Sports Picks & Predictions

We lost with Memphis on Monday as the Grizzles fell in overtime against Portland which was their second straight loss in overtime. Tonight presents a great opportunity to bounce back from that to avoid three straight losses going into the All Star break and also evade their first three-game losing streak since November. Since then, Memphis is 12-4 following its last 16 losses while going 4-0 in its last four games following consecutive losses. Brooklyn picked up a rare win on Monday as it won in the final seconds against Denver and that was just its 14th win of the season. The Nets have won two straight games at home but have won here only 10 times all season long and winning consecutive games has been a challenge as they are 2-11 following a victory. They have won only nine of 28 games as home underdogs but of those nine wins, only three of those have been against teams with a winning record. The Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win while the Grizzlies are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against the Eastern Conference. 10* (509) Memphis Grizzles

This is a very odd situation for Sacramento as reports surfaced that head coach George Karl was going to be fired and yesterday those rumors were rescinded and Karl will remain with the team. Changes within the coaching policies and leadership will be taking place and this is a really big game for the Kings that need a victory before heading into the All Star break as they have dropped four straight games and eight of their last nine. Back-to-back losses against Boston and Cleveland was not surprising but a loss here against the lowly Sixers will put them in a bad spot heading into their off time. Philadelphia is coming off a loss against the Clippers in overtime in their last game and was able to grab its second straight cover. The Sixers are 3-4 in their last seven home games and have covered seven of their last nine games here but that is keeping this number within reason. There should be some extra motivation for the Kings as they surrendered one of the three Philadelphia road wins this season and certainly that is game they have not forgotten. 10* (503) Sacramento Kings

San Antonio begins its annual rodeo roadtrip and the good part is that it is wrapped around the All Star Break so at least there is come break up to it. The Spurs have won four straight games and going back to just after Christmas, their only two losses have come against Golden St. and Cleveland to the run has been pretty outstanding. Going against them here may seem irrational but laying this big of a number to a quality team on the road is a tad aggressive. The Heat lost their last game on Sunday against the Clippers but to their credit, the recent schedule has been brutal. 14 of their last 17 games have been on the road and this is the first time since January 4th and 6th they have been able to remain home for back-to-back games. Miami has won two of three games outright as a home dog, defeating Atlanta and Oklahoma City. The loss home underdog took place in that last game against the Clippers and on the season, the Heat have won 14 of 22 games following a defeat. The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game while the Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last five games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. This is the final game for Miami prior to the break while the Spurs play tomorrow which is a big motivational edge for the Heat. 10* (702) Miami Heat

Losses in five straight and nine of their last 10 games was the breaking point for Knicks head coach Derek Fisher who was fired on Monday. Kurt Rambis takes over on an interim basis and this is a great spot to play on New York as teams playing their first game with a new coach tend to pick up the energy level and we should see that tonight at home from the Knicks. They are now 4.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but there is confidence from Rambis for a playoff run and it is all about staying healthy. New York is 23-24 with Carmelo Anthony in the lineup and 0-7 without him. Washington is coming off a loss on Saturday against Charlotte and it too has been struggling with losses in eight of its last 11 games including three of four on the road. The Wizards have actually been better on the road than at home as they are 11-11 on the highway but four of those wins came when they were favored. Going back, the Knicks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Wizards are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a ATS win. So with a new coach and this being the final game before the break, the Knicks are in an excellent spot to break out of their skid. 10* (704) New York Knicks

Portland shook off a loss against Toronto on Thursday, which snapped a five-game winning streak, as it took care of Houston on Saturday by 17 points. That was the biggest road win of the season for the Blazers and while it was the third time they have won consecutive games on the road, they have yet been unable to make it three straight. Memphis has been on a roll as it has gone 14-5 over its last 19 games and while winning the Southwest Division is not going to happen, the Grizzlies are fifth in the Western Conference. They are coming off a loss against Dallas on Saturday and they have been a great bounceback team this season, going 14-6 following a defeat including going 5-0 over the last five. The Grizzlies have covered 11 of their last 14 games at home while the Blazers are 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Additionally, the Grizzlies are 5-0 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (518) Memphis Grizzlies

We played against Brooklyn on Saturday as the Nets were a rare underdog against the Sixers. They are now back home in the underdog role for the 28th time this season but this is an overadjusted line based on what Denver has done lately. The Nuggets have been playing better after a brutal start to the season as they have covered 13 of their last 15 games but most of those games have been at home and in the five road games, they have been the underdog. This includes a game yesterday against the Knicks which they won by five points but they are still six games under .500 on the highway and this marks just the second time they have been favored on the road. Denver has not won consecutive road games since mid-December as it is 0-5 since then and this is not the ideal spot to break that coming off a game just yesterday afternoon. The Nets took care of Sacramento in their last home game and this is just the third losing team to visit Brooklyn in a month. 10* (510) Brooklyn Nets

The Bulls conclude their roadtrip tonight with no chance to make it a winning one but are in need of a victory here. Chicago is 2-4 through the first six game of this trek and the latest defeat was a tough one against Minnesota the Timberwolves closed the game on a 12-0 run in the final 2:55 to deal the Bulls a 112-105 defeat. They are getting a pretty big number against a team that rarely wins big but it is due to the absence of Jimmy Butler, which is big for Chicago but Derrick Rose has picked up the slack as he is averaging 19.5 ppg and 9.5 apg in the two games with Butler out. The Hornets took out Washington on Saturday to make it three wins in their last four games but this is a team that cannot be trusted laying this number, the biggest they have been favored by since November. Charlotte is 1-6 ATS this season when favored by five or more points while going 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games after scoring 100 points or more in its previous game. 10* (501) Chicago Bulls

Atlanta is the biggest consensus play of the day by the betting public as 80 percent of the action is behind the Hawks. It is pretty obvious why with Atlanta riding a three game winning streak both straight up and against the number and Orlando currently on a three-game skid. This is where our contrarian rationale comes into play by backing the Magic in the first game of this home-and-hone set that concludes tomorrow night. While the Magic have struggled over an extended period of time as well, the damage was mostly done on the road. 10 of their last 16 games have come on the highway and they went a dismal 1-9 in those games. The Hawks are a game under .500 on the road this season and are just 4-7 over their last 11 with two of those wins coming over the Sixers. Of the 14 teams in the NBA with losing records, Orlando actually has the third best scoring differential at just -1.6 ppg which shows the difference between winning and losing has not been much. Orlando is 7-4 ATS as a home underdog this season while the Hawks are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (856) Orlando Magic

We are playing on the Sixers here as they are in a pretty good situation coming off a loss last night in Washington. They are in a rare spot as the favorites as this is just the third time all season they have been laying points and it is once again a small number. The first time it resulted in a 12-point win over the Lakers and the second time it was a 10-point win over Phoenix close to two weeks ago. Philadelphia has gone 8-19 ATS this season against winning teams but a solid 14-8 ATS against teams with a losing record. Brooklyn is coming off a rare win as it defeated the Kings last night following five straight losses. While the Sixers have been the laughing stock of the league, the Nets are only 5.5 games better so there is not much of a difference between these two teams especially considering their 4-18 record on the road. Brooklyn is 2-10 this season following a victory while going just 2-7 playing with no rest. The Sixers have covered six of their last eight games following a loss while going 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing record. 10* (510) Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland is coming off a pretty uninspired effort at Charlotte on Wednesday which snapped a five-game winning streak but now it heads home to add to its 19-3 record at home. Boston has won two straight games and seven of its last eight but only two of those have been against teams with a winning record. While the Celtics have a winning record on the road, only four of those have come against winning teams and only one since the start of December. Boston has gone 26-12 against teams not ranked in the top ten in the NBA but is just 3-10 against the top ten in the league. Conversely, the Cavaliers are 26-9 against those non-top ten teams and a much more solid 9-4 against the top ten. Two of those four losses came against Golden St., another against San Antonio and the last against Toronto, three of which came on the road. On the season, the Cavaliers are 15-8 ATS against teams with a winning record including 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games against winning teams. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. Look for Cleveland to bounce back from that loss and move to 9-4 following a defeat this season. 10* (860) Cleveland Cavaliers

The Grizzlies are in the midst of their best run of the season as they have gone 13-4 over their last 17 games to go from a 16-16 start to their current 29-20 record which is good for fifth in the Western Conference. But the schedule has been in their favor as only six of those 17 games have been on the road where they have gone just 3-3. Memphis is 10-13 on the highway overall and six of those have come against teams with a worse record than the Knicks. New York is in a bad run right now with losses in two straight and six of its last seven games going into Thursday and with the lone victory coming against lowly Phoenix, things are not good. Four of those losses have come against teams ranked in the top six in the NBA so while no losing is good, at least the Knicks have been falling to the elite teams. And on top of it, they have been banged up along the way and are now back to nearly full health. The Knicks own 11 outright wins against teams ranked in the top 16 in the league which is tied for eighth most in the entire league. The Grizzlies are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games while the Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (862) New York Knicks

After 11 straight wins, Toronto had a pretty ugly loss at Denver but it bounced back with a victory over a hapless Phoenix team and as unimpressive as it looked, a win is a win and it was needed. The Raptors still have four games remaining on this current roadtrip, three prior to the All Star Break and one after. They currently possess a five-game lead over Boston in the Atlantic Division and with the Cleveland loss last night, they trail the Cavaliers by just 2.5 games in the Eastern Conference. Portland has won five straight games which is its longest winning streak of the season but it is a non-quality streak as all five of those wins have come against teams with a losing record including three teams that are 11, 21 and 31 games under .500. The Blazers have gotten back into the Western Conference playoff race as they are in eighth place but the schedule has helped with 11 of their previous 14 games all being at home and the three road games coming against losing teams from the Eastern Conference. They are 10-21-1 ATS in their last 32 games against teams with a winning straight up record and on the season, the Raptors are 10-4 ATS as underdogs. 10* (705) Toronto Raptors

This is a play on CHICAGO for our Wednesday Enforcer. This line came out late due to the status of DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo who are both on the injury list and while Cousins is a likely go, Rondo is questionable. We are assuming he will go with a day of rest as the Kings look to make it consecutive wins following a victory over Milwaukee on Monday. Sacramento is actually on a 20-20 run following a 1-7 start and currently sit two games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Chicago has not been playing well as it is just 4-9 over its last 13 games following a defeat in Utah Monday in overtime. The Bulls are now two games under .500 on the road but are 6-4 on the highway against teams with a losing record including wins in three of their last four. The Kings typically have an edge on the boards but that is not the case tonight as the Bulls average an NBA-best 48.6 rpg. We mentioned Monday that the tail end of this seven-game roadtrip is important as the last five games were against losing teams and after a loss in the last one, the final four games are now even more important. 10* (519) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on MILWAUKEE for our Tuesday Enforcer. Milwaukee is coming off its third straight loss last night in Sacramento as it went into the fourth quarter tied with the Kings but allowed 37 points to blow the win and cover, also its third straight setback. They have struggled on the road this season but there is definitely value in this line tonight as they are getting six points more than last night against a team that is just a game and a half better while getting 2.5 points more than Milwaukee got at Memphis last Thursday and the Grizzlies are six games better than Portland. The Blazers have won four games in a row which is certainly playing into the line. All of those wins also came against teams with losing records so there really isn’t much motivation here, especially with a home game against Toronto on deck. The Bucks having played last night could also be a factor in the number but Milwaukee has a young roster that pays off in these situations as the Bucks are 9-4 ATS when playing with no rest. The Bucks are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while the Blazers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games playing on one-day rest. 10* (707) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on HOUSTON for our Tuesday Supreme Annihilator. Houston has been one of the streakiest teams this season as the Rockets have had winning and losing streaks of three or more games 10 times. This includes a three-game winning streak a week ago only to be followed up by its current three-game skid. They had tough back-to-back road games at San Antonio and Oklahoma City on the 27th and 29th and then had to face Washington the next night so it was a tough slate with a tough spot added on. Houston has won 12 of its last 17 home games and face a hot opponent as Miami has won four straight games which coincidentally came after a four-game losing streak. Three of the wins came on the road but all were by five points or less and were against a struggling Chicago team as well as Brooklyn and Milwaukee, not exactly quality wins. The Heat are still a game under .500 on the road and they are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 road games against teams with a winning home record while going 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (704) Houston Rockets

This is a play on CHICAGO for our Monday Enforcer. A lot of factors in this game set up great for the Bulls which are coming off a loss yesterday afternoon against the Clippers by 27 points so we should see a pretty inspired effort tonight. After a 4-0 start to January, which was the tail end of a six-game winning streak, Chicago has lost eight of its last 12 games but it has gone 4-1 in its last five games following a loss so avoiding losing streaks has at least stopped more bleeding. The Bulls are now a game under .500 on the road but are 6-3 on the highway against teams with a losing record. Utah has won two straight games, both against struggling teams as Charlotte and Minnesota went 6-11 and 2-14 in January respectively. This is just the eighth tine that the Jazz have won consecutive games season and they have been unable to expand upon that as they are 0-7 this season following back-to-back victories, losing those games by an average of 9.4 ppg. The Bulls remaining five games on this roadtrip, including this one, are all against losing teams so a run is necessary and expected and it starts here. 10* (513) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on ATLANTA for our Monday Supreme Annihilator. Atlanta went undefeated last January but the 2016 version was not nearly as good as the Hawks went 6-9 including losses in three straight games. The most recent was just last night in Miami as the Hawks fell by 18 points as a three-point road favorite in a game they never led. They are now back home where they have won seven of their last nine and a little added motivation should be there as Atlanta did in fact lose it last home game against the Clippers. Dallas took care of Phoenix last night, which fired head coach Jeff Hornacek after the game, and that was the second straight double-digit win for the Mavericks but those were against two of the worst teams in the NBA. Dallas is a respectable 13-14 on the road but of those 13 wins, only two of those have come against teams with a winning record. It goes back further as the Mavericks are 6-21-1 ATS in their last 28 road games against teams with a winning home record while the Hawks are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (506) Atlanta Hawks

We played on Orlando Friday in the first game of this home-and-home and it was clearly a bad call as the Magic were outscored by 10 in the fourth quarter and lost by 19. Now they head home to try and solve the Celtics which have won five straight games as they try and keep pace with the Raptors in the Atlantic Division. Orlando meanwhile has dropped eight straight games and 12 of 13 but the value tonight is too good to pass up. The Magic were getting eight points in Boston and are now getting 4.5 points at home and that line swing is not nearly enough for a venue change. They are still a solid 12-10 at home with two of their last three losses coming in overtime and this is a pretty big game considering they start a two-game roadtrip tomorrow against San Antonio and then finishing with Oklahoma City which are a combined 47-5 at home. Orlando is 6-3 ATS this season as a home underdog while going 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a winning road record. Additionally, the Celtics are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (834) Orlando Magic

We played against Cleveland last night with part of the thinking being the Cavaliers would get caught looking ahead to this game but that they did not as they won in Detroit in a game they only trailed early in by two points. They have had this one circled for a little over two weeks after going to San Antonio and walking out with a four-point loss. There is a little extra motivation here as well as Cleveland will be playing with a chip on its shoulder after being given the home underdog role in this one. The Spurs are coming off a blowout victory over Houston on Wednesday following their blowout loss in Golden St. two nights earlier. The win over the Rockets moved them to 25-0 at home while the loss to the Warriors dropped them to 14-7 on the road. That is still an excellent record for the road but the Cavaliers are 18-3 at home and overall are 14-7 ATS against teams with a winning record. Two weeks ago, the Spurs were favored by six at home which would make the Cavaliers roughly a two-point favorite based on venue change but the current line is off by four points compared to that so the value is clearly on the home side. Cleveland is 4-1 ATS as a dog this season and this marks the first time it is a dog at home. 10* (514) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on DETROIT for our Friday Enforcer. Detroit used a big fourth quarter to pull away from the Sixers on Wednesday to earn its second straight win and improve to 15-7 at home. It has been an up and down season for the Pistons but when they show up, they can be very difficult to beat, case in point an 18-point win here against Golden St. less than two weeks ago. The Cavaliers have also won two straight games, taking care of Phoenix and Minnesota which is far from impressive. Cleveland is 21-4 against teams ranked 17th or worse in the league but just an average 11-8 against the top 16. Detroit is 14-12 against the top 16 which isn't especially strong however Detroit owns eight wins over the top ten and those eight victories are fourth most in the NBA behind Golden St., Chicago and Toronto. The Cavaliers could very well be caught looking ahead as they host San Antonio in a revenge game from a couple weeks ago when they lost on the road by four points. Additionally, the Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Pistons are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (854) Detroit Pistons

This is a play on ORLANDO for our Friday Ultimate Underdog. The Celtics have matched their longest winning streak of the season with four consecutive victories and their most recent win over Denver made it four straight wins at home as well. Trying to keep pace with the surging Raptors is not easy but Boston is doing its best at this point. Now the linesmakers are again catching up as the Celtics laid a big number against the Nuggets and are now laying nearly the same amount here against a team that is better than Denver. Orlando has no doubt been struggling after a very strong start to the season as it has lost seven straight games and 11 of its 12 games in the month of January. During this recent seven-game skid, three of those defeats came in overtime while two others were less than what the Magic are getting tonight. Orlando is capable of turning this around with a very talented roster that has had leads of 16, 9, 19 and 10 points in their last four games but failed to keep those advantages. This has been a home dominated series with the host taking eight straight but the biggest spread of that stretch has been six points. The Magic are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against the NBA Atlantic while the Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (855) Orlando Magic

Both Indiana and Atlanta are coming off two-point home losses against the Clippers in their last game, with the Pacers going down Tuesday and the Hawks losing last night. The extra day of rest should benefit Indiana as it is in desperate need of a victory after what has been a horrible end to the month. The Pacers have lost six of their last seven games which includes two straight home losses but they are still a solid 13-7 at home. It has been a tough stretch for Indiana as with the exception for a couple losses to good teams, it has been falling to teams it should be beating. On the season, the Pacers are 7-12 ATS against teams with a losing record but when the competition rises, so do the Pacers as they are 16-8 ATS against teams with a winning record including 8-3 ATS at home. The Hawks aren't playing great either as they have lost three of their last four and seven of their last 13 after ending December on a 7-1 run. Atlanta is 12-12 on the highway which is decent but going back the Hawks are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. This season, they are 1-4 straight up and ATS playing with no rest and the second game being on the road. 10* (704) Indiana Pacers

This is a play on SAN ANTONIO for our Wednesday Enforcer. San Antonio is coming off an embarrassing loss at Golden St. on Monday but as its typical reaction, it could care less. Head coach Gregg Popovich took a lot of heat for not playing Tim Duncan but he is not playing again tonight so nothing should be read into that. While Duncan is out again, it should be noted that San Antonio is 7-1 this season in games he has missed. The Spurs are coming off just their seventh loss of the season and they have been perfect in bouncing back from a loss not only straight up but against the number as they are 6-0 ATS in their previous six games following a defeat and they have not been close with winning margins of 22, 15, 27, 20, 10 and 25 points. Houston has won three straight games while covering all of those as well and the Rockets are playing a lot better over a significant stretch as they have won nine of their last 12 games. The problem is that those losses came against winning teams while six of the nine wins were against teams with a losing record. Houston is 5-6 in its last 11 road games with only one of those wins against a winning team and they are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (508) San Antonio Spurs

This is a play on PORTLAND for our Tuesday Enforcer. Sacramento has been playing some excellent basketball right now as the Kings were riding a five-game winning streak prior to last night where they lost a tough one, falling by a point against Charlotte in double-overtime. Now the Kings have to travel to not only play with no rest but also having to play coming off that extended contest. Sacramento took out some solid teams during that mini winning streak but this one might be too much to ask for as the Kings are also playing their fifth game in seven nights. They come in riding a three-game road winning streak which is a reason we are getting value with Portland. The Blazers defeated the Lakers in their last game which was way back on Saturday so they definitely have the edge as far as fatigue coming into play. They have won five of their last seven games overall including three of four at home where they are now a game over .500. The Rose Garden is far from the same dominant home court edge it used to be but the pointspreads have been taking that into consideration. Portland has been consistent this season depending who it played as it is 8-15 ATS against winning teams while going 15-7 ATS against losing teams. Additionally, the Blazers are 6-0 ATS in their last six games playing on two days rest while the Kings are 8-17-1 ATS in their last 26 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game. 10* (714) Portland Trailblazers

This is a play on PHILADELPHIA for our Tuesday Supreme Annihilator. The Sixers are in the rare role of favorites tonight as this is just the second time this season they are laying points. The first time it resulted in a 12-point win over the Lakers so while this line may not seem correct to some, Philadelphia definitely has to be favored here. The Sixers are coming off a Sunday loss against the Celtics but have certainly been playing a lot better as after a 0-11-1 ATS run, they have gone 9-5 ATS over their last 14 games. The Suns are coming off a rare win as they upset Atlanta at home as a double-digit underdog which snapped a six-game winning streak. Phoenix has just four road wins on the season and has not won away from home in seven weeks, going 0-10 in their last 10 games while covering just one of those games. Injuries have played a big role in the struggles as Phoenix has four players averaging at least 9.0 ppg that are on the injured list and are either questionable or out for tonight which includes its two leading scorers Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight who are both out. The Suns are 4-15 ATS this season against losing teams including a 1-9 ATS mark on the road against teams with a sub-.500 record while the Sixers have covered four straight games following a loss. The Suns allowed the Sixers their first road win of the season so they will be out for revenge but it won't happen on the road. 10* (704) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on DETROIT for our Monday Enforcer. The Pistons have lost two straight games since their upset win at Houston and have lost three of four games since their upset win against Golden St. and I look for them to bounce back here as they close their four-game roadtrip. We played on Detroit Saturday and getting outscored 39-20 in the third quarter was their undoing in a game they really had no business losing. They are a decent 11-12 on the season against the top 16 teams which is where Utah also falls into. The Jazz rolled over Brooklyn on Friday on the road which snapped a two-game skid but they are just 7-14 on the season following a victory and this will be no easy task. Defeating the Nets is one thing but on the season, Utah is just 5-14 against the top 25 and those five wins are tied for fourth fewest in the entire league. The Pistons dealing with a very good number here based on their last games where they closed as a 4.5-point favorite at Denver but are now a 2-point underdog against Utah which is just 2.5 games better than the Nuggets so that 6.5-point line difference is very significant. Going back, the Pistons are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Jazz are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (511) Detroit Pistons

This is a play on WASHINGTON for our Monday Supreme Annihilator. Washington defeated Miami by 19 points in its most recent game which happened to take place five days ago. The Wizards had their game on Saturday postponed due to the weather and that is a huge edge here. They were home in that last game so there have been no travel issues and a rested Washington team is a very strong team as it has won all four games this season when dealing with three or more days of rest. It has been a rough start to the season for Washington which was expected to contend Southeast Division but the Wizards are just four games behind Atlanta so there is a lot of time left. On the other side, Boston was affected by the snowstorm as well as the game at Philadelphia was postponed Saturday but was made up yesterday. The Celtics rolled to a win but the travel issues could catch up to them here. When Saturday's game was postponed, the Celtics practiced in Boston then flew to Philadelphia on Sunday morning and now are traveling once again albeit not a very long distance. The Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games. Washington will also be out for triple revenge following losses in the first three games this season against Boston. 10* (504) Washington Wizards

Denver has had an interesting homestand as in the first six games, five have been decided by three points or less with the other being decided by six points. So taking the points here would seem like the logical thing to do but after two frustrating losses the last two games, this one could be a tough one for Denver to show up to. The Nuggets are 8-14 at home and they have struggles this season against the better teams in the NBA as they are just 3-11 against teams ranked in the top ten. And yes, Detroit is part of that top ten group. The Pistons are only three games over .500 and are just 2-4 over their last six games but have been consistent for the most part. They are coming off a 16-point loss at New Orleans on Thursday which is actually favorable for us here as the Pistons are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. Head coach Stan Van Gundy called out his team's effort after that Thursday loss, one day after opening a four-game trip with a 123-114 win over Houston. While the Nuggets have had a good homestand based on the closeness of games, they are just 17-38-3 ATS in their last 58 home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (515) Detroit Pistons

The Rockets were riding a five-game winning streak but have since lost three of their last four games including a 123-114 setback against Detroit on Wednesday. That was their second straight loss at home where they are just two games over .500 but since a 3-7 start, they are 10-4 in their last 14 home games. The schedule has been against them but they have taken care of business when needed. Houston has not lost at home against a team with a losing record since November 11th and since then has gone 7-0 against sub-.500 teams at the Toyota Center. Milwaukee has won three straight games including the last two coming on the road where it is just 7-18 through 25 games. The Bucks are riding their longest winning streak since early November when they won four straight games but are in a tough situation tonight. Houston will be without Dwight Howard who has been ruled out with a sprained ankle but that is actually doing us a favor with the line so while his absence is big, Houston is 36-23 since he signed as a free agent in 2013-14. The Rockets are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Bucks are 13-28 ATS in their last 41 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (860) Houston Rockets

Both Atlanta and Sacramento are coming off wins last night and both put in solid defensive efforts which we should see a reversal tonight. The Hawks defeated Portland 104-98 and held the Blazers to 43.6 percent shooting from the floor including 29 percent from long range. Meanwhile, the Kings defeated the Lakers 112-93 as they allowed just 35.6 percent shooting including 16 percent from long range. Both defensive efforts were better than both season averages and now each team faces a much better offensive team as well as facing teams with a much higher pace. Sacramento is the fastest team in the NBA while Atlanta checks in as the 12th fastest. The teams also fall into the "90 Percent Guideline" where adding up the offensive shooting percentage and defensive shooting percentage from each team and both exceed 90 percent. The Hawks have gone under the total in three straight games while Sacramento has gone under the total in two straight games which gives us the contrarian value for this matchup. Going back, the over is 13-3 in the Hawks last 16 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the over is 8-2 in the Kings last 10 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* Over (707) Atlanta Hawks/(708) Sacramento Kings

The Kings have shown some big improvements this season but many inconsistencies remain including playing up and down to the competition. For a team that has road wins over the Clippers, Thunder, Pacers and Raptors, you would think they would be better than having a 7-12 road record but they simply do not show up every game. Sacramento is 2-7 ATS this season when favored by three or more points and the Kings failed in their lone game as a road favorite, losing outright in Minnesota just over a month ago. They are coming off that Clippers win last time out so getting up here will be tough. The Lakers have dropped three straight games, two on the road and a home loss against the Rockets. They are 3-4 in their last four home games which doesn't look impressive but two of those losses besides the game against Houston have come against Golden St. and Oklahoma City. Sacramento hosted the Lakers two weeks ago and was favored by 8.5 points and are now favored by just slightly less on the road which is just wrong. The Kings are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage below .400 while the Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (520) Los Angeles Lakers

The Pistons hit the road following a 1-1 homestand where they defeated the Warriors on Saturday but failed to back it up with a loss against the Bulls on Monday. They remain three games over .500 and are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference as third place and 12th place is separated by just 5.5 games. After a 3-0 start on the road, the Pistons have won just five of their last 17 road games including a 1-6 record against the Western Conference. Houston is coming off a loss as well as it took the Clippers to overtime but fell short by eight points in a very high-scoring game. The Rockets are only a game over .500 on the season, clearly one of the biggest disappointments in the Western Conference, but after a 5-10 start, they are 17-11 over their last 28 games. The home floor has been a similar story as the Rockets opened a dismal 2-7 but have gone 11-3 over their last 14 home games with the three losses coming against Atlanta, Golden St. and Cleveland and Detroit does not fall into that category. Going back, the Pistons are 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a winning home record while the Rockets are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (512) Houston Rockets

New Orleans lost yesterday at Memphis by a bucket as their frustrating season continues. The Pelicans are arguably the biggest disappointment in the NBA this season as they were eight games over .500 and a playoff team but are currently 14 games under .500. Their 27 losses are just 10 shy of the total defeats for all of last season The problem this season for New Orleans on the road has been playing the poor teams as the Pelicans have gone 4-10 ATS against teams with a losing record. This is the start of an important stretch as this game begins a seven-game homestand and the potential is there for a big run as the best team of the bunch is Memphis which is five games over .500 and all of which have losing road records. Minnesota has one of those bad road records as it is 7-12 away from home including losses in six straight games., The Timberwolves are coming off a victory on Sunday at home against Phoenix which snapped a nine-game losing skid overall. Minnesota has won consecutive games only once since November 29th and falls into a negative situation where we play on underdogs after beating the spread by more than 24 points in their previous game, with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 on the season. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.2 percent) over the last 5 seasons. 10* (704) New Orleans Pelicans

Milwaukee won in Charlotte on Saturday which came after an overtime win at home against Atlanta. That was the conclusion of a four-game in five-day run so the Bucks come in a little more rested here but the situation is not a good one. Since winning four straight games in early November, the Bucks have won consecutive games only four times only four times since then and they have failed to turn that run into three straight. Milwaukee is 0-4 going back to that four-game run in its last four games following consecutive wins, losing those games by 16, 14, 21 and 25 points. Miami is coming off a six-game roadtrip and not a good one as it went 2-4 and ended with a 25-point loss at Oklahoma City. Following this game, the Heat embark on a five-game roadtrip and while it isn't as daunting as far as the competition compared to the last one, this is a must win home game. Miami dropped its last home game which came against the Knicks back on January 2nd but is still a solid 15-8 at home this season. Additionally, the Heat will be out to avenge a four-game season series sweep at the hands of the Bucks from last season. The Bucks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a double digit win while the Heat are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games following a double digit loss. 10* (702) Miami Heat

Recent results seem to be affecting this line as there seems to be no other reason that the Mavericks are home underdogs in this spot Monday night. Boston is coming off its third straight win at Washington on Saturday which came after a very rough stretch where the Celtics lost six of seven games including three straight on the road. They are over .500 on the road and while they have been favored by this same amount in their last two road games, those were against Washington and New York which are both under .500 overall and have worse home records than Dallas. The Mavericks are coming off a blowout loss last night against San Antonio by 29 points as the Spurs improved to 24-0 at home. Dallas returns home where it has won five of its last seven games with one of those losses coming against the Cavaliers in overtime. They have been a solid bounceback team this season as they have won 12 of 18 games this season following a loss and even better, the Mavericks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. Dallas has dominated this series with seven straight wins and it continues tonight. 10* (518) Dallas Mavericks

Following a six-game winning streak after Christmas, Chicago has dropped four of its last five games including a home loss against Dallas on Friday. The Bulls scored a mere 31 points in the second half and put up a season low 77 points on 36.1 percent shooting. It was quite the opposite night for Jimmy Butler who was coming off a 53-point game the night before but managed only four points against the Mavericks. The big news for Chicago over the weekend was the loss of Joakim Noah for the remainder of the season as he suffered another separated shoulder but he was having his worst season since 2008-09 so while his 8.8 rpg will be missed, it is not likely they cannot be replaced. Detroit handed Golden St. its fourth loss of the season on Saturday as the Pistons won by 18 points as seven-point underdogs. This is a definite letdown spot for Detroit while Chicago not only wants to get out of its funk but also looks to avenge two overtime losses against the Pistons. Here, we play against home teams coming off a win as a home underdog going up against an opponent off a home loss. This situation is 40-12 ATS (76.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (509) Chicago Bulls

Unfortunately, we lost with Charlotte on Saturday as the Hornets lost their first home game of the season against a team with a losing record. They had seven losses at home prior to Saturday with the five losses coming against Golden St, Cleveland, Atlanta and Boston twice and at the time, all home losses have come against teams above .500. they jumped out to a 12-point lead against the Bucks but went ice cold, scoring just 63 points over the last three quarters and this from an offense that has averaged 107.1 ppg in its 14 victories at home. Utah won in its game on Saturday as it defeated the hapless Lakers by 27 points at homer but like most NBA teams, the road is a different story. The Jazz are 3-12 over their last 15 road games following a 3-1 start and they have struggled of late against the better home teams as they have gone 0-4 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a winning home record. Meanwhile, the Hornets are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a double-digit loss at home and we should see a huge bounceback effort from the Hornets on Monday afternoon. 10* (504) Charlotte Hornets

It has been an up and down season for Charlotte and it has been mostly down of late. The Hornets have dropped eight of their last nine games including a two-point setback last night in New Orleans. Six of those eight losses have come on the road however where they are 4-14 on the season and the two home losses came against the Clippers and Thunder. Conversely, Charlotte is 14-7 at home with the other five losses coming against Golden St, Cleveland, Atlanta and Boston twice so all home losses have come against teams above .500. When the Hornets win, they win big as the 14 home wins have been by an average of 12.9 ppg and nearly half of those have come against winning teams. Milwaukee is coming off an overtime win last night over Atlanta to move to 12-7 at home but the Bucks are a dismal 5-18 on the road. This is their fourth game in five nights which is never a good thing and on the season, Milwaukee is 1-5 in the second of back-to-back games when the second game is on the road. A negative situation goes against the Bucks as we play against underdogs that are revenging a road loss, playing their 4th game in 5 days. This situation is 59-28 ATS (67.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (504) Charlotte Hornets

Denver became just the third team to defeat Golden St. this season as it held off a Warriors rally to win 112-110. It was the second straight win for Denver and while it has won three straight games on two different occasions this season, the only winning team it defeated over those winning streaks was Houston. The win over the Warriors was just the Nuggets second cover at home against a team with a winning record. Miami meanwhile has not had a good roadtrip as after a win over Phoenix to open it, the Heat have dropped the last three games but the last two have come against the Clippers and Warriors, two of the four best teams in the Western Conference. Obviously it can be argued that Denver just beat Golden St. but that is in our favor here as it helps line value as well as putting the Nuggets in a tough letdown spot. Miami has Oklahoma City on deck but it isn't until Saturday and this is a must win prior to that upcoming game. Miami is 11-5-1 ATS following a loss this season and going back, the Heat are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 road games against teams with a losing home record. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are 15-37-3 ATS in their last 55 home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (865) Miami Heat

The Cavaliers head to San Antonio to continue their roadtrip as they hit the fifth leg of a six-game trek. They have won the first four games of this trip and going back, have won eight straight games, six of those coming on the highway. Cleveland is 3-1 ATS as an underdog this season but the one loss came in Miami when Kyrie Irving was still out of the lineup and LeBron James did not play. The Cavaliers are one of the many teams in the league that plays up or down to the opposition as they are 3-13 ATS against losing teams while going 11-5 ATS against teams with a winning record including 5-2 ATS on the road. San Antonio is perfect at home this season with a 22-0 record and going back to last season, the Spurs have won 31 consecutive regular season home games which everyone is making a big deal of. People seem to forget that San Antonio lost here twice to the Clippers in the Conference Quarterfinals so the 31-game winning streak comes with a big asterisk. The last team that beat San Antonio here during the regular season was Cleveland last March in overtime so while there is the revenge factor, the Clippers were the team they were after more. This game will have a playoff feel making points a premium. 10* (707) Cleveland Cavaliers

The Celtics lost in New York last night which extended their losing skid to four games. Boston is now sitting right at .500 for the first time since being 7-7 back on November 24th. The last three defeats have come on the road but going back, Boston has also lost its last three home games so there are a lot of streaks to snap tonight. If there is any positive during their 1-6 stretch, four of those losses have come by six points or less so while not downplaying the losses, Boston has not been getting dominated which makes it easier to bust out of these skids. Indiana rolled over Phoenix last night by 19 points which was its third win in its last four games to move six games over .500 to sit six games behind the Cavaliers in the Central Division. The Pacers are two games under .500 on the road and going back to the beginning of December, they have defeated one team on the highway that is currently .500 or better. Boston is 18-7 ATS in its last 25 games when playing with no rest while going 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games revenging a loss as a home favorite. 10* (508) Boston Celtics

Both Dallas and Oklahoma City played last night with differing results and while we tend to go opposite those results in the next game, we are actually riding what took place last night. The Mavericks took Cleveland to overtime but allowed 15 points in the extra session to lose by three points and that is a tough defeat to recover from. The Mavericks did cover their second straight game but they have been inconsistent on the road where they have lost eight of their last 14 games on the highway and have not won consecutive road games since December 6th and 7th, losing their last three road games following a win in their previous road game. Oklahoma City was in a surprisingly hard fought game last night with Minnesota as it blew an 18-point lead to hold on for the five-point victory. The Thunder head back home where they are 17-5 on the season and while this seems like a big number, this is a game that get out of control early and Oklahoma City learned its lesson last night. The Mavericks are 4-14 ATS in their last 18 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (510) Oklahoma City Thunder

The Nets have lost five straight games including a blowout defeat by 27 points against San Antonio on Monday. That was a horrible call on our part in interim coach Tony Brown's first game but Brooklyn has a more manageable game tonight against a team coming off a big win last night. The five losses have also included five non-covers which is only half of the contrarian situation here. The Knicks defeated the Celtics last night for their fifth win in six games and more important for backers, their sixth straight cover. They have only been favored once during this stretch and that was at home but now they come in as road favorites for just the third time this season. The last time was at Philadelphia last month and they are now favored by just one point less. Last month, New York was favored by 3.5 points at home against Brooklyn and based on the venue change, there is a line inflation of over eight points which is way too big in this case. Brooklyn is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games following back-to-back double digit losses. 10* (506) Brooklyn Nets

This line opened as a pickem when it first came out Monday afternoon but shot up to the Knicks being favored by a bucket due to the recent Celtics struggles. Boston has dropped three straight games including the last two coming on the road but the Celtics are still a game over .500 on the road, one of only 10 teams in the NBA with a winning road record. The Knicks meanwhile have won four of their last five games while also winning three straight at home by double-digits but the matchup and situation is not in their favor here. New York has lost four straight meetings against Boston including the lone meeting this season in Boston where it was an 8.5-point underdog just over two weeks ago which shows the overinflation of this line. Boston falls into a situation where we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are allowing 99 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after a loss by six points or less. This situation is 215-143 ATS (60.1 percent) since 1996. Meanwhile, Boston is 13-1 ATS in its last 14 road games after allowing 100 points or more two straight games while the Knicks are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (703) Boston Celtics

After the Nets fired head coach Lionel Hollins on Sunday and reassigned general manager Billy King within the organization, we can expect a huge effort from Brooklyn tonight. We see it all the time when a coach gets fired ,teams tend to have a great effort in the first game for the next coach whether or not they even agreed with the decision. Brooklyn has lost four straight games, both straight up and against the number while San Antonio has won seven straight games, covering five of those. Obviously, we know who the better team here is and the Spurs are tagged with the road favorite role but this number is out of control. As a comparison, San Antonio has been favored in each of its last 15 road games and this is the largest one yet, and this includes games against Philadelphia, Minnesota and Milwaukee. Taking nothing away from what the Spurs have accomplished but they have played the easiest schedule in the NBA while Brooklyn has played the third toughest. We have a situation on our side where we play against road favorites of 10 or more points that are outscoring their opponents by nine or more ppg. This situation is 57-30 ATS (65.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (502) Brooklyn Nets

This line came out late due to the numerous injuries on the Utah side but that didn't stop the Jazz last night. Despite three of their top four scorers out, they defeated Miami at home by 15 points as the defense led the way by holding the Heat to just 83 points on 41.5 percent shooting. Playing at home has been pretty good for Utah but the road has not been kind as it is 5-12 on the highway including losses in seven straight games. While some of those were against elite teams, this is their fourth game in five nights and they may not be able to bring much to the table. The Lakers look to snap a three-game skid and while they haven't been great at home, the schedule has been a tough one. Of their last 11 home games, they have eight losses but six of those have come against teams at least six games over .500. Going back, the Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a straight up loss, 6-0 ATS in their last six after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game and 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Jazz are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games. 10* (818) Los Angeles Lakers

Chicago picked up its sixth straight win with a victory over Boston on Thursday to remain three games behind Cleveland, also winners of six in a row, in the Central Division. The Bulls have been fortunate with a favorable schedule as five of those six games came at home and while the one road win was an impressive one over Toronto, they have had the Raptors number over the last couple years with seven consecutive victories. Atlanta snapped a two-game slide with a win over Philadelphia on Thursday and while it wasn't considered a quality win, it was a much needed victory to get the offense going. The Hawks are 12-7 at home and need a statement win as they have struggled against the top teams in the league this season but we are catching a very good line here and Atlanta is 5-1 ATS this season when favored by fewer than three points. 10* (504) Atlanta Hawks

The difficulties of the Pelicans continue as they are now 11-25 this season following making the playoffs a season ago so clearly things are going the wrong way. They are coming off a home loss against Dallas as 8-point favorites and now they are home underdogs against a team with nearly an identical record as the Mavericks which is a swing that is adjusted too much. New Orleans is a game under .500 over its last 15 games so it has been playing a lot better after a horrific start. Indiana defeated Orlando on Wednesday to move five games over .500 overall but the Pacers have not been playing at a high level of late. Since a six-game winning streak that ended in early December, they are just 8-10 over their last 18 games. One big reason the Pacers could be favored is the fact they have won eight straight and covered seven straight in this series but that is a trend we will gladly buck as it is meaningless at this point. The Pelicans are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss while the Pacers are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games against the Western Conference. 10* (856) New Orleans Pelicans

Milwaukee is one of eight home underdogs of the nine games with lines as of early Friday and to no surprise, they are all big consensus plays from the public. Dallas is on that list as the third biggest public play as it has won two straight games to move to 21-15 on the season but the Mavericks have no chance of catching San Antonio in the Southwest Division. Dallas is 10-9 on the road this season but half of those victories have come against teams with a worse record than the Bucks. Milwaukee is not having the season it expected following a trip to the postseason last year thanks to a 41-41 record. Of their last seven losses, six have come against elite teams in the NBA as all have better records than Dallas and that seventh loss in this stretch came against the Mavericks in Dallas. Milwaukee was a 5.5-point underdog there and now the line has only shifted four points which is a smaller than expected adjustment based on the venue change. The Bucks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss while the Mavericks are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (860) Milwaukee Bucks

We won with Washington on Wednesday as it snuck out a cover against Cleveland but was unable to pull out the victory, suffering its second straight loss. The Wizards are catching points at home again, albeit a much smaller number, but a much better chance to snap their outright straight up slide. Overall, Washington has lost four of its last five games to fall three games under .500 and the best news that came out of that Cleveland game was that Nene and Gary Neal returned from injury and got limited minutes which will increase tonight. Toronto defeated Brooklyn last time out which snapped its two-game losing streak and while it is seven games over .500, inconsistency has been the biggest issue. The Raptors are just two games over .500 since a 5-0 start and Washington will be out for some revenge following a pair of losses against Toronto this season by a combined five points. The Raptors are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS win while the Wizards are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss. 10* (852) Washington Wizards

Boston had last night's game in hand against the Pistons but blew a late 13-point lead in the third quarter and fell to the Pistons by five points, their third loss in four games. Boston, which went 6 of 28 from three-point range (Detroit was 10 of 27), scored only nine baskets over the last 18:50 of the game, none in the final 1:42. It was a tough loss in a game the Celtics needed but they have won three straight road games and look for a big effort tonight after last night's debacle. Chicago meanwhile has won five straight games including four straight at home, the last coming against Milwaukee as an 8.5-point favorite. So basically this line is telling us that Boston is just 3.5 points better than the Bucks? No chance. Chicago has been one of the worst cover teams in the NBA this season especially at this price range as they are 4-12 ATS as single-digit favorites of three points or more. The Celtics have been surprisingly better on the road than at home and going back, it is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points. Additionally, the Celtics are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Bulls are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up win. 10* (703) Boston Celtics

After suffering rare back-to-back losses, Cleveland has caught fire once again with wins in four straight games including a 22-point rout of Toronto at home last time out. Cleveland is obviously a very public team so their lines need to be adjusted accordingly which is a reason they are 14-17-1 ATS record which is the third worst ATS percentage of the 15 teams with 19 or more victories. This is especially true on the road where Cleveland is 3-8-1 ATS as a road favorite and on the road this season it has yet to cover against a team with a losing record in six chances. Washington is coming off a blowout loss at the hands of Miami on Sunday by 22 points and of its 17 losses, 11 have come by double-digits so when it plays bad, it plays really bad. The Wizards are 4-2 in their last six home games and there is a pretty good chance they will be up for this one as most teams bring all they have against Cleveland, especially on their home floor. Washington falls into a great situation as 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 47-25 ATS (65.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (506) Washington Wizards

Sacramento hits the road once again following a win in Oklahoma City last night which was its second straight win. The Kings caught a break however as Kevin Durant missed the game due to an injured toe and Russell Westbrook had one of his worst shooting nights on the season. Still, it was a big win for the Kings which puts them in a tough spot tonight against a team in much need of a victory. Dallas has dropped two straight games including a loss at home against New Orleans last time out which snapped a five-game home winning streak. The Mavericks are a solid 10-6 at home and tonight's opponent should once again increase that win total. Dallas had won six straight meetings in this series until the first meeting this season in Sacramento which resulted in a 14-point Kings victory. The good news now is that Dallas is home where it has won 21 consecutive games over San Francisco. Dallas falls into a solid situation where we play against road underdogs that are averaging 102 or more ppg going up against teams allowing between 98 and 102 ppg, after allowing 104 points or more three straight games. This situation is 25-6 ATS (80.6 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Kings are 8-22-1 ATS in their last 31 games following a win while the Mavericks are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games following a loss. 10* (706) Dallas Mavericks

Milwaukee is coming off a 2-2 roadtrip but does have momentum as it took care of business the last two games. The Bucks hit the road once again tomorrow as they head to Chicago so this home stop is important especially against a top caliber team like San Antonio. It has been a rugged stretch as the Bucks have played nine of their last 11 games on the road and they have been pretty solid at home with a 9--6 record which includes wins over Cleveland and Golden St. so there will be no intimidation here. The Spurs are riding a four-game winning streak with all of those games taking place at home where they are a perfect 20-0. The road has not been as good where they have the same record that the Bucks have at home so a case can be made that this line is inflated simply because of name. Milwaukee lost the first meeting this season by 25 points so there is added motivation. The Bucks fall into a revenge situation as well as we play on underdogs that are revenging a loss where team scored less than 85 points going up against an opponent off a win against a division rival. This situation is 55-25 ATS (68.8 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Milwaukee is 14-3 ATS in its last 17 games after playing a game as a road underdog this season while going 5-1 ATS in its last six games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (512) Milwaukee Bucks

Atlanta is playing at a high level of late as it has won seven of its last eight games to take the lead in the Southeast Division which currently sits at one game over Miami and two games over Orlando. Three of these wins have come on the road where the Hawks are now 9-7 on the season and while they are the better team overall, the home/road splits between these two teams is just one game so the fact they are road favorites of this much is a surprise. The Knicks are coming off a loss against Chicago on the road, its fifth loss in six games. Four of those have been on the road however and all against teams at least three games over .500. That included a loss in Atlanta the day after Christmas which was the second blowout loss suffered at the hands of the Hawks this season which brings payback into play. As a matter of fact, the Knicks are 13-5 ATS in 18 games when playing with double revenge this season. Additionally, the Knicks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (802) New York Knicks

Indiana won at Detroit in its fourth game of the season and first victory of 2015-16 but Detroit got its payback in the second meeting at home, a 22-point win last month. Now the Pacers will try to get their own revenge while also looking to snap a three-game skid. Indiana lost at Chicago on Wednesday in overtime and could not recover at home as it lost to Milwaukee the next night. Detroit snapped a three-game slide with a win over Minnesota on New Year's Eve, rolling by 25 points. The Pistons improved to 11-5 at home but are just 7-10 on the road, nearly identical home/road splits as the Pacers. Since a 3-0 start on the road, Detroit has won only four times with two of those wins coming against 3-32 Philadelphia and 12-21 Minnesota. The Pacers have a great situation on their side as we play on favorites that are averaging 102 or more ppg going up against teams averaging between 98 and 102 ppg, after allowing 120 points or more. This situation is 58-27 ATS (68.2 percent) since 1996. Additionally, Indiana is 12-3 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record this season while the Pistons are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 road games. 10* (506) Indiana Pacers

We are all aware who the worst team in the NBA is but the Sixers have been playing decent of late as after opening the season with 18 straight road losses, they have won two of their last three on the highway including a win at Sacramento two nights ago. The offense has come to life in those victories and while they are facing a brutal defense tonight, the Lakers will have the edge. Los Angeles is clearly the second worst team in the league but the NBA did it no favors early on as the schedule has been one of the toughest. Not only have the Lakers been facing quality opposition, they have played two-thirds of their games on the road as their 11 home games played are the fewest in the NBA. Los Angeles will be out for some revenge here as well as it allowed the Sixers their first victory of the season following 18 straight losses. Here, we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are allowing 103 or more ppg going up against an opponent after scoring 110 points or more. This situation is 71-33 ATS (68.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (810) Los Angeles Lakers

Miami is coming off an overtime loss at Memphis which was only the third time all season that the Heat have followed up a loss with another loss. They are now 9-3 following a defeat overall which includes a perfect 3-0 record at home when directly coming off a road game. Dallas hits the road following a three-game homestand that it swept which includes a victory over the Warriors on Wednesday and with a revenge game against New Orleans tomorrow, the Mavericks are in a tough sandwich spot here. Overall, Dallas has won four straight games and while it is 9-8 on the road, only one of those nine wins have come against teams with a winning record, which was a four-point win in Boston. The Mavericks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Heat are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up loss. 10* (804) Miami Heat

This line came out late due to the injury reports for both sides and while the list is bigger for Washington, the Wizards still have a significant edge based on the spot. After four straight victories to get back to .500, the Wizards have dropped two straight games including a two-point loss at Toronto last time out. The 7-8 home record is not attractive but five of those losses have come against Western Conference teams. Orlando meanwhile has won two straight games, both of which came at home and while the Magic have won two straight road games as well, this is just the third road game in three weeks. Orlando heads to Cleveland tomorrow so a potential lookahead is possible as well. Here, we play on favorites that are allowing 46 percent shooting or worse on the season, after a game allowing a shooting 35 percent or less. This situation is 26-4 ATS (86.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (802) Washington Wizards

The public is all over the Clippers here based on what looks like a fishy line but in reality, they are in a horrible spot tonight. Los Angeles won in Charlotte last night for its fourth straight win since the start of this roadtrip, the last three without the services of Blake Griffin. The Clippers were favored by a bucket last night against a 17-13 team coming in yet are getting a bucket tonight against a team that is 10-21. The Pelicans have been off since Monday after a 15-point loss in Orlando, their 15th road loss in 18 games. Things have been better at home where they are 6-2 following a 1-4 start and their 13 home games are tied for second fewest in the NBA so the schedule has not been on their side. Included in those victories are wins over San Antonio, Cleveland and Houston. The Clippers are 1-9 ATS in 10 games this season after scoring 100 points or more three straight games while going 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games following a ATS win. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an ATS loss. 10* (510) New Orleans Pelicans

Detroit returns home following a loss in New York on Tuesday which was its third straight defeat, one short of a season high. However, the four-game skid came on a west coast roadtrip so the situation is more in their favor here. It has been an up and down season for the Pistons but it has been mostly up as they are still over .500 overall and are just five games back of Cleveland in the rugged Central Division. Minnesota is coming off a home win last night over Utah and while the road has actually better than home, the Timberwolves are catching the wrong team at the wrong time. More recent, they have lost six of their last seven road games, the lone win coming against 9-23 Brooklyn. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a home loss of 10 points or more, off a home win by 10 points or more. This situation is 106-60 ATS (63.9 percent) since 1996. Additionally, the Timberwolves are 13-29 ATS in their last 42 games playing with no rest while the Pistons are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (504) Detroit Pistons

Orlando is one of the NBA's early season surprises as it is off to an 18-13 start after winning just 25 games all of last season. The Magic are just a game and a half behind Atlanta in the Southeast Division and a lot of the success can be attributed to the home floor where they are just two wins shy of matching last year's win total of 13. of their six home losses, four have come against teams ranked 13th or better in the power ratings. While they are 4-9 against the top 16, they are 14-4 against everyone else and the Nets fall into the everyone else category. Brooklyn is coming off an upset win over Miami on Monday, it second straight upset on the road but don't look for that run to continue. The Nets are just 3-12 on the road overall and they have won consecutive games only twice this season, going 2-6 following their first eight wins. Orlando falls into a spot where we play on teams that are +/- 3 ppg in scoring differential going up against teams that are between -3 to -7 ppg in scoring differential, after scoring 100 points or more four straight games. This situation is 43-21 ATS (67.2 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Magic are 9-0 ATS in their last nine games against losing teams and also 9-0 ATS in their last nine games following a win by 15 or more points so no letdown is expected here. 10* (702) Orlando Magic

We won by playing against Atlanta last night and will go against the Hawks again tonight as they head to Houston for the second of a back-to-back set and third game in four nights. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak and while many will argue that they are good enough to rebound tonight, the situation is not good. The Hawks are 0-4 ATS in their last four games playing with no rest and in three games this season where the second game was on the road, they lost the game outright by four points to Minnesota, 20 points to San Antonio and 13 points to Oklahoma City. The Rockets are also coming off a loss as they fell to New Orleans on the road but that was back on Saturday. The extra rest helps as does they fact they are back home where they have won seven straight and covered six straight, the last three coming against San Antonio, Charlotte and Los Angeles, all of which are at least four games over .500. Going back, Houston is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 home games against teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .700 while going 11-2 ATS in its last 13 home games after playing a game as a road favorite. 10* (508) Houston Rockets

The Bulls won for us on Christmas Day but they could not capitalize on that momentum as they lost the next night in Dallas as they blew a late double-digit lead. Chicago now returns home where it has dropped two straight at the United Center including an embarrassing loss against Brooklyn as a double-digit favorite. They Bulls were 11-3 prior to those pair of losses and they catch Toronto at a good time in a very good matchup. The Raptors defeated Milwaukee on Saturday to secure their second straight win following a 1-3 stretch. They are a game up on the surging Celtics in the Atlantic Division but this is a very tough matchup tonight. Last season when Toronto was clearly much better than the Bulls, Chicago still swept the four-game season series. The Raptors are 0-6 ATS in their last six games following a ATS win while the Bulls are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a winning road record. Look for the Bulls to get back to their winning ways at home. 10* (712) Chicago Bulls

Indiana snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday with a win at Minnesota and while it was far from a quality victory, it provided some much needed confidence. The Pacers rallied as they outscored Minnesota 36-20 in the fourth quarter and they should be pretty hungry here. They lost their last home game back on December 23rd against Sacramento but are still 10-4 at home and look to get some payback against Atlanta after getting swept last season in the three-game season series. The Hawks are playing like the Hawks of last year as they have won six straight games while covering all but one of those but it should be noted they were favored in five of those games. The winning streak is giving us some excellent value with this number and Atlanta has gone just 4-7 against the NBA top ten while Indiana is 6-4 against the top ten teams in the league. Additionally, the Pacers are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (704) Indiana Pacers

Portland is coming off an upset victory last night as the Blazers thumped Cleveland by 29 points on their home floor. The victory snapped a five-game slide, with all of those losses coming on the road where Portland is 5-14 on the season. That has been the issue for Sacramento as well as it has it is 4-10 on the highway but a much better 8-6 at home. The Kings have not played since Wednesday when they concluded a four-game roadtrip with a victory at Indiana and they have the big edge tonight based on that extended time off along with Portland playing just last night. Even more impressive for the Blazers win last night was they did it without Damian Lillard who has now missed three straight games and is questionable against for tonight. Going back, the Blazers are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record and they fall into a negative situation where we play against underdogs after beating the spread by more than 24 points in their previous game, with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 on the season. This situation is 26-5 ATS (83.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (508) Sacramento Kings

We played against San Antonio and lost on Wednesday as the Spurs rolled over Minnesota by 25 points. That was the seventh consecutive win for San Antonio to improve to 25-5 on the season and they once again come in as big favorites on Christmas Day. They were favored by 11 over the Timberwolves and are now favored by just seven points less which is a smaller than expected adjustment despite the disappointing start from the Rockets. Houston sits at .500 following a loss against Orlando on Wednesday and while the home floor has not been completely dominated like it used to, the Rockets have won six straight games here. Going back to last season, Houston is 16-5 ATS in its last 21 home games after a non-conference game and it is 14-6 ATS in its last 20 home games against teams with a winning record. Meanwhile, the Spurs are just 9-19 ATS in their last 28 divisional games. 10* (508) Houston Rockets

Chicago has dropped three straight games including a horrible home defeat in its last game at home against the Nets as a double-digit favorite. The skid started following a four-overtime loss against the Pistons and that game really knocked them out as that was the start of a three-game in a four-day stretch. Now they have had four days to rest and regroup and should be a different team today. The Thunder have won three straight games and going back, they have won nine of their last 10 games to take control of the Northwest Division with a seven-game lead over Utah. Oklahoma City has split its last six games against the number and we are catching another inflated one at home where the Thunder have covered just four of their last 11 games. The Bulls fall into a solid situation where we play on road teams that are averaging between 98 and 102 ppg going up against team allowing between 98 and 102 ppg, after allowing 100 points or more two straight games. This situation is 94-52 ATS (64.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (503) Chicago Bulls

The Spurs have won and covered six straight games and are now laying double-digits on the road which is a rarity against a team not names Philadelphia. San Antonio has the second best record in the NBA behind Golden St. and is a clear public team at this point, thus the large number. Minnesota lost at Boston in its last game on Monday which snapped a two-game winning streak. The home floor has not been kind to Minnesota this season but we won with the Timberwolves in their last home game against Sacramento. The Spurs are 8-5 on the road but are coming off a four-game homestand and have a date at Houston on Christmas Day. The Timberwolves fall into a situation where we play against road favorites of 10 or more points that are outscoring their opponents by nine or more ppg. This situation is 57-28 ATS (67.1 percent) since 1996. Additionally, the Timberwolves are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (714) Minnesota Timberwolves

Brooklyn snapped a five-game losing streak with a road win at Chicago on Monday, which was just its second road win of the season. The Nets are now 8-20 overall and they have won consecutive games only twice all season and are 3-9 against the Western Conference on the season. Dallas lost in Toronto last night but expect a big effort tonight before heading back home for a three-game homestand. The Mavericks have struggled against the top teams in the league as they are just 2-7 against the top ten but are 11-4 against teams ranked in the bottom half of the NBA. The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games playing with no rest and they fall into a great situation where we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are coming off a road loss going up against an opponent off a road win by three points or less. This situation is 24-4 ATS (85.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (711) Dallas Mavericks

Charlotte has lost four of its last five games and the lone victory was a fortunate one as it beat Toronto in overtime due to a reversed call because of a timeout to end regulation. Three of those losses came on the road and the other home loss came against these Celtics so there will be some payback in store fro tonight. Boston snapped a three-game skid with a home win over Minnesota on Monday to get back to two games over .500 and remain two games behind Toronto in the Atlantic Division. Charlotte falls into a solid situation we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 after three or more consecutive overs, that are averaging 102 or more ppg going up against teams allowing between 98 and 102 ppg. This situation is 28-6 ATS (82.4 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Hornets are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (704) Charlotte Hornets

Memphis won for us on Saturday which snapped a two-game slide for the Grizzlies to move to back over .500 on the season overall. They are just 6-8 on the road however including losses in three straight games. Playing Philadelphia is always a tough one to get up for and we saw this in the first meeting last month when Memphis had a lethargic eight-point win at home. Obviously, the Sixers are having a historically bad season and of late, they have had trouble staying close as they have not covered a game since December 1st. The schedule has had a lot to do with that however as Philadelphia has played the second toughest schedule in the league. Only nine of its 29 games have been played against teams ranked in the bottom half of the league, which is where Memphis sits, and the Sixers have covered over half of those. The Sixers fall into a great situation where we play against favorites of 10 or more points after allowing 85 points or less going up against an opponent after allowing 100 points or more four straight games. This situation is 62-32 ATS (66 percent) since 1996. Additionally, Memphis is 1636 ATS in its last 52 games as a double-digit favorite while the Sixers are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games against the Western Conference. 10* (502) Philadelphia 76ers

Oklahoma City lost in Cleveland last Thursday and took out its frustrations on the Lakers in its next game as it rolled to a 40-point victory. Now the Thunder hit the road again where they are under .500 on the season but come in as favorites here and they shouldn't be. Their 5-6 road record includes only two wins against a winning team (15-14 Memphis, 15-2 Orlando) with all six losses coming against teams .500 or better. The Clippers are coming off a pair of losses on the road over the weekend at San Antonio and at Houston. While the home floor hasn't been exceptional, Los Angeles has won five of its last six home games and while they have failed to cover at home against any winning teams, they have only been a home dog twice, one that resulted in a push and the other coming against Golden St. Here, we play on home teams with a winning percentage between .501 and .600, where the line is +3 to -3 coming off 2 or more consecutive road losses, playing a winning team. This situation is 68-34 ATS (66.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (718) Los Angeles Clippers

We played against Indiana on Saturday as it was defeated at Memphis following a three-game winning streak and it has now lost four straight games on the road. The Pacers are tied with Miami for the second best record in the Eastern Conference and while they are under .500 on the road, they are outscoring opponents by close to a bucket per game. The line is this big because of their opponent however as the Spurs are 15-0 at home and have been beating most teams pretty badly but this will be the best team they have faced at home this season. Taking nothing away from what San Antonio has done but it has played the second easiest schedule in the NBA and this will be one of the deepest and most balanced roster they have faced. The Pacers are 10-2 ATS this season when playing against teams with a winning record and are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a double-digit loss. Look for a great battle here. 10* (713) Indiana Pacers

The Celtics are in a slide as they have dropped three straight games to fall two games behind Toronto in the Atlantic Division. They are just a game over .500 after the skid but those three losses were all against teams at least four games over .500 and going back, their last seven losses have come against winning teams including San Antonio and Golden St. Boston is 7-6 at home with all six losses coming against winning teams so it is catching Minnesota at a good time. The Timberwolves buried the Nets on the road yesterday to make it two straight games but like the Celtics, they have struggled against the good teams as only four of their 11 wins have comes against winning teams, none since November 25th. The Timberwolves are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while the Celtics are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (704) Boston Celtics

We played against Sacramento on Friday and will be going against the Kings once again here as I feel they are again getting too much respect for no apparent reason. They are six games under .500 which includes a miserable 2-9 record on the road and yet are catching a small number here. The Kings were favored in Minnesota on Friday which was the call by linesmakers and in this situation on Sunday, they are just 4-9 ATS this season as single-digit underdogs. The Raptors snapped a two-game slide with a win at Miami Friday and they bring in a, 8-4 home record into Sunday. They have won four straight games here and the four losses have been by a total of 11 points so the record could even be better. Toronto was a two-point favorite in Sacramento last month which would equate to it being roughly an eight-point favorite at home based on the venue change so you can see the value we are getting in this number. The Raptors lost that game as they blew a late double-digit lead so they will be out for some payback tonight at home, something they have been good at as Toronto is 10-2 ATS revenging a loss this season. Meanwhile, the Kings are 8-18 ATS in their last 26 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (512) Toronto Raptors

Indiana defeated the Nets last night for its third straight victory, all of which came at home. The Pacers are now in second place in the Eastern Conference thanks to a 10-3 record at home. They are just 6-6 on the road and have dropped three straight games on the highway. Memphis meanwhile is coming off a loss at Dallas last night, its second straight loss and fourth defeat in five games, Three of those have come on the road however and while the Grizzlies are just 8-6 at home, anything with a short price like this is a must. They are 7-3 ATS as favorites of fewer than five points while going 0-5 ATS when favored by more. They have a great situation on their side as we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are a loss going up against an opponent off a road loss against a division rival. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Indiana is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 road games after scoring 100 points or more three straight games. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games playing with no rest while the Grizzlies are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games playing with no rest. 10* (708) Memphis Grizzlies

New Orleans is coming off a rare road victory at Utah which was just its second road win of the season as opposed to 12 losses. It has been a horribly disappointing start for the Pelicans which came into the season with some high expectations after making the playoffs a season ago. They have lost three straight games following a victory and are catching the wrong team at the wrong time. Phoenix is also off to a disappointing starts and will be out tonight to snap a two-game skid but those losses were against Dallas and Golden St. The Suns have dropped the first two meetings against New Orleans this season so double revenge is in play as well. Here, we play on favorites that are averaging 102 or more ppg going up against teams averaging between 98 and 102 ppg, after allowing 120 points or more. This situation is 56-27 ATS (67.5 percent) since 1996. Also, New Orleans is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games off an win as a road underdog while Phoenix is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 games after a loss by 15 points or more. 10* (522) Phoenix Suns

It has been a huge turnaround for Denver as after a 6-13 start, it has won five of its last six games but this is a streak that cannot last. The offense has scored 106 or more points in all five of those victories after scoring 106 or more points only seven times in its previous 19 games. Conversely, it has been a horrible run for Utah which has lost four straight games as the offense has been limited to 90.8 ppg. That changes tonight as the Jazz face one of the poorer defenses in the NBA and while a home loss against New Orleans last time out was a bad one, the other three losses came against San Antonio and Oklahoma City twice. The home floor has been average but three of the six losses have come against Golden St. and Oklahoma City twice and two of those losses were by three and four points. The Jazz are 24-12 ATS in their last 36 games after having lost four or five of their last six games while Denver is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games when playing with 2 days. 10* (520) Utah Jazz

Sacramento is coming off a three-game sweep in its homestand but now it hits the highway for a four-game roadtrip and for some reason, the Kings are favored here. They have not been a road favorite all season and while the schedule has been tough, a comparison can be made with Milwaukee which is just a game better than Minnesota and the Kings were 4.5-point underdogs. Minnesota has dropped four straight games and eight of nine and has yet to cover a game in December, which is a big reason the Timberwolves are dogs, but this presents the best opportunity. The Timberwolves have a solid situation on their side as we play against favorites in a game involving two teams with a +/- 3 ppg scoring differential., after a win by 10 points or more. This situation is 134-77 ATS (63.5 percent) over the last five seasons. The Kings are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 road games against teams with a losing home record while going 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 games following a straight up win. 10* (514) Minnesota Timberwolves

The Celtics are in need of a victory and should be pretty fired up tonight. After a loss against Cleveland on Tuesday, Boston was in a letdown the next night in Detroit. The defense didn't show up against the Pistons as they allowed 119 points and going back the last three weeks, Boston has allowed 108 or more points four previous times and followed that up with a victory last time out. Additionally, the Celtics will be out to avenge a 24-point loss to the Hawks last month. Atlanta is coming off a win over the Sixers which snapped a three-game losing streak. After a 7-1 start to the season, the Hawks are just 8-11 over their last 19 games as winning streaks have not occurred with the Hawks going 1-7 over their last eight games following a victory. Boston is 27-8 ATS in its last 35 games when playing their 3rd game in 4 days while going 40-27 ATS in its last 67 games revenging a loss. Meanwhile the Hawks have failed to cover their last four games against winning teams. 10* (508) Boston Celtics

This is a huge value play on Philadelphia as these teams faced each other just over two weeks in New York with the Knicks favored by 8.5 points and now they are favored by slightly less on the road. New York is coming off a pair of wins against Portland and Minnesota and this is a tough spot to get up for as not only because it is the Sixers but because a revenge game against the Bulls is on deck. While Philadelphia is a bad team and there are no excuses for losing but the Sixers have played the most difficult schedule of an Eastern Conference team. They are 4-11 ATS against winning teams including 0-5 ATS at home but a much better 7-4 ATS against teams with a losing record. Additionally, there is a situation on our side as we play against teams after two straight wins by six points or less going up against an opponent after a combined score of 205 points or more. This situation is 71-39 ATS (64.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (506) Philadelphia 76ers

We played against Oklahoma City last night and that got thrown back in our face as the Thunder led by as many as 25 points in their 16-point win over Portland. Clearly there was no lookahead and now riding a six-game winning streak, they head to Cleveland with their 5-5 road record. The schedule has been relatively tame as 15 of 25 games have been played at home and of those five road wins, only two have come against winning teams, 14-13 Memphis and 14-11 Orlando. A telling stat for Oklahoma City is the fact that of the top 22 teams in the NBA, only the Thunder and Clippers have failed to win two or more games against top ten teams as they are 1-4 (Clippers are 0-5). Cleveland rolled over Boston on Tuesday to make it three straight wins and the Cavaliers head home where they are 10-1 on the season, the lone loss being a shocking defeat against Washington where they never led. Going back, Cleveland is 30-2 in its last 32 games at home. Kyrie Irving said Wednesday that he won't be playing Thursday night against Oklahoma City and as great as he is, that is a good thing in this game as the Cavaliers chemistry will not be interrupted. 10* (704) Cleveland Cavaliers

With Golden St. finally losing, Oklahoma City is currently riding the longest active winning streak in the NBA with five straight victories and it has a comfortable 5.5-game lead in the Northwest Division. Three of these five wins have been by six points or less including a home overtime win over Utah last time out. This is a tough spot for the Thunder as they have a nationally televised game at Cleveland tomorrow night so the lookahead spot is there with the possibility of giving starters fewer minutes tonight. After a seven-game losing streak in early November, Portland has gone 7-6 over its last 13 games and while that is nothing spectacular, this pointspread is more in line with a team not playing nearly as good. Despite being four games under .500, the Blazers are dead even in scoring differential as the offense has improved immensely, scoring 00 or more points in 11 of their last 14 games. Here, we play against favorites after a win by six points or less going up against an opponent after scoring 100 points or more in four straight games. This situation is 135-85 ATS (61.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (513) Portland Trailblazers

Minnesota has dropped three straight games and this game ends a three-game run against Western Conference teams. While the Timberwolves are just 3-10 at home, they are 6-5 on the road and they are the only team in the NBA with a losing record overall but a winning record on the highway. Minnesota is 5-6 against the Eastern Conference this season but the body of work is much better than that. Wins include Atlanta twice, Miami and Chicago while of those losses, three came by four points or less. New York snapped a four-game losing streak with a win at Portland and it has been a very tough run of late, going just 3-8 over its last 11 games to fall three games under .500. Minnesota has yet to cover at game as a favorite, going 0-6 ATS but has been much better as a dog and even more amazing is that the road team is 20-3-1 ATS in their 24 games this season. Meanwhile, the Knicks are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (505) Minnesota Timberwolves

Brooklyn is having a horrible season as its 7-17 record is second worst in the Eastern Conference, sitting only ahead of the inept Sixers. Winning on the road is the issue as the Nets are just 1-11, one of only three teams with one or fewer road wins, but they are a much more respectable 6-6 at home. This marks the conclusion of a six-game homestand where they are 2-3 so far with two of those losses coming against Golden St. and the Los Angeles Clippers. Miami comes in riding a two-game winning streak but this is a tough part of the schedule as this is its fourth road game over the last six and this is its fourth game over the last six nights. But speaking of schedule, the Heat have played a relatively easy one thus far with 15 of their first 23 games taking place at home and they are just 3-5 on the road. They did defeat Atlanta on the road in their last game but they are 0-9 ATS in their last nine games coming off a road win as a road underdog. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is 11-1 ATS in 12 games this season coming off losses in two of its last three games. 10* (508) Brooklyn Nets

Two of the most disappointing teams in the NBA are Washington and Houston and while we played against the former, we will be playing on the latter tonight. The Rockets lost in Denver last night as they fell behind by 14 points after the first quarter but were able to take the lead at the half only to give it right back in the third quarter. Houston fell to 5-6 on the road and despite the loss last night, it is 9-7 against teams in the lower half of the NBA. The Rockets catch Sacramento at the right time as they have won six straight meetings including the first two this season. The Kings are coming off a pair of wins over Utah and New York but that last was way back on Thursday so any positive momentum has been lost. They are just 2-7 ATS following a win this season while going just 10-26 ATS in its last 36 games revenging a same season loss over the last two seasons. Additionally, they fall into a poor situation where we play against all teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are allowing 103 or more ppg on the season, after a win by three points or less. This situation is 44-15 ATS (74.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (705) Houston Rockets

The inconsistent season for Memphis continues as it has dropped two straight games following a loss in Miami yesterday. The Grizzlies have avoided long losing streaks of late however as this is the first time they have dropped consecutive games since early November and playing at home should provide them with added motivation. They have lost two straight games at home for the first time this season and they were not pretty as they fell to Charlotte by 24 points on Friday and by 37 points against Oklahoma City prior to that. Washington is coming off a victory in its last game at Dallas on Saturday which was three wins on the road over its last four games on the highway. Winning consecutive games however has not been happening much as the Wizards have dropped four straight games following a victory and they have not won back-to-back road games since the first two games of the season against Orlando and Milwaukee. Even worse, the Wizards are 3-18 ATS in their last 21 games after a win by six points or less. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game while going 6-1 ATS in the second game of a back-to-back set. 10* (512) Memphis Grizzlies

We won with Portland last night as it defeated the Suns by 10 points and I expect a letdown tonight coming off that double revenge winner. The Blazers are not having a good season and inconsistency is the issue as both offense and defense have been all over the place. Portland is 5-5 at home so there is no real home edge and on the season the Blazers are just 2-5 ATS as favorites of fewer than eight points. This is the last game of a three-game roadtrip for New York as it looks to snap a four-game slide before having the next three days off. The Knicks are definitely an improved team this season as it took them until February to win their 10th game last season. History has not been good here in Portland but this is not the same Blazers team and despite a win in their last home game nine days ago, Portland has yet to win back-to-back games this season. The Knicks are backed by a solid situation as we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are allowing 99 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after a loss by six points or less. This situation is 214-138 ATS (60.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (517) New York Knicks

Phoenix is riding a two-game winning streak but is still three games under .500 overall and is still part of a bad run as it has gone 3-8 over its last 14 games. The Suns have lost three of four games at home and they are not in a great spot here as they face a Blazers team that is out for payback. Portland is coming off a pair of losses on the road but one came by just a bucket against Milwaukee and the other came by five points against Cleveland. The Blazers opened the season with a win over New Orleans but then dropped back-to-back games against Phoenix which bring in the double revenge situation. Phoenix has not been good in those spots as it is 3-7 on the season as a favorite of fewer than seven points while going 0-5 ATS in its last five games against teams with a losing record and 0-4 ATS in its last four games following a win. Portland meanwhile is 5-1 ATS in its last six games following a loss and fall into a situation where we play against teams after two straight wins by six points or less going up against an opponent after a combined score of 205 points or more. This situation is 70-36 ATS (66 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (721) Portland Trailblazers

Minnesota is coming off a four-game homestand where it went just 1-3 to fall to 3-9 at home and while the road has surprisingly been better, after a 4-0 start, the Timberwolves are just 2-3 in their last five road games. The defense has been the issues of late and we can expect Denver to take advantage after being held to just 78 points in the first meeting this season which was its home opener. The Nuggets have dropped five straight home games but those have come against some top teams in the NBA including the up and coming Magic last time out. Minnesota has been a favorite only five times this season and it has yet to cover any of those games while going 0-3 straight up when favored by four points or less. Denver meanwhile is a perfect 2-0 ATS as an underdog of fewer than three points and is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games after scoring less than 75 points in their previous game. Here, we play against road divisional favorites that are coming off a home win scoring 110 or more points. This situation is 45-18 ATS (71.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (718) Denver Nuggets

We have been on Charlotte its last two games and both resulted in blowout victories over Detroit and Miami by 20 and 18 points respectively. Those games were at home however where the Hornets are 10-3 but now they hit the road where they have played just eight games, going 3-5. They are clearly one of the most improved teams in the NBA but have played just six games against the Western Conference and while four of those were wins, three came against Sacramento, Minnesota and Portland. The Grizzlies have been up and down this season but to their credit, they have played the second toughest schedule in the NBA. Memphis is just 2-8 against the top ten in the NBA but 11-2 against everyone else and the latter is where the Hornets fall. Memphis is 18-8 in its last 26 games as a home favorite of six points or less and it falls into a great situation where we play against teams averaging 83 or more shots per game on the season, after two straight games allowing a shooting percentage of 39 percent or less. This situation is 48-18 ATS (72.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (714) Memphis Grizzlies

After a slow start, the Clippers have won three straight games and six of their last seven after a disappointing 7-8 start that included a dreadful 3-8 stretch. They are coming off a road win at Milwaukee last night, the second to start this five-game roadtrip which also extended their road winning streak to three games. All four road wins on the season have come against losing teams and the real kicker is that with the exception of the Lakers and Sixers which are a combined 4-39, Los Angeles is the only team in the NBA that has yet to defeat a top ten team. Chicago falls into that category despite losses in three straight games including a tough one last night against the Celtics in Boston. After a 7-1 start at the United Center, the Bulls have dropped two straight here but the wins have been solid as of those seven home victories, six have been against teams with a winning record. Overall, the Bulls are 4-2 against top ten teams. The spotlight has been good to Chicago as it is 6-1 ATS in its last seven TNT games while the Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (506) Chicago Bulls

The Spurs are coming off a 51-point win over the Sixers on Monday which was a product of San Antonio being one of the best teams in the league and Philadelphia being the worst. The Spurs were favored by 10 there and are now favored by half that and while they were without three key players, they are clearly overvalued here. After three straight home losses, Toronto snapped that skid on Monday with a win over the Lakers and while that was an unimpressive victory, it was needed. It has been a slow start for the Raptors and there issue has been not playing well against the poor teams. They have been great against the top teams as they are the only team in the NBA with six wins over top ten teams and on the season, they are 7-0 ATS against winning teams and 7-0 ATS as an underdog of three or more points. Here, we play against favorites in a game involving two teams averaging between 98 and 102 ppg, after leading in their previous game by 20 or more points at the half. This situation is 48-21 ATS (69.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (708) Toronto Raptors

We won with Charlotte on Monday and we will back them again tonight as they continue to get undervalued. The Hornets are just a half-game behind Miami in the Southeast Division in what is turning into a wide open division. Charlotte is 9-3 at home with those three losses coming against Atlanta, Cleveland and Golden St. Miami has been a pleasant surprise although many picked the Heat to win the division but I am not sold on this team yet as they have been the most fortunate team in the NBA when it comes to the schedule. 14 of their first 19 games have been on their home floor and this has equated to being the second easiest schedule in the league thus far. It gets tougher after the New Year as they play a stretch of 14 of 15 on the road. Charlotte falls into a situation where we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are averaging 102 ppg going up against teams allowing between 92 and 98 ppg after a win by 20 points or more. This situation is 45-18 ATS (71.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (702) Charlotte Hornets

The Bulls hit the road following a pair of home losses and it was the first time they have lost consecutive games this season as they are now 5-1 following a defeat. I don't see it making it to three straight as Chicago has not lost three straight regular season games since early March of last season. The Bulls are 4-4 on the road and this is a good place to get back over .500 on the highway as they have covered four straight meetings in Boston not including a push while the road team has covered the last four. The Celtics are coming off a 3-2 roadtrip to move three games over .500 and they have now covered four straight games. Boston has done well against the bottom teams in the NBA, going 9-1 against the bottom 14 teams while going just 3-8 against the top 16. The Celtics ppg differential is skewed because of this as eight of those nine wins against the lower half have been by double-digits. Chicago is 20-9 ATS in its last 29 road games after playing a home game while Boston is 50-78 ATS in its last 128 games off a road win by 10 points or more. 10* (703) Chicago Bulls

The undefeated streak of the Warriors is the big storyline but they are on another streak as well as they have gone over the total in six straight games. The offense has been off the charts all season long as Golden St. has yet to be held to fewer than 100 points but could tonight be the night? Over this six-game stretch, only Toronto has a better defense than what the Warriors will be facing tonight and the of those teams possess three of the top six worst defenses in the NBA. Indiana has gone over the total in two straight as it has had two straight shootouts, but those were aberrations of what has happened this season. Those games were on the road and the Pacers defense at home is allowing just 94.9 ppg on 43.4 percent shooting and it's pretty safe to say they cannot win this game if it gets into a trackmeet. Here, we play on the under involving road teams where the total is greater than or equal to 210 after a win by 10 points or more going up against an opponent after a combined score of 215 points or more two straight games. This situation is 24-3 (88.9 percent) to the under the last five seasons. 10* Under (501) Golden St. Warriors/(502) Indiana Pacers

The Pistons are coming off a perfect homestand where they went 4-0 but those four victories came against teams with losing records. Those wins moved Detroit to 8-2 at home but the road has been a different story where the Pistons have dropped seven of their last eight after a 3-0 start on the highway. Charlotte is just a game and a half behind Miami in the Southeast Division following an upset win in Chicago on Saturday following a seven-game homestand. The Hornets are 8-3 at home and those losses have all been quality as they came against three of the four teams that were in the Conference Finals last season including Cleveland and Golden St. This is the first time this season that Detroit is playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road with the first coming at home so it is not in an ideal spot. The Hornets are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record while the Pistons are 1-7 ATS in their last eight road games. 10* (702) Charlotte Hornets

It is pretty rare to see an NBA total in the 220's but that is what we have tonight between Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Only once this season between these two teams in 40 games combined has there been a total more than 220 and the Kings and Warriors stayed under it by more than 23 points. Oklahoma City has stayed under the total in five straight games and it is the defense that has been the difference, allowing just 95.6 ppg over that stretch. This series has seen the total be in the 200's in nine of the last 10 meetings and all nine of those have stayed below the number. The Oklahoma City under run puts them in a solid situation where we play the under involving home teams where the total is greater than or equal to 210 after going under the total by 30 or more points total in their last three games, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 33-9 (78.6 percent) to the under the last five seasons. Additionally, the under is 9-0 in the Thunder's last nine games against teams with a losing record while the under is 7-0 in the Kings last seven games against teams with a winning record. 10* Under (509) Sacramento Kings/(510) Oklahoma City Thunder

It looked as though the Clippers were turning the corner as they had won three straight games following a miserable 1-4 stretch but they put up a dud at home against Indiana on Wednesday. The absence of Chris Paul did not help and now the absence of J.J. Reddick does them no favors but they have plenty of depth and have been able to get a good amount of practice time in. The hottest teams in the NBA not named Golden St. comes from an unlikely source as Orlando has reeled off five straight wins. The defense has been stifling but we see that coming to an end tonight. This includes two road wins to open this trip but they catch the Clippers in a not so ideal spot. Orlando falls into a solid negative situation as 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 155-101 ATS (60.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (720) Los Angeles Clippers