Sports Picks & Predictions

We played on Milwaukee two nights ago and it nearly handed San Antonio its first road loss of the season but did manage the cover. That loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Bucks and as mentioned Monday, they have played the elite teams tough at home. They 6-5 at home and the last three losses have come against San Antonio, Toronto and Golden St. by a combined 10 points. Now they take a step down in competition with Portland even though the Blazers are a solid team. They are riding a three-game winning streak following a win in Chicago on Monday but that was their first win against a team with a winning record in close to a month which was a win over Memphis on November 6. Overall, Portland has just three wins over current winning teams and the record on the season against teams above .500 is 3-8. The favorite is 17-4 in Portland games this season and with a short price here, an outright favorite win likely means a cover as well. The Blazers are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games following a straight up win while the Bucks are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games playing on one day of rest. 10* (714) Milwaukee Bucks

New York has won three straight games to move to two games over .500 for the first time this season. The Knicks have been on a sold roll since a blowout loss in Toronto as they are 8-3 over their last 11 games. The schedule has been in their favor however as they have played only three road games over this stretch, going 1-2 with the lone victory coming by just a bucket at Minnesota. This is not an easy spot for New York as it returns home tomorrow for a revenge game against Cleveland which it lost to by 29 points in the season opener. This is a pretty big game for Miami which is coming off a 2-1 roadtrip and then has another three-game roadtrip on deck. The Heat have been better on the road than at home as they are just 2-7 at American Airlines Arena including two straight losses. Their schedule has been pretty tough however as seven of the nine home games have come against projected playoff teams and overall, they have played the fifth toughest schedule in the league. New York is 2-6 on the road and the Heat are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (506) Miami Heat

The Bulls had a weekend that is so typical in this league. On Friday, Chicago defeated Cleveland as a home underdog and a big win like that often brings a letdown and that was certainly the case. The Bulls went to Dallas the next night and lost to the then 3-15 Mavericks by 25 points. They head back home to avoid their first losing streak since early November when they dropped three straight games. Since then, Chicago is 5-0 in its last five games following a loss while covering all five of those games as well. Additionally, the Bulls have covered five of their seven home games this season. Portland is coming off a 3-1 homestand with the lone loss coming against a surging Houston team. The Blazers have struggled on the road, losing five of their last six games on the highway while two of four road wins have come against Brooklyn and Dallas which are a combined 8-29. Portland is 1-7 ATS as an underdog this season with only one of those losses coming by fewer than eight points. Going back, the Blazers are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 games following a straight up win. 10* (712) Chicago Bulls

Milwaukee has put a solid run together as it has won four straight games to improve to 10-8 on the season and this has been done without the services of Khris Middleton who is out with a torn hamstring. While the last two wins have come against the lowly Nets, the victory prior to that was against Cleveland and they have done an excellent job when facing elite competition. The Bucks are a respectable 6-4 at home and the last two losses have come against Toronto and Golden St. by a combined nine points. Tonight will be a challenge in facing the Spurs who are still undefeated on the road at 11-0. The road slate has been relatively easy for the most part with the win over Golden St. being the best but that was the season opener. Overall, San Antonio is on an 11-1 run but it is just 5-7 ATS in those games as its lines have become inflated because of the success. That is the case here where the Spurs are favored by just two points less than they were favored by at 3-15 Dallas. The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last six games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game while the Bucks are 5-1 ATS in their last six games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (714) Milwaukee Bucks

The race in the Eastern Conference is getting tighter with Toronto on a run of six straight wins while the Cavaliers have dropped their last three games. The Raptors have won five of the six games by at least 13 points including the last four and the last two coming by 33 and 44 points. While they will be out to prove that they can hang with the Cavaliers, it has not happened as of yet. Toronto has had a pair of chances to avenge its series loss in the Eastern Conference Finals but has failed both times. This is the first three-game losing streak for Cleveland since the end of the 2014-15 season when it lost the last three games of the NBA Finals against Golden St. with a totally banged up team missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. For Cleveland, it comes down to focus and execution. Cut down on the turnovers, and things will fall into place. This is the type of game that Cleveland steps it up when facing adversity and while the Raptors winning streak is nice, they have been facing a string of teams that are either struggling or without key players, or both. While Cleveland falls into the former, the struggles are easily fixable. 10* (705) Cleveland Cavaliers

This line came out late due to the questionable status of Paul Millsap who has missed two straight games with a hip injury. The Struggling Hawks look to snap a five-game skid tonight in what is a classic contrarian play here. Atlanta has dropped eight of its last nine games to fall to 10-10 on the season after getting pounded at home against Detroit by 36 points. The only positive that came out of that game was that the starters played very few minutes which will benefit them in the second of this back-to-back. Toronto meanwhile has been rolling as it has won five straight games with a win over Houston being the only noteworthy victory. With the struggles of Atlanta, the Raptors may look past this game as they have a revenge game on deck against the Cavaliers. Atlanta has covered five of six games this season against winning teams and is catching a solid number here based on the direction of where these teams have gone recently. Additionally, the Hawks are 9-0 ATS in their last nine games playing with no rest. 10* (705) Atlanta Hawks

Houston is coming off a monumental win last night in Golden St. as it outlasted the Warriors in double overtime. The Rockets snapped the Warriors 12-game winning streak while also snapping their six-game losing streak to Golden St. Now comes the tough task of playing tonight following that victory and making it even tougher is the fact three players logged over 42 minutes of playing time. Houston has won both games this season playing with no rest but the difference now is that both of those wins came after losses the previous night. Denver is off to a tough 7-11 start including losses in three of its last four games. The Nuggets have struggled at home with a 4-6 record but one of those losses came against Golden St. while three others came in overtime. The Nuggets are 7-3 ATS this season following a loss and catch Houston at the perfect time. Denver is slowly getting healthier and it gets Will Barton back in the lineup tonight. Going back, the Rockets are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game. 10* (518) Denver Nuggets

Philadelphia has dropped four straight games after a decent run where it went 4-3 over a seven-game stretch following a 0-7 start to the season. Now the Sixers come in as favorites for the first time this season and while may be a red flag to some, this is a great opportunity to back them. They are a perfect 4-0 ATS this season at home against teams with a losing record and going back, they are 6-0 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a losing road record. Orlando is coming off a loss last night in Memphis and it was not a typical loss. The Magic blew a 14-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, eventually giving up the lead with 12 seconds left. They were unable to get off a shot in their last possession and that loss will be difficult to recover from one night later. This is the third road game in four nights for Orlando who came in here on November 1 and won by a bucket as a five-point favorite so the line change to now is telling. Orlando is 3-10 ATS this season against teams with a losing record. 10* (502) Philadelphia 76ers

Both Milwaukee and Brooklyn are coming off impressive victories on Tuesday as the Bucks won at home by 17 points over the Cavaliers while the Nets won in overtime at home against the Clippers. We now need to figure out which team benefits from that big win and which one suffers a letdown. Considering Brooklyn has just won just 26 games combined the last two seasons, it will be the one that suffers the letdown. The Nets have not won back-to-back games this season as they are 0-4 following a victory and going back to last season, they are 4-21 following a win. The Bucks improved to .500 with the win over Cleveland and that is pretty solid considering they have been without Khris Middleton all season. That victory over the Cavaliers was just their second against a top 16 team and against teams below No. 16, the Bucks are 6-3 on the season. They fall into a great situation where we play on road favorites coming off a win over a division rival as an underdog going up against an opponent off a win as an underdog. This situation is 27-7 ATS (79.4 percent) since 1996. Additionally, the Nets are 1-5 ATS in their last six games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while the Bucks are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (703) Milwaukee Bucks

Memphis is a pretty banged up team right now as it added Mike Conley to the injury list as he will be out for at least six weeks with a back injury. The line is taking that into consideration but it might be taking it just a little too far at this point. This is still a very solid team with a lot of depth and while the Grizzlies are off a home loss against Charlotte, they are 7-2 over their last nine games and are only a half-game worse than Toronto. The Raptors have won three straight games including a 27-point win over Philadelphia on Monday to open their six-game homestand. They are just 5-3 at home and while they have dominated the Eastern Conference with a 7-2 record, they are just 4-4 against the Western Conference including a pair of losses against Sacramento and two of those wins were over Denver by a combined five points. Here, we play against home favorites of 10 or more points coming off a win by 20 points or more over a divisional opponent going up against an opponent off a home loss. This situation is 29-8 ATS (78.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (503) Memphis Grizzlies

Detroit is coming off a win last night in Charlotte which was just its second road win in 10 games this season. It has been an up and down season for the Pistons which are still a game under .500 and the road has been the issue where they are getting outscored by close to 10 ppg and some of those losses are against average to bad teams. Boston won in Miami two nights ago as a favorite and the Celtics have flourished in this role all season as they are 9-2 as a favorite while covering eight of those games. The home floor has been average for Boston as it is 4-3 on the season including losses in its last two games here but those were against Golden St. and San Antonio. The Celtics have won eight of 11 games against the Eastern Conference and welcome back Al Horford which is a big return to try and neutralize Andre Drummond. Look for the Celtics to push the pace on their home floor after a low scoring game in the first meeting this season. The Pistons are 6-16 ATS in their last 22 road games revenging a loss while the Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (506) Boston Celtics

Cleveland has the best record in the Eastern Conference by three games over Toronto as it is now 13-2 following a win over Philadelphia on Sunday. That was just the Cavaliers fifth road game compared to nine home games and coupled with playing over half of their games against teams ranked outside the top 16, they have played the easiest schedule in the NBA. While Cleveland is outscoring opponents by 13 ppg at home, it is just +1.8 ppg in scoring differential on the road. Milwaukee won its last game against Orlando but is still on a disappointing 3-6 run over its last nine games. The Bucks are a respectable 5-4 at home and the last two losses have come against Toronto and Golden St. by a combined nine points. They fall into a very positive situation as we play against favorites in a game involving two teams allowing 102 or more ppg, after scoring 110 points or more 3 straight games. This situation is 52-23 ATS (69.3 percent) since 1996. Additionally, Cleveland is 9-23 ATS in its last 32 road games after scoring 105 points or more 2 straight games and 1-8 ATS after 2 or more consecutive wins this season. 10* (706) Milwaukee Bucks

Arguably the most surprising team in the NBA is the Lakers which are off to a 9-9 start after going 3-15 in their first 18 games last season and it was not until January 12 that they recorded their ninth win which ironically came against New Orleans. After suffering a pair of blowout losses against Golden St. in a home-and-home set, Los Angeles rebounded with a 15-point win against Atlanta on Sunday. The Lakers are 3-5 on the road including losses in two straight. New Orleans has been playing much better after a 0-8 start as it is 6-4 over its last 10 ten. The Pelican have dropped two in a row however but those were on the road and they bring in a four-game home winning streak. The last home loss came on November 12 which resulted in a 27-point loss against the Lakers so there is a huge revenge factor in play tonight. We have a great contrarian situation in play as we play on teams coming off an upset loss as a favorite going up against an opponent coming off an upset win as a home underdog. This situation is 66-37 ATS (64.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (708) New Orleans Pelicans

It has been a busy stretch for Oklahoma City as this is its fifth game in seven days and it has not been an easy time. There has been travel involved every day based on three of the past four games taking place on the highway. The Thunder are coming of a motivated win over Detroit by 18 points which avenged a loss in Detroit earlier in the month by 16 points. New York is coming off a home-and-home set with Charlotte on Friday and Saturday with the home team winning the set. The Knicks won in overtime at MSG but lost by five points in Charlotte the next night which snapped a three-game winning streak. With the Friday win over the Hornets, the Knicks have won six straight home games and the home team is now 13-3 in their 16 games on the season. New York is 5-1 ATS this season as a favorite while also sitting at 5-1 ATS at home against teams with a winning record. Oklahoma City is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games as a road underdog of six points or less while going 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (506) New York Knicks

Sacramento hits the road following a rugged five-game homestand where it went 2-3 against some very powerful teams. The Kings are just 2-5 on the road and while this seems like an easy start to the roadtrip, this is the first time all season they have been favored on the highway. They have not fared well in these spots in the past as the Kings are 6-16 ATS in their last 22 games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. Brooklyn is mired in a six-game losing skid but it too has played some elite teams during this stretch. The Nets have failed to cover any of these games and the last four have not even been competitive. This is the time to jump on board however as the situation and setup is in their favor. Brooklyn has won three of seven games outright this season as a home underdog and the home team is 11-4 in its 15 games this season. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are averaging 103 or more ppg on the season, after trailing in their previous game by 15 or more points at the half. This situation is 48-20 ATS (70.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (706) Brooklyn Nets

It has not been the start Minnesota was hoping for. The Timberwolves came into the season as a popular pick for a huge turnaround as they are loaded with talent but is has been disappointing so far. They are just 4-10 overall but they have mostly struggled against the top teams in the league, going 1-7 against the top 16. Despite the poor start, they are still ranked No. 17 in the latest power rankings. Phoenix won the final game of its recent six-game roadtrip where it went 2-4 overall. The Suns are 5-11 on the season including a 2-3 record at home with a pair of poor losses against Sacramento and Brooklyn. This is a tough team to trust and they fall into a negative contrarian situation where we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are coming off an upset win as an underdog going up against an opponent off a road loss. This situation is 57-26 ATS (68.7 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Phoenix 1s 7-19 ATS in its last 16 games after 1 or more consecutive wins including 1-3 ATS this season. 10* (721) Minnesota Timberwolves

We played on Charlotte Wednesday and it resulted in a push or a win depending on the line but nonetheless, the Hornets lost their third straight game. After a red hot 6-1 start, Charlotte has dropped five of its last seven games but three of those came against division leaders while the other two came against Memphis and New Orleans which are on 6-0 and 4-0 runs respectively. New York has won two straight and four of its last five games and in addition, the Knicks have won five straight home games but only one of those has been against a team with a winning record. Here, we play on road teams after allowing 105 points or more in three straight games going up against an opponent after a win by six points or less. This situation is 28-5 ATS (84.8 percent) over the last five seasons. On top of that, New York is 9-23 ATS in its last 32 games as a home underdog of six points or less while the favorite is 12-2 straight up in the Hornets games this season. 10* (705) Charlotte Hornets

The Clippers have the best record in the NBA at 14-2 and they are one of just two teams that are perfect on the road as they are 7-0. Because of that, they are paying the price in this number as adjustments have to made by the linesmakers yet are still a big consensus play for tonight. The Pistons are two games under .500 following their win over Miami on Wednesday and that was a big victory that snapped a four-game slide. Detroit is 6-2 at home while going just 1-7 on the road and it will be out for some revenge as well as it lost the first meeting in Los Angeles by 32 points and trailed by as many as 43 points. The Pistons have excelled in these spots of late as they are 15-4 ATS in their last 19 home games revenging a loss against opponent of 10 points or more including going a perfect 8-0 ATS revenging a loss where team scored less than 85 points. Additionally, the Clippers are 9-22 ATS in their last 31 games as a road favorite of 6.5 to 9 points while going just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. 10* (710) Detroit Pistons

Oklahoma City has hit a rough patch but is in good position to get out of it tonight. The Thunder lost last night to a more solid than expected Lakers team to make it six losses over their last eight games after starting the season 6-1 with the lone defeat coming at Golden St. in a game that meant a ton to the Warriors. Back-to-back losses against Orlando and Detroit were uncalled for but the other four losses during this stretch have come against pretty solid opposition. This is just the second time the Thunder have been a single-digit underdog and both resulted in covers against the Clippers. Sacramento is 5-9 on the season, is coming off a win over Toronto and has covered four straight games but does not deserve to be the chalk in this matchup. Additionally, Sacramento is 3-14 ATS in its last 17 games playing on two days of rest. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are allowing 103 or more ppg on the season, after a close win by three points or less. This situation is 44-15 ATS (74.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (723) Oklahoma City Thunder

Brooklyn has dropped four straight games, all of which have come against some stiff competition and while that is the case tonight with the opponent, it is catching a great number at home. The Nets are 4-9 overall which is nothing special but the play at home has been pretty solid with a 3-3 record as opposed to a 1-6 record on the road. Brooklyn lost at Boston by five points last month as an 11.5-point underdog so the change in venue shows the improper line adjustment. The Celtics are 2-0 on this roadtrip to get back to .500 on the road, and while the Nets are getting their biggest amount of points at home, this is the most Boston has been favored by on the road. Boston is definitely the better team but this is way too aggressive of a number. The Nets fall into a situation where we play on underdogs after allowing 105 points or more three straight games going up against an opponent after a win by 6 points or less. This situation is 38-11 ATS (77.6 percent) over the last 5 seasons. 10* (714) Brooklyn Nets

The Spurs continue to get it done in the wake of the Tim Duncan retirement as they are off to an 11-3 start including a 7-0 record on the road, one of only two teams in the league that has yet to lose on the road. After defeating Golden St. in the season opener, San Antonio has had a pretty easy go of it on the highway with only one team being above .500 at the time and that was a six-point win at Houston which was actually a revenge game in a home-and-home set. Charlotte is off to a solid 8-5 start despite losses in its last two games. Four of the five losses have been games that were decided late or in overtime and the only other time the Hornets were home underdogs, it resulted in a two-point loss to Toronto. They fall into a situation where we play on home underdogs with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 coming off an upset loss as a favorite, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 53-21 ATS (71.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (708) Charlotte Hornets

After dropping the first two games of this roadtrip, the Blazers won on Sunday in Brooklyn in a game they pretty much led throughout. Portland is now 4-4 on the road but three of those wins have come against teams with five or fewer wins overall and a winning percentage of .385 or worse. While each game counts, the Blazers will be caught looking ahead to a game tomorrow in Cleveland. The Knicks are coming off a win as well as they defeated Atlanta at home on Sunday to improve to 5-2 at MSG which includes four straight victories. On the season, the host is 10-3 in New York games and the home/road splits are similar for the Knicks ATS as they are 5-2 ATS at home and just 1-5 ATS on the road. This team is greatly improved from last season as the Knicks will seek to get to .500, a mark they were not able to reach after January 20 last season when they finished 32-50. Going back, the Blazers are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games following a straight up win. 10* (504) New York Knicks

Despite being battered with injuries, the Grizzlies have run off four straight wins and covers to move to 8-5 on the season. Memphis is now two games behind San Antonio in the NBA Southwest Division but it is one of only two teams in the Western Conference that possesses a winning record but has a negative scoring differential. Charlotte meanwhile is coming off a tough loss on Saturday as it fell in overtime against then 3-10 New Orleans. The Hornets are off to a solid 8-4 start however and have followed up their three previous losses with wins twice and this is the first situation on the season playing at home off a road loss. It was a clear letdown for the Hornets who were coming off a statement win over Atlanta the previous night. Memphis has been successful this season mostly due to forcing turnovers but it will not have an easy time tonight as the Hornets average a league-low 11.3 turnovers per game while the Grizzlies are seventh in the NBA at 18.2 points off turnovers per game. Going back to last season, the Hornets are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game and this season they are 6-1 ATS when favored by fewer than six points. Memphis is just 2-7 ATS in its last nine road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (708) Charlotte Hornets

Portland has been a frustrating team for backers as it has now gone seven straight games without a cover while losing its last three games outright. The Blazers have opened this five-game roadtrip with a pair of blowout losses while all three losses on this skid have come by at least 12 points each. They possess two of the best players in the game in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum so it is a surprising drought. The good news is that they now face one of the worst defenses in the NBA as the Nets are allowing 112 ppg on the season and have allowed at least 100 points in seven straight games including at least 113 points in five of those. Brooklyn has been decent at home this season with a 3-2 record but the situations have been in its favor and that is far from the case here facing a desperate Portland team in dire need of a victory. Portland is just 2-5 against the top 16 teams in the NBA but 5-2 against all teams below that and Brooklyn is sitting at No. 29 in the NBA. Going back, the Nets are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (503) Portland Trailblazers

This line came out late due to the questionable status of Devon Booker and TJ Warren for the Suns both of which are big pieces in the offense. We are making this play based on both playing and if one or both do not suit up, it is an additional benefit. Phoenix rolled last night in Indiana as it downed the Pacers by 20 points but it was a fortunate circumstance as Paul George was a late scratch. That was the just the second road win for Phoenix this season and this is the first instance this season playing back-to-back road games with no rest. The Sixers were hammered in Minnesota on Thursday as they trailed by as many as 33 points in the 24-point loss. The road has been torture for Philadelphia as in five games, only one loss has been by fewer than 16 points. The home floor has been a lot better as the Sixers have won two straight while three priors losses against Cleveland, Orlando and Oklahoma City were by one, two and seven points respectively. The Sixers are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Suns are 7-22 ATS in their last 29 games following a straight up win. 10* (712) Philadelphia 76ers

Golden St. opened its roadtrip with a win at Toronto to make it five straight wins after a horrible loss at Los Angeles against the Lakers. The Warriors have the most efficient offense in the NBA so you know what you are going to get pretty much every night. Their problem has been the defense however but a lot of that has to do with pace and with Boston being one of the fastest teams in the NBA, the defense will have its hands full once again. The Celtics were blown out in back-to-back games but have responded with a 3-1 run to get back over .500. This is one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference even though the record may not show that and they will be putting that on the line tonight. Boston can keep up for sure as on the season, the Warriors are yet to hold a team below 95 points, and they have surrendered over 100 points in all but two of their first 11 games. Boston should be extra fired up simply because it is the Warriors and they handed Golden St. one of its nine regular season losses and it could have been a tenth but the second meeting resulted in an overtime loss. Here, we play against favorites in a game involving two teams allowing 102 or more ppg), after scoring 110 points or more 4 straight games. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (510) Boston Celtics

We played against Phoenix two nights ago as it got throttled in Denver to make it three straight losses but we will be backing the Suns tonight in a good matchup in their favor. The Suns will look to rebound and improve to 2-1 against the Eastern Conference this season, the third game of a six-game roadtrip. They have played a very tough schedule that is ranked No. 5 in the NBA. The Suns are still league leaders in field goals attempted, two-point field goals made and attempted, second in free throws made and attempted, second in total rebounds, third in defensive rebounds, fourth in offensive rebounds, and fifth in steals so the defense needs to come around. Indiana meanwhile has played the second easiest schedule in the league and caught a break last game when LeBron James took the night off on Wednesday, causing a seven-point line shift. This is a bad matchup for the Pacers whose defense is bad also as their 45.1 percent allowed is fifth worst in the Eastern Conference. Herd we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are averaging 103 or more ppg, after trailing in their previous game by 15 or more points at the half. This situation is 34-11 ATS (75.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (501) Phoenix Suns

This line came out late due to the uncertain status of guard Bradley Beal for Washington and he most likely will be missing his fourth straight game because of a hamstring injury. The Wizards dropped their third straight game last night to fall to 0-5 on the road and 2-8 overall. To their credit, if there is any left, they have played the eighth toughest schedule in the NBA with eight of the 10 games coming against the top 16 in the league. While the did lose the two games outside the top 16, both were on the road. The three home losses have come against teams a combined 22-11. The Knicks won their second straight game last night, a hard fought 105-102 victory over Detroit. They have been solid at home with a 4-2 record but are just 1-4 on the road and while they have also played a difficult schedule, this is a tough spot with this being their third game in four nights. New York is 1-5 straight up and ATS as an underdog this season and Washington falls into a great contrarian situation where we play on teams after allowing 105 points or more three straight games going up against an opponent after a win by six points or less. This situation is 54-21 ATS (72 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (702) Washington Wizards

Both Denver and Phoenix are off to slow starts but this is a good spot for the Nuggets to get their first home win of the season. They are 3-7 overall including a 0-3 record at home and the schedule has been brutal. Denver has played the toughest schedule in the NBA as of those 10 games, only two have come against teams ranked outside the top 16. The Nuggets are 1-1 in those games, defeating New Orleans and losing to Memphis by just one point and both of those games were on the road. The three home losses have come against teams with winning records. Phoenix is coming off a loss at Golden St. last time out to fall to 3-8 overall and 1-5 on the highway. The lone road win came at 2-9 New Orleans by a point in overtime so that one could have gone either way. Phoenix has been solid playing upper tier competition, going 6-1 ATS against winning teams but the Suns are just 1-3 ATS against teams with a losing record. The Nuggets are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a loss while going 13-1 ATS in their last 14 games after allowing 100 points or more five straight games. 10* (518) Denver Nuggets

Many are down on Miami and up on Atlanta based on the recent runs from both sides but this is a spot we like to play contrarian and we are getting an exceptional line to go along with it. The Hawks have won and covered four straight games and are currently 7-2 overall, good for a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference. They have played a very favorable schedule thus far as six of their nine games have been at home and the schedule overall is ranked second easiest in the league. On the flip side, Miami has dropped five straight games following a loss in San Antonio last night. The Heat are 2-7 on the season but their schedule has been just the opposite of the Hawks as the Miami slate is ranked No. 7 in the NBA and while they have failed to beat any of the elite teams, the situations have been tough. This can be considered another tough one playing a back-to-back but a return home and getting a huge number helps Miami out. Atlanta is playing with more rest but going back, it is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 road games when playing only their 2nd game in five days. 10* (704) Miami Heat

This line came out late due to the questionable status of Paul George who missed the Pacers last game because of an injured ankle. Indiana lost that game to the Celtics by six points which was their second straight loss to fall to 4-6 on the season. The Pacers welcome back former coach Frank Vogel who is in his first season with Orlando. Throughout his time in Indiana, through all the wins and losses, Vogel always exuded the upbeat and underdog personality that players and fans grew to love. He will certainly be out to win against his former team that did not renew his contract but this is a tough spot for his players. Orlando snapped a three-game losing streak with an upset win in Oklahoma City last night as former Thunder Serge Ibaka went off for 31 points against his former team. Offense has been the issue for the Magic which are dead last in the NBA in scoring with just 95 ppg. Indiana struggles on defense but will not have any issues tonight. Here, we play on teams after allowing 105 points or more three straight games going up against an opponent after a win by six points or less. This situation is 53-21 ATS (71.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (502) Indiana Pacers

The Lakers are off to a 6-4 start and are one of the early season surprises in the NBA. It took them until December 30 last season to reach six wins so clearly this is a team on the rise. They won five road games all of last season and are riding a three-game road winning streak heading into Sunday but the jury is still out on this team. Los Angeles is 2-0 on the current roadtrip but the opposition has not been great and while the Timberwolves are off to a dreadful 2-6 start, they have still been pretty solid. Minnesota fell behind by 13 points after the first quarter last night and could never come back against the Clippers but the Timberwolves have a much better matchup tonight. They have not been as bad as the current record shows as their scoring differential is dead even. Minnesota is ranked ahead of the Lakers in the current power rankings so the fact it is favored here comes as no surprise. Going back, the Timberwolves are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Lakers are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games after scoring 100 points or more two straight games. 10* (704) Minnesota Timberwolves

Milwaukee is off to a solid 4-4 start considering the Bucks are without Khris Middleton as not much was expected with his absence which will be at least another five months. They are coming off a pair of losses as they fell to Dallas on the road in overtime last Sunday and then handed New Orleans its first win of the season on Thursday in this building. That should be a big motivator tonight for the Bucks. Memphis is coming off a win against Denver on Tuesday by a point which concluded a 2-2 homestand. The Grizzlies are also at 4-4 on the season but it could be much worse as two wins have come in overtime and the other two have been by a combined five points. This is also just the third road game of the season for the Grizzlies. Milwaukee falls into a great situation where we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 after allowing 105 points or more going up against an opponent coming off win by three points or less. This situation is 37-15 ATS (71.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (518) Milwaukee Bucks

Here we have San Antonio playing an early season revenge game but like the Clippers last night, we are going against that and fading the road revenge favorite. San Antonio won and covered last night against the Pistons in what was a very physical defensive game and while the travel is not far, it is still a trip with no rest. San Antonio lost at home against the Rockets on Wednesday by a bucket but it will be interesting how the rotation is juggled tonight. The Spurs are 4-0 on the road and that is a record we love to go against. The Rockets have not played since that win at San Antonio which was part of a 3-2 roadtrip. Houston is playing just its second home game of the season as seven of its first eight games have come on the road so that puts the Rockets in a favorable spot here. Additionally, we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 playing only their 2nd game in five days, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 83-43 ATS (65.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (510) Houston Rockets

This is one of those lines that makes no sense and because of that, the public is jumping all over the Clippers. We played against Los Angeles last night and won with the Thunder which stayed within the inflated number in a very hard fought game that came down to the end. Now the Clippers are playing the second of a road back-to-back and are actually laying less points to Minnesota which is a big red flag. The Timberwolves are off to a disappointing 2-5 start but five of their first seven games have been on the road and of those five losses, three have come by a combined 10 points. Minnesota is playing on two-days rest here which is a big factor considering the Clippers starting five combined for 164 minutes last night. We have a solid situation on our side as well as we play against favorites that are averaging 102 or more ppg going up against teams allowing 102 or more ppg, after scoring 110 points or more four straight games. This situation is 34-10 ATS (77.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (512) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is an early season revenge game for the Clippers whose only loss of the season came at home against the Thunder. However, we are not playing road revenge in this spot, especially laying points on the road. Los Angeles owns the best record in the Western Conference at 7-1 and is currently riding a four-game winning streak while covering all of those games as well. The Clippers were favored by 7.5 points in that home game against the Thunder and now it is laying just over a bucket less on the road and that is a big overinflation. Oklahoma City is coming off its second loss of the season as it fell at home against Toronto by 10 points. It was an uncharacteristically poor game for Russell Westbrook who did score 36 points but was just 9-26 from the field including 3-12 from long range while committing eight turnovers. Expect a big bounce back from him. Two solid situations are in our favor here as well. First, we play on home underdogs off an upset loss as a favorite, with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 on the season. This situation is 54-22 ATS (71.1 percent) since 1996. Second, we play against teams after two consecutive covers as a favorite going up against an opponent off a home loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 48-20 ATS (70.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (712) Oklahoma City Thunder

Portland defeated Phoenix last night to avenge an early season road loss and now it hits the road to avenge an early season home loss. The Blazers lost at home on October 27 to the Clippers by eight points as Los Angeles got some payback for its loss in the Western Conference Quarterfinals from last season although that was decided by injuries more than anything. Overall, the Blazers have lost three games with the third being against the Warriors. The Clippers have moved into the top spot in the current power rankings as they are off to a 6-1 start including three straight double-digit wins. The lone defeat came against Oklahoma City in their first game in November and they head to Oklahoma City on Friday so the possibility of a lookahead is there. Heading to Los Angeles to face the Clippers is never easy but this is one of the better spots you can come across. 10* (719) Portland Trailblazers

The Nets won their third game of the season last night over Minnesota but now hit the road for the first game on their five-game roadtrip. They are 0-2 on the road this season and going back to last season, they have dropped 13 straight games on the highway. New York is off to a 2-4 start but has played a very difficult schedule along the way. The Knicks schedule is ranked No. 5 in the league as all four of their losses have come against teams with winning records including three teams that are ranked in the current top ten. New York has had two days off and has a day off coming up prior to back-to-back games against Boston and Toronto on Friday and Saturday. It is likely that leading scorer Brook Lopez will be out tonight for the Nets as he will be given a night of rest. Brooklyn has dropped six of its last seven games against teams with a losing record while the Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a loss against the spread. 10* (704) New York Knicks

This line came out late due to injury information but it is not significant enough to make a huge difference here. Charlotte could be without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist tonight but with the exception of his first game of the season against Milwaukee, he has not been a difference maker. The Hornets are one of the bigger surprises in the Eastern Conference as they are off to a 5-1 start and have a half-game lead in the Southeast Division. Another injury situation is on the other side as Utah has George Hill listed as questionable with a thumb injury. Utah is off to a solid 5-3 start following its second straight win to open this roadtrip but this is the biggest challenge of the trek thus far. The Jazz have struggled mightily in tough games on the road in general such as the one they will face against Charlotte. The Jazz are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (708) Charlotte Hornets

Not many would have thought Minnesota would have a worse record than Brooklyn at this point in the season but that is the case. The Timberwolves enter Tuesday with a 1-4 record while the Nets are 2-4 but those records are somewhat skewed based on the schedules. This will be the first game against the Eastern Conference for Minnesota while this will be the first game against the Western Conference for Brooklyn. The Timberwolves are coming off a loss at Oklahoma City by 10-points which was by far their worst loss of the season. The other three defeats came by four, three and three points so a few bounces the other way and Minnesota could have a winning record for sure. The Nets have some close losses as well and they bring in a very solid 5-1 ATS record but this is the fewest amount of points they have gotten at home in their 5th game as a home underdog. This is not a good matchup for the Nets which were swept in both meetings last season and neither were even close. Look for the Timberwolves to break through for their second victory of the season. 10* (503) Minnesota Timberwolves

After starting 0-17 in 2014-15, the Sixers opened last season 0-18 and are already off to a 0-5 start this season. You can see a big difference in the team this year however as besides a blowout loss against Atlanta, Philadelphia has been competitive in every other game. The Sixers have had a double-digit lead in three of those games and nearly upset Cleveland on Saturday after blowing a late lead. Utah is coming off a victory at New York yesterday which was its third win in four games to improve to 4-3 on the season. This is not a good spot for them tonight however as they are coming off a solid game offensively but going back, they are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. The Sixers are close and winning this game outright is a definite possibility but we will gladly grab the generous number as Philadelphia improves to 4-1 ATS this season as a home underdog. 10* (706) Philadelphia 76ers

Dallas is off to a 0-5 start which is its worst record to start a season in team history but is in a great spot today to finally get into the win column. The Mavericks have played a tough schedule to open as they have played the No. 7 ranked schedule with all five games coming against teams ranked No. 16 or better. They will be without Dirk Nowitzki but he is declining and has not done much when he has been available. Milwaukee is off to a surprising 4-2 start despite being without star guard Khris Middleton. The Bucks have won three straight games including a blowout win last night against Sacramento but they have played the opposite schedule as that of Dallas as their early season slat is ranked No. 29 in the NBA and despite the winning record, they are ranked outside that No. 16 spot in the power rankings. This is the second time playing with no rest this season and the situation is the same where they go from a home win to play on the road and the first resulted in a blowout loss at Detroit. Milwaukee is now 3-7 in its last 10 games playing with no rest while the Mavericks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (508) Dallas Mavericks

We played against the Hawks last night as they dropped their second straight game but we will be backing them tonight in a good bounceback spot. Atlanta was coming off a home loss to the Lakers which have been playing pretty well to start the season and Friday, the Hawks were facing a Washington team desperate for a win. Houston meanwhile won the second game of this current five-game roadtrip as it rolled over New York on Wednesday by 19 points. The Rockets are 2-2 on the road while covering three of those games but we expect the extra time off may actually hurt them here based on the fact the Hawks are playing with no rest fresh off a loss. They will test the potent Houston offense as the Hawks are second in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 94.7 points per 100 possessions. The Hawks have a five-game winning streak against the Rockets, averaging 115 ppg in last season's sweep. We can expect Atlanta to snap its two-game skid tonight. 10* (712) Atlanta Hawks

Last night featured one of the first big marquee games of the season as Golden St. hosted Oklahoma City and it ended up being a laugher as the Warriors rolled by 26 points in a game that got out of hand early. The anticipation of that game was huge and we saw how much it meant to Kevin Durant so it will be near impossible to replicate that effort tonight. Golden St. won its two road games when laying double-digits but they were far from comfortable wins and neither resulted in a cover. It took the Lakers 10 games to get their second victory last season but they are already at that mark following a win in Atlanta on Wednesday. That ended a four-game roadtrip and Los Angeles is now back home where it won its only game against Houston to open the season. While still rebuilding, the Lakers are already showing good team play after the post-Kobe era ended last season. The Warriors are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (518) Los Angeles Lakers

Two struggling teams take the floor in New Orleans as the winless Pelicans host the one-win Suns. New Orleans owns the worst record in the NBA at 0-5 but it has had some tough luck along the way as four of the losses have been competitive including a loss in overtime at Memphis on Wednesday. The Pelicans get a great setup tonight however to finally get into the win column. Phoenix dropped its first four games before finally getting a victory in its last game Wednesday against Portland in overtime. The Suns actually played well against Oklahoma City and Golden St. but they have notoriously struggled in these spots against the lesser teams and there is no reason not to see that continuing here. Going back, the Suns are 11-28 ATS in their last 39 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the home team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in this series. Look for New Orleans to finally get right tonight. 10* (510) New Orleans Pelicans

Washington is off to a tough start this season as it is now 0-3 following a loss to Toronto in its home opener on Wednesday. The defense has been the issue as the Wizards are allowing 113 ppg but that of course is a little skewed based on one loss coming in overtime at Memphis. They opened the season with a loss in Atlanta but it was a close game until the Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter, setting up a revenge situation tonight. Atlanta opened the season 3-0 before losing at home against the Lakers last time out as a double-digit favorite. The Hawks rolled in their lone road game but that game was against the Sixers so it is hard to base anything off of that. Going back, the Hawks are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games while the Wizards are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (502) Washington Wizards

The line is short here but the Kings are in a good spot against the struggling Magic. Orlando opened the season with three straight losses before finally grabbing a win in its last game at lowly Philadelphia but it was far from easy as it was a two-point win which happened to be their largest lead of the game. This is not a good team right now as they are ranked No. 29 in the league both offensive and defensive shooting percentage. This is their first home game since a season opening 108-96 loss against Miami and coincidentally, Sacramento is coming off a road loss to Miami by the exact same score in overtime. A big reason for that was the fact that DeMarcus Cousins missed the overtime session after picking up six fouls in the fourth quarter so it is safe to say we are going to see a big effort from him tonight. The other losses came against San Antonio, no big surprise, and Atlanta as the Hawks had a 47-19 free throw attempt advantage at home. The Kings have a great situation going as we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 off a road loss going up against an opponent off a road win by three points or less. This situation is 23-4 ATS (85.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (701) Sacramento Kings

Utah is coming off a huge win last night in San Antonio against the previously undefeated Spurs and the Jazz were without Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks, two of their top four scorers from last season. Utah took an early lead and never looked back as it built a 17-point lead and eventually won by 15. Even though they are heading home, it will be tough for the Jazz to get up for this one. Adding to that is the fact the Mavericks are off to a 0-3 start as they lost to Indiana on the road in overtime to open the season and lost a home-and-home with the Rockets on Friday and Sunday. This is a good spot for Dallas as Utah has another game against San Antonio on deck and this also marks the third game in four nights for the Jazz. The Mavericks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 and the return of Dirk Nowitzki after missing two games should provide a solid spark. 10* (515) Dallas Mavericks

Chicago is off to a surprising 3-0 start after many though, including right here, that it was going to struggle out of the gates with the huge turnover in personnel. Instead, the Bulls have won and covered all three games including a pair of blowout victories over Indiana and Brooklyn in their last two which really is not saying much. Boston is off to a 2-1 starts and returns home after a four-day layoff which is a good thing to rest some nagging injuries. The only loss this season came in Chicago by six points last Thursday so we have a good early season revenge spot here. This is the first game for the Bulls being an underdog and they have typically struggled in this role. Additionally, Chicago is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 road games coming off a road game while the Celtics are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (514) Boston Celtics

Just over a week into the season, the Wizards are playing their home opener on Wednesday. Washington has dropped its first two games of the season on the road as it lost in Atlanta to open the season and then fell to Memphis in overtime. The return home should help this team immensely as they closed last season by covering six of their last eight at home. Toronto meanwhile hits the road for the first time this season after going 2-1 at home through the first week. The lone defeat came against Cleveland and the Raptors actually get another small schedule break after this with two straight home games on deck. The Wizards will have some extra in the tank after losing all four meetings last season. Washington falls into a great situation as we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 after allowing 105 points or more going up against an opponent after a win by three points or less. This situation is 37-13 ATS (74 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (502) Washington Wizards

We have an early season revenge spot tonight as Minnesota looks to avenge a season opening loss in Memphis last week. The Timberwolves lost that game by four points after blowing a 17-point lead and then followed that up with a three-point loss in Sacrament three days later. They have been off since Saturday and are now back in Minnesota for their home opener. Memphis is off to a 2-1 start following a nine-point win and cover at home over Washington on Sunday. The Grizzlies are 2-0 at home but lost their lone road game at New York as they fell to the Knicks by seven points. Memphis won just 16 road games last season and it is still not at full strength with lingering injuries. Going back to last season, the Timberwolves are 14-4 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning straight up record while Memphis has gone seven straight road games without a cover. The Timberwolves get into the win column with a comfortable victory tonight. 10* (712) Minnesota Timberwolves

The Clippers are off to a 2-0 start following a 13-pont win over Utah last night. They won their season opener in Portland prior to that and look to make it a 3-0 start for the second straight season. This is not the ideal situation however as the Clippers have a game against Oklahoma City on deck followed by games at Memphis and San Antonio. The Suns have dropped their first three games this season but they have been competitive in the last two, losing against Oklahoma City and Golden St. by a combined 13 points. Phoenix is coming off a rough season a year ago as injuries derailed the team but there is a ton of young talent on this team and that is important in spots like this where they do not incur the letdowns coming off a big game. Phoenix falls into a great contrarian situation as we play against home favorites of 10 or more points after allowing 85 points or less going up against an opponent after allowing 100 points or more in three straight games. This situation is 78-42 ATS (65 percent) since 1996. Going back, the Suns are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up loss while the Clippers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games against team with a winning percentage below .400. 10* (507) Phoenix Suns

We played against Miami on Friday as it lost at home against Charlotte but we are backing the Heat tonight in what is a huge pointspread variance. They go from a pickem to a seven-point underdog and while Miami is not going to be a great team this season, they are not nearly as bad as this line is indicating. San Antonio was favored by nearly the same amount in its last road game against Sacramento and the Kings and Heat are not on the same level. The Spurs are off to a perfect 3-0 start following a blowout win over New Orleans at home last night. That puts them in a tough spot tonight with the travel and no rest and they have not been a good team in these situations as they lost seven of their last 10 games against the number playing with no rest. While revenge is not really a big argument here, the fact that the Spurs have owned this series since the 2014 NBA Finals comes into play with the value aspect as well as San Antonio has won and covered seven straight against Miami. The Heat have a great situation on their side as well as we play on teams that are coming off a home loss against a division rival going up against an opponent off a win against a division rival. This situation is 39-15 ATS (72.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (708) Miami Heat

We have a solid setup here based on early season results as Cleveland is off to a 2-0 start while Orlando remains winless at 0-2. The Cavaliers took care of Toronto last night in a game they only trailed once and that was by a single point but it took a three-pointer in the final minute to secure the victory. Now the Cavaliers return home and are laying double-digits which is a very inflated number. Orlando has gotten thumped in both of its games as it lost at home against Miami by 12 points and then last night, lost in Detroit by 26 points. The Magic are not as bad as they have looked the first two games out of the gate and we are getting exceptional value here tonight. They are getting more points than the Knicks got here on opening night and the Magic are not worse than them based on the line difference and looking back to last season, the Cavaliers were favored by 8.5 points in both home matchups and those were early in the season. These teams are not any different from last year yet we are seeing nearly a four-point difference. Orlando thrived in these situations last season as they went 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. The Cavaliers are the biggest public consensus tonight and we will gladly go against that and take the generous amount of points. 10* (505) Orlando Magic

Both Charlotte and Miami won their season openers on the road and square off tonight in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals from last season. The Heat took that series in seven games but this is a much different team now with a lot of those pieces having departed. Miami was fortunate to catch a cold shooting Orlando team on Wednesday as the Magic shot just 38.6 percent from the floor and were outscored 30-16 in the third quarter. Charlotte won in Milwaukee to open the season and that may be considered an upset for some, the Hornets were actually favored over the Bucks who were without one of their best players as Khris Middleton is out for a lengthy period time because of a torn hamstring. Charlotte has all of its pieces in place to make another playoff run and this is a very under the radar team. According to ESPN, Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams outscored their opponents by 6.8 points per 100 possessions which was the second most in the Eastern Conference by any trio. After losing Game Seven in Miami last season by 33 points, the Hornets will be out for revenge tonight. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are coming off an upset win as a road underdog. This situation is 152-95 ATS (61.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (709) Charlotte Hornets

Oklahoma City struggled to put away Philadelphia in its opener on Wednesday as it needed a huge fourth quarter to pull out the victory. Russell Westbrook was the difference as expected as he scored nine of his 32 points in the last 4:09, including the go-ahead free throws with 35 seconds left. This is his team now and playing the home opener will have a lot of energy surrounding it. Westbrook finished with a team high 32 points while the center combination of Steven Adams and Enes Kanter combined for 33 points but it is up to the rest of the starters to start contribution. Phoenix got blown out at home against Sacramento on Wednesday as after grabbing an early four-point lead, the Suns allowed a 16-1 run to end the first quarter and were never in it. This is an extremely young team that has potential but not at this point as it is going to take time to come together. The roster includes four players who have yet to turn 20 years old and that is not an ideal situation for a team in this conference especially. Oklahoma City swept the season series last year and while it can be argued this is a different team now without Kevin Durant, there is enough to make a big run and these games are the ones that need to be won. Phoenix won just nine road games last season, tied for fourth fewest in the NBA. 10* (708) Oklahoma City Thunder

The Cavaliers and Raptors last met in the Eastern Conference Finals with the former taking the series four games to two and eventually winning the NBA Championship. We played against Cleveland on opening night but a close game against the Knicks was opened up in the third quarter and the Cavaliers won by 29 points. This does go against the stance of not playing reigning champions but this line is too good to pass up. Of the six games played last season in the conference finals, three were in Toronto and while Cleveland was favored in all of those games, it was favored by at least six points in all of those games. Granted, Toronto did win two of those three games and the clinching Cavaliers win in Game Six was the lone road win in the season series of nine games but we cannot pass up on this value. The Raptors looked good in their season opener against Detroit but the Pistons were without Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond was a non-factor because of early foul trouble. Toronto only covered five of its last 17 games against teams with a winning record and Cleveland falls into a great longterm situation where we play against underdogs off a home win by 10 points or more going up against an opponent off a home win by 20 points or more. This situation is 113-67 ATS (62.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (701) Cleveland Cavaliers

Minnesota is a very trendy pick as an NBA sleeper team this season and while the Timberwolves are a couple years away from competing in a big way, they open up the season in a good spot Wednesday. This team is loaded with young talent led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins and a slew of other potential up and comers and they improved by 16 wins last season from the year before and while it was still a disappointing 29-53 record, it was a huge improvement and there is room for much more. They actually played better on the road than at home a year ago and they took one of two meetings here against Memphis. The Grizzlies are laying a short price and the betting consensus is on their side because of. Unlike Minnesota which is a team on the rise, Memphis is declining and pretty quickly for that matter. This team is aging quickly and they will be going into their season opener pretty banged up with a bunch of questionable players. It has already been confirmed that starting forward Chandler Parsons will miss the season opener while both Tony Allen and Marc Gasol are not at 100 percent. The Timberwolves hired Tom Thibodeau as their head coach and he is the perfect fit for this young team to help improve the defense that finished No. 28 in shooting percentage and No. 23 in points allowed. 10* (709) Minnesota Timberwolves

This is one of the best scenarios to go against on opening day. It is banner day in Cleveland and we know what that means. The Cavaliers will be lowering their 2015-16 NBA Championship banner on Tuesday night and playing a basketball game is not at the forefront for the players right now. This is a huge event and with that comes a lot of distractions. Players have been saying that once the banner is lowered and the game starts, they will be focused but that is easier said than done. Now let's go back to the NBA Champion angle. Prior NBA Champions are usually slow starting out of the gate the following season since their lines are over-adjusted to start the season. The last 15 NBA Champions (Golden St., San Antonio, Dallas, Boston, San Antonio four times, Miami three times, Detroit and LA Lakers three times) have combined for a 49-76 ATS mark (39.2 percent) through their first two weeks of the following year. Distractions and overvaluation are definitely keys to this. We have seen it in the season opening game for the reigning NBA Champions for seven of the last 10 seasons. The Knicks are in rebuilding mode but provide an interesting matchup for Cleveland. There is a lot of potential for this team but it will all come down to health and with this being just the first game of the season, New York is as healthy as it will be. The Rose-Anthony-Porzingis trio worked well in the only game they played together during the 2016 preseason. New York has covered four straight games in Cleveland and Tuesday presents the best opportunity to keep it going based on the situation involved. 10* (501) New York Knicks

We have won three of the last four games with the Cavaliers in this series, which on the large scale has been a pretty awful series. The first six games have been decided by double-digits which is something you would not expect with the two best teams in the NBA and the though here is they are saving the best for last in this decisive Game Seven in Golden St. The Warriors are the public favorite and are the public consensus but it is important to note that this line has come down a full point from the opener of this series and while a point may not seem like much, when it comes to value and the reasoning behind the line adjustment, it is extremely important. History is not on the side of Cleveland as no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals but in the last game, it was facing the fact that only two of 32 teams that were down 3-1 had even forced a Game Seven so history was meaning less then and it is again now. The Cavaliers are fully aware they can win this after seeing the Warriors come back from the same deficit against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals. Golden St. is feeling the pressure now just like the Thunder were last series and with so much on the line, they are in a very difficult spot to get a runaway win. The Cavaliers are 19-8 ATS in their last 27 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 and while the outright win may not come, we should, and hope, to see a game that comes down the wire tonight. 10* (513) Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers staved off elimination with a very impressive win at Golden St. which was without Draymond Green and it definitely showed. Cleveland now returns home in another must win game but can we expect to have the same production from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving who each scored 41 points? That is very doubtful but the home floor should provide enough energy and motivation tonight for the Cavaliers to extend this series to the decisive Game Seven on Sunday. While many may feel the pressure is still on Cleveland, it is actually the opposite right now as the Warriors are feeling it based on their expectations from their record-breaking regular season as well as teams never losing a series after being up 3-1. Only two of 32 teams down 3-1 in NBA Finals have managed to take the series to seven games, the last time in 1966 so history is against Cleveland but that matters none now. The Cavaliers motivation not only comes from staying alive in this series but also with the fact that Cleveland lost for just the ninth time at home last Friday as well as losing Game Six at home last season which gave the Warriors the championship. The Cavaliers have covered six of their last seven games at home and they add to that tonight setting up the final game of the season on Sunday. 10* (512) Cleveland Cavaliers

This line has come down a bucket because of the Draymond Green suspension and that is putting even more of the public behind the home team to close out this series and win its second consecutive NBA Championship. Game Four on Friday saw the fourth consecutive game decided by double-digits which continues to be puzzling that the two best teams in the NBA have not been able to play a close game but with Cleveland having its back squarely against the wall, we will see an all-out effort from the Cavaliers. The suspension of Green is a big one for both sides and Cleveland should get a big boost because of it especially offensively as his defensive presence has been frustrating for the Big Three. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are a combined 14-39 (35.9 percent) when being defended by Green. On the other side of the ball, Green has scored in single digits five times in the postseason and four of those resulted in Golden St. losses so his presence is not only huge but his offensive production is very important for the Warriors to succeed. This is a golden opportunity for the Cavaliers to extend the series and send it back to Cleveland and it has to take advantage even though most think this series is done. Going back, the Cavaliers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game while Golden St. is just 3-6 ATS when favored in this shorter than normal price range. 10* (509) Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland came through for us in a big way last night as after three games of the NBA Finals, we have witnessed three awful games. Margins of 15, 33 and 30 points have left many of us scratching our heads as to why these games have not been more competitive but this has been the case the whole postseason as a whole. We are overdue for a close game and this could be the one as Golden St. should come in with a little more fire after one of their worst losses of the season in a game it never even led. Still, the Cavaliers own a big home floor edge and while Game three was a must win, Game Four is right up there as a 3-1 deficit should put an end to the series. Cleveland is now 41-8 at home including a perfect 8-0 record in the playoffs while covering seven straight heading into Friday. In every one of the games prior to Game Three, the Cavaliers were favored by at least seven points and while the opposition was clearly not as strong as the Warriors, home blowouts have been commonplace. The Warriors have been solid this season after a loss and going back the last two years have been great coming off a double-digit loss but this is a different situation. Golden St. is just 3-5 on the road in the postseason with four of those losses coming by double-digits and expect this series to be tied when heading back to Golden St. 10* (508) Cleveland Cavaliers

The first two games of this series have been horrible to watch and while the Cleveland picks the first two games go along with that, the Cavaliers are the pick in Game Three as it is win now or the door is pretty much shut. Cleveland has been outscored by a combined 48 points through two games, an all-time record for the first two games of an NBA Finals so they have to be thoroughly embarrassed by what has taken shape in the early part of this series. The Warriors are only the third team in NBA history to record victories in both Games One and Two by at least 15 points, joining the 1951 Rochester Royals and the 2005 San Antonio Spurs. For those already saying the Cavaliers are dead, it is interesting to note that both the Royals and Spurs were all taken to seven games before winning their series. A return home can only help and the Cavaliers are now the home underdog in this matchup based on the status of Kevin Love who remains questionable with a concussion. He has not had much of an impact anyway in this series and has been up and down the entire postseason. Cleveland has covered six straight home games and are 18-11 ATS this season at home against winning teams. This is a potential letdown spot for the Warriors and Cleveland keeps its bleak hopes alive on Wednesday. 10* (506) Cleveland Cavaliers

If you told the Cavaliers that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would combine for 20 points on 8-27 shooting including 4-13 from long range, they would have felt very good about a Game One victory. Instead the Warriors bench dominated to take the opener by 15 points. Golden St. outscored the Cleveland bench 45-10 so now the question is, can Cleveland reverse that in Game Two while holding Curry and Thompson down again? Holding the splash brothers down likely will not happen but Golden St. is not going to get the same effort from its bench, where it shot 75 percent from the three top bench scorers, while the Cavaliers will get more from their bench. As far as line value, Cleveland is catching a bigger number here which is not typical in recent years based on the bounce angle so the Cavaliers have the value and while this is not a must win game, another blowout loss could put them in a very bad place. Looking back to last season, Cleveland lost Game One at Golden St. but bounced back with a Game Two victory despite being decimated by injuries. The Cavaliers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game so a bounce back is imminent in what should be a much closer game on Sunday. 10* (503) Cleveland Cavaliers

While many call this a rematch of the NBA Finals from last year, it is only a rematch of the team names as Cleveland comes in healthy as opposed to last season. The Cavaliers did not have Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love for the Finals yet they willed themselves to win two of the first three games in the series but ran out of gas and dropped the final three games to give the Warriors the championship. Golden St. made a huge comeback in the Western Conference Finals, coming back from a 3-1 deficit while many had left them for dead. A huge comeback like that can take a lot out of a team and the Warriors could be ripe for an upset. Cleveland has had an extra three days off and in total, it has been off for six days but rust has not played a role yet as after eight days off, it defeated Atlanta by 11 points and after nine days off, defeated Toronto by 31 points. We can expect to see another big effort out of the gates by the Cavaliers. They are 7-2 ATS this season as underdogs, including a cover at Golden St. earlier in the season. Going back, the Cavaliers are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Warriors have failed to cover five of their last six games against the Eastern Conference. 10* (501) Cleveland Cavaliers

The Warriors dug themselves into a hole that most teams are unable to come out of but they have gotten back into this series and have a huge edge with the decisive Game Seven taking place at home. We have been on the Warriors the last two games but are switching gears despite the home floor edge as any pressure switch has now turned to Golden St. The Thunder held an eight-point lead to start the fourth quarter in Game Six on Saturday, and were up seven with five minutes to go and failed to close the deal but they are upbeat while remaining confident knowing the fact they have already won once here in this series. One of the big topics has been the fourth quarter struggles for the Thunder as they dropped 14 games this season when going into the final period with a lead but the key here is that we do not need the outright win and a close game should be due with everything at stake. Golden St. looks to become just the tenth team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3-1 and while the public money will be sided that way, we will be on the road that has covered six of its last seven games following a loss and is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (727) Oklahoma City Thunder

We won with the Warriors on Thursday as they kept their season alive with a nine-point win and they are now possessing value in the line tonight. In the previous two games played here, Golden St. closed as the small favorite and while it got blown out both times, the Warriors are now the team catching points which is the result of those first two outcomes at Oklahoma City. While this is a much win game for the Warriors, the pressure has suddenly turned to the side of Oklahoma City. The last thing the Thunder wants is to have to go back to Golden St. to play a Game Seven so they certainly want to close it out here and avoid playing on Monday where they are already an 8.5-point underdog. Stephen Curry came up big in Game Five as after averaging just 21.5 points in the first two games in Oklahoma City, he had his best game of the series Thursday in Oakland, when he collected 31 points. But it was Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green that came up huge and those two will need to play well again. While the home team has dominated this season series, we expect the best team in the NBA to square this series at three games apiece to set up the decisive Game Seven in two days. 10* (723) Golden St. Warriors

The home team has won and covered eight straight in this series going back to the regular season but this should finally be the game we see the road team take control. A lot of people give credit to Toronto as it finished just a game behind Cleveland in the Eastern Conference and while we were on the Raptors the first two games in Toronto, the overall talent takes over here this late in a series. One huge factor is Kevin Love. He was horrific in Toronto for the two games played there but came back home and shined with a team-high 25 points. Another huge factor is Kyle Lowry who started slow last game and finished average as did the team as whole as he and DeMar DeRozan were the only players who scored more than seven points. Both guards shined in the two wins in Toronto but if one has a bad game, the team is done as there is no one else to pick up the slack. We do not like to lay points on the road, especially this many but certain situations call for it and this is one of those. A peaking Cleveland team is arguably the best team in the NBA and coming off a 38-point win, the momentum continues here. 10* (721) Cleveland Cavaliers

It is obviously do or die time for the Warriors which are on the brink of elimination after a pair of losses in Oklahoma City that were downright awful. Golden St. has not looked like the same team right now as it seems to be playing with no sense of urgency so the last two games should have provided a wakeup call. Breaking the regular season win record was a great achievement but without a championship to go along with the record, it means not nearly as much. Tuesday was the first time all season that the Warriors dropped back-to-back games as they won their previous 12 games following a loss but remain a perfect 6-0 straight up at home following a loss in their previous game, winning by an average of 18.7 ppg and covering five of those. The Thunder were never in danger of losing at home as they built leads to 41 and 25 points while allowing Golden St. to never lead either game by more than two points so a lot of credit needs to go to them for the way they have held the Warriors in check. Still, they are in a tough spot tonight against the reigning world champions that are in must win mode and ready to send a message. Going back in this series, the home team is 10-1-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings. 10* (720) Golden St. Warriors

The home team has owned this series with the host winning and covering the first four games and none of the games have been very competitive. The final deficit of six points in Game Four may portray a close contest but it was never an issue as Toronto led by as many as 18 points to even up the series. Now they head back to Cleveland and the Cavaliers all of a sudden have some doubters following two straight losses after opening the postseason with 10 straight victories. There is no doubt Cleveland is still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and the return to Quicken Loans Arena is going to bring back the positive energy. One player that needs to turn things around is Kevin Love. He was good enough through the first 10 playoff games but the last two have been a disaster. In Game Three, Love shot 1-of-9 and scored three points in 29 minutes and on Monday, he shot 4-of-14 and scored 10 in 31 minutes. Something says he has a big bounce back tonight. The Raptors are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games while going 0-4 ATS in their last four games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while the Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games. 10* (718) Cleveland Cavaliers

Similar to Toronto last night, Golden St. can ill afford to lose again and fall down 3-1 in the series and that is what is at stake tonight with the Warriors in pretty much a must win situation. They are coming off a bad loss on Sunday as they fell by 28 points in one of their most lopsided losses of the season but they have been the best bounce back team in the NBA this season as Golden St. is 12-0 straight up following a defeat, covering nine of those, and a win here likely means a cover as well. This is taking nothing away from the Thunder which have been very impressive since a Game One loss against San Antonio, winning six of their last eight games. This includes three straight wins at home but the vulnerability is there after seeing 11 home losses on the season. The Warriors caught a huge break with Draymond Green not being suspended for this game as his groin kick was reduced to a Flagrant 2. Despite the Game Three victory, Oklahoma City is just 2-6 ATS as an underdog of fewer than seven points this season and while the home floor has been kind to the host in this series going back to last season, we will back the Warriors tonight and avoid a 3-1 deficit. 10* (715) Golden St. Warriors

Toronto came through for us in Game Three and we will be backing the Raptors again tonight in a series that is due for a close game after the first three games being decided by 15, 19 and 31 points. The fact that Cleveland is favored by so much on the road is public reaction once again and while many will be backing the Cavaliers to bounce back here, we are not one of those. As mentioned Saturday, we cannot ignore the fact that the Raptors finished just one game behind Cleveland in the Eastern Conference so a spread this big in this situation is a huge overreaction. Toronto picked it up on defense in Game Three as the Cavaliers were limited to just 20 points in the paint after getting inside for a combined 106 points in the first two games of the series. Additionally, the guard play was big as DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had a big game combined with 52 points on 51 percent shooting and we should see that to continue here on the home floor. Toronto is now 6-1 ATS in its seven games this season as a home underdog, winning five of those outright while the Cleveland blowout loss adds to the fact that the Cavaliers are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (714) Toronto Raptors

We saw Toronto win last night in desperation mode as it finally cooled the red hot Cavaliers and while Oklahoma City now heads home, the situation is different. The Thunder stole Game One in Golden St. and it was a steal in the fact they really should not have won. As mentioned, it was a surprising defeat for the Warriors in Game One simply from the fact that Golden St. controlled most of the game and blew a 14-point lead. A look at the boxscore would suggest a Golden St. victory but the glaring stat that made the difference was free thrown as Oklahoma City doubled the made shots 22-11 while taking 15 more attempts. Taking a look at Game Two, Golden St. controlled it from the beginning and built a 35-point lead in doing so while many will be saying that the Thunder do in fact have a shot in this series, this is the swing game that will tell the story and show why the Warriors had the best regular season ever for a reason. The Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while going 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games playing on three or more days of rest and the scheduling quirk in this series is definitely a benefit to them. 10* (711) Golden St. Warriors

This is it for Toronto as a loss here sends the Raptors to a 3-0 deficit in this series which is one they cannot come back from. Even now the odds are against them based on the first two games following losses by 31 and 19 points so a home sweep is pretty much the only chance they have and it starts here. Toronto is 38-11 at home this season including a 6-2 record in the postseason and it has done a great job in dominating the elite teams as the Raptors are 19-9 ATS at home against winning teams while going 7-1 ATS in their last eight home games against teams with a winning road record. The Cavaliers are playing at a high level right now as they are just the sixth team in NBA history to open the playoffs with a 10-0 record. Cleveland is peaking at the right time and the numbers are very impressive as they are averaging 108.5 ppg, shooting 44.7 percent from long range, 47.3 percent overall, while averaging 116.9 ppg per 100 possessions and outscoring opponents by 13.4 ppg. The series does not start until a loss at home is an old adage and the Raptors can prove that tonight as we should see the energy of the home crowd carry them to a cover at the very least. 10* (710) Toronto Raptors

We got blown out by playing Toronto in Game One of this series on Tuesday as the Raptors fell by 31 points but as the adage goes, no team is as good as it looked in its last game and no team is as bad as it looked in its last game. This is a similar spot to what we saw in the Western Conference Semifinals when Oklahoma City was blown out in Game One against San Antonio but came back to win the series after everyone wrote the Thunder off. Well, everyone has written the Raptors off and while comparing them to the Thunder is a stretch, pride takes over here after that embarrassing loss. We talked about the bounce angle yesterday and it is the opposite in this game from what it was in the Western Conference Game Two as Cleveland is actually favored by more tonight than it was on Tuesday which goes by the original bounce angle principles. Toronto needs a better effort from the point as Kyle Lowry has to be better than eight points, five assists and four turnovers than he put up in Game Two and the rebounding needs an improvement after betting outboarded 45-23. The Raptors are 6-0 this postseason following a loss and four of those other losses also were by double-digits and going back, they have covered seven of their last 10 games following a defeat. 10* (707) Toronto Raptors

Despite losing in the first game of this series, Golden St. has seen the line go up from Game One and this is due to the bounce angle or as it used to be called, the zig-zag. This is where bettors played on the team coming off a loss in the previous game and it was a very lucrative system until the linesmakers picked up on it. Now they tend to shade the opposite side to avoid the bounce bettors to take advantage of a superior line and we are seeing that tonight. While we have to lay a slightly bigger number here, we feel comfortable in doing so with the Warriors which are obviously in must win mode tonight. It was a surprising defeat in Game One simply from the fact that Golden St. controlled most of the game and blew a 14-point lead. A look at the boxscore would suggest a Golden St. victory but the glaring stat that made the difference was free thrown as Oklahoma City doubled the made shots 22-11 while taking 15 more attempts. This was just the third home loss of the season for the Warriors and they followed those up with double-digit wins next time out. Additionally, they are a perfect 11-0 straight up and 8-3 ATS following a loss of any kind this season. The Game One victory was just the fourth in 16 games for the Thunder and while they are peaking, we will see probably one of the best efforts of the season from Golden St. 10* (706) Golden St. Warriors

The Cavaliers have steamrolled through the playoffs thus far, sweeping both Detroit and Atlanta and now they head into the Eastern Conference Finals as a very overvalued team. This is a very similar situation to the start of the series with the Hawks as Cleveland had a very lengthy layoff and was still able to win Game One big. The difference here though is the opening line as the Cavaliers were favored by 7.5 points over Atlanta and now they are favored by double-digits in this opener which is far too big of a number. Toronto is coming off series wins over Indiana and Miami with both going the distance and that actually works in its favor here as there is no lengthy layoff which means the momentum is still going strong. Winning this series will be a stretch for the Raptors but if they are going to steal a game in Cleveland, this is the likeliest one. We cannot forget that Toronto finished just one game behind Cleveland in the Eastern Conference and while the Cavaliers may be peaking, it is not going to be as easy as some may think. Toronto has been very solid in the role of an underdog this season, going 11-4 ATS in 15 games when getting four points or more including a perfect 2-0 ATS record when getting nine points or more. 10* (703) Toronto Raptors

Oklahoma City shocked many by defeating San Antonio but it really was not that shocking based on what the Thunder have. They showed glimpses all season of what they can be, but were prone to inconsistency and now they are peaking at the right time. They took care of the Spurs in six games which concluded with three straight wins and most impressive, the Thunder won in San Antonio twice after the Spurs lost at home just once all season prior to that. The Warriors have had little resistance through the first two rounds and they opened those with blowout wins in Game One and while those were against teams inferior to Oklahoma City, I expect a similar outcome here. While the Warriors ended their series early than the Thunder did which could bring in the rust factor, the fact is that it was only one more day so there is no argument there. On the flip side, the momentum gained from the San Antonio series could have been killed by the long layoff for Oklahoma City. Golden St. has lost at home only twice this season and has covered seven of its last eight games and additionally, the Warriors are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games playing on three or more days rest. 10* (702) Golden St. Warriors

Miami heads to Toronto for the decisive Game Seven Sunday afternoon and we again give a clear edge to the home team. After the host went just 1-2 during the first three games, including a 0-3 record against the number, the home team has won and covered the last three games in this series. Many believe the pressure is on the Raptors based on the fact they have never advanced past this round but the home floor is key here. Under head coach Eric Spoelstra, Miami is 4-1 in Game 7s but all four of those wins came at home while the lone loss happened to come on the road. Additionally, Miami is 11-0 at home in the playoffs when trying close out a series but just 4-5 on the road in such situations. History of the league is also going against Miami as no team has ever won two series in the same postseason when trailing 3-2. DeMar DeRozan could be the difference here as after a horrendous start to this series, he scored 34 points on 11-22 shooting in Game Five but regressed to just 23 points on 8-21 shooting Friday night. He has been a much better shooter at home all season and we should see another bounce back game from him today. 10* (550) Toronto Raptors

Toronto took Game Five but it was not as easy it as looked like it should have been as the Raptors blew a 20-point lead and nearly gave it away. They were able to hang on and now have Miami against the ropes as the Heat are now forced to win the final two games of what has been a pretty ugly series. DeMar DeRozan broke out of his shooting slump and scored 34 points but who knows if he can sustain that while Kyle Lowry continues his struggles as he was just 9-25. The game tonight marks the eighth time in team history the Raptors have had a close-out opportunity. They have won two of those seven previous games. While the pressure seems to be on Miami, I think it is the other way because of the Toronto inability to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and Miami has the experience to keep this one going and send it to a decisive Game Seven on Sunday. It was nearly the same situation they faced in the first round against Charlotte, winning Game Six on the road to stay alive and crushing the Hornets in Game Seven. The Heat are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games while the Raptors are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win. 10* (546) Miami Heat

Oklahoma City has taken three of the last four games in this series and feasibly could have taken all four to move into the lead and can close it out tonight. While many feel the pressure is on the Thunder to win here to avoid a Game Seven in San Antonio, I think it is the opposite as right now. Oklahoma City is playing loose and has shown a matchup advantage since getting blown out by 32 points in the opener of this series when some people were proclaiming the series was already over. We cannot ignore the fact that during the regular season, the Spurs and Thunder split the series at two games apiece with Oklahoma City covering all four meetings and on the season overall, the Thunder have won three of the four meetings at home. The last victory here came by 14 points but more importantly, the Thunder were favored by a bucket but now they are getting a bucket which is too big of an overadjustment. The Thunder are 30-10-2 ATS in their last 42 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Spurs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (544) Oklahoma City Thunder

While San Antonio could not take advantage of having pivotal Game Five at home last night, Toronto will take advantage tonight and take the lead in the series, forcing the Heat to win the final two games to take the series. This has been the best series in the postseason as far as close games as three of the four games have gone into overtime while the other game resulted in a four-point differential. Toronto has only lost at home 11 times this season and I think if there is a game in this series we see a blowout, this could be the one. A big reason for that is we have yet to see DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry breakout as they have been far from efficient. DeRozan has shot 33 percent and 3 of 19 from beyond the arc this postseason while Lowry has connected at 33.1 percent and 19.7 from long range. The opposing defenses have played their roles in stopping the backcourt due but a return home for pivotal Game Five could see some fireworks. Toronto has won 21 of 30 games this season following a loss while Miami is just one game over .500 following a victory. 10* (538) Toronto Raptors

With the series tied at two games apiece, it has become a best-of-three competition and Oklahoma City will not advance unless it wins at least one more time in San Antonio and it has already proven it can win there. And of course, we do not even need the outright win as a close finish cashes us a ticket which I expect to be the case here. The Thunder evened the series with a home win after San Antonio regained home court with a Game Three win. Oklahoma City closed as a 2.5-point favorite last time out and now we are seeing a line adjustment of 9.5 points and that is too much in my opinion with the situation at hand in a pivotal Game Five. This is one of those games where there is so much on the line that we will see a strong effort on the defensive end on both sides and that favors the underdog, especially a big one that is the case here. Going back, the Thunder are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games against teams with a winning straight up record while covering four of their last five road games. Meanwhile, San Antonio is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game while going 2-7 ATS in its last nine games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (535) Oklahoma City Thunder

Portland got back into the series with a win on Saturday but it will be short lived as we are switching sides here and laying road points with the Warriors. Golden St. is in a very similar spot as it was in during the first series where it rolled in the first two games over Houston but then lose Game Three on the road only to recover with a 27-point win in Game Four which solidified the series. The Blazers are no slouch at home which is a big reason we played on them Saturday but the Warriors road record is actually 3.5 games better. Golden St. has won five of the seven meetings this season and all of those wins were by double-digits so when taking Portland serious, there is no battle. The loss of Stephen Curry has not been a big concern as the Warriors have been fine without him and while he is irreplaceable, his absence has actually helped in keeping this number down as a price that is more than playable in this situation. Golden St. is a perfect 10-0 this season straight up following a loss while covering seven of those games. Meanwhile, the Blazers are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (531) Golden St. Warriors

Oklahoma City let one get away on Friday as it rallied from a 15-point deficit only to lose by a pair of buckets. The Thunder are now in must win mode as a loss here would send them back to San Antonio in a 3-1 hole which is unrecoverable at this point. Oklahoma City fell down early in Game Three and the Spurs were able to play well on the road as they had the advantage of not playing from behind but we should see the Thunder turn the tables tonight and get out to a quick start. One big factor the Thunder should not have to worry about tonight is Tony Parker, who scored 19 points Friday which was 10 more points than his first two games combined. On the flip side, Russell Westbrook uncharacteristically folded down the stretch as he committed two costly late turnovers while missing 21 of 31 shots and he admitted after the game that that was not the role he should be in so expect a bigger effort from Kevin Durant tonight. Additionally, the Spurs managed 14 more free throw attempts in Game Three which is a rarity for the road team especially in a playoff game. The Spurs are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while the Thunder are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (528) Oklahoma City Thunder

The favorites came through again last night as both San Antonio and Cleveland won and covered as road chalks and we find the Warriors in a similar role tonight. Golden St. has cruised to a 2-0 lead in this series although Game Two could have been a different outcome as the Blazers blew a 17-point lead and ultimately lost by 11 after getting outscored 34-12 in the final quarter. Portland is likely already done in this series as the Warriors have proved they can win without Stephen Curry, who will be out again tonight, but Portland has a good chance to steal a game tonight in the first game back home. The Warriors have won five of the six meetings this season all by double digits but this is the place where they suffered their worst loss of the season as they went down by 32 points despite Curry contributing a team high 31 points. Pride is a big part in this league and with a 31-13 home record, the Blazers will be playing with that tonight. Going back, the Blazers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (524) Portland Trail Blazers

The Spurs and Thunder shift to Oklahoma City for Game Three with the winner having a big edge going forward. San Antonio embarrassed the Thunder in the opener by 32 points but failed to capitalize on that as they lost for just the second time all season at home in Game Two on a very controversial ending. Oklahoma City has been a home underdog only once this season and that came against Golden St. in February where it blew a late lead and lost in overtime no thanks to 22 turnovers. The Thunder should be pretty motivated tonight after stealing that game in San Antonio on Monday as they gained the home court advantage and are clearly not getting any respect based on the line. Oklahoma City is 34-10 at home this season and playing against the elite teams has been no problem as going back, the Thunder are 29-9-2 ATS in their last 40 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. Meanwhile, the Spurs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (520) Oklahoma City Thunder

Toronto almost pulled off the miracle win on Tuesday as it tied the game in regulation on a half-court shot from Kyle Lowry but was unable to carry that momentum into overtime and lost by six. The Raptors have already lost home court advantage in this series and can ill afford to go down 2-0 so it can be argued the season is on the line tonight. It has been five straight games where they have not covered but we should see a big effort at home tonight. Miami got huge performances from Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade who went a combined 20-41 from the floor but the rest of the team was just 40.8 percent from the floor and it was the opposite from Toronto and its two big stars as Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were just 12-35 combined from the floor. It is imperative for those two to play better and one thing we should see tonight is the Raptors playing faster and pushing the pace. Even with the loss, Toronto has a home court edge as it is now 35-11 and going back it is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games after a loss while the Heat are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games. 10* (516) Toronto Raptors

We lost with the Hawks in the opener of this series and it was a tough one to take as they came back from an 18-point deficit to actually take the lead with eight minutes to go in the game but the Cavaliers closed on a 25-13 run to pull away to take a 1-0 series lead. They have had the Hawks number both recently and going back as Cleveland has won and covered all four meetings this season and going back to last season, it has won eight straight meetings. Additionally, the Cavaliers have won nine straight postseason meetings and have never lost to Atlanta in the playoffs. One of the good things that came out of that game for Atlanta was the fact it never gave up as being down 18 points late in the game can often lead to a team throwing in the towel and moving on. The Hawks fell to a game under .500 on the road this season but that is still pretty respectable and while they have yet to cover in the three games played in Cleveland this season, they are in a good situation to keep this one close. The Cavaliers have covered just five of its last seven games following a double-digit win. 10* (513) Atlanta Hawks

Both Miami and Toronto won Game Seven on Sunday so from a momentum standpoint, there should be no advantage either way. From a travel standpoint however, Toronto has the huge edge of being able to remain home while the Heat have to hit the road with just one day of rest after a home game. The Raptors closed as a six-point favorite in Game Seven against Indiana and now the number is lower against Miami, which is not really that much of a better team than the Pacers, and a reason for the spread decline is because Toronto has dropped four straight games against the number. The Raptors went 3-1 at home against Indiana to improve to 35-10 at home on the season. The Heat have not been a very good road team this season as they are currently two games under .500 on the highway and have failed to cover eight of their last 10 road games. Miami has struggled in this role as it is 8-15 ATS this season as an underdog of fewer than seven points including a 1-2 ATS record against Charlotte in the previous series. 10* (508) Toronto Raptors

Oklahoma City was a huge letdown on Saturday as it got embarrassed in a game it never led, trailed by as many as 43 points and ended up losing by 32 points. It was one of those games where the Thunder could not buy a basket in the first half whereas the Spurs could not miss so the game was well over by halftime. How bad was it? Just 4 1/2 minutes into the game, Oklahoma City faced its largest deficit of the playoffs up to that point. The lopsided result of that game is playing a role in this line being higher that Game One and the Thunder have covered both games when getting this many points this season. One thing that is for certain is that the Spurs are not going to look as good as they did and the Thunder are not going to look as bad. Adjustments will need to be made as the Thunder need to run when they can and cannot allow the San Antonio defense to settle in the half court as that it clearly its strength. The Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points while the Spurs are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (509) Oklahoma City Thunder

Atlanta has not had much luck with Cleveland of late as after taking three of four regular season meetings last year, the Hawks were swept by the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and then lost all three regular season meetings this year. That is driving this line up higher than it should be and they now go from a three-point road favorite in their last game against Boston to a 7.5-point road underdog the very next game. They took out Boston in six games and while they come into this game with less rest than Cleveland, they have been off since Thursday so that is certainly sufficient. The Cavaliers made it look easy against Detroit as they swept the Pistons which was a surprise to some after they held their own against Cleveland during the regular season. They covered one of two at home in that series and this is not a number the Cavaliers have had success with this season as they are 19-28 ATS when favored by seven or more points. On the flip side, the Hawks have lost all four games this season when getting points in this range but they make up for it by going 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (503) Atlanta Hawks

Indiana has covered three straight in this series, winning two outright, including a victory on Friday that sends this series to the Game Seven finale tonight. Because the Pacers have covered three in a row, we are getting value with the Raptors as this is the lowest line of the series at home and is down a full bucket from the last game here. Despite the series being knotted at three games apiece, this has been a horrible series to watch as five of the six games have been decided by double-digits and that one game that finished close should have been a double-digit blowout by Indiana but Toronto made a miraculous fourth quarter comeback. While the Raptors fell apart in the second half on Friday, they can use that big comeback at home as motivation for this one and we cannot forget they are 34-10 at home this season while the Pacers are four games under .500 on the road while of the Pacers 20 road wins the entire season, only five have come against teams that are competing in the postseason. The Pacers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Raptors are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (726) Toronto Raptors

We are going with some of the same reasoning and analysis for Sunday as after putting up 109 points in the first half Friday, Miami and Charlotte managed just 78 points in the second half. After putting up 123 and 115 points in the first two games in this series, the Miami offense disappeared for three straight games, scoring just 80, 85 and 88 points. To no surprise, the over came through in the first two games in Miami and the under cashed both times in the games in Charlotte. A return to Miami should see more offense again despite Game Five staying under and the total has been steadily on the decline the entire series going from 199 to 190 which is at its lowest point and that presents great value. Going back to the regular season, four of five games taking place in Miami surpassed the total while all five games being played in Charlotte stayed under the number. Going back, the over is 8-2 in the Hornets last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record while the over is now 10-1 in the last 11 meetings in Miami. 10* Over (727) Charlotte Hornets/(728) Miami Heat

Hopefully this series is better than the two series that Oklahoma City and San Antonio were involved in their first rounds and it definitely should be. While there was a 12-game difference in records during the regular season, these teams are more evenly matched than what that record shows. The Spurs are collectively more skilled, but the Thunder have done a better job than most at neutralizing that advantage. The home team dominated during the regular season but an edge goes to the Thunder as they won the lone game decided by double-digits (Spurs starters rested) while the Spurs home wins came in overtime in one and a 10-point differential in the fourth quarter in the other to make the difference. While the Thunder are all about Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the key player in this series is Serge Ibaka as he can be a difference maker. Against the Spurs this year, the Thunder were a staggering 32.9 points per 100 possessions better with Ibaka on the floor vs. off and the matchups play a big role in that. Going back, the Spurs are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Thunder are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (501) Oklahoma City Thunder

After putting up 123 and 115 points in the first two games in this series, the Miami offense disappeared the last three games, scoring just 80, 85 and 88 points. To no surprise, the over came through in both games in Miami and the under cashed both times in the games in Charlotte while the last game also stayed under. The total has been steadily on the decline the entire series going from 199 to 198 to 196.5 to 194.5 to 194 and now the total is at its lowest and by a lot. We lost with the over in Game Five and we are going with it again here despite the fact that the first two games in this series in Charlotte stayed below the number. The Hornets offense, while efficient in the recent victories, is not the same unit that we are accustomed to and I think we see it return to form heading home. After averaging 11.1 three-pointers and 22.4 assists in the season's second half, Charlotte saw those averages sliced to 4.5 and 14.0, respectively, in Games Three and Four. The Miami offense has also fallen off after those first two games and we can expect the Heat to try and push the ball more as their halfcourt offense has been dismal. 10* Over (709) Miami Heat/(710) Charlotte Hornets

After four straight blowout games in this series, we finally saw a competitive contest in Game Five but it really should not have been. The Pacers built a 17-point lead and looked like they were on their way to steal a game in Toronto and take the series lead but were outscored 25-9 in the fourth quarter. A last second shot to tie the game was nullified and now they have to try and regroup in a must win game but it is not going to be easy and the collapse will carry over into this game. The Raptors finally got a good offensive performance from DeMar DeRozan who scored a team high 34 points and despite shooting 40.2 percent as a team, the Raptors have some solid momentum heading to Indiana. The Pacers are a solid road team however Toronto has won here twice this season and its 24-17 road record during the regular season was tied for best in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are 16-8-1 ATS as underdogs this season and going back, they are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss. 10* (711) Toronto Raptors

The home team has dominated this series as the host has won all five games with the latest being Atlanta taking control with a Game Five win on Tuesday. While the Celtics have been a quality team at home, the injuries are becoming more of an issue with Avery Bradley already out and now, Isaiah Thomas has to deal with an ankle sprain and while he will play, he will not be 100 percent. In Game Five, the Hawks were outscored 29-19 in the first 18 minutes of the game, before finding their best offensive rhythm of the postseason to ignite a 70-33 run to put Boston on the brink of elimination. The winner of Game Five in a series that was tied 2-2 has gone on to advance 82 percent of the time so the Celtics are in a tough spot with their backs against the wall and not close to 100 percent. While the Hawks have failed to cover their last six road games, they are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points so going contrarian in the role of a road favorite is practical here. Boston has lost two of six games this season as a home underdog and while the public consensus is all over Boston, we ride the Hawks to clinch the series tonight. 10* (701) Atlanta Hawks

For obvious reasons, everyone has closed the door on the Clippers and their chances for giving the Warriors a run and even now having troubles getting through this series. While the former is most likely, the latter is far from over as the series is tied and the Clippers head home inspired to play well without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. The loss of Griffin is big but not as big as many may think as Los Angeles did more than fine without him when he missed 41 games, Replacing Paul is impossible but we are getting a line that has been overadjusted too much. In the last meeting in Los Angeles during the regular season without Griffin, the Clippers were five-point favorites and now they go to a three-point underdog which is a big line shift. Portland should have a lot of confidence after tying the series up with a pair of wins at home but it went 7-5 this season as a road favorite and most of those were against poor teams that were much worse than the Clippers even without Griffin and Paul. "We have a very competitive basketball team and they have proven that all year," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. "We have won games before without key guys and we can win games in the future without key guys." And that is so true. 10* (578) Los Angeles Clippers