all on the road against the Western Conference but Joel Embiid he will be back as is the possibility of James Harden coming back after missing four straight games. Philadelphia is back home looking to catch Boston as it trails the Celtics by two and a half games for the important home court edge in the second round of the playoffs if those two advance. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points shooting 46 percent or better on the season, after three straight games allowing a shooting percentage of 47 percent or higher. This situation is 82-46 ATS (64.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (534) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. New Orleans is coming off a win over the injury riffled Blazers by 34-points to make it five straight wins and covers for the Pelicans as they have moved into the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. They are now only a half-game out of the No. 6 spot and the avoidance of playing in the play-in tournament but they are in a tough spot here in a back-to-back against a team off a loss. New Orleans is seeing an unheard of 20-point like swing from last night to tonight and for good reason. Golden St. lost to Minnesota by three points on Sunday which snapped a nine-game home winning streak both straight up and against the number and that loss against with the Minnesota win last night put them into a tie with the Timberwolves for the No. 6 slot in the conference. The Warriors are far from out of the clear as they are only two games from missing the postseason altogether and with just six games left, the remaining home games are a must. They have won five of their last six home games coming off a loss. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after going under the total by 24 or more points total in their last three games, in March games. This situation is 49-22 ATS (69 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (528) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the ATLANTA HAWKS for our NBA Ultimate Underdog. Atlanta is coming off a loss against Memphis on Sunday to move to 37-38 on the season and it has now been 30 straight games where they have been within one game of .500 so while the victories have not been piling up, neither have the losses as they have won 12 of their last 18 coming off a loss. They are currently in the No. 8 spot where they have been for a while and are likely in the play-in tournament format should they remain in contention as they are three games from No. 6 and four games from No. 11. Cleveland has won four straight games and the win over Houston on Sunday clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2018 which puts the Cavaliers in a difficult situation tonight. They are back on the road where they have won four straight but are still just 18-20 on the highway this season and come in as a favorite but it has been bet down. Cleveland has the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference locked up as well and while it can get to No. 3, it is meaningless at this point. Here, we play on underdogs averaging between 114 and 118 ppg and after allowing 120 points or more two straight games going up against teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg. This situation is 45-18 ATS (71.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (522) Atlanta Hawks

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our NIT Game of the Year. North Texas has been on a mission as it has rolled past Alcorn St. and Sam Houston St. and while both of those were at home, the Mean Green have seen solid away from Denton, going 15-5 following an outright at Oklahoma St. Wisconsin rolled past Bradley in the opener but snuck by Liberty and Oregon in the last two games and come in from has been proven to be a very weak Big Ten Conference. North Texas is ranked in the top 25 in four major defensive categories as they are No. 24 in Adjusted Defense, No. 8 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, No. 8 in Opponents Two-Point Shooting and No. 20 in Opponents Three-Point Shooting. Wisconsin is always known for its tough defense and while it has been solid this season, it is not on the same level as North Texas. On the other side, the Mean Green hold a sizable advantage as they are No. 37 in Adjusted Offense and No. 115 in Effective Field Goal Percentage while the Badgers are ranked No. 295 and No. 287 in those two categories respectively. Here, we play on teams after allowing 65 points or less in three straight games going up against an opponent after two straight wins by six points or less. This situation is 73-38 ATS (65.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (662) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the SACRAMENTO KINGS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Sacramento has won two straight games following a two-game losing streak as it remains in third place in the Western Conference, two games behind Memphis for the No. 2 spot with eight games left on the schedule. The Kings has three home games remaining which they have to take care of if they can climb into second place and they bring in a 23-15 record at home. Sacramento has dominated the lesser teams as it is 26-10 against teams in the bottom half of the league. Minnesota is coming off an upset win at Golden St. on Sunday to make it three straight wins to get back over .500 on the season for the first time since March 4th which happened to come after a victory at Sacramento so the Kings will be playing with revenge. Minnesota is getting healthy at the right time as Anthony Edwards is back after missing a few games and Karl-Anthony Towns is also back after he missed over three months and with this being his first back-to-back after playing 32 minutes last night, he could be limited here or even held out. Here, we play on favorites revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite, playing eight or more games in 14 days. This situation is 84-48 ATS (63.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (512) Sacramento Kings

This is a play on the ORLANDO MAGIC for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We won with Brooklyn last night as it snapped a five-game losing streak and it overtook Miami for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference and the Nets trail the Knicks by a game and a half for the No. 5 spot. The Nets improved to 21-18 on the road yet come in as underdogs here in the second of a back-to-back set where they have gone 6-6 this season. The remaining schedule sets up well with six of the final seven games taking place at home with the lone remaining road game at Detroit. Orlando has won two straight games including a win over New York on Thursday and while the Magic are in the No. 13 spot in the Eastern Conference, they are still mathematically alive for moving up to the No. 10 spot so it is in still win mode. They are a game under .500 at home but have covered 24 of 41 games including going 13-8 ATS against teams with a winning record and going back, the Magic are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games against teams with a winning straight up record. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 revenging a same season loss going up against an opponent off an upset win of 10 points or more as a road underdog. This situation is 32-10 ATS (76.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (574) Orlando Magic

This is a play on the TEXAS LONGHORNS for our Elite 8 Game of the Year. The Hurricanes rolled over Houston as Miami was very efficient on offense which has been its strength all season as it shot 51.7 percent from the floor while committing just five turnovers. Texas is not as good defensively as Houston which looks like it might be a problem but the Longhorns bring in a different style of defense as they are long and athletic. The Hurricanes nearly let the Cougars back into the game as Houston cut the deficit two points midway into the second half but Miami went on a 19-4 run to pull away. Texas rolled in its Sweet 16 game as well as it took out a very good Xavier team by 12 points but led by double that midway through the second half so the game was not as close as that final score shows. Surprisingly, this is the first trip to the Elite 8 for the Longhorns since 2008 and they are doing it with an interim coach in Rodney Terry who has done a sensational job. Texas has now won seven straight games that also includes a pair of double-digit wins over Kansas so they are playing even better than that record shows. Forward Dylan Disu will be a question mark but Texas got it done without him Friday as he played only two minutes. 10* (656) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS as part of our NBA Saturday Triple Play. We played against Milwaukee last night in what was a lookahead spot but the Bucks were fully focused in the 28-point victory as they remain 2.5 games ahead of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. It has won five of its last six games and is an incredible 24-3 over its last 27 games but now comes a big test. They are 23-13 on the road which is the third best road record in the league but have struggled against the top teams as they are 1-6 in seven games against the top six home teams in the NBA. The Nuggets remain in first place in the Western Conference where it has been most of the season as it is three games ahead of Memphis following two straight wins to conclude a 3-2 roadtrip. The Nuggets are 30-6 at home which is the second best home record in the NBA and this is a good litmus test to see where they actually stand. Denver lost the first meeting in Milwaukee but the lineup was depleted as the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four of the top five scorers on the team. Here, we play on home teams in March after going under the total by 24 or more points total in their last three games. This situation is 132-77 ATS (63.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (554) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. Gonzaga had its game against UCLA in control late in the second half after overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit and nearly blew it against a depleted Bruins team as UCLA played without top defender Jaylen Clark and interior defender Adem Bona. Gonzaga had a commanding 50-26 rebounding edge and collected 16 offensive boards against the undersized Bruins and the Bulldogs will not have that luxury here against the No. 2 ranked total rebounding percentage rate team in the country. Drew Timme had a career game with 36 points and 13 rebounds and will not replicate that against the Huskies frontcourt. Going into the tournament, only five teams were ranked in the top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency with Connecticut being one of those and so far it has looked very dominant. The Huskies were No. 6 in offensive efficiency and has a solid edge there but their No. 22 defensive efficiency ranking could be the difference against the top offensive efficiency team in the nation. The Huskies dominated a very athletic Arkansas team as they held the Razorbacks to just 32 percent shooting from the floor and will be tenacious again on Saturday. 10* (653) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the BROOKLYN NETS as part of our NBA Saturday Triple Play. Miami defeated New York on Wednesday and is 4-1 over its last five games but continues to underachieve as it is only six games over .500 yet is now a game and a half behind the Knicks for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat are 25-13 at home but just 12-24-2 against the number and are still the worst overall ATS team in the NBA at 27-45-2 and are laying a big number here against a team that can catch them in the standings tonight. Brooklyn put together a solid run post trades as it won five of six games but has now lost five games in a row including the last four at home so getting out of town may not be a bad thing. The Nets are 20-18 on the road and while a lot of this record is with a different roster, this is still a solid roster with the pieces to make a run. They trail Miami by just a half-game for the No. 6 spot which would get them out of the play-in tournament and the last four losses have come down to the final minute so they have been right there. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams with a +/- 3 ppg point differential, after a combined score of 245 points or more. This situation is 57-20 ATS (74 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (551) Brooklyn Nets

This is a play on the INDIANA PACERS as part of our NBA Saturday Triple Play. Atlanta is coming off a loss at Minnesota on Wednesday to move to 36-37 on the season and how average have the Hawks been? It has now been 28 straight games where they have been within one game of .500 so while the losses have not been piling up, neither have the victories. They are currently in the No. 8 spot where they have been hovering for a while and are likely in the play-in tournament format should they remain in contention as they are 3.5 games from both the No. 6 and No. 11 slots. Now they are favored by double-digits which is a huge overreaction based on the other side. Indiana lost in Boston last night by 25 points and has now dropped three of its last four. The Pacers welcomed back Tyrese Haliburton who missed six games with an injury and he was a nonfactor against the Celtic as he scored just 20 points in 28 minutes and he will be needed for the Pacers playoff push. Indiana is tied with Washington for No. 11 in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind Chicago for the final playoff spot. They are catching a point less tonight than what they were getting last night against Boston which is 14.5 games better than the Hawks which is not a big enough adjustment. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams with a +/- 3 ppg point differential, after a combined score of 245 points or more. This situation is 57-20 ATS (74 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (549) Indiana Pacers

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We played against Oklahoma City last night as that was more of a play on the Clippers as opposed to against the Thunder and now they are in bounce back mode hanging on for dear life in the Western Conference. The loss dropped them a half-game behind Minnesota for the No. 7 spot and are part of four teams that are tied at 36-37 and only four of six teams that are within a game of each other will be going to the postseason. Oklahoma City fell to 14-22 on the road and are getting a great number in a rebound situation. The Lakers defeated the injury ravaged Suns, who did not step up in the absence of DeAndre Ayton as the frontcourt managed only 30 points from the starters, to make it two straight victories and they are a solid 6-3 over their last nine games in keeping their playoff hopes alive. Los Angeles improved to 20-17 at home which is nothing spectacular and it has been counting on reserves behind Anthony Davis to make up for the LeBron James absence and it cannot count on Austin Reaves to put up 30 ppg a night like he has the last two. The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a losing straight up record. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points off two or more consecutive home wins, in March games. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (547) Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ for our NBA Ultimate Underdog. Milwaukee continues to control the Eastern Conference as it has a 2.5-game lead over Boston as it has won four of its last five games and is 23-3 over its last 26 games so not many people are going to step in front of the Bucks right now. They are 22-13 on the road which is just a half-game better than the Utah record at home and yet are overvalued here based on the recent results as well as injury concerns and this is a tough spot with Milwaukee heading to Denver tomorrow night in a possible NBA Finals preview. Utah had won four of five games before losing to Portland at home on Wednesday by 12 points as a five-point favorite. The Jazz remain home where they are 22-14 and look to steal a big game to keep pace in the Western Conference as they are the last team in the group of six teams that are separated by only one game that are vying for the four spots for the play-in tournament. Utah is a half-game behind four other teams making every game huge. Lauri Markkanen is out for Utah and this is a similar situation like that of the Clippers last night where a top player was out yet the rest of the team picked up the slack. Here, we play on underdogs allowing 114 or more ppg on the season, after three straight games where both teams scored 115 points or more. This situation is 37-14 ATS (72.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (540) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the HOUSTON COUGARS for our Sweet 16 Game of the Year. Miami is ranked No. 8 in offensive efficiency but now faces its biggest test. The Hurricanes defeated Drake which came in No. 17 in defensive efficiency but they easily could have lost that game as they used a 16-1 to end the game as the full court press was the difference and they cannot use that here. We won with Miami on Sunday as the offense had a big advantage facing the Hoosiers No. 102 ranked defensive efficiency as they tallied 85 points on nearly 50 percent shooting. They now face the No. 2 ranked team in defensive efficiency yet it is the other side of the ball where they will really have a big disadvantage. Houston toyed with Northern Kentucky before a late surge even though it dominated most categories but had only nine made free throws, the same as the Norse, and the Cougars were sloppy with the ball with 14 turnovers. Against Auburn, they again started slow, trailing by 10 points at halftime before outscoring the Tigers 50-23 in the second half. As mentioned, their defense will be strong against the Miami offense and it is their own offense, ranked No. 4 in efficiency, facing a Miami defense ranked No. 182 in efficiency. 10* (644) Houston Cougars

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. San Diego St. presents a big challenge for Alabama and it is catching a big number with the lowest total on the board of the Friday games with two of the best defenses in the country squaring off. The Aztecs needed some late free throws to cover against Charleston in its tournament opener and then had no issues with Furman on Saturday as their defense was outstanding, holding the Paladins to only 52 points on 32 percent shooting as Furman made only 16 field goals the entire game. They had a solid offensive performance which can bring some momentum into this game as they came in only No. 105 in efficiency, against the No. 4 ranked team in defensive efficiency. Alabama has rolled through its first two games of the tournament and the results against Maryland were outstanding as they held the Terrapins to only 51 points on 35 percent shooting so that will be a challenge again. While the Tide are good offensively, they are not great as they are No. 35 in efficiency and will be facing the No. 15 ranked team in defensive efficiency and an expected low scoring game in on the side of San Diego St. 10* (647) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We lost with the Clippers on Wednesday and have a quick shot at revenge. Los Angeles closed as seven-point favorites and are now favored by five points fewer with Paul George being lost for a couple weeks but he is not worth a five-point swing and not many players are as those points are made up elsewhere. Los Angeles is still in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference, sitting one game behind Phoenix for the first round home court advantage spot and just a game and a half from being forced into the play-in tournament. Oklahoma City is now 8-2 in its last 10 games following a five-game losing streak so it is trending the right way. The Thunder are right in the playoff mix in the Western Conference as they are tied with Dallas for the No. 7 spot while trailing Golden St. by just a half-game to avoid the play-in. It was a solid road win on Wednesday but the Thunder are still just 14-21 on the highway and playing a team without a star in their first game is always a challenge with the rest of the team stepping up. Here, we play on favorites revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite of seven points or more, off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 37-9 ATS (80.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (528) Los Angeles Clippers

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our NCAA Tourney Annihilator. Eighteen of the past 20 champions entered the NCAA Tournament ranked in the top 40 in both offensive and defensive efficiency and going into the Sweet 16, seven teams remain that finished in both. Going into the tournament, only five teams were ranked in the top 25 in both categories and all of those teams are still alive with Connecticut being one of those and so far it has looked very dominant. The Huskies were No. 6 in offensive efficiency and has a solid edge there but their No. 22 defensive efficiency ranking is the big difference in this matchup. The Razorbacks fit the bill for a strong defense as well but were just in the top 30 in efficiency at No. 29. Arkansas opened the tournament with a 10-point win over Illinois but had a big defensive edge there against an Illini offense that was No. 117 in offensive efficiency. The Razorbacks then overcame a double-digit deficit against Kansas to pull off the upset by one point but that outcome likely would have been different has Bill Self been on the sideline for the Jayhawks. Now they have the big disadvantage on offense as they are No. 130 in efficiency. 10* (640) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the KANSAS ST. WILDCATS for our NCAA Tourney Dominator. Of the eight Big Ten teams to make the NCAA Tournament, Michigan St. is the only team to make the Sweet 16 and that shows two things, the conference was very weak as a whole and the one team that did make it has the best coach in the Big Ten despite what many considered a down year. The Spartans have looked impressive in wins over USC and Marquette as they turned close games into insurmountable margins in the second half and are favored over the No. 3 seed after being the underdog against the No. 2 seed. This game is similar for Kansas St. when it played Kentucky as it was an underdog on Sunday with a lot of that based on the name of the opponent and the Wildcats are getting that disrespect here as well. In the first round, Kansas St. led throughout against Montana St. and while it had just a three-possession lead with a few minutes left, it used a late 8-0 run to pull away and against Kentucky, the Wildcats used another 8-0 to pull way. Most impressive for Kansas St. is that All Big 12 forward and Newcomer of the Year Keyontae Johnson has not been in top form in the first two games and that makes then even more dangerous. 10* (638) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. Phoenix is coming off a loss at Oklahoma City on Sunday and has now lost four of its last five games as the injury bug has struck again and again it is Kevin Durant who cannot make it put of a layup line unscathed and now DeAndre Ayton is on the shelf with a hip injury and this is where the rest of the roster steps up. The backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul remains intact and they have a clear edge here as the Suns look to avoid falling out of the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference as they are just one game up on the Clippers. The Lakers continue to play for their playoff lives as they have been going back and forth between the No 10 and No. 12 spots they are currently sitting in-between at No. 11, tied with New Orleans, trailing Utah by a half game with 10 games remaining. Los Angeles is coming off a win over Orlando which snapped a two-game losing streak and simply does not have the roster to compete in the absence of LeBron James. The Lakers are just 19-17 at home and even a depleted Phoenix roster will not help here. Here, we play on road favorites after failing to cover the spread in three or more consecutive games. This situation is 123-78 ATS (61.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (519) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES for our NIT Wednesday Dominator. The public is all over Cincinnati here which is no surprise based on name alone but Utah Valley comes in with nearly the identical resume despite being from the smaller conference. The Wolverines are on a mission after losing in the WAC Semifinals as they have come into the NIT after winning the regular season championship with a 15-3 record and have gone on the road and won in two of the toughest environments at Colorado and New Mexico by 12 and 14 points respectively. They are five spots less in the NET rankings and seven spots less in the KenPom rankings so the Bearcats have no real edge except for home court where they are 16-3. Cincinnati took out Virginia Tech at home and Hofstra on the road to get here and while the higher seed from a bigger conference, this line is telling us something. The Bearcats have a similar offensive rating as Utah Valley but are well behind in defensive efficiency as they will be facing a wolverines team ranked No. 25 in that category. Here, we play on teams coming off two consecutive road wins by 10 points or more, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .800. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (627) Utah Valley Wolverines

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. We lost with the Sixers on Monday as they fell in double overtime against Chicago and gets a quick revenge opportunity tonight on the road as they look to get back into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference as they are now a game behind Boston. Philadelphia has an eight-game winning streak snapped with the loss and hitting the road is not an issue as it has won six straight away from home including the last two by a combined 59 points. Expect a big effort from James Harden, even though he is questionable, who had only two points on Monday and has actually gotten grief for it. The Bulls have won three straight games and five of their last six as they have moved into the No. 10 spot by two and a half games over Indiana. They are pretty much guaranteed to be playing in the play-in tournament as they are 4.5 games out of the No. 6 spot so it is now just a matter of the matchup in the four-team positioning. Chicago is just 20-16 at home so there is no big home court edge here and is just 7-9 as a home underdog. Here, we play on road teams revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite of seven points or more, off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (513) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the NEW YORK KNICKS as part of our NBA Wednesday Triple Play. The Knicks had a three-game winning streak snapped with a home loss against Minnesota on Monday as they fell behind early and could not recover despite making it a game in the fourth quarter as they lost by six points. New York remains in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference but it is running out of time in catching Cleveland as it trails the Cavaliers by four games but has two teams behind it within stroking distance. The Knicks are 22-14 on the road and those 22 wins are tied for second most in the league. Miami defeated Detroit in the road Sunday and is 3-1 over its last four games but continues to underachieve as it is only five games over .500 and it one of those teams that can catch New York as it is three games behind the Knicks so this is a big game but the Heat are a questionable favorite here despite being 24-13 at home. They are just 11-24-2 ATS at home and are still the worst overall ATS team in the NBA at 26-45-2. While this is a short number, they are not the better team. Here, we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 off an upset loss as a home favorite going up against an opponent after a road game where both teams score 100 or more points. This situation is 40-17 ATS (70.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (507) New York Knicks

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Clippers are in the midst of a 10-game stretch where nine of the game are at home and so far so good as they have gone 4-1 through the first five at home and after a win at Portland on Sunday, the next four games are again at home. Los Angeles is sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, just a half-game behind Phoenix for the coveted first round home court advantage spot but is essentially one game behind as it does not own the tiebreaker after losing the season series 2-1 so these home games are huge. Oklahoma City is coming off a win over Phoenix on Sunday at home and it has put together a solid run, going 7-2 in its last nine games following a five-game losing streak. The Thunder are right in the playoff mix in the pretty bad bottom part of the Western Conference as they are a half-game ahead of the Lakers and one game ahead of New Orleans so nothing is safe and the remaining schedule is not easy with seven of the final 11 games on the road where they are 13-21. Here, we play on favorites in the second half of the season averaging between 108 and 114 ppg and after two or more consecutive unders, going up against teams allowing between 114 and 118. This situation is 56-23 ATS (70.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (582) Los Angeles Clippers

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our NIT Tuesday Dominator. North Texas has been on a mission as it has rolled past Alcorn St. and Sam Houston St. and while both of those were at home, the Mean Green have seen solid away from Denton, going 14-5. The Cowboys snuck past Youngstown St. in the NIT opener and then defeated Eastern Washington by 11 points on Sunday so they are out to prove the critics wrong but they have a touch matchup here. North Texas is ranked in the top 25 in four major defensive categories as they are No. 24 in Adjusted Defense, No. 8 in Effective Field Goal Percentage, No. 8 in Opponents Two-Point Shooting and No. 20 in Opponents Three-Point Shooting. Oklahoma St. is also solid on defense as it is ranked in the top 25 in those first three aforementioned defensive categories so this matchup comes down to the opposing offenses which the Mean Green hold a sizable advantage as they are No. 37 in Adjusted Offense and No. 115 in Effective Field Goal Percentage while the Cowboys are ranked No. 140 and No. 244 in those two categories respectively. 10* (613) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS for our NBA Supreme Annihilator. Philadelphia is playing at a high level right now with eight straight wins and it has moved into second place in the Eastern Conference, two games behind Milwaukee. Six of those wins came on the road including the last two by a combined 59 points and this is a big home game before the Sixers hit the road once again for four more games after this. Philadelphia is 26-10 at home with this being just its third home game the entire month so it has been a great run facing a brutal schedule. Chicago is coming off a pair of home wins including a 14-point win against Miami as a small underdog on Saturday. The Bulls are in the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference but are just a game and a half ahead of Indiana and Washington so while each game is big, seven of their final 12 games are on the highway where they are just 13-21 despite three straight wins but two of those were against Detroit and Houston, two of the worst teams in the NBA. Here, we play against underdogs off an upset win by 10 points or more as a home underdog going up against an opponent off two or more consecutive road wins. This situation is 37-13 ATS (74 percent) since 1996. 10* (560) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS for our CBI Tournament Game of the Year. Radford is in a tough spot here playing an afternoon game coming off an overtime win on Sunday against Tarleton St. as a small underdog by two points. The Highlanders won their opening round game against Winthrop in the Big South Tournament before getting upset against Campbell as a favorite the next day and it was a solid effort yesterday coming off an over two-week layoff and now the conditioning could come into play after extra time as three starters logged at least 36 minutes. San Jose St. has the benefit of having an extra day off as it won on Saturday by 25 points over Southern Indiana so there was no sign of a letdown. That could have come after upsetting Nevada in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament before succumbing to eventual champion San Diego St. by 15 points. The Spartans were not expected to do much this season so winning 21 games up to this point is a huge accomplishment and this is the type of team that will cherish this extra time and coming off a blowout win shows they can go far in the CBI Tournament. 10* (606) San Jose St. Spartans

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our NCAA 2nd Round Game of the Year. Of the eight Big Ten teams to make the NCAA Tournament, six have already been eliminated with the two remaining teams going Sunday to try to avoided getting shutout of the Sweet 16 and both should be eliminated after today. One of those is Indiana which comes in as the slight favorite following an 11-point win over Kent St. as the defense led the way by allowing the Golden Flashes to shoot just 31.9 percent from the floor but the challenge rises on Sunday. Trayce Jackson-Davis could not be stopped with 24 points and the Hoosiers outscored Kent St. 46-26 in the paint, another feat that will be difficult to replicate. Miami was on the ropes against Drake as very well should be gone but closed the game on a 16-1 run, eliminating an eight-point deficit to win by seven points to advance to the round of 32. The Hurricanes have one of the best offenses in the country as they are top 25 in both scoring and shooting and coming off a dismal 30-4 percent shooting performance against the Bulldogs, they are going to improve that substantially here. This line has remained steady despite the vast majority of money on Indiana. 10* (839) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS PELICANS for our NBA Western Conference Game of the Month. New Orleans has lost two straight games including a defeat at Houston on Friday which sets up an immediate revenge situation on Sunday. The Pelicans have fallen four games under .500 and are now on the outside looking in of the playoffs in the Western Conference with three weeks left but they are just a game out of the No. 10 spot and they are fighting for six spots between eight teams that are all within 4.5 games of each other. This is a big stretch of three games against three of the worst teams in the league. Houston has now won three straight games, all as underdogs, as the winning streak in its biggest of the season and the Rockets are now 1-4 on the season following consecutive wins with those four losses coming by 11.8 ppg. The Rockets are now 12-24 at home despite the last three victories and while they have confidence going, they could certainly be feeling too good about themselves facing a desperate team. Here, we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog going up against an opponent off an upset loss to a division rival as a favorite. This situation is 77-42 ATS (64.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (551) New Orleans Pelicans

This is a play on the KANSAS ST. WILDCATS for our NCAA Tourney Dominator. Based on power rankings, Kansas St. should be the slight favorite here yet this line opened at Kentucky -1 and has been bet up to -3 with a lot of that based on the names on the front of the uniforms. The Wildcats survived against Providence as the Friars came in playing some of their worst basketball of the season and shot just 36.2 percent from the floor including going 5-24 from long range yet were still able to hang around, down by just four points with less than five minutes remaining. The Wildcats shot only 36.5 percent from the field including 31.3 percent from behind the arc. Kansas St. led throughout against Montana St. and while it had just a three-possession lead with a few minutes left, it used a late 8-0 run to pull away. The Wildcats are going to be a big challenge for Kentucky after shooting 58.2 percent from the floor including a monster 70 percent on their two-point shots. Keyontae Johnson led them with 18 points and is the best player on the floor in this matchup as he has averaged just above that over his last six games. 10* (848) Kansas St. Wildcats

This is a play on the XAVIER MUSKETEERS for our NCAA Sun. Afternoon Dominator. Here we have two teams that won in totally different ways and despite being the favorite, Xavier is the contrarian play here based on those first round results. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 22-2 lead to start the game as Iowa St. missed its first 11 shots from the floor and ended up shooting 23.3 percent from the floor for the game. What is being overshadowed is that the Panthers did not play a good game either as they had more turnovers than field goals, 15-14 while they shot just 34.1 percent from the floor. Xavier needed every minute to pull away from Kennesaw St. as it won by five points after trailing for much of the game. The Musketeers were down by double digits for much of the second half and did not trail by single digits under just over eight minutes remaining in the game and used a late 15-0 run to eventually pull it out. It was arguably a game where Xavier was looking part the Owls and that was a big wake up call for a team that has a chance to make a serious run especially now that No. 1 seed Kansas has been eliminated. 10* (846) Xavier Musketeers

This is a play on the TEXAS LONGHORNS for our NCAA Tourney Dominator. Penn St. pulled off the upset against Texas A&M, the loudest team opposing their apparent unfair seeding, and it was not even close at the Nittany Lions ran away early with a 17-point victory. One thing is certain and that is Penn St. is not going to shoot 59 percent from long range again which included an incredible 8-10 performance from Andrew Funk. It has been a great run for Penn St. which was sitting on the outside of the bubble a month ago but has now won nine of its last 11 games with the two losses coming by a combined five points. Now comes another test. Texas let Colgate stick around for a while before pulling away for a 20-point win and the Longhorns are playing as good as anyone right now as it has won five straight games including a pair of double-digit wins against Kansas, the second one that captured the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship. You really cannot compare Colgate and Penn St. but only when it comes to shooting as the Longhorns held the top three-point shooting team in the country to just a 3-15 statline so there will be even more pressure on the Nittany Lions long range shooting. 10* (812) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the ORLANDO MAGIC for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Clippers have opened their five-game homestand with four wins all against potential playoff teams and are laying a big number before traveling to Portland tomorrow. Los Angeles is sitting in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference, one game behind Phoenix but is in a tough spot here with Kawhi Leonard not available today after averaging 31.5 ppg during this winning streak. Despite the solid playoff position, the Clippers are just 19-15 at home. Orlando has opened 0-2 during this west coast swing and is coming off a solid effort at Phoenix on Thursday as it lost by three points. The Magic are far from a good road team as they are 12-23 but they have flourished in this role, going 24-14-1 ATS as underdogs of five or more points. They are also 17-9-1 ATS against the Western Conference and in another solid spot here. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 off a home win scoring 110 or more points, playing a losing team. This situation is 55-24 ATS (69.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (529) Orlando Magic

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our NCAA Tourney Annihilator. Tennessee snuck out an opening round win against Louisiana and did not look great in doing so. The Volunteers are 2-2 over their last four games which has coincided with the absence of guard Zakai Zeigler, the second leading scorer and leader in assists, and going back, they are 6-7 over their last 13 games. That does include impressive wins over Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn, all of which advanced on Thursday, but those were all at home where Tennessee went 14-2 and now face a test against a team coming into form at the right time. It took Duke a while to come together and find its chemistry and some of that had to do with injuries but the Blue Devils are fully healthy. Following the blowout win over Oral Roberts on Thursday, Duke improved to 19-1 this season when its five core players are on the court and the Blue Devils come in as the only favorite on Saturday as a lower seed. While Tennessee played great defensively against the Cajuns, Duke was better against the Eagles, holding them 33 points below their scoring average. That lockdown defense will again play a major role in getting to the Sweet 16. 10* (803) Duke Blue Devils

This is a play on the KENT ST. GOLDEN FLASHES for our NCAA 1st Round Game of the Year. Kent St. comes in on a roll as it has won six straight games entering the NCAA Tournament, and has won 10 of their last 11 games and has the defense to slow down one of the best duos in the country. The Golden Flashes have allowed 65.7 ppg which is ranked No. 56 in the country and their defensive efficiency ranking (38th) is among the best of mid-major programs that qualified for the tournament. The Golden Flashes may be 0-3 against Quad 1 teams this season, but two of those losses were against Gonzaga by seven points and Houston by five points. All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino lead the Hoosiers and they can definitely take a game over but if they get slowed down, there is not much offense past them as they are the only double-digit scorers on the team. Indiana was ousted in the Big Ten Tournament by upstart Penn St. and closed the season on just a 4-4 run with three of those losses coming on the road where the Hoosiers have been vulnerable. They are 15-2 at home but only 7-9 away from home. 10* (771) Kent St. Golden Flashes

This is a play on the DRAKE BULLDOGS for our NCAA Tourney Enforcer. This line is telling us all we need to know as this is the lowest number of all of the No. 5/No. 12 matchups and for good reason. Miami won the regular season ACC championship but that really is not say much as this conference was the weakest it has been in recent years. Miami was unable to move up in the metrics due to a lack of blowout wins over inferior opponents and bad losses to Georgia Tech and Florida St. during the regular season and then survived a scare from Wake Forest in the ACC quarterfinals before getting rolled by Duke in the ACC semifinals. Drake has won 13 of its last 14 games, with the lone loss coming on the road to Bradley in the regular-season finale before rolling the Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference championship by 26 points. The Bulldogs are a veteran team that takes care of the ball which is a recipe for success against a team like Miami that benefits in taking away the ball to create easy baskets. Drake is averaging just 10.5 tpg and has had one of the most efficient offenses in the country down the stretch. 10* (769) Drake Bulldogs

This is a play on the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. This is a great bounce back spot for Cleveland which is coming off an 11-point loss against Philadelphia on Wednesday which put an end to a 5-1 run. The Cavaliers fell four games behind the Sixers in the Eastern Conference as they remain in the No. 4 spot, two and a half games ahead of the Knicks for the home floor edge. Cleveland is a solid 28-8 at home and is getting value here as it was favored by 3.5 point at Washington last month and is now laying just over a bucket more at home. Washington snapped a three-game losing streak with a 20-point win over lowly Detroit and is now 2-5 over its last seven games with both victories coming against the Pistons. The Wizards remain in the mix in the Eastern Conference as it is sitting at No. 10 with just a game and a half leeway ahead of Indiana and Chicago. The Wizards are 16-20 on the road which is not horrible but they catch Cleveland at the wrong time. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points shooting 46 percent or better on the season, after three straight games allowing a shooting percentage of 47 percent or higher. This situation is 80-44 ATS (64.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (514) Cleveland Cavaliers