Sports Picks & Predictions

I played on the Spurs on Friday as they routed Sacramento which came after an embarrassing home loss against Phoenix in their previous game. San Antonio now has a three-game lead in the Western Conference over Oklahoma City and a two-game cushion over Miami for the best record in the NBA but now it will have to sustain the dominance without point guard Tony Parker who went down against the Kings with a Grade 2 ankle sprain. He will likely be sidelined a month and while this loss is obviously a big one, this is the game to back the Spurs because this is where everyone else steps up. "Obviously it's a huge loss, Tim Duncan said. "He's been our leader all year long. But we've played with all kinds of different people this year. We're going to rally." San Antonio is 23-3 at home and not only will be it be rallying around a fallen teammate but it will be playing with some revenge as the Spurs has an 11-game winning streak snapped in Detroit last month. They lost by 10 points, trailed by an many as 21 points and played one of their worst games defensively. Detroit is now 8-20 on the road following a loss at New Orleans on Friday and things will only get tougher here. The Pistons have been very solid within the conference, going 19-20 in the East but playing the Western Conference has been a disaster as they are 4-18 in 22 games which includes a 0-9 road record, losing those by an average of 11.3 ppg. The Pistons are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams averaging 99 or more ppg while going 3-12 ATS in their last 15 road games against teams outscoring opponents by three or more ppg. Also, Detroit is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games as a double-digit underdog while San Antonio is 20-8 ATS in its last 28 home games as a favorite between 6.5 and 12 points. 10* (812) San Antonio Spurs

Brooklyn is coming off a loss at home last night against Dallas, putting it three games behind the Knicks in the Atlantic Division and putting it into a tie with Atlanta for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The loss was not a huge surprise as the Nets are 9-14 against the Western Conference but they are a much better 25-11 within their own conference. They are one of only five teams in the Eastern Conference that possesses a winning road record and they should be fired up to make up for last night's dismal defensive effort as they allowed the Mavericks to shoot 50 percent from the floor. Chicago is coming off a much needed win on Thursday as it easily took care of the Sixers but that team is a mess right now. The Bulls huge home court advantage is not what is used to be. They are just 16-14 in 30 home games while going a dismal 8-22 ATS in those contests. Additionally, they are 1-8 ATS in nine home games coming off a home win. Coming off a loss has been a solid time to take Chicago as it is 19-6 straight up and 15-9-1 ATS but coming off a win has not carried over into more fortunes as the Bulls are 13-19 straight up and 10-22 ATS in 32 games following a victory. The price range is not in their favor either as the Bulls are a horrid 5-17 in 22 games as favorites of four or more points. You can't help but think the Bulls will be peaking ahead to their big matchup with Indiana on Sunday. The home team has taken the first two meetings this season but the road team covered both as the two games have been decided by a total of five points. Going back, the road team has covered the last four meetings. 10* (503) Brooklyn Nets

New Orleans was one of my worst calls ever as instead of coming close to a possible upset against Oklahoma City, which was in a tough situation, the Hornets went on to lose by 45 points. It was their second straight loss as well as their fifth loss in the last six games, going 1-5 ATS in that stretch also. Coming off that defeat will have bettors leery of backing a team like that but that is the best time to go against them as embarrassment does not sit well with NBA players. The three home losses during this recent stretch came against Chicago, Dallas and Brooklyn and while none of these are elite teams, they are all better than what comes to town on Friday. The Pistons are coming off a rare road win to snap a three-game losing streak and the victory gave them a sweep of the season series against the Wizards. Not exactly something to be proud of. Detroit is now 8-19 on the road and they have won consecutive road games only once all season, going 1-6 in its next road game after a road win and the only time it happened was when the second road game was at 13-44 Charlotte. The Pistons have been very solid within the conference, going 19-20 in the East but playing the Western Conference has been a disaster as they are 4-17 in 21 games which includes a 0-8 road record, losing those by an average of 12.3 ppg. This is a revenge game for the Pistons which got thumped at home by 19 points but the Western Conference aspect certainly negates any sort of revenge angle here. Motivation for the home teams will be the big factor as the Hornets want to avenge their last loss and they are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games following a double-digit loss. 10* (816) New Orleans Hornets

TNT wishes this game was part of its Thursday lineup as the network is saddled with a couple of duds as opposed to this great matchup. The Pacers will be without center Roy Hibbert for this game as he was suspended following the fight that took place last game against the Warriors. That will be a big loss for sure but nonetheless, the Clippers matchup well beyond that anyway. They were smoked here last season by 13 points and the damage was done mostly by Danny Granger as he netted 25 points but is still slow in his return as he has scored just seven points in his first two games back. The Pacers will continue to bring him back a little at a time so he will likely be a non-factor tonight. Los Angeles has won two straight games and six of its last seven with the only loss coming against the Spurs last Thursday. The Clippers have won three straight road games where they are 18-12 on the season which is the second best road record in the NBA. The Pacers own one of the best home courts in the league as they are 24-5 including wins in four straight but this is a test they have not seen in a while. The loss of Hibbert may not be felt as much offensively as it will on defense as the Clippers frontcourt can take big advantage. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are shooting a combined 56.4 percent from the floor this season and that percentage is tied with Miami for the second best among starting frontcourt duos. The Clippers fall into a strong situation here as we play on road teams that are coming off two consecutive home wins by 10 points or more and playing six or less games in 14 days. This situation is 51-17 ATS (75 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Clippers are 18-8 ATS in their last 26 games following a win of more than 10 points. 10* (501) Los Angeles Clippers

Atlanta won in Detroit on Tuesday, its second straight win to open its roadtrip and its fourth straight win on the road overall. The Hawks are now over .500 for the first time since January when they went on a 1-9 run on the highway and they come back down to .500 after Wednesday. The recent run has been impressive but each of their last five wins have all come against teams with a losing record and they have not defeated a team with a winning record on the road since beating Memphis in December. Since then, Atlanta has gone 9-5 in 14 road games against losing teams while going 0-6 against winning teams. This not only shows how the Hawks have struggled against the better teams but also how easy the road schedule has been as 70 percent of their game have been against teams with a losing record. That is not the case for the Jazz which are 31-26 overall including 21-7 at home. Utah is coming off a home loss against the Celtics in overtime and it has lost consecutive home games only once all season which came in back-to-back contests against the Warriors and Clippers. The Jazz have not lost three straight games at home since the end of the 2011 season, a year in which they completed folded down the stretch, going 12-30 over their last 42 games. Utah has been very solid at home against the good teams, going 12-5 ATS against teams with a winning record and they are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 home games against teams with a winning road record. Utah will be out for revenge following a loss in Atlanta earlier this season and it has dropped three straight in this series. The Jazz get that revenge tonight. 10* (718) Utah Jazz

It is rare in the NBA for a team to go from a double-digit underdog to a double-digit favorite in the span of just one game but that is the case here as the Sixers, big underdogs at New York on Sunday, are now big favorites at home against Orlando. I do not think Philadelphia deserves to a be a double-digit favorite in this spot as it has layed a number this big only once and while it covered, it covered by just one point and it was against Charlotte which possesses the worst record in the NBA. Currently, the Sixers are riding a five-game losing streak and have plummeted in the power rankings while now sitting four games out of the final playoff spot. Orlando is certainly not having a good season so it is a big underdog for a reason but the spot sets up well though. The Magic have dropped five straight games including the last four since the All-Star break and it was a scheduling nightmare as Orlando had to play those four games in five nights and now it has had two days off since then which is certainly on their side. The overall record is bad as it the 23-32-1 ATS mark that the Magic have put together but the problem is they have been listed as a favorite way too often as witnessed by their 1-10 ATS record in that role. They are 15-11 ATS as a road underdog and they have been great when the lines are big as 7-1 ATS as a double-digit under. Orlando was embarrassed the last time it played here earlier in the month as it was held to 61 points, which is a season low. They Magic will be out for some retribution and they are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games following a double-digit loss at home. Meanwhile, the Sixers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win.10* (501) Orlando Magic

After getting crushed at home against Miami to open the second half, the Hawks have reeled off two straight wins including a win at Milwaukee on Saturday. They rallied from 10 points down in the final six-plus minutes to make it three straight road wins which is rare as they came in 10-13 on the highway prior to that. Atlanta has not been very good in putting together significant runs as it is 12-17-1 ATS this season following a win and it is 8-17-1 ATS this season following a game where it put up 100 or more points. After getting swept in their season series against the Pacers, including a home-and-home series sweep over the weekend, the Pistons look to regroup this week and start a new winning streak. Detroit lost all four games against Indiana by double-digits but it has a better matchup at hand against Atlanta. The Pistons lost the first meeting in Atlanta in double overtime but bounced back with a win at home over the Hawks last month and I think they are in very good position to make it two straight wins in this series as they inch closer back to .500 at home. Take away those four losses against Indiana and Detroit is 18-15 against the Eastern Conference while going 19-14 ATS in those games. The Pistons offense was dismal on Saturday they scored just nine points in the first quarter which is the fewest by any NBA team in an opening period this season, and they finished with a season low 72 points. Detroit will be without Will Bynum who was suspended for one game ands that has kept this number off the board in most places but don't expect his absence to be overly critical. The Pistons have covered four of the last five meetings in this series and they continue that with a much needed home victory on Monday. 10* (704) Detroit Pistons

We won with Portland on Friday as it was able to keep it close against the Lakers in a wire-to-wire cover as it never trailed by more than five points. The Blazers still lost however bringing their losing streak to seven straight games. To their defense, six of those games were on the road where they have been miserable all season, going 8-21. Portland did lose its last home game against Phoenix but that should have it even more focused here as it will look to add to its 17-9 record at home and this is where it needs to take care of business if the playoffs are going to be any possibility. They have performed well here in these situation as the Blazers are 9-2 ATS at home against teams with a winning record. Boston bounced back from a loss to the Lakers as it jumped out to a big lead against Phoenix and never looked back in its 25-point win. The Celtics are just 1-2 on this current roadtrip and 9-17 on the road overall. After winning seven straight games after Rajon Rondo went down, Boston has come back down to earth with a 2-3 record since then which includes a loss at Charlotte. While motivation should not be lacking, this is also a revenge spot for Portland which lost in Boston by 18 points earlier this season and it is a revenge spot six times over as the Celtics have had the Blazers number. Now we catch Portland in the ideal spot though. The Celtics are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games against teams with a winning home record while going 11-23 ATS in its last 34 games coming off a win by 15 or more points. Portland meanwhile is 25-11 ATS in its last 36 home games after failing to cover two of its last three games against the spread. 10* (816) Portland Trailblazers

The Clippers were a letdown on Thursday as they fell down early against San Antonio and could not recover, losing by 26 points. Now they get to take their frustrations out on Utah as this one could get ugly. The Clippers are as healthy as they have been all season and they came into the game against the Spurs on a roll as they went into the break with four straight wins by an average of 16.2 ppg while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor. The loss against San Antonio was the biggest of the season and by far the biggest of their six home losses and they are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a double-digit loss at home. The Jazz have been playing well as they have won three straight games but the streak has been spread out over 11 days so there is not a lot of momentum to take from this. They are coming off a home blowout win over Golden St. to move to 21-6 at home, which matches the record for the Clippers at home. Utah has struggled on the road however as it is 10-18 and despite going 4-5 over its last nine road games since playing here last, those four wins have come against Phoenix, Charlotte, Detroit and Minnesota which are four of the worst teams in the NBA. Utah is just 8-15 against teams ranked top ten in the NBA power rankings and going back, the Jazz are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Utah is playing with triple revenge but it is 7-19 ATS in its last 26 road games revenging a loss and the Clippers fall into a solid situation as we play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are averaging between 98 and 102 going up against teams allowing between 98 and 102, after a loss by 20 points or more. This situation is 38-12 ATS (76 percent) since 1996. 10* (514) Los Angeles Clippers

Houston is coming off a massive win on Wednesday as it defeated Oklahoma City as it overcame a 107-93 deficit in the fourth quarter to outscore the Thunder 29-12 over the last seven minutes. James Harden went off for 46 points after scoring just 42 points combined in the first two meetings against his former team. Revenge was definitely in play as Houston had lost those first two meetings by 22 and 30 points and now the Rockets hit the road where they are 11-18 on the season including losses in four of their last five games on the highway. Brooklyn meanwhile comes in on a four-game winning streak including two wins since the All-Star break. The Nets won at home against Milwaukee thanks to a late three-pointer by Joe Johnson that sent the game into overtime and then won the game on a Johnson jumper as time expired. They have to be given credit as they went out the next night and defeated the Bucks on the road in the second game of a home-and-home as they easily could have fallen into letdown mode from the previous night. They snapped a 13-game losing streak against Milwaukee and now they will look to snap a 12-game losing streak against the Rockets. This includes a loss in Houston earlier this season by 13 points so the revenge factors switches sides here. Even with the losing skid, the home team has covered five of the last seven meetings and the Nets are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. We are catching a solid line as the line swing from that first meeting is just six points and a win here likely means the cover as well. 10* (810) Brooklyn Nets

The Clippers closed the first half on a solid run and it coincides with the health of the team. Chris Paul returned to the lineup at Miami on February 8th and while they lost, they have won four straight games since then. Chauncey Billups was out for most of the first half of the season but has been back for four of the last five games including the last two where he has scored 40 points and the week off for the all-Star break benefitted him the most. Even Blake Griffin and Caron Butler have missed time recently but now everyone, with the exception of Lamar Odom, is back at full strength and ready to make a run. The Clippers used to get owned by San Antonio but those days are long gone and they have actually won the first two meeting this season, one at home and one on the road and while the Spurs will be out for revenge, it will not happen. San Antonio is also riding a four-game winning streak, all coming on the road, as it continues its annual rodeo roadtrip. The Spurs have already played one game since the break as they snuck by Sacramento by six points on Tuesday. They are 21-10 on the road which is easily the best road record in the NBA but it needs to be noted that they were the favorite in the majority of those games and they are just 2-4 when playing as a road underdog. While San Antonio is 33-4 against the bottom 20 teams in the NBA, it is just 10-8 against the top ten while the Clippers are 11-4 against the top ten and that .773 winning percentage is the best in the league. The Spurs are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 while the Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a winning road record. Los Angeles inches closer to the best record in the west with a big win on Thursday. 10* (504) Los Angeles Clippers

The season has been a disappointment for both Boston and Los Angeles although the former had turned things around prior to the All-Star break with wins in of its final nine games so while the rest may have been good, momentum may have been shot. The Celtics are playing in Denver on Tuesday so the situation for Wednesday is not easy. Boston has been decent this season when playing with no rest which is a surprise following its 8-13 ATS record in the second of back-to-back games last season. The Celtics are 5-6-2 ATS with no rest this season but breaking down the last two years shows a huge issue. Boston is a perfect 11-0 straight up when the second game of a back-to-back is at home but just 7-16 straight up when the second game is on the road while going 6-15-2 ATS in those games. The Celtics have lost both games this season when both have been on the road and they have not been close, losing those games by 15 and 22 points. The Lakers are four games under .500 and three games back in the playoff race in the Western Conference so they need to make something happen and fast. They have been horrible on the road but are a respectable 16-11 at home and they will be out for some revenge following a blowout loss in Boston less that two weeks ago. Boston led that game by an many as 32 points so the Lakers will want return the favor here. While Boston's close to the first half was nice, the nine games included seven at home (7-0) and just two on the road (1-1) and overall it is 8-15 on the highway. The Celtics are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games against teams with a winning home record. Los Angeles is 2-14 when listed as an underdog and 23-12 as a favorite and it has been good against the spread in this price range. And don't think they won't want to win this one for their late owner Jerry Buss. 10* (720) Los Angeles Lakers

Based on the opening numbers, the wrong team is favored here. Chicago is 11.5 games better than New Orleans including five and a half games with the road/home comparison yet it comes in as the underdog. The Bulls are coming off a pair of losses to close the first half as well as losing four of their last five games but those losses came against the Celtics, Spurs, Nuggets and Pacers and that is a pretty strong group. The last game against the Celtics saw them put up just 69 points which is their lowest output this season so the break came at a very good time. Chicago is 15-10 on the road this season and it is the only team in the NBA that has a better record on the road than it does at home. New Orleans comes in just the opposite as it won its final two games before the All-Star break while going 4-1 in its last five games and while the time off helped the Bulls, it arguably hurt the Hornets as some momentum was shot. They have been playing much better at home of late but their last three wins came against the Blazers, Suns and Kings, all of which have losing records overall and are a combined 18-66 on the road this season. New Orleans is just 2-5 ATS in its seven games as a favorite of less than seven points and it has struggled against the better teams at home, going 5-10 in 15 home games against teams with a winning record. Chicago meanwhile has won 16 of 21 games following a loss and it is 19-7 ATS in its last 26 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of less than .400. Meanwhile the Hornets are 6-21-1 ATS in their last 28 games after allowing less than 75 points in their previous game. 10* (509) Chicago Bulls

This is a great setting for Oklahoma City on Thursday. The Thunder lost to the Heat in five games of the NBA Finals last season after winning the first game at home before dropping the final four contests. The teams had a rematch on Christmas Day with the Heat prevailing at home by six points where they nearly lost a 12-point lead. Now Oklahoma City gets its first chance at the reigning champions at home where it will be looking for some revenge five times over. The Thunder are 23-3 at home this season including winning and covering seven straight games at Chesapeake Energy Arena and while they will be out for revenge, they will also be out to bounce back from their most recent game. Oklahoma City lost in Utah on Tuesday and it ended up being one of its worst losses of the season as it went down by 15 points. The Thunder have been one of the best teams coming off a loss in the lat couple years as they are an amazing 55-16 over the last three years coming off a defeat including 11-1 this season while covering 10 of those 12 games. Also, they have covered four straight following a double-digit loss. Miami has been playing very well with six straight wins but the last five have been at home where it is also 23-3 on the season. The problem has been on the road where the Heat are just 12-11 and while a win over Denver on the highway was big, there are no other significant quality road wins over elite teams. The Heat are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record while the Thunder are 18-7-2 ATS in their last 27 games against teams with a winning record. 10* (502) Oklahoma City Thunder

The Wizards cost us in Milwaukee but we will go against them again in what is another favorable situation for the home team. A lot of the reasoning is similar as it was on Monday as Washington has now won four straight games and going back further, it is 11-7 over its last 18 games which is a huge turnaround compared to their 4-28 start. The return of John Wall has no doubt been the key to this recent run of good play but it is hard to ignore the fact that most of the success has been at home where eight of those wins have taken place. To the Wizards credit, it was a big win over the Buck but they caught Milwaukee at a good time as it is struggling and the thought of the Bucks busting out surely was not correct. Prior to Milwaukee losing to the Wizards, it lost to the Pistons at home which gave Detroit a modest two-game winning streak but that didn't last long as it returned home and got beat by New Orleans by 19 points. The Pistons are now a game under .500 at home but they have been much better of late, going 9-7 over their last 16 games at The Palace and this is a big game for them right before the break. Comments were made after the Hornets game that they were lethargic and indifferent and were far from the same team that had just defeated the Spurs in their most recent home game. Detroit swept a home-and-home from the Wizards back in December but even it knows they are a different team now and cannot take them lightly. The Pistons are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a losing record. 10* (710) Detroit Pistons

Houston continues to struggle on the road as it lost in Sacramento on Sunday by six points as a 6.5-point favorite. The Rockets have now dropped three straight on the highway and are 10-17 on the season. Obviously they will be hungry for a win but this is not the spot for it to happen. They have owned this series with six wins in the last seven meetings but five of those games were at home including the lone meeting last week when they annihilated the Warriors 140-109. Houston tied a record with 23 three-pointers and it was going for the record but Golden St. took offense to it as fouled away so the Rockets could not break it. There were flagrant fouls and ejections and Golden St. will be out for some major payback. Even the coaches got into it and didn't even shake hands after the game. That was the start of a brutal roadtrip for Golden St. as it lost all four games while not covering any of those. The Warriors lost by a combined 60.5 points against the spread as the four games in five nights certainly did them in. The defense was especially bad as they allowed an average of 118.5 ppg and were outscored by 20.7 ppg during their trek. A return home is just what they need as they bring in a 16-6 record in Oakland including wins in four straight. Home games have been pretty rare of late as Golden St. has played those four games along with 10 games on the road and they are at least a respectable 7-7 in those games. Houston is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 road games following a road loss and 0-8 ATS in its last eight road games after allowing 100 or more points in two or more straight games. 10* (512) Golden St. Warriors

Washington has been very impressive of late. The Wizards have won three straight games and going back further, they are 10-7 over their last 17 games which is a huge turnaround compared to their 4-28 start. The return of John Wall has no doubt been the key to this recent run of good play but it is hard to ignore the fact that most of the success has been at home where eight of those wins have taken place including all three during the recent three-game roll. Washington is 3-21 on the road including losses in four straight so it is clearly a different team on the highway than it is at home. Conversely, the Bucks have dropped three straight games as well as five of their last six contests so they are in need of something good to happen and a visit from the Wizards is perfect timing. Milwaukee is coming off an ugly home loss against Detroit on Saturday as it led the Pistons 100-98 late in the game but was outscored 7-0 the rest of the way. The schedule has definitely taken its toll on Milwaukee as this is the first back-to-back home games since January 2nd and 4th as 11 of their last 16 had taken place on the road prior to the Pistons game. Washington falls into a negative situation where we play against road underdogs with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 that are coming off a home win by 10 points or more. This situation is 59-29 ATS (67 percent) over the last five seasons. In addition, Milwaukee last dropped its last six games against the number and it is a perfect 10-0 ATS in its last 10 games following six or more straight ATS losses. 10* (712) Milwaukee Bucks

I played against the Nuggets last night but Cleveland was unable to make a comeback after falling behind big in the third quarter. Denver continues to play some incredible basketball as it is now riding a nine-game winning streak but I will be going against them once again with for a lot of the same reasons. They are 15-2 over their last 17 games but they have only played four road games over this stretch and this is the first time they have gone back-to-back. The schedule has definitely been in their favor but it was a makeup from early in the season when Denver played 17 of its first 23 game on the road. The Nuggets are 22-3 at home compared to 11-15 on the road and the consecutive games on the road is a huge factor as Denver is 0-4 this season in the second of back-to-back road games. Boston meanwhile has been lighting it up since Rajon Rondo went down and it is no coincidence as the Celtics have altered their style of play and teams have not been able to catch up. The six-game winning streak does not imply that Boston is better without Rondo in the lineup but it is playing a different brand of basketball right now that other teams are having a hard time adjusting to and that certainly included the Lakers Thursday night. Boston has had two days off which is pretty big in this spot and in addition, the Celtics are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600 and the home team has dominated this series, going 13-3 ATS over the last 16 meetings. 10* (808) Boston Celtics

Washington has the second worst record in the NBA but it is no longer playing like it which has coincided with the return of John Wall to the lineup. The Wizards have won nine of their last 16 games which is just above average but when they came into this run with a 4-28 record, the run has been especially effective. Washington has been getting it done at home as it is 7-1 in its last eight games and even though the loss came against lowly Sacramento, it is no longer a pushover. The last victory came against the Knicks and while that would normally spell a letdown, the Wizards have playing so good here for so long, keeping the momentum going is the bigger factor. This has mostly coincided with the return of John Wall who missed 33 games and is now getting back to full strength. Brooklyn is coming off a win at Detroit in its last game as it was able to outscore the Pistons by seven points in the final quarter to win by three points. That victory coupled with the fact the Nets have the Spurs, Pacers and Nuggets on deck to play prior to the All-Star break makes this a very tough spot to focus. Focus has seemed to have been an issue of late as Brooklyn has not won back-to-back games since late January, going 0-3 in its last three games following a win. After going on a 10-1 run at the start of January, the Nets have cooled off by going 3-3 over their last six games including losses in two of three on the road where they are just 11-11 on the season. Yes that is better than Washington's home record but the Wizards are the hotter team at this point. The Nets are 7-24-1 ATS in their last 32 road games against teams with a losing home record while the Wizards are 16-4-1 ATS in their last 21 games following a win. 10* (804) Washington Wizards

The Celtics won their fifth straight game on Wednesday without Rajon Rondo in the lineup and unfortunately we were on the wrong side of that one. The winning streak does not imply that Boston is better without him in the lineup but it is playing a different brand of basketball right now that other teams are having a hard time adjusting to. The offense went through Rondo. That is not saying that he took over the offense but he moved it to help and create the best opportunity to score and a lot of times, the Celtics have had to settle for jump shots. Now they are able to distribute the ball more early in the possession which is creating more opportunities for better shots and it is showing with their 48 percent shooting over this stretch. This change is causing problems for opponents. The Lakers have been playing well with wins in three straight games on this roadtrip and going back they have won six of their last seven games. I'm still not sold on this team on the road and now they are even more banged up with Pau Gasol expected to miss significant time after getting hurt last game. Dwight Howard is a still a question mark and even Kobe Bryant is nursing a bad elbow. Boston was able to get its revenge over the Lakers from the 2010 NBA Finals with a win in Los Angeles in the first meeting after that but since then, the Celtics have lost the last three meetings and they want to end that drought. The Celtics are 9-4-2 ATS in their last 15 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Lakers are 9-21 ATS in their last 30 games following a win. 10* (502) Boston Celtics

Since losing Rajon Rondo for the season with a knee injury, the Celtics have stepped up to go 4-0 including big wins against the Heat and the Clippers. While the run have shown a lot of character for the rest of the team, all four of those games came at home so the scheduling worked in their favor. Boston now plays its first road game since then where it is 7-14 on the season including losses in thee straight and 13 of its last 17. it has been a very streaky couple months as the Celtics have had runs of 0-4, 6-0, 6-0 and 0-4 over their last 20 games and this one sets up to start a run going the other way. Toronto was able to win its first game since acquiring Rudy Gay but it gave it back in the second game, losing against Miami. The Raptors are 12-12 at home on the season and while they have been inconsistent, they have dropped back-to-back home games only three times. They should get a boost with the return of Andrea Bargnani as he has missed 26 games with an elbow injury. This is the second meeting this season and Toronto will be out for payback following an 18-point loss in the first meeting back in November in Boston. The home team has covered six straight meetings and the Raptors are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Boston comes back down to earth in its first road game in nearly two weeks. 10* (708) Toronto Raptors

The Pacers are in an interesting scheduling situation this week. Because of a makeup game played last night, this is the second of three games in three nights for Indiana as it hits the road tomorrow night to face Philadelphia. While in a possible play against spot on Wednesday, the Pacers have are in a good position tonight to keep their winnings ways going at home. The win over the Bulls made it 14 straight home wins and there will be no letdown because of it as Indiana is playing with revenge four times over. It lost the final two meetings last season and lost both matchups this season, both of those games coming in Atlanta. Indiana is 5-0 when playing with no rest and the second game being home, covering four of those five games and this is the first instance of back-to-back games at home. Atlanta meanwhile is coming off a horrible home loss against Chicago on Saturday and the road has been a real problem. The Hawks are 1-7 in their last eight road games with the lone won coming at Charlotte. Overall, Atlanta has played the third easiest schedule in the NBA and when facing tough competition, it has struggled, going 9-14 ATS against winning teams including 4-7 ATS on the road. Additionally, the Hawks fall into a horrible position as we play against road teams with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 that are coming off a double digit loss as a favorite of six points or more, playing a winning team. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (502) Indiana Pacers

I won with Minnesota in its last game as it hammered New Orleans by 29 points. That was mainly a play against the Hornets as they were playing their fourth game in five nights and now we will be going against the Timberwolves. Prior to the win on Saturday, Minnesota had dropped six straight games and 11 of their previous 12 so it clearly is not playing well at all. The situational edge on Saturday goes against the Timberwolves here as they are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games following a win while going 8-20 ATS after scoring 110 points or more in their previous game. After losing at Utah on Friday, Portland won in the second of the home-and-home on Saturday, defeating the Jazz by six points. That was the Blazers fourth straight home win and they will look to reverse their road woes as they are on a four-game losing skid on the highway. This is the team to play against to make that happen as they are 19-2 against Minnesota in the last 21 meetings including two wins this season with one of those coming in Minnesota. Portland is just a game out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and with five more road games upcoming, it needs to get off to a strong start of the roadtrip. The Blazers have covered 16 of the last 21 meetings here and they add to that with another one on Monday. 10* (709) Portland Trailblazers

I think it is safe to say that New Orleans is ready to end its current roadtrip. After winning in an upset at New Orleans to open the five-game trek, the Hornets have lost the last three games including a blowout defeat last night in Denver by 15 points. The current stretch started Tuesday with a loss against the Lakers so this mark their fourth game in five nights which is tough on any team, especially one than has spent all five days somewhere else and brings in an 8-17 record on the road. Making matters even worse, New Orleans will be without Eric Gordon, who is averaging 16.9 ppg, and the defense will be affected as well as the Hornets have given up an average of 104.8 ppg while dropping six of eight. Minnesota has been worse off as it has lost six straight games after getting hammered at home by the Lakers last night. Going back further, the Timberwolves are 1-11 over their last 12 games but this sets up their best opportunity for a victory as seven of those 12 games were on the road with the home games being against the aforementioned Lakers, Rockets, Nets and Clippers twice. Minnesota is just 3-8 when playing with no rest to is 1-0 when that second game was at home and this is the first instance of a home-to-home situation this season. The Timberwolves are 17-7 ATS in their last 24 games following a loss of more than 10 points and are playing with revenge following a 12-point loss in New Orleans last month. 10* (510) Minnesota Timberwolves

We have a live dog with Milwaukee on Friday. The Bucks have been playing great since they switched coaches as since a 15-point loss at Indiana, they have gone 8-4 in 12 games. They rolled at Detroit two games back but were upended at home by Chicago by 16 points last time out and that alone will provide a huge motivator for tonight. I'm not a huge advocate of road revenge but the Bucks have certainly not forgotten the 14-point loss they suffered at home against the Knicks in the first meeting this season. Despite that, they are 12-4 the last 16 meetings with New York including 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings in New York. Milwaukee is 12-10 on the road while going a solid 10-5 ATS in the role of a road underdog. The Bucks have also been great coming off a loss, 12-6-1 ATS and they are a solid 6-1 ATS in their last seven games coming off a double-digit loss. The Knicks are riding a two-game winning streak which is just the third time they have won consecutive games since mid-December as they 0-2 the last two times they have tried to win three straight games. Since a 7-1 start in December, New York is just 10-10 over its last 20 games. New York is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games against teams with a winning record and like Milwaukee, the Knicks have been great following losses but not nearly as good coming off victories as they are 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games following a win. 10* (811) Milwaukee Bucks

Memphis has obviously gone through some changes since last taking the court as the Grizzlies traded away Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and Ed Davis, then flipped Calderon to the Detroit Pistons for forwards Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye. This trade will help them out a great deal in the future as Gay is overrated and overpaid but in the present time, Memphis will see some struggles with the chemistry of the new team. The Grizzlies are 12-8 at home but Thursday's game is not the way to try and get the new team acclimated. Oklahoma City is coming off a disappointing roadtrip as it went 3-3 including a loss in the final game at the Lakers on Sunday. The Thunder have had plenty of time off to get some rest and recharge their batteries although tonight would have come with plenty of motivation anyway. The Thunder are 19-3 at home and have won three straight there, but one of their losses was a 107-97 defeat to Memphis on Nov. 14. Gay had 28 points the Grizzlies won for the third time in the past four regular-season visits to Oklahoma City. The Thunder are 19-6 ATS in their last 25 games coming off a loss as a favorite including 4-0 ATS in their last four games. Meanwhile the Grizzlies are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. The Thunder roll in their first game back home. 10* (502) Oklahoma City Thunder

Utah is eager to bounce back from one of its worse games ever. The Jazz got thumped by Houston by 45 points on Monday which was its fifth-largest loss in franchise history and narrowly missed losing by the worst margin since the franchise moved to Salt Lake City. It was in fact the biggest home loss ever for Utah and the 80 points scored were a season low. The defeat snapped a six-game home winning streak for the Jazz which are now 15-5 at home and every game is becoming big at this point as they are toed for the seventh spot in the Western Conference and are just a game out of the ninth spot. New Orleans meanwhile is coming off a hard-fought battle last night in Los Angeles as the Hornets lost by five points to the Lakers. It was their third loss in four games and New Orleans fell to 8-15 on the road for the season. This is also the third game in four nights in addition to a back-to-back where the Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games playing with no rest. The Jazz are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a double-digit loss at home and fall into a great situation where we play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (that are averaging between 98 and 102 ppg going up against teams averaging between 92 and 98 ppg, after scoring 85 points or less. This situation is 32-8 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (720) Utah Jazz

I won with Dallas on Sunday as it easily took care of Phoenix. The Mavericks fell down early but used a big 11-0 run between the first and second quarters and eventually built a 20-point lead and coasted the rest of the way. They have improved quite a bit since a rough start as they are 6-2 over their last eight games including wins in both road games over that stretch Those games were against Sacramento and Orlando though and they take a pretty decent step up in class here. Dallas is just 7-16 on the road overall including losses in 14 of 19 games as a road underdog. After six straight losses, the Blazers had won two in row at home over the Pacers and Clippers before losing at Los Angeles in the second of a home-and-home set on Sunday. Portland fell to 7-14 on the road but it has been much better on its home floor which is certainly typical as it is 15-8 at the Rose Garden. This is the first of two home meetings with the Mavericks this season and Portland will be out for some payback. When the teams met Nov. 5 in Dallas, the Mavericks broke open a close game with a dominant fourth quarter en route to a 114-91 victory. The Mavericks outscored the Blazers 32-12 in the pivotal final period to turn a close game into a blowout. They will be out for revenge as well as making up for the loss against the Clippers and they are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a double-digit loss. Portland makes it six in a row after Tuesday. 10* (506) Portland Trailblazers

Washington has had one of the best turnarounds in the NBA this season as it has won seven of its last 10 games but it is still 20 games under .500 and there is no reason it should be laying this kind of number against any team. This is the highest the Wizards have been favored by this season and while the Kings are no juggernaut, playing in the tougher conference is a big edge. Washington is only 6-10 against the Western Conference while Sacramento is 10-9 against the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are coming off a home blowout win over Chicago on Saturday which made it five straight wins at home following a run of 1-7 on their home floor and that is helping to drive up this number. The Kings meanwhile are coming off a loss at Denver on Saturday as 12.5-point underdogs so this line for Monday is telling us that the Nuggets are only 4.5 points better than Washington and that is hardly the case. Another line idiosyncrasy is the fact that these teams played in Sacramento less than two weeks ago and Washington was getting 4.5 points and we are seeing a line swing of over 12 points which is typically unheard of in this league. The Wizards are 8-17-1 ATS in their last 26 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 and 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games following a win of more than 10 points. The Kings also fall into a great situation where we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after beating the spread by 18 or more points total in their last three games going up against an opponent after being beaten by the spread by 54 or more points total in their last ten games. This situation is 24-7 ATS (77.4 percent) over the last 5 seasons. 10* (703) Sacramento Kings

After a 1-10 stretch, the Mavericks have been playing a lot better of late as they are 5-2 over their last seven games with one loss coming against Oklahoma City in overtime and the other coming against San Antonio. Both of those losses were at home so Dallas will be out to span that road skid as they take a big step down in class here. The Mavericks issues have come against the top teams in the NBA as they are just 5-18 against the top 16 teams in the league but 13-7 against all of the other teams and Phoenix falls into that "other" category. This is a very bad spot for Phoenix as it won two straight games, including one against the Clippers, and then had to face San Antonio on Saturday. Not only is this is a back-to-back situation but it is also the Suns fourth game in five nights including four different cities over that stretch. Phoenix is 2-8 this season when playing with no rest including 1-5 when the second of the back-to-back game is on the road. Dallas had covered seven straight games prior to its loss against the Spurs and that included three straight games as a favorite. The Mavericks have won nine of 13 games as home favorites and again, that comes down to playing well against the teams they should be beating. Dallas has won and covered nine of the last 10 meetings including the lone meeting this season in Phoenix and it adds to it as the Suns cannot escape their 4-17 record on the road. 10* (812) Dallas Mavericks

A quick look shows the Raptors have not been playing very good lately as they are 2-5 over their last seven games but that really is not the case. Three of those losses came in overtime including two on the road and one at home against the Bulls. A few bounces their way and things could be a lot better but even still, Toronto is 12-8 over its last 20 games since mid-December so it has been on a big turnaround despite some of the bad luck. The Raptors are 11-9 at home but they have won eight of their last 12 and thanks to playing in the weak Eastern Conference, Toronto is just four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot. Cleveland is coming off a win last night at home against Milwaukee and that made it two straight wins which has been the main reason this line has come down from its opening number. The Cavaliers have been more competitive since the return of Kyrie Irving but playing on the road remains a huge issue as Cleveland is 6-20 on the highway including losses in five of its last six games. Cleveland has been horrible this season when playing with no rest as it has lost 12 of its 13 games in this situation while going just 2-9 following a win. Toronto is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 home games following two straight games as an underdog while going 9-1 ATS in its last 10 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of .400 or less. Meanwhile, Cleveland is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games after scoring 100 or more points in its previous game. 10* (502) Toronto Raptors

It's not often you get line value with Miami but that is the case on Friday. The Heat are coming off an overtime win over Toronto on Wednesday and it took them a while to get out of the blocks which comes as no surprise as they had five days off in-between that games and their most recent game against the Lakers which concluded a 3-3 roadtrip. Miami improved to 17-3 at home and with only one day in-between games here, the Heat should be a lot more sharp. Miami had won seven straight meetings with Detroit before facing the Pistons on the road at the end of December where it lost by 10 points as a six-point favorite. This is where we see the chunk of line value as the line has risen only 3.5 points from that meeting and a change in venue is usually good for a 7-point point swing in most cases depending on the strength of the home court. The Pistons opened a three-game roadtrip with a loss in Chicago by three points and while that may look like a solid effort, it couldn't have gone worse. Detroit blew a 17-point lead in the third quarter and that is becoming commonplace for the Pistons which have now lost 11 games this season after blowing a double-digit lead. Detroit fell to 4-15 on the road and going back to last season, the Pistons are 8-18 ATS in their last 26 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (806) Miami Heat

Toronto is coming off a heartbreaking loss last night against Miami. The Raptors built a sizable first half lead only to watch it slip away but they were able to hang in there and force overtime but came up on the short end of that by seven points. Toronto now has to try and recover in a hurry which is a tall task especially for a team that is just 1-4 this season in the second of back-to-back road games. Speaking of the road, the Raptors are just 4-18 on the highway this season which is the second worst road record in the NBA. To their credit, the last two road losses have been in overtime but losing is losing and it gets very contagious. The Magic can attest to that as they are 14-27 including losses in three straight and 14 of their last 16 games. Orlando cannot be blamed for not trying though as nine of those losses were by six points or fewer and some of those against some pretty hefty opposition. This is the fourth and final meeting between these two teams and it is the final chance for Orlando to salvage a victory in this season series. The Magic have lost all three of the previous meetings and the last one was the worst one as they were hammered on this floor by 35 points and as bad as the season has been, it was their second worst loss of the season so motivation will be at the forefront for tonight. The Magic are 40-15-2 ATS in their last 57 games following a loss of more than 10 points. 10* (502) Orlando Magic

Portland has taken a big slide as it has lost six straight games to fall under .500 for the first time since very early in the season. Most surprising has been the poor play at home as the Blazers were on a nine-game home winning streak but have since dropped their last four games at the Rose Garden. Losing to Oklahoma city to start the skid is one thing but losing to Cleveland, Milwaukee and Washington in three consecutive games is uncalled for. The most recent loss against the Wizards was a very bad one and not because it came against the lowly Wizards, which to their credit are playing much better. But it was the way it happened as they lost on a buzzer-beating three-pointer on Monday. After putting together a 9-4 December, the Blazers started the month of January 5-1, and were starting to become the talk of the Western Conference. Now it just needs a win to get that monkey off their back. Indiana meanwhile is coming off a huge road win over Memphis on Monday as it escaped by a single point. The Pacers have to take the top spot for the most pleasant surprise in the league as they are 26-16 heading into Wednesday, trailing top seeded Miami by just two games. They have done it without one minute being played from Danny Granger which makes it even more impressive but now they face a desperate team in dire need of a win and we are catching a great line because of it. The Pacers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a win while Portland is 9-1-1 ATS in its last 11 games against teams with a winning record. 10* (718) Portland Trailblazers

What has gotten into Washington? After a 1-13 run, the Wizards regrouped to win five of their last seven games including wins at the Nuggets and Blazers on this roadtrip, two very tough spots to win at. Overall they have covered seven straight, nine of 10 and 11 of 13 so they have been making some serious money for the backers brave enough to be hanging on during this stretch. Obviously, a lot of this has had to do with the return of John Wall who is clearly a special player as he is averaging 14 ppg and 6.7 apg through his first six games. The Wizards have some momentum going right now but I think it comes to a crashing halt here as this is the final game of this roadtrip so they are looking forward to the trip home. Utah meanwhile has won three straight games and it has had a much better scheduling scenario. The Jazz have played only twice over the last 10 days as they had four days off in-between Miami and Cleveland and then another three days off in-between Cleveland and this one. Utah has won four straight games at home following a very rare three-game losing skid at home as it is now 13-4 at home compared to Washington which is just 3-17 in its 20 road games. The Jazz won the first meeting in Washington as a 3.5-point favorite which makes this line undervalued in my opinion. They are 6-0 ATS in their last six games against teams with a losing record while going a perfect 5-0 in their last five home games. 10* (716) Utah Jazz

I rarely look at road favorites in the NBA but this is an instance where I feel we are on the right side, which is the desperate side. The Celtics were rolling along with a six-game winning streak but then were hammered at home against New Orleans, lost in overtime to Chicago and were hammered again at Detroit to roll into tonight riding a three-game losing streak. Now the team has been called out by head coach Doc Rivers which is certainly called for. "I gotta either find the right combination, the right guys, or we're going to get some guys out of here," Rivers said. "It's the bottom line. Because this group right now, they are not playing right. It's in them to play right. But right now they haven't been -- either because I'm not getting to them, or they are not getting to each other. But at the end of the day, either we gotta do that, or we gotta make changes." This is exactly when the players do in fact step up. The Cavaliers have the second worst record in the NBA and while they are back home after a five-game roadtrip where they went 1-4, home has not been very kind. Cleveland is just 4-12 at home which is the worst home record in all of basketball, yes even worse than Charlotte which has lost 15 straight at home. The talent is there for the Cavaliers to become a very good team in the future but it is one of the youngest teams in the league and going up against one of the most veteran teams in the NBA that is I desperation mode spells trouble. The Celtics are 25-12-1 ATS in their last 38 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of less than .400 while the Cavaliers are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (501) Boston Celtics

Atlanta cashed for us last week when it hosted Brooklyn as easily defeated the Nets by 14 points. Prior to that, Atlanta had lost two straight games and six of its last seven contests but the schedule was not on its side as seven of those last nine games were on the road. Following the win over the Nets, the Hawks hit the road to face Brooklyn in a rematch, which resulted in a loss and then came a home loss against San Antonio on Saturday. Now I feel Atlanta is in another good spot for a bounceback in a big way. Minnesota has really been struggling of late as the Kevin Love loss is really taking its toll. The Timberwolves were riding a five-game losing streak before they bounced back with a big home win over Houston on Saturday but that can be considered a combination of the Timberwolves coming to play but also the Rockets not showing up once again as they are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Minnesota is just 6-14 on the road and the injury list just keeps getting bigger for the Timberwolves which were missing eight players in that game against the Rockets so it is pretty obvious that everyone stepped up which present a big letdown situation here. Atlanta had won 11 straight meetings with Minnesota before losing on the load a couple weeks ago so it will be out for some payback as well. Minnesota, last in the NBA in three-point shooting at 29.3 percent, turned in its best effort from beyond the arc by going 8-15 (53.3 percent) against Atlanta. 10* (708) Atlanta Hawks

New Orleans caught a lot of people by surprise with its recent run, myself included as after an 11-game losing streak, the Hornets went on to go 8-4 over their next 12 games which included a 6-1 run prior to their most recent game, a loss at home against Golden St. on Saturday. The loss also snapped a three-game home winning streak which came after a seven-game home losing streak so I really do not think this team has turned it around enough to be laying this number. The Hornets have been favored by this many points only once which came in the fifth game of the season against Charlotte so I feel we are getting a lot value with Sacramento. The Kings, winners of three of four following a four-game slide, learned Sunday that the Maloof family has agreed to sell the team to a Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen and this can only serve as a motivator. They have actually played pretty well despite all of the distractions over the last month. Since suffering through a five-game losing streak in mid-December, Sacramento is 9-8 over its last 17 games and has posted a 5-3 ATS mark on the road over that stretch. The Kings fall into a solid contrarian situation as we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after beating the spread by 18 or more points total in their last three games going up against an opponent after being beaten by the spread by 54 or more points total in their last ten games. This situation is 24-6 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (703) Sacramento Kings

I feel this is a very good spot for Denver today. The Nuggets are coming off an embarrassing home loss against Washington on Friday as they went down as double-digit favorites. It was just their third home loss of the season as they are now 15-3 still one of the best home records in all of the NBA. You have to go all the way back to February of 2012 to fin the last time they have lost consecutive games at home as they are a perfect 10-0 straight up and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games following a loss in their previous home game. Seeing that they are getting points here, a win means a cover. Adding to this spot is the fact Denver lost at Oklahoma City on Wednesday by 20 points so they will be out for some revenge from that game. The Thunder are playing very well as usual as they have won six straight games including four straight on the road since suffering a rough road loss at Washington. They are coming off a grueling game in Dallas on Friday as they won in overtime which makes this turnaround game a tough one. The Thunder are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Nuggets are 6-0 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a winning road record. Denver also falls into a solid situation where we play against road favorites with a winning percentage of .750 or better after having covered four or five of their last six against the spread, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 97-54 ATS (64.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (808) Denver Nuggets

Since head coach Scott Skiles was fired, the Bucks have been playing pretty well. They were on a four-game skid when he was let go and they have since gone 4-2 including a win last time out which ironically, set the stage for the Suns to fire head coach Alvin Gentry. Milwaukee now concludes its roadtrip in Portland on Saturday and it is not in a very good spot to close out. Portland was playing some excellent basketball as it was on a 12-3 run but it has since dropped its last four games to just a game over .500 and back into ninth place in the Western Conference standings. Losses at Golden St, at home against Oklahoma City and at Denver, all of which were by six points or less by the way, were not overly surprising but a loss at home against Cleveland in its last game should have woken this team up. The Blazers are still a solid 13-6 at home which includes impressive wins over the Bulls, Rockets, Spurs, Nuggets and Heat. Now they want to get a piece of the Bucks not only to end this losing skid but to make up for the embarrassment from last season. The Blazers lost the first meeting against the Bucks at home by 29 points and followed that up with a loss in Milwaukee by 22 points and certainly neither have been forgotten. The Bucks are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games coming off a win by six points or less while Portland is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 home games coming off a loss as a favorite. Additionally, the Blazers are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record. 10* (514) Portland Trailblazers

Memphis has hit a bit of a wall as it has three straight games, all of which came by at least 21 points. This is certainly not the same Grizzlies team were have become accustomed to but the schedule has played a big role. The first loss was against the struggling Mavericks but that was on the road and Dallas is playing a lot better, winners of four straight games. Next came a home game against the Clippers, owners of the second best record in the league, but Memphis looked to have taken them lightly with Chris Paul out of the lineup. Most recent, it was a loss against San Antonio so now Memphis finally catches a break with Sacramento coming to town. The Kings have won two straight games, coming against Washington and Cleveland, both those were hardly impressive as the Wizards and Cavaliers own two of the three worst records in the NBA and are a combined 17-60 on the season. Sacramento improved to 12-10 at home which is not a total surprise as only one team in the entire Western Conference has a sub-.500 record at home. The Kings struggles are on the road as they are 3-14 on the highway and even though they have won two of their last three away games, those were against Toronto and Cleveland. One of the reasons for the Grizzlies skid is the Rudy Gay situation. First, trade talks were brought up about unloading the star forward but those have since dissipated. Also, Gay left the team for a game due to a death in the family so clearly his head has not been in the proper place. Sacramento is just 10-22-1 ATS in its last 33 games against the Western Conference while Memphis is 16-10-1 ATS as a favorite this season. Now it is time for a blowout going in the other direction for Memphis. 10* (812) Memphis Grizzlies

I played on the Sixers in their last game and it was a bad call as they were blown out at home against New Orleans. To their credit, the Hornets have been playing some exceptional basketball with wins in six of their last seven games and I expect Philadelphia to bounce back here. One of the reasons for backing the Sixers is the schedule as they have been home for over a week and including this game, 10 of the next 11 games are all at home so if they are going to ever make a run, which they need to do at some point to even think about the playoffs, this is the time. Philadelphia is still a game over .500 at home after the recent loss so it is more than capable of putting a big run together prior to the All-Star break. Toronto was playing very well as it had won 10 of 13 games but it is currently riding a three-game losing streak coming into Friday. Two of those losses came at home, which was the most disappointing as that is where the Raptors are at least playing their best basketball. The road has been a different story. Toronto is a dismal 4-16 on the highway and three of the most recent wins came against teams that are below the Sixers in record. Philadelphia won the first two meetings this season, a 10-point win in Toronto and an eight-point at home but the Raptors got their revenge last week and made all of those 18 points up as they defeated the Sixers by 18 points at home. Philadelphia shot just 39.2 ppg in that contests which is a complete aberration from the Raptors defense as they are allowing 45.8 percent shooting overall including 46.5 percent on the road, both of which are ninth worst in the NBA. Toronto is 0-3-1 ATS in its last four road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (804) Philadelphia 76ers

Miami has been a hard team to gauge on the road this season as it is 8-9 away from home going into Wednesday but a lot of it has had to do with the opposition. The Heat have been known as a team that gets up for the big games and plays down to the opposition in others and the schedule has not helped out much. Over its last 11 road games, Miami has not played any team of significance with the exception of maybe Utah or Indiana. While it can be argued Miami should have easily won all of those games if that is the case, NBA players do not work like that as lethargy plays a large part in this league. Team need that big boost and the Heat finally get it on Thursday as they are at Los Angeles to play the Lakers. This is just the second time Miami has been an underdog this season as it won in Denver back in November while getting points. The Heat will use this is a motivator as well as the thought of getting no respect will have them fired up. Los Angeles broke out of its six-game slide with consecutive wins but defeating Cleveland and Milwaukee is not a lot to write home about and those victories can not give anyone a false sense that the Lakers have finally figured things out. Los Angeles is 10-5 against teams ranked outside the top 16 and 12-8 against teams ranked outside the top 10 and even those records are pretty average. However, going 5-13 against teams ranked within the top 10 is very below average and it shows they have not been good enough to hang around with the elite teams of the league. This is a spotlight Miami loves as it is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 Thursday night games while the Lakers have been just the opposite, going 6-18 ATS in their last 24 Thursday night games. Miami has won three of the four meetings with the Lakers with its current roaster and tacks on another one here. 10* (507) Miami Heat

Here we have two teams going in opposite directions and because of this, we are catching a very solid number with the home team. Atlanta has lost two straight games and six of its last seven contests but the schedule has not been on its side as seven of its last nine games have been on the road. This includes the last two games, the latest coming Monday at Chicago which saw one of the worst efforts in franchise history. The Hawks managed only five points in the second quarter, 20 points in the first half and 58 points overall, all three of which were franchise lows. That embarrassing effort will have Atlanta more than ready tonight and heading should only add to that. "The disturbing thing is the effort part," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said. "I shouldn't have to come out and coach effort every single night. Effort is something that they should bring. They are being paid to bring effort every single night." Brooklyn meanwhile is riding a seven-game winning streak following a seven-point win against the Raptors last night. Four of the last five wins have come at home though and the Nets are still just 8-8 on the road this season. This is a homecoming for Joe Johnson who will be facing his former team for the first time since being traded and while he will be fired up, so will the Hawks. Atlanta is 25-8 ATS in its last 33 games after failing to cover five or six of its last seven games while going 4-14 ATS in its last five games following a double-digit loss. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is just 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when playing with no rest including a 1-5 ATS record this season when the second game is on the road. 10* (706) Atlanta Hawks

I played against New Orleans on Sunday as it lost in New York to the Knicks. One of the reasons was I felt that the Hornets were getting a little too much credit for their recent four-game winning streak prior to that and I still think that is the case. Three of those wins during that streak came at home with the other coming against the underachieving Mavericks on the road and the loss against New York dropped the Hornets to 5-13 on the highway this season. They got thumped by the Sixers in the first meeting this season and in that game, Philadelphia was favored by a point and a half and now it is favored by not much more than that despite playing this one at home. The Sixers have been a huge disappointment so far this season but the schedule has had a lot to do with it. Prior to their last game against Houston on Saturday in which it won, Philadelphia had lost five straight games as well as 13 of its last 16 games but the schedule was a brutal one. Of those 16 games, 12 were on the road while the four home games were against the Bulls, Lakers, Hawks and Nets. 11 of the next 12 games are at home so starting this big homestand with a win over the Rockets last Saturday was big and the momentum needs to continue. Additionally, the Sixers do not play again until Friday so there should be 100 percent focus here with nothing to look ahead to. The favorite has covered seven of the last 10 meetings while Philadelphia has grabbed the cash in five of the last six meetings. 10* (504) Philadelphia 76ers

Dallas has won two straight games for the first time in over a month and now it comes in totally overvalued. The Mavericks have had a very disappointing season as we all know but it is pretty safe to say they have not suddenly turned the corner because of just two wins. Dallas last played on Saturday and its 21-point win over Memphis was one of its best played games of the season as it led by as many as 34 points and I feel that result is playing into this number too much. Basically this line is telling us that the Mavericks are only five points worse than both the Spurs and Thunder and that is hardly the case as looking at simple power rating show at least a 10-point difference. Minnesota is struggling so that is also playing a factor but the Timberwolves are getting a lot of points in a game that they can definitely win outright as they no longer have the same issues with Dallas. After taking 18 of 19 from Minnesota, the Mavericks have gone 1-4 in this series since the start of last season. The Timberwolves will be looking to avoid a winless roadtrip and head home with some momentum while trying to stay above water with the absence of Kevin Love. Minnesota is a respectable 5-4 ATS when playing with no rest while going 7-2 ATS in its last nine games following a double-digit loss. Meanwhile the Mavericks are 20-44-2 ATS in their last 66 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. 10* (709) Minnesota Timberwolves

We are getting exceptional value here in my opinion as the Knicks, which were favored at New Orleans by 7.5 points in the first meeting in November are now favored by less points at home in the second meeting. The recent play from both sides is playing into this number and we will take advantage as the strings are broken on both sides here. The Knicks are coming off a home loss against Chicago on Friday which was their third straight loss but they were missing Carmelo Anthony in that game against the Bulls. New York is still a solid 13-5 at home and despite dropping its last two games at MSG, it does have the significant situational edge here. While it is far from it in the overall scheme of things, players are calling this a must win game. Conversely, the Hornets are playing their best basketball of the season as they have won four straight games. The last three have come at home though and the lone road win came against the underachieving Mavericks and it took overtime to get it done. New Orleans is just 5-12 on the road and overall it is only 3-15 against the top ten ranked teams in the league. We have two situations on our side as we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a home loss of 10 points or more and coming off a home win by 10 points or more. This situation is 108-61 ATS (63.9 percent) since 1996. Also, we play against road underdogs that are coming off a home win by 10 points or more with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 on the season. This situation is 58-27 ATS (68.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (802) New York Knicks

The Sixers have lost five straight games as well as 13 of their last 16 games so clearly they are struggling right now. The schedule has been a brutal one however which has definitely played a big part in the rough stretch. Of those 16 games, 12 have been on the road while the four home games have seen the Bulls, Lakers, Hawks and Nets come into Philadelphia. This is the start of 12 of the next 13 games being played at home so of ever there is a time to start and turn things around, this is it. The Sixers are a very respectable 9-8 at home and they are 3-2 both straight up and against the number as home underdogs. The Rockets has a solid run going of five straight wins and covers but this roadtrip has not started very good as they lost in New Orleans and then last night, they lost in Boston by 12 points. Typically, this could signal a bounce back for Houston but this is not a very good spot as this is the fourth game in five nights for Houston while it brings in a below average 7-10 record on the road. The Sixers will also be playing for some payback as they lost in Houston by 22 points last month. Houston is just 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing with no rest while going 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games following a loss. Look for the Sixers to finally start their turnaround tonight. 10* (510) Philadelphia 76ers

The Hawks remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference despite their recent struggles. Atlanta has lost its last four games and all four of those came against some very average teams with Boston being the best of the bunch at one game over .500. The three other losses however came on the road where the Hawks have struggled the most if you consider 9-8 struggling. They are 11-6 at home and prior to the loss against the Celtics, they had won 10 of their previous 13 games. Atlanta has struggled offensively during its losing streak, scoring 84 or fewer points three times but playing the Jazz will cure that as Utah is allowing 101.5 ppg on 47.8 percent shooting in its 22 road games. Utah has been playing a lot better on the road as it has won three of its last four games on the highway however those three came against Orlando, Phoenix and Charlotte, none of which have more than 12 wins on the season. Being a small underdog on the road, or in three cases at home, the Jazz have done very well but they are just 1-8 ATS this season when getting five or more points and they are 1-8 ATS this season on the road when playing against a team with a winning record. Going back further, the Jazz are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Utah's modest two-game winning streak comes to a halt tonight. 10* (808) Atlanta Hawks

I am not an advocate of laying road chalk in most cases but tonight we get a different situation with Miami. The Hear are struggling, going 3-4 over their last seven games and have covered just one of those. This is the worst stretch of the season and they had two similar stretches during the regular season a year ago and after going 3-4 in a seven-game stretch, they were able to bust out with victories and covers in the next game. Miami is coming off a 77-point effort on offense at Indiana in its last game but the Pacers own the best shooting defense in the NBA. Prior to that, the last loss was against the Bulls and in the last four defeats, all have come against teams that are ranked in the top half of the NBA in shooting defense. Portland is no where to found there though as the Blazers are allowing opponents to shoot 46.3 percent from the floor which is third worst in the league. Portland is playing very well right now as it has won 11 of its last 14 games including eight straight at home. The majority of those home wins have comes against some pretty poor teams however and the Blazers find themselves in a very difficult spot here. Miami is 12-3 against teams ranked outside the top 16 in the NBA and it is 7-2 following a loss this season. Additionally, the Heat have gone 12-3 against the Western Conference. The Heat are 13-1 this season when they shoot at least 50 percent from the field and it would not be shocking for them to hit that percentage here. Portland is just 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games following two or more consecutive wins and the road team has owned this series with five straight wins and covers. 10* (505) Miami Heat

I played on Oklahoma City the last time it was coming off a loss and will do so again here. The Thunder were coming off a loss against Brooklyn and came out next time and hammered the Sixers and expect more of the same here especially with some added motivation. They lost in Washington on Monday and that was a pretty embarrassing performance and it was not let go without being brought up after. "We let them stick around because we're not taking it serious enough," Kevin Durant said. "We can't do that, man. We can't do that, and it falls back on the leaders. We can be beat by anybody. Everybody's going to bring their best against us. No matter who we're playing, they want to beat us." That alone should have this team extremely focused for Minnesota. The Timberwolves are stuck in neutral and are starting to go in the wrong direction as they are 4-6 in their last 10 games heading into tonight following a win last night against Atlanta which will give them confidence but it is negated as this is not a good position they are in. they head to Oklahoma City without the services of Kevin Love who reinjured his hand and will be out for an indefinite amount of time. Minnesota is 2-5 this season when playing the second of a back-to-back set on the road and overall it is just 6-10 away from home on the season. The other piece of motivation for Oklahoma City is the fact it went to Minnesota on December 20th riding a 12-game winning streak and was upset by six points as a two-point favorite. So the Thunder will be out for payback from that as well as making up for its most recent loss and they are 5-2 ATS following a loss this season. 10* (712) Oklahoma City Thunder

It is safe to say that the Sixers are happy to be home. They are coming off a grueling eight-game roadtrip as well as 10 of the last 11 games being played on the road but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Even though Philadelphia has to head back no the road tomorrow at Toronto, only two of its next 15 games are on the highway so this is a great chance to make a much needed push. The Sixers are 9-7 at home but the schedule has been a tough one as it is ranked eighth overall and that will surely come down following the flurry of home games. The Sixers were hammered at Oklahoma City and San Antonio in their final two games so they were clearly tied and ready to head home. "I have never experienced a road trip like this," Jrue Holiday said. "We had three back-to-backs in a row and we played some of the best teams in the league and before that we started off with Brooklyn. It was tough, but as a team we grew from it." Now they get to catch Brooklyn on their home floor. The Nets have been playing well since head coach Avery Johnson was fired as they have won five of their last six games after getting blown out in back-to-back games against Boston and Milwaukee. This is still a very underachieving team at 19-15 including just 7-8 on the road and this has come against a schedule ranked 23rd in the NBA. While the Nets have been solid as road favorites this season, I do not think they should be favored here (the line did come down to a pick right away) as the other five games that they were favored in were against teams with 12 or fewer wins. The Sixers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a loss of more than 10 points while Brooklyn is 5-13-2 ATS in its last 20 games following a win of more than 10 points. 10* (504) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a contrarian play on the Magic as I feel that Portland is very overvalued in this situation. The Blazers have been playing well as they are 10-3 over their last 13 games but this line tonight is telling us that the market has finally caught up as this is the second largest amount of points it has had to lay this season. Portland is coming off a four-game roadtrip where it went 3-1 with all three wins coming outright as underdogs. The Blazers have struggled to put any sort of positive runs together at the betting window though as they are 1-13 ATS in their last 14 games after successfully covering the spread in two or more consecutive games including going 0-4 ATS this season. Orlando is in a big skid righty now as it has dropped eight straight games but it hasn't been for a lack of trying. Orlando lost five of those games by four points or fewer and only one of those defeats came by double-digits. While it may be losing, it is competing. The Magic are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 road games after playing four consecutive home games while going 10-3 ATS this season as a road underdog. Additionally they are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record while the Blazers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a losing record. Also, Portland is 2-9-1 ATS this season when scoring 100 or more points previous game while falling into a negative situation as we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after eight or more consecutive losses. This situation is 92-51 ATS (64.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (713) Orlando Magic

The hottest team in the NBA is certainly a surprise as the Pistons have won four straight games, tied with Houston for the longest active winning streak in the league. Additionally, Detroit is 6-1 over its last seven games with the only loss coming in overtime at Atlanta. This came after runs of 0-6 and 2-10 so while the Pistons are playing much better, it is safe to say they are still a very below average team. Because of the recent streak, Detroit is favored by the most points it has been favored by this season and even more telling is the fact it has not been favored by this many points since March of 2009 so this is a severe overadjustment. Charlotte was finally able to secure its eighth win of the season which topped its win total from all of last season. The Bobcats followed that up with a tough two-point home loss against Cleveland on Friday as they fought back from an 18-point deficit to almost pull out the victory. After a lengthy losing streak on the road, the last game on the highway resulted in a win at Chicago so there is definitely some restored confidence. Charlotte falls into a great contrarian situation as we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage of .250 or worse that are coming off a loss as a home favorite, playing a team with a losing record. This situation is 25-7 ATS (78.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (805) Charlotte Bobcats

I played against the Pacers last night as they went to Boston and lost by 19 points. It was more of a play on the Celtics as they had dropped four straight games and were in desperate need of a win which they got rather easily. Now Indiana returns home for a bounce back game as well as a double revenge game. The Pacers have lost the first two meetings against Milwaukee this season but both of those games were on the road and at home, the Pacers are 11-3 on the season including wins in six straight. Indiana has been very solid this season when playing with no rest as it is 7-3 straight up and 6-4 against the number overall while going 4-0 and 3-1 respectively when going from the road to back home. The Bucks have lost three straight games after getting torched last night against the Rockets. They built an 18-point lead only to see it vanish and eventually fell behind by 18 points themselves. It was the third straight game where they have been down by at least 15 points and teams cannot win with that happening. Normally this could be considered a rebound spot but the Pacers situation is a lot stronger plus the fact that Milwaukee is 1-5-1 ATS this season in the second of a back-to-back set puts it in another trouble spot that could see another blowout take place. Additionally, the Pacers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a loss of more than 10 points. 10* (502) Indiana Pacers

This is a big game for the Celtics as they need to turn things around sooner rather than later. Boston upset Brooklyn on Christmas Day but since then it has lost four straight games and all four of those have been by double-digits. Seven of their last 10 game have come on the road and the Celtics lost six of those to fall to 5-11 on the highway. They are a much more respectable 9-6 at home but they have dropped their last two including a defeat against Memphis last time out. With games at Atlanta and at New York on deck, Boston could be staring at a seven-game losing streak should it mess up here. Boston is a season-worst three games under .500. What's more, even as the defense gets a boost from Michael Bradley's return, the Celtics' offense has quietly regressed as during this four-game losing streak, the Celtics are shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from beyond the three-point line and averaging a mere 84.8 ppg. After a closed door meeting after the Memphis game, look for the Celtics to come out with more energy and focus to try and turn this around. The Pacers meanwhile have won two straight games, both at home, and going back further, they have gone 6-1 over their last seven games and 9-2 over their last 11 games so they are in the midst of their best run of the season. They moved to six games over .500 thanks to strong play at home where Indiana is 11-3 but it is still just 8-10 on the road. The Pacers are only 4-9 ATS as underdogs this season including 3-8 ATS on the road getting points. Boston has not been very good as a home favorite this year but it has been laying some rather big numbers and going back to last season, the Celtics are 14-6-1 ATS in their last 21 home games against teams with a losing road record. Also, the Pacers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (812) Boston Celtics

I feel this is a very favorable line for New York as a win likely gets us the cover as well. The Spurs played last night in Milwaukee, built a 23-point lead and cruised to an easy win even though the final score was a lot closer than the game really was. San Antonio has now won seven straight games and are just percentage points behind the for the best record in the Western Conference. The Spurs are shooting 53.4 percent from the field and averaging 111.7 ppg during their seven-game winning streak so it will be up to the Knicks defense to step up here, something that has not happened of late. The Knicks have faltered a bit of late as they are 3-5 over their last eight games including losses in their last two contests. New York allowed 96.1 ppg during its 18-5 start to the season, but it has given up 100 or more points in each of its last five losses during this recent skid so it needs to clamp down once again. The Knicks won the first meeting this season in San Antonio so the Spurs will be out for some payback but it is not going to be easy. The Spurs held Carmelo Anthony to a season-low nine points in the previous meeting so we can expect a big bounce back game from him. This is the fourth game in five nights for the Spurs and while the starters have not logged huge minutes, there is always the possibility of resting players. We all remember what happened last month at Miami when head coach Gregg Popovich sent four players home prior to the game and despite a $250,000 fine, he has no problems with doing it again. "If you're playing four games in five nights and you need to rest somebody, I think that's a call that I'll make if I need to do that," Popovich said. "I've done it before, and I'll do it again, I'm sure." It may be wise to get on this one early in case he does do it here. New York falls into a great situation as well as we play on home teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 where the line is +3 to -3 that are coming off a loss as a favorite, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 76-38 ATS (66.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (502) New York Knicks

Miami is on a two-game losing streak and both losses came against the teams in this matchup. Detroit defeated the Heat on Friday by 10 points at home while Milwaukee took them out last night by nine points at home. The Pistons have the big advantage here of having a day off since their big win while the Bucks have to travel and play the next day after their upset victory. Milwaukee is now four games over .500 on the season following consecutive wins at home but this is not a spot the Bucks have prospered in this season. Milwaukee is 0-5-1 ATS this season in the second of a back-to-back set. This includes going 0-1 when going from home to the road as after the Bucks defeated Indiana, they lost by 10 at Memphis the following night. The Pistons snapped a six game losing streak last Friday and are riding a 3-1 streak over their last four games even though two of those games came against hapless Washington. Still, they are playing with confidence and after the Bucks win last night, they know they have to come to play tonight. Milwaukee is 0-4 ATS in this underdogs price range while going just 5-10 ATS following a win. Meanwhile the Pistons are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 home games against teams with a winning road record and are riding a four-game cover streak. While going 2-13 against the Western Conference, Detroit is a much more respectable 8-9 against the Eastern Conference. 10* (802) Detroit Pistons

Denver has played the toughest schedule in the NBA and tonight is a perfect example why. The Nuggets have played 31 games with 21 of those coming on the road making this their 22nd road game of the season which equates to over 70 percent of their games being played on the highway. Additionally, 13 games have come against the league's top 10 teams which is tied for the most in the league. All of this should benefit them later in the season as the schedule will be easier with more games at home but that does them little good here. This is their fourth game in five nights with travel taking place every day since Christmas. Denver defeated the Lakers on Wednesday and won again last night at Dallas and now comes a big test. Memphis is 18-8 and sits two and a half games behind the Spurs in the Southwest Division. Following a four-game winning streak, the Grizzlies have dropped their last two games, both by double-digits, so they will be out to make up for those games here. Additionally, two of their eight losses this season have come against Denver including one of their three home defeats. I think Denver is simply going to run out of gas after this brutal stretch while Memphis, which has had the last two days off, will be fully charged and ready to lay the wood. 10* (512) Memphis Grizzlies

Golden St. continues to play very well as it moved to 19-10 on the season following a big road win at Utah on Wednesday. The Warriors were coming off a tough home loss in overtime to the Lakers prior to the Christmas break but the extra time off let that go away and this is the start of an important three-game homestand. Golden St., which has won seven of nine at home, allowed its lowest point total of the season Wednesday after surrendering an average of 116.3 ppg over the previous three games and that defense needs to continue to play well even though Philadelphia is far from an offensive juggernaut. The Sixers have won two of their last three games following a five-game losing streak. They won at Memphis last time out which was a big upset considering the fact they had dropped six straight games on the road prior to that. Even with the win over the Grizzlies, Philadelphia is a game under .500 as it has been unable to get anything going and this is not the spot to start a winning streak despite winning here last season. The Warriors lost both meeting against the Sixers last year and the losses were by 28 and 22 points so Golden St. will be out for some serious revenge and it is finally in a position to be able to do so. The Sixers should have trouble keeping up as they are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games against teams averaging 99 or more ppg. Golden St. is 7-3 ATS this season as small favorites of fewer than seven points and falls into a solid situation where we play on home teams with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 after beating the spread by 18 or more points total in their last three games, playing a team with a winning percentage between .400 and .499. This situation is 89-50 ATS (64 percent) since 1996. 10* (822) Golden St. Warriors

The Celtics are back over .500 following a win over Brooklyn on Christmas Day which was important to start off this current four-game roadtrip. The victory also snapped a five-game road losing streak and now comes a big test in taking on the hottest team in the NBA. The effort on the defensive end against Brooklyn was big because offensively, the Celtics got just eight points each from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and only five assists from Rajon Rondo. They showed great balance and proved their bench is going to make a huge difference down the stretch. The Clippers bench has been one of the big reasons they are riding a franchise best 14-game winning streak which has propelled them to the best record in the NBA. They have won these games by an average of 15 ppg with the last six victories all coming by double-digits. Taking nothing away from the streak as playing at a high level every night in this league is rare but the wins have come against some pretty poor teams for the most part. Overall, the Clippers have played the 25th ranked schedule in the league. Defense will be key again and the Celtics are 5-2-2 ATS in their last nine games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game while the Clippers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (503) Boston Celtics

Houston killed the perfect Christmas for us last night as it rolled over the Bulls which was its fourth straight win by at least 13 points and its last three have come by 22, 25 and 23 points so it has been a heck of a run. It has to end sometime and this looks to be the prime spot for it to happen. The last two road wins over the Bulls and Knicks have been impressive but the Rockets are still just 4-7 away from home and with San Antonio on deck, this is a tough sandwich spot. Minnesota won its last home game against Oklahoma City which snapped the Thunder 12-game winning streak and it coming off a tough three-point loss in New York against the Knicks last time out without Kevin Love. He is expected to be back tonight and the return of Ricky Rubio is big as well as he is coming off limited action and it well rested here. Houston is 6-1 in its last seven games but five of those wins came against Eastern Conference teams and it is 4-17-1 ATS in its last 22 games against the Western Conference. Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last five games after a loss. Look for the Timberwolves to break that huge Houston run tonight. 10* (716) Minnesota Timberwolves

After taking the first game of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City lost the final four games to give the Heat the NBA title so it will be out to get at least a little payback from that. However with a short line I feel there is plenty of value on the Heat at home. Miami is 18-6 on the season including 13-2 at home and there will be just as much motivation on its side here as the Heat will be out to show that the championship still comes through Miami. After suffering through a two-game skid, Miami feels it is starting to peak during the winning streak as those wins came by an average of 18 ppg. "Right now, I think the guys have really taken to heart to try to get back to our identity," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We've been talking about it for weeks. It's really started to click in the last couple of weeks." Coming off big wins has not been a problem for the Heat as they are a perfect 4-0 ATS following a double-digit win while going 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against the NBA Northwest. Conversely, Oklahoma City is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games against the NBA Southeast. 10* (506) Miami Heat

This is a double-revenge game for the Celtics which have lost the first two games of the season series, once on the road and the most recent at home. Boston lost the home meeting by 12 points and playing road revenge is usually not a strong tactic but the Celtics will be extra motivated here based on way they lost as a fight that took place knocked Rajon Rondo out of the game and caused a two-game suspension. The Celtics lost their lost recent game, at home to the Bucks in overtime and overall are just 1-4 over their last five games. With three days off in-between, Boston will be recharged to turn things around starting right here as a three-game west coast roadtrip follows. The Nets won their most recent game over the Sixers which halted a 2-8 skid but clearly this team is not playing well right now. The Celtics are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a loss while the Nets are 7-20-1 ATS in their last 28 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. The Celtics taking this game outright is a strong possibility here. 10* (501) Boston Celtics

The Clippers are the league's hottest team as they have won 12 straight games to improve to 20-6 overall. Their +8.9 ppg in scoring margin is tied for best in the NBA and during the winning streak they are allowing 88.2 ppg while holding teams to 41.5 percent shooting since its last loss. They have been favored in every game during this stretch and rightfully so but we are seeing some overadjustments. Los Angeles defeated Phoenix rather handily at home in the fifth game of this winning streak and it was favored by 10.5 points. Now the Clippers are favored by only four points less and this one takes place on the road so the change in venue line move is not comparable. The Suns have actually been playing pretty well since that loss as they are 4-2 with one of the losses coming last night in Portland by just three points. They have covered five straight games and have been playing good on their home floor, going 6-2 in their last eight games. Phoenix is now 0-10 straight up as a road underdog but a much more solid 3-2 at a home underdog. While they have yet to cover in the second game of a back-to-back set this season, this situation is different with the line and the revenge in play. The Clippers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the Suns are a solid 22-10 ATS in their last 32 home divisional games. 10* (810) Phoenix Suns

The Bulls came through last night with our free premium play as they took out the Knicks on the road. Chicago led by as many as 25 points but had to hold on after a ferocious run by the Knicks to end the game as they put up 45 points in the fourth quarter. Getting out of there with a comfortable win would have been perfect for Chicago but the drama at the end puts the Bulls in a much tougher spot tonight than it really should have been, While Chicago was winning in New York, the Hawks got thumped in Philadelphia as they lost to the Sixers by 19 points in a game they had the lead in only once. Atlanta fell to 15-9 and is still sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference and we should expect a rebound performance tonight. Atlanta is 17-5 ATS in its last 22 games when playing in the second of a back-to-back set including a 4-1 ATS mark this season when playing with no rest. Because they do not play until after Christmas, the fact that this is the fourth game in five days means little as Atlanta will be looking to go into the mini-break with a win. Additionally, the Hawks have won six of their previous eight games following a loss and they fall into a situation where we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are coming off a loss as a favorite, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. This situation is 53-20 ATS (72.6 percent) since 1996. 9* (502) Atlanta Hawks

Charlotte has been stuck on seven wins since November 24th, a span of 13 games, as it has been unable to break its season win total from all of last season. After a road win at Washington, the Bobcats lost at Oklahoma City by 45 points and it has been all downhill since then. They have been very competitive in a lot of those games though, most recently a one-point loss at the Lakers which was followed up by a blowout loss at Phoenix the next night. That sets up Charlotte very well here plus the Bobcats will be playing their fourth game in five nights at Denver on Saturday which will also be the final game of their roadtrip so any solid effort will be on display tonight. Golden St. is coming off a loss at Sacramento in its last game so it will be hungry for a win but this is a lot of points for the Warriors to be putting down in a game where the focus should not all be there. The reason for that is they host the Lakers on Saturday and they will be looking for revenge from a 24-point loss earlier in the season at Los Angeles, easily their worst loss of the season. The Warriors are one of the big surprises in basketball at 17-9 but this is the most they have been favored by and they are 0-2 ATS this season when favored by seven or more points. Charlotte also falls into a great situation where we play against favorites of 10 or more points that are averaging between 98 and 102 ppg going up against team allowing 102 or more ppg, after scoring 100 points or more two straight games. This situation is 55-25 (68.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (817) Charlotte Bobcats

Oklahoma City won again last night, defeating Atlanta by eight points to make it 12 straight victories for the Thunder. They own the best record in the NBA and while winning like this is very impressive, they have had a very easy schedule along the way. Currently, Oklahoma City has played the easiest slate in the NBA and part of that is due to having 16 of their first 25 games taking place at home. The win over the Hawks last night was their first road game in over two weeks and just their third road game over their last 11 games. Of the seven road wins, two came against New Orleans which is 5-20 while the other five came by an average of 5.8 ppg including one in overtime. The Thunder dominate opponents at home but not on the road. Minnesota had won four straight games before getting swept in its two-game Florida trip but it is back home where it has won four straight and is 7-3 on the season. The Timberwolves have Ricky Rubio back in the mix as he saw action in his first two games before taking the game against Miami off so he is more rested for this one. Defense could play a role in this as Minnesota has concentrated more in that area as it has allowed opponents 94.4 ppg this season, tied for seventh in the NBA. While the Thunder have won 12 straight overall, they have also won 12 straight meetings against Minnesota so we have two contrarian angles we are going after. However, the games have been close as the last six meetings have been decided by single digits. Minnesota is 15-4 ATS in its last 19 games against teams outscoring opponents by three or more ppg and it steps up once again here. 10* (502) Minnesota Timberwolves

We won last night with the Bucks over Indiana but tonight we will back the Pacers which return home where they are 7-3 on the season. The loss to Milwaukee last night snapped a three-game winning streak and as noted last night, those wins were against some rather weak competition. The competition is definitely not weak tonight but Indiana is in a solid bounce back spot as it is 5-1 ATS in its last six games following a loss. Also, the Pacers have been money in this role as they are 10-2 ATS this season when favored by fewer than eight points. While Indiana was losing in Milwaukee, Utah won a big road game in Brooklyn. The Jazz definitely escaped with the victory as they came back from a big halftime deficit but easily could have lost however, Gerald Wallace's wide-open three-pointer missed and then Reggie Evans missed a potential game-tying putback at the buzzer. Even with the win Utah is just 5-10 on the road and it has not won back-to-back road games since March of last season as it is 0-9 straight up and 0-7-2 ATS in its next road game after a road win. The Pacers have been solid this season playing with no rest as they are 5-2 in the second game of a back-to-back set which includes a perfect 3-0 when going from the road to back home. Utah meanwhile is only 2-4 when playing with no rest including a 1-2 record in the second of consecutive road games. Also, the Jazz are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (702) Indiana Pacers

After four straight wins, Milwaukee suffered a big loss on Saturday against the Clippers as the Bucks were pounded by 26 points. The game was done by halftime as Los Angeles built a huge lead and was up by as many as 29 points. Milwaukee was outscored 66-28 in the paint but should be in much better shape tonight. The Bucks have a short two-game roadtrip on deck at Memphis and at Boston which makes this game a big one in terms of staying near the top of the Central Division where they are currently just a half-game back. Indiana is also only a half-game behind the Bulls in the division following a three-game winning streak, all of which came by double-digits. The opposition was anything but strong though as two of those wins came against Detroit and Cleveland while the other was against the .500 Sixers. The Pacers have been playing a lot better after a slow start to the season as their defense has led the way. Overall ,they are allowing just 90.4 ppg which is tied for second lowest in the league but the offense is still struggling pretty bad. Milwaukee is 7-3 ATS this season following a loss while Indiana is just 1-4 ATS in its last five games following a double-digit win while going back further is only 16-32 ATS in its last 48 road games following consecutive double digit victories. Milwaukee won the first meeting this season at home last month and was favored by 4.5 points so we are getting a very favorable line this time around. 9* (512) Milwaukee Bucks

After going over the total in four of five games, Utah has stayed under the number in each of its last three heading into Brooklyn tonight. The Jazz have managed just 84 and 86 points in their last two games both of which resulted in double-digits losses and they need to get the offense back in gear as they were one of just nine teams in the NBA that were averaging over 100 ppg heading into those games. The task does not get any easier against Brooklyn which has a solid defense although it has not been playing its best of late. The Nets are coming off a very low scoring game against Chicago where only 165 points were scored and that is adding value here. They came into that game allowing an average of 102.6 ppg over their previous seven games, five of which saw them allow 100 or more points. The Brooklyn offense has not been very strong either but facing the Jazz can turn that around in a hurry as Utah has given up 99 or more points in 10 of its last 13 games, allowing an average of 101.2 ppg over that stretch. The Nets have gone under in eight of 10 games on the road but are 8-5 to the over at home including four of their last five at the Barclays Center. Additionally, Brooklyn is 18-8 to the over in its last 26 home games following a loss while the Jazz are 29-15 to the over in their last 44 road games with a total between 190 and 199.5 points. 10* Over (505) Utah Jazz/(506) Brooklyn Nets

Sacramento is coming off a home blowout loss last night against Denver as they went down by 25 points which makes it four straight losses for the Kings, all of which have come by double-digits. They have all come against teams that are currently in playoff positions or sitting right outside the top eight in each conference and the opponent tonight is not part of that group. Backing Sacramento may not seem logical at this point but this is the time to play on them as we have the value and the anti-public scenario on our side. Phoenix had dropped seven straight games prior to winning its last two games over Memphis and Utah. That is not a huge surprise however as the Suns have been a team that has either stepped up to the competition or played down to the level as they are just 1-9 ATS against teams with a losing record this season. Additionally, Phoenix is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games following a victory and the Suns haven't been favored by this many points all season and they are 0-3 ATS of favorites of four points or more. Sacramento has definitely struggled against the NBA's better teams, going just 3-13 against teams ranked in the top 16 but the Kings are a much more respectable 4-3 against the bottom 14 teams. Overall, Sacramento has played a schedule ranked seventh in the NBA so that has definitely played a part in the struggles. These teams are separated by just a game and half in the Western Conference standings which does not correlate to the spread we are given here. 10* (711) Sacramento Kings

We are getting some excellent value on this total based on recent results. Houston is coming off two straight low scoring wins at home against Washington and Boston and while both stayed under, those totals were placed at 206 and 207 so we are getting a number close to 10 points less that what those closed at. Obviously the opponent here has something to do with that but that should not cause the big drop in my opinion. Toronto has gone under in four straight games with at least one team being held to 88 or fewer points in each of those games. Prior to that, the Raptors previous seven games saw at least one team hit the century mark and to no surprise, five of those games went over the total. Making it more surprising was that five of those games had closing totals higher than what we are dealing with on Sunday. Houston has dropped six straight games on the road and defense has been the issue as it has allowed an average of 111.2 ppg over those six games and has allowed at least 114 points in four of the last five. The Raptors defense has been bad all season as it is allowing an average of 101.4 ppg which is the fourth most in the league. The worst? That would be the Rockets which are allowing an NBA-high 104.1 ppg. These two teams played a high scoring game in Houston less than three weeks ago and that total was at 203 so we are seeing a big drop from that as well. These teams are a combined 6-2 to the over this season when the total is priced between 195 and 199.5 while the over is 11-5 in the Rockets last 16 games against teams with a losing record. Additionally, the over is 5-0 in their last five road games against losing teams while Toronto is 5-2 to the over in its last seven games following a win and 4-1 to the over in its last five games after allowing less than 75 points in its previous game. 10* Over (801) Houston Rockets/(802) Toronto Raptors

I won with Orlando last night as the Magic took out Golden St. rather easily and snapped the Warriors five-game road winning streak on the current roadtrip. Now Orlando hits the road in a classic letdown spot as it is coming off that big win and now faces a team that has lost 10 straight games so the focus here from the Magic will be minimal. Orlando has not been a road favorite yet this season and it is hard to argue the Magic being a road chalk here despite the recent Charlotte struggles. We played the Bobcats in their last home game and they covered against the Clippers despite losing outright which was their ninth straight loss. They followed that up with a road blowout loss in Atlanta on Thursday but heading home in search of that elusive eighth victory will have them highly motivated tonight. The Bobcats offense has been efficient, averaging 96.1 ppg, with six players averaging double-digit scoring. They are 5-9 at home and while they are 0-8 against the NBA's top ten, they are 7-7 against the rest of the league which is far from horrible. This one is pretty important as well as this is the Bobcats last chance to end their losing streak before heading out on a four-game West Coast trip. The Magic are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (504) Charlotte Bobcats

Memphis has come down to earth a little bit after a very hot start. The Grizzlies opened the season with a loss at the Clippers but went on to win eight straight games and 12 of their next 13. Since then they are just 2-3 including losses in their last two games with a bad loss at Phoenix being the last one. Overall Memphis is 10-1 against teams rankled outside the top ten and only 4-4 against teams ranked within the top ten and Denver falls into that category according to numerous power rankings. The Nuggets are the only team with a losing record that is part of the top ten but they do deserve to be where they are as they have played the toughest schedule in the league thus far. Of their first 23 games, 17 of those have been on the road including five straight and eight of their last nine. They have had just six home games but they have taken advantage of their strong home court by going 5-1 in those games with the only loss coming against Miami by five points. Memphis is playing with revenge following a loss at home against Denver last month but again, playing road revenge is not an option. Denver falls into a great situation where we play against all teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are revenging a loss with that opponent coming off a road loss. This situation is 210-137 ATS (60.5 percent) over the last 5 seasons. 10* (822) Denver Nuggets

Everybody is down on the Lakers right now and for good reason. They are 9-13 including 2-7 on the road while losing three straight and five of their last six. The thing is though they are not as bad as that record indicates as they are still ranked in the top ten in a lot of power rankings. Despite being four games under .500, they are outscoring opponents by over two ppg and this is due to not being able to close out games late and losing tight ones. Interestingly, going back to 1997 and looking at teams with losing records after 22 games, only two others had a higher point differential than the Lakers of this season. That says a lot and we are catching a line tonight largely based on records and public perception and not actual performance. The Knicks will be the public play here so the line had to be adjusted to make up for it. They are coming off a very big win at Brooklyn which was a big revenge game for them and it took its toll. Now there is no chance New York will not be up for this game but it certainly may not be in top form following that game which was its seventh win in eight games. The Knicks have yet to lose at home this season, going a perfect 8-0 but the opposition has been average at best. An opening win over Miami was huge but that came in the aftermath of the storm and it was a great atmosphere to win for the fans. Other than that, there are no real quality win on the slate and as mentioned, the Lakers are still a quality team. The Knicks are 10-1 against teams ranked outside the top ten but just 6-4 against teams ranked within the top ten. Los Angeles covered its only game this season when it was getting more than five points and this line is big enough to where the Lakers can actually lose and we come away with a comfortable cover. 10* (503) Los Angeles Lakers

Call me a glutton for punishment but I am backing Charlotte here even though the Bobcats have cost us two of their last three games. They failed to cover at Milwaukee last Friday and after getting a beatdown against San Antonio, they failed to get it done against Golden St. last time out. Charlotte played very well for three quarters but it was outscored in the first quarter by 15 points and simply could not recover. That was the eighth straight loss for the Bobcats which are starting to round back into 2011-12 form when they won just seven games all season but I am a situational better first and foremost in this league and this is one of the better situations it has been in during this recent slide. The Clippers are coming off a win last night in Chicago as the Bulls kept the game close but were never able to get a late lead and Los Angeles was able to pull away enough to get the cover thanks to late free throws. The Clippers have now won seven straight games and the seven-game winning streak is the Clippers

It's no secret that the Bulls are a different team without Derrick Rose in the lineup. Through 19 games last season they were 16-3 and this year they are just 11-8 but they are in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season at three games and looking back further they have won five of six and six of eight after a poor 5-6 start. That was to probably be expected however as it took the team a while to come together without Rose in the lineup and let's face it, this is still a very good team without him so being a home underdog for a second straight game is a little but curious to me. They shut down a New York team that was without Carmelo Anthony in a 93-85 victory Saturday, limiting the Knicks to a season-worst 32.1 percent shooting and outrebounded them 47-40. going back, the Bulls have allowed an average of 87.4 ppg on 40.3 percent shooting over the last eight games. The Clippers have won six straight games so that is being taken into consideration for sure but it is very important to note that five of those came against teams that likely will not make the playoffs and all five of those games were on their home floor. Los Angeles is 10-3 at home but just 4-3 on the road so not only have the Clippers been average on the highway but they have played a very favorable schedule with close to two-third of their games coming it home. This has translated into a 14-6 record but the schedule has definitely helped out. This is a very solid team and the record is no fluke but being a road favorite here is a touch overaggressive, just ask the Knicks. Los Angeles is just 2-2 straight up and 1-3 ATS as a road favorite this season while the Bulls are 1-1 both straight up and ATS as home underdogs with the loss coming against Oklahoma City which is tied for the best record in the NBA. There is good news on the injury front as Kirk Hinrich was able to practice and will play after getting hurt against the Knicks. While Richard Hamilton is still out, Marco Belinelli has filled in perfectly as in four games as starter in place of Hamilton he is averaging 16.8 ppg while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor including 38.1 from 3-point range. This is a revenge game for the Bulls as well as they got blown out by the Clippers by 21 points in Los Angeles last month and they are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 home games revenging a same season loss. 10* (510) Chicago Bulls

After a very strong start to the season, the Bobcats have fallen on hard times. They have lost seven straight games and while most of those were close, the last two do not fit into that category. Charlotte lost at Milwaukee by 15 points on Friday and then by 30 points at home against the Spurs the following night. We were on the wrong side of that Bucks game but did win on the Bobcats their previous home game against New York and I will be backing them again here as the situation is a great one in my opinion. Losing two games in a row by way of blowout is going to get the casual bettor to stay far away but this is when the best value comes into play as losing three straight like that is even hard for the lower-tiered team to do. Golden St. is certainly one of the pleasant surprises in basketball so far this season as the Warriors are off to a 13-7 start and trail the Clippers by only one game in the Pacific Division. Golden St. is an even more surprising 7-4 on the road including a perfect 3-0 to start this roadtrip that continues in Miami after this. Two of the wins on this trip came against Detroit and Washington, two of the four worst teams in the Eastern Conference while the other win came against Brooklyn which was coming off consecutive losses to Miami and Oklahoma City and was clearly in letdown mode. I expect the same for Golden St. tonight as it will also be looking past the Bobcats and it is 3-15 ATS in its last 18 road games off two or more consecutive road wins. Charlotte has had past success against the Warriors as it is 5-1 ATS the last six meetings and that gets extended here. 10*(704) Charlotte Bobcats

Both Detroit and Cleveland lost last night with the Pistons losing to Chicago at home and the Cavaliers losing at Minnesota. Detroit built a 17-point lead but could not hold on and that type of blown lead can carry over, especially into a game the following night. The Pistons now hit the road where they are 1-10 on the season including losses in four straight which all have been by at least 12 points. The fact they are favored on the road is crazy to begin with but add to the fact they were favored at home against Cleveland on Monday by five points so the change of venue has not affected the line as much as it should. No doubt Cleveland is struggling as it has won twice in the last month while losing 14 times but the schedule has been totally against it. 13 of their last 18 games have been on the road and overall the Cavaliers have played the sixth toughest schedule in the NBA. Last night Cleveland was the victim of some home cooking and they hope to get that on their side tonight. "(The officiating) was that bad. It really was. It was that bad," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. "I mean I understand we're playing in Minnesota, but 35-9, we went to the basket just as much as they did. I think we had 38 attempts in the paint to their 34, we get nine free throws, I think that speaks for itself.'' Cleveland managed only 73 points Friday and it is 4-1 ATS in its last five games after scoring fewer than 75 points in its previous game. Meanwhile the Pistons are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing record. 10* (512) Cleveland Cavaliers

Neither Denver nor Indiana has lived up to early season expectations and they have been for different reasons. The Pacers, because of an injury to Danny Granger, have yet to find their chemistry without him even though they seem to be turning things around. They have won four of their last five games and they have been fortunate to be winning the close games all season as only one of their 10 wins has been by double-digits. Indiana is 5-2 at home but it has defeated Sacramento, Washington, Dallas, New Orleans and Portland for its five home wins and none of those teams possess a winning record. Granted, Denver is in that category as well but the Nuggets are a better team than what its record shows. The Nuggets have been underachieving so far as this team is so much more talented than their 9-10 record shows. To their credit, they have played the toughest schedule in the NBA as 12 of 19 games have come against the top half of the league while 13 of 19 games have come on the road and they are far from done as three more games on the highway follow this one. Four of their nine road losses have been by four points or less so it shows the opposite of Indiana where they have been unable to break through in the close games. The Nuggets, despite the worse record, are the better team and that will show tonight. Denver is 19-7 ATS in its last 26 games against teams allowing 43 percent shooting or less while Indiana is 7-20 ATS in its last 27 games after successfully covering the spread in two or more consecutive games. 10* (801) Denver Nuggets

Rarely do we catch Miami in a very favorable spot but Thursday presents that. The Heat are coming off just their fourth loss of the season which came against Washington no less and they will be out to make up for that poor performance. Miami shot 46.1 percent from the floor which is more than respectable but the Heat allowed the Wizards to shoot 48.1 percent which is not respectable for a good defense and even more interesting is the fact Washington went to the free throw line 29 times compared to just 16 times for the Heat. Miami also has some revenge on the brain as it lost the first meeting this season in New York and it wasn't even close as the Knicks won by 20 points in a game in which the Heat never led. They haven't forgotten. While Miami was resting, New York was taken to the final seconds of its game in Charlotte and won on a last second jumper from J.R. Smith. I played against New York as the lookahead possibility was in play and it surely came into play as the Knicks never had the cover and were able to sneak out with the win. They will certainly be fired up to play Miami but you have to wonder how much they have left after Wednesday night and the intensity that Miami is going to bring is going to be pretty impossible to match. The Heat have a great bounceback situation on their side as well as we play on teams coming off a loss as a favorite of 10 points or more, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .700. this situation is 32-10 ATS (76.2 percent) since 1996. Everything falls in place for a big Miami win. 10* (702) Miami Heat

After a great start to the season where the Knicks went 6-0, they went on a 3-4 slide before rebounding with three straight wins over the last week. They are just 5-5 ATS over their last 10 games and part of that is some poor play while some of it is due to numbers being inflated. We are seeing that here tonight as New York is a very significant road favorite against a team they could very well look past. The winning streak has got the Knicks content and with a game at Miami on Thursday on national television, they could easily bee looking past the Bobcats. We played on Charlotte on Monday night and unfortunately the Bobcats blew a lead which the game into overtime which they ended up losing. Still, this team is completely different than the one that lost seven games all of last season and win over the Knicks would be a good way to get to that eighth victory. Charlotte has lost four straight games but after the debacle in Oklahoma City, it has been very competitive in the final three games, losing by just five ppg including that six-point defeat in overtime against the Blazers. The Bobcats are 5-5 at home and those five wins are already one more than all of last season at home. It will take some intensity and a fill 48 minutes in order to win this game but they are more than capable as Ben Gordon and Kemba Walker will both need to continue to have hot hands, while Ramon Session and Byron Mullens will need to get back on track after struggling against the Blazers. An outright victory for Charlotte is not out of the question in this sandwich game for the Knicks. 10* (504) Charlotte Bobcats

We have seen Oklahoma City go under the total in three of its last four games as the defense has been outstanding. Brooklyn has gone under the total in five of its last six games and both the offense and defense have kept the scores down. Because of these recent results, we are getting a much lower than expected number. The Thunder defense has been playing great as mentioned as they have allowed an average of just 82 ppg over their last four games but three of those were at home. They did allowed just 79 points in their last game at New Orleans but previous to that, Oklahoma City went over in its three previous road games. The offense has been a different story as the Thunder have eclipsed the century mark in nine straight games, averaging 111.3 ppg over that stretch. On the season, their 105.1 ppg scored is the highest average in the NBA. The Nets have gone under in three straight home games but the totals have all been higher than what is on the board for tonight so that is where the value comes into play. Four of their first five games at home went over and playing the highest scoring offense in the NBA will get back to that. Oklahoma City, while going 1-5 to the under when the total is at 200 or higher, is 8-4 to the over when the total is less than 200. The Over is 8-3 in Oklahoma City's last 11 road games against teams with a winning home record while the Over is 9-4 in the Nets last 13 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* Over (705) Oklahoma City Thunder/(706) Brooklyn Nets

After starting 0-4 on this current roadtrip and having lost five straight games on the highway, Portland won a grueling double-overtime game at Cleveland on Saturday. Nicolas Batum drained a wild, off-balanced corner three with 0.2 seconds left in double overtime to give the Blazers the win. The Blazers are now 3-7 on the road and will now be facing a team that is no longer the laughingstock of the league. Charlotte has dropped three straight games but all three have come against likely playoff bound teams and Portland cannot be lumped into that group. Sitting at 7-8, the Bobcats have already won as many games as they did all of last season when they posted the worst winning percentage in NBA history by finishing 7-59. one of those losses came against Portland and it wasn't any loss as they lost by 44 points which at the time was the worst loss in franchise history. That was broken last week against Oklahoma City in a 45-point loss but nonetheless, Charlotte will be out for some payback here. Considering Portland was favored by 15 points in that meeting last year and now Charlotte is the slight chalk, it shows how far these teams have closed the gap. The Bobcats actually matchup very well with Portland as depth and athleticism are concerns for the Blazers in this game as Charlotte could tire out the road-weary and thin Portland squad. Portland is 9-20 ATS in its last 29 road games against teams with a winning home record while going 7-20-1 ATS in its last 28 games following a win. Charlotte meanwhile is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following a loss and it is in a great position tonight to snap its losing streak and surpass its win total from last season. 10* (502) Charlotte Bobcats

The Spurs are on a roll as they have won their first five games of this roadtrip, the last two coming in blowout fashion. We got buried in both of those as San Antonio refused to play down to the competition and easily covered against Washington and Orlando. Now the Spurs take a big step up in class as they end their roadtrip in Miami and even though the starters got some rest last night, this is a tough travel spot playing back-to-back games. In addition, this is fourth game in five nights including a game that went to double overtime on Sunday and the starters did not get any games off which was a surprise with the loaded schedule. This could very well be the game they wear down. Miami is off to a 6-0 start at home which is the best in franchise history and while keeping it going will not be easy, they catch the Spurs in an ideal spot. The Heat have not only dominated at home this season but also going back to last year as they have won 28 of their last 30 regular-season home games and 10 straight including the playoffs. While San Antonio has been unable to rest, Miami has had four days off which many will feel is a liability because of possible rust, I think it is a perfect scenario as the Heat will try and run the Spurs out of the building. It is strength against strength as San Antonio is allowing only 95.1 ppg but Miami is the NBA's second highest-scoring team, averaging 104.8 ppg. The Heat are averaging an even better 114.8 ppg at home which is by far the highest in the league. Miami is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 home games after a win by six points or less while the Spurs are 0-6 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (502) Miami Heat

We played against the Spurs on Monday and Washington forgot to show up and play defense. San Antonio shot 56.2 percent from the floor including 56.5 percent from long range as it blew the game wide open late in the second quarter. The Spurs were favored by 5 to 5.5 points most of the day before it closed at 7 and now they are laying more points to a team that has five more wins than Washington does. The current four-game road winning streak and the overall seven-game road winning streak are surely coming into play but keeping up that high level is very difficult in this league, especially trying to remain consistent on the highway. This spot is even worse for the Spurs who are playing a nationally televised game at Miami tomorrow night to peaking ahead to that is certainly not out of the question. Orlando lost its last game at home against Boston on Sunday in overtime which snapped a two-game home winning streak, granted against Detroit and Cleveland which isn't saying a lot. Still, this young team is showing progress and could have a slight edge based on some alleged reports. Because of the game tomorrow night in Miami, there is a good possibility that Tim Duncan will sit tonight as head coach Greg Popovich indicated that he will rest the veteran on some occasions this season during back-to-back games. Duncan played in both back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday so a night off here to face Miami tomorrow makes the most sense. It is not in any injury reports yet so the line has not been affected but very possibly will once the official news hits. Duncan is averaging 31 minutes per game and averaged 32 during the Sunday/Monday set. Orlando has covered its last three games following a loss and we get an excellent number for the Magic to do it again tonight. 10* (704) Orlando Magic

Cleveland has gotten off to a rough start this season by going 3-11 and the injury to Kyrie Irving only added salt to the wound. Still, this is a good spot for the Cavaliers to pick up a victory. They have lost three straight games but all of those were on the road and the last two came against Miami and Memphis which are the leaders in their respective conferences. The losses have not been bad ones either as Cleveland lost to the Heat by just two points and the Grizzlies by just six points so while losing, the Cavaliers are playing hard from start to finish. The loss against Memphis was last night and the Cavaliers are 2-1 ATS in the second of a back-to-back set and this is the first time they have gone from the road to home. Speaking of the road, 10 of Cleveland's first 14 games have been on the highway and coupled with the opposition it has faced, the Cavaliers have played the toughest schedule in the league thus far. Phoenix is coming off another road loss, this one against Philadelphia on Sunday, to fall to 1-5 on the road with the only win coming against Charlotte. For a team that is 1-5 on the highway, it is asking a lot to be favored. The Cavaliers are also playing with some early season revenge as they lost in Phoenix earlier this month by two points as a three-point underdog which is essentially the same number here. This is the fourth game in five nights for Cleveland as well as the fifth game in seven nights and while that is thought to be a disadvantage that has been far from the truth early in the year when legs are still fresh. We play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are playing their 5th game in seven days, in November games. This situation is 61-24 ATS (71.8 percent) since 1996. Look for the Cavaliers to get back into the win column tonight. 10* (504) Cleveland Cavaliers

It is a safe bet who the public will be on in this game and we take advantage of the line given to us because of it. The Spurs own the NBA's second best record at 11-3 and they own the league's best road record at 7-1 following a 3-0 start to this current roadtrip. The streak continuing will be tougher than most think as the Spurs are coming off a game last night and it went into double overtime which makes it an even tougher spot to rebound tonight playing with no rest. San Antonio has covered in its only other second of back-to-back road games but the scenario was different as it was coming off a rout at Sacramento in which no starter played more than 31 minutes. Last night five players played more than 34 minutes with three starters logging at least 41 minutes. Washington remain the only winless team in the league after another gut-wrenching defeat. The Wizards franchise-worst start hit 0-11 after a 108-106 double-overtime loss to Charlotte on Saturday. It was the fifth straight loss by single digits and those games have been decided by an average of just 4.6 ppg. Washington against struggled on offense as it shot just 36.6 percent against the Bobcats as it continues to be the worst shooting team in the NBA at 39.6 percent. While the Spurs used to be known for their stifling defense, that is no longer the case as they are allowing opponents to shoot 43.9 percent from the floor so Washington will have its looks. Another factor that is making the Spurs heavily backed is the fact they have won 12 straight meetings in this series and covered the last 11 of those games. People will not be lining up behind Washington tonight which makes the contrarian style in full effect here. The Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning record while San Antonio is 3-7-2 ATS in its last 12 road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (702) Washington Wizards

Every team in the NBA has won at least three games with the exception of Washington which is still the lone winless team in the league. This is the perfect opportunity for that to come to an end though. Six of the first 10 games for the Wizards have been on the road while the four home games have been against some stiff competition so while the 0-10 record is nothing to be proud of, playing as pretty tough schedule has had something to do with it. Charlotte is already only one win away from matching its win total from all of last season as it comes into this game with a 6-5 record and actually sitting in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bobcats however have played the easiest schedule in the NBA and with eight of the 11 games played coming at home, they have had much better opportunities. They have not played on the road in close to two weeks and will be facing a Wizards team out for revenge that scored just 76 points in a 16-point loss which matched the fewest amount of points Washington has put up this year. Playing a bad team has not helped Charlotte recently as it is 2-13 ATS versus teams that are getting outscored by their opponents by six or more ppg while Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against teams with a losing record. The Wizards finally break into the win column here. 10* (704) Washington Wizards

Boston is coming off a loss on Wednesday at home against the Spurs to drop to an even 6-6 on the season as well going to .500 at home. The Celtics are on a two-game skid but are catching a very good number at home with a lot of it based on the recent skid. The defense has been the biggest liability which is definitely a surprise as Boston led the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage last season at 41.9 percent but is 27th in that category this season, allowing 46.3 percent. It will not be easy here but the setup is a good one as the Thunder are coming off a very big overtime win at home against the Clippers. Through 12 games, Oklahoma City has played eight of those at home which is definitely a big edge and this is the first roadtrip of the season lasting more than one game. Despite being considered the weaker conference, the East has been a problem for the Thunder which are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against the Eastern Conference while the Celtics are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. Boston takes this one outright. 10* (506) Boston Celtics

The Sixers have won three straight games, covering all three as well, including a win last night against the Raptors as they had to rally in the second half for the victory. While Philadelphia has won the last three games, it has been far from dominating, winning those games by six, seven and eight points. Those games were part of a five-game homestand for the Sixers and they hit the road for the first time in nearly two weeks before heading back home for three more consecutive games which makes this game a tough situational scenario for tonight. Going back to last season, Philadelphia is just 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games playing with no rest. Cleveland is off to a rough 2-8 start this season and things got worse when it lost Kyrie Irving in its last game to a broken finger which is going to sideline him for roughly a month. While it is a big loss, the Cavaliers know that it is time to step up and the opportunity is there for a lot of players to take charge. Overall Cleveland has lost six straight games but five of those were on the road and through ten games this season, the Cavaliers have only played three games at home so the schedule has not been in their favor. The last defeat was at Philadelphia which sets up a quick revenge turnaround and in the first game without Irving, we will see huge effort from the home team. He is no doubt a big loss but the overreaction to it is in our favor as Cleveland is getting a great line tonight. 10* (506) Cleveland Cavaliers

This will be a very good measuring stick for the Lakers who look to have Mike D'Antoni on the sidelines for his first game on the bench as head coach. They will be facing a tough opponent but we are getting decent value in the role of favorite where Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS as a chalk of more than four points compared to going 0-4 ATS when the line is less than that including 0-3 ATS as an underdog. The Lakers are 4-1 since firing Mike Brown but the wins came against teams not expected to make the playoffs, Sacramento, Golden State, Phoenix and Houston. The Nets have won five straight games after starting the season 1-2 so they look to be coming together pretty quickly with the new additions to the roster. They have played only three road games and are 2-1 but those wins were against teams not likely going to the playoffs this season. The lone loss came at Miami by 30 points and besides Boston, Brooklyn has faced a very weak schedule overall as it is ranked as the easiest in the NBA. The Nets are 9-21-2 ATS in their last 32 games following an ATS win while the Lakers are a solid 5-1 ATS in their last six home games. 10* (706) Los Angeles Lakers

Denver is coming off a horrible effort in its last game against the Spurs as they lost by 26 points in a game that was pretty much over after the first quarter. The Nuggets committed 21 turnovers while San Antonio was 16-27 (59.3 percent) from three-point range, better than its overall shooting percentage of 53.4 percent. Many tabbed the Nuggets as a contender in the Western Conference but they have been far from it with a 4-6 record. They opened with three straight losses before winning four in a row prior to their recent three-game skid. Expect a rebound tonight as we are catching a very solid number. After opening the season with a loss against the Clippers, Memphis has won eight straight games and most impressive is that it has covered every one of those. Because of this, the Grizzlies line has climbed and they are now favored by the most they have been favored by all season and the value has certainly disappeared for Memphis. The Grizzlies own the best record in the NBA which is the first time in the history of the franchise they can make that claim so they won't be sneaking up on anyone. Memphis swept the three-game series with Denver last season, doing so by a total of seven points so we can expect another close one here. The Grizzlies are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400 while the Nuggets are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game. 10* (507) Denver Nuggets

After starting the season 1-2, the Nets have won their last four games to move into second place in the Atlantic Division. Brooklyn leapfrogged Boston with its win on Thursday and now hits the road for a three-game roadtrip out west. The time off may have helped with the travel but with the Lakers on deck, this puts the Nets into a tough spot in a possible lookahead. The line may seem fishy as well as Brooklyn is four games better than the Kings but are laying just a small number. That smells like a trap if there ever was one. The Nets are on a winning streak, the Kings are on a four-game losing streak. Sacramento opened the season with a three-game east coast roadtrip where it went 0-3 to no surprise but then came home and won its next two games prior to this recent skid. The current losing streak has come against some stiff competition as the Kings have faced the Spurs, Lakers, Blazers and Hawks with Portland being the only suspect team of the bunch. Adding to the trap factor and the low line is the fact that Sacramento has lost these recent four games by 16, 17, 13 and 11 points so getting just three points will seem outlandish to some. The Kings held a players only meeting after their loss to the Hawks on Friday so we should see a bigger effort tonight. Sacramento also got DeMarcus Cousins back after a two-game suspension and while he was rusty shooting the ball, he had a season-high 16 rebounds and seven assists. The Nets are just 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games following a spread cover while going 4-14 ATS in their last 18 games after playing a game as a favorite. The home team has covered four of the last five meetings and the Kings make it three straight home wins in the series with a victory tonight. 10* (708) Sacramento Kings

Memphis came through for us last night as the Grizzlies improved to a league-leading 7-1 while sending the Knicks to their first loss of the season. The Grizzlies now hit the road for their first back-to-back of the season as the slate has definitely been in their favor as far as scheduling and travel. The last three wins have been very impressive as prior to the Knicks, Memphis took out last year's NBA Finals participants Miami and Oklahoma City. That is tough stretch over the last week and now playing the lowly Bobcats will provide a big letdown situation for us to go against. Memphis, which has five wins by double digits, is on the verge of its first eight-game winning streak since 2004 but it will have to focus and not overlook Charlotte which could easily happen tonight. The Bobcats have been one of the early season surprises as they are 4-3 on the year and those four wins are already more than half of their wins from all of last season. It took Charlotte 30 games to notch its fourth win last year so things are certainly going the right way for the new look Bobcats. The young talent seems to be coming together quicker than expected while depth has also played a very important part. First-year coach Mike Dunlap has worked the team hard through the preseason and into the regular season, getting results not seen last season with the team on the verge of a four-game winning streak. The Bobcats are rebounding, generating steals, and pushing the ball on offense and this is no longer a team that should be taken lightly. A big matchup here is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist against Rudy Gay. After enduring successive matchups against LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, Gay cannot afford to take his next opponent lightly. A knock on him in the past has been his tendency to get up for marquee matchups, but coast through the "lesser" ones so we could see a bit of a falloff tonight. The Bobcats are a perfect 3-0 ATS against teams with a winning record this season while going 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. Look for another big effort from the home team and while winning this one outright is far from out of the question, we will take the points against this big public favorite. 10* (508) Charlotte Bobcats

It has been a very slow start for Indiana as it is 3-6 to begin the season but things should be better than that. The absence of Danny Granger is no doubt a big one for the Pacers but they have enough around him to make up for it but they have been unable to close. Of the six losses, four have come by three points or fewer so that is what is meant by being unable to close as tight games have started to go against them. The schedule hasn't helped much either as six of the first nine games have come on the road and to no surprise, Indiana is 1-5 in those games. They are coming off a road loss at Milwaukee and it was a bad one as the final score shows a 14-point defeat but the Pacers were down by as many as 32 points as a fourth quarter push in garbage time made it look respectable. This is the third time that the Pacers head home coming off a road loss and they were able to win on their home floor in each of those first two instances. While Indiana is off to a slow start, Dallas is not doing a whole lot better as it obviously misses the services of Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks started off good enough with a 4-1 record but they have dropped three of their last four games and the worst part is that they have played a very soft schedule with games against Washington, Minnesota, Toronto, Portland and Charlotte twice. Dallas snapped a three-game losing streak last time out as it defeated Washington at home but it was far from easy as it blew a 22-point lead and had to hold on in the fourth quarter for the win. The Mavericks are 1-3 on the road this season and while the one victory came against the Lakers, that road win is not looking as impressive as it was early in the season when it happened. It also should be noted that the Mavericks will be without Shawn Marion once again who has missed five straight games due to a sprained knee ligament. Getting a rhythm on offense has been a problem for the Pacers as they have yet to score 100 points in regulation and on the season they are averaging 87.8 ppg which is nearly 10 fewer than last season while and shooting a league-worst 39.8 percent. This is a good opportunity to break out of that as the Pacers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. Dallas meanwhile is on a five-game non-cover streak and going back to last season is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games against teams with a losing record. 10* (706) Indiana Pacers

We played against the Knicks on Tuesday and after staying even with Orlando for most of the game, they were able to pull away as the Magic went cold on offense, scoring just 13 points. Orlando wasted 28 assists by turning the ball over 20 times and that simply cannot happen if a team expects to win. Now on to Thursday where the Knicks hit the road once again and finally run into a buzzsaw as their situations so far have been pretty tame despite playing some good teams at home early on. New York opened with Miami in the wake of the Hurricane Sandy disaster so the emotional side of that carried them to a win there. Back-to-back wins or Philadelphia and then a victory against Dallas are not looking very good now as those teams are not playing up to expectations. Now New York catches the best team in the Western Conference yet again. The Spurs quietly went about their business in the shortened season a year ago and went on to finish with the best record in the Western Conference and after faltering in the playoffs, they are at it again. San Antonio is 7-1 to start the season and are heading home following a 3-1 roadtrip where it won the final three games. The last win came against the Lakers as the defense stepped up again because the offense did not as San Antonio shot a season low 38.9 percent from the floor. Expect a big reversal of that despite the Knicks being one of the best defensive teams early in the season. The Spurs are 3-0 at home this season and going back to last year they are 22-2 on their home floor and playing a home game following a lengthy trip has been lucrative as the Spurs are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 home games following a road trip of seven or more days. San Antonio has owned this series with wins in 18 or the last 19 regular season games including nine straight wins at home. Some of those past games mean nothing because of personnel turnover but the meeting last season saw the Spurs win by 13 points at home and that was with Amare Stoudemire in the lineup. San Antonio is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 games following a win by six points or less which shows how it can turn momentum in their direction. Playing out of conference has also been a success for the Spurs are they are 13-2-2 ATS in their last 17 games against the Eastern Conference including a 22-point blowout win against the Pacers in the lone crossover game so far this year. 10* (504) San Antonio Spurs

Based on a scheduling quirk, New Orleans has played only five games so far this season which is the fewest in the league and even though it is 3-2 so far, not having played together that much can hurt a young team early in the season. After playing back-to-back games against Utah and Chicago, the Hornets had three days off before playing Philadelphia, had a day off before playing Charlotte and now have had four days off prior to tonight's game. After losing the season opener against the Spurs, New Orleans has been playing well but with all of the time off, the momentum can be lost with no rhythm being gained. On top of everything, this is just the second road game of the season for the Hornets as they have been sitting at home for the last 11 days. Houston opened up the season with two road wins over Detroit and Atlanta but it has been a struggle since then. The Rockets have gone just 1-4 since that start including a very tough loss against Miami in its last game two days ago at home. They are just 1-3 at home this season with the only victory coming against winless Detroit so that makes this game pretty important. A loss here drops them four games behind the Spurs in the Southwest Division with a tough three-game roadtrip on deck so Houston is treating this game as a must win situation. Hornets Anthony Davis is coming off a big game and recorded his first double-double of his career but that was against the Bobcats and Houston big men Omer Asik and Chandler Parsons are two very two solid defenders which could present a challenge to the rookie. On the other side, the Hornets are one of the top defensive teams in the league, allowing just 88.6 ppg which is the third lowest in the league. Head coach Monty Williams said the Rockets are far more challenging to prepare for since they acquired shooting guard James Harden and New Orleans has not yet faced a scorer like Harden. The Hornets are 10-25 ATS in their last 35 road games against teams with a losing home record while Houston is 5-1 ATS in its last six home games against teams with a road winning percentage greater than .600 and it falls into a great situation where we play on home favorites that are averaging between 92 and 98 ppg going up teams allowing between 88 and 92 ppg, after a combined score of 215 points or more. This situation is 46-19 ATS (70.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (708) Houston Rockets

Heading into the third week of the season, there is just one undefeated team left in the NBA and to the surprise of many, it is the Knicks. New York is off to a perfect 4-0 start and all of the wins have come in dominating fashion as all have come by double-digits. The competition has been stiff as well as the Knicks defeated the Heat, swept the Sixers in a home-and-home and then most recently defeated the Mavericks at home. This is the start of a very tough stretch as New York plays three straight games on the road as well as six of the next seven and eight of the next 10 games. This is just the second road game of the season and the Knicks are already overvalued. After a perfect 2-0 start, Orlando has lost its last four games as poor shooting has been the difference. The Magic scored 102 and 115 points in their first two games but have yet to hit 100 points during this skid and has averaged a mere 77.5 ppg over this stretch. Three of those four games have come on the road however and the Magic will be ready to make up for their last home game where they scored just 68 points in a 39-point loss to the Nets. The expectations were low heading into the season for Orlando and things are definitely at a low right now but this is a very favorable spot with a very favorable line for the Magic. Things could hit rock bottom in a hurry for Orlando but it is staying positive despite the recent struggles. "We have a lot of talent in this locker room and we have a great, young, energetic coaching staff who's going to try to help put us in a successful situation," said point guard Jameer Nelson. The Knicks have clearly been the best team in the NBA as they are averaging 104.5 ppg and have allowed 87.5 ppg and 40.7 percent shooting, both tops in the league. Whether it is a complete turnaround or just a fortunate start remains to be seen but this is the best start in 19 years for New York and being a public team, they are already seeing inflated lines. Orlando is 19-6 ATS in its last 25 home games against teams that are outscoring their opponents by nine or more ppg and it falls into a great situation where we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that won between 45-55 percent of their games the previous season. This situation is 38-11 ATS (77.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (504) Orlando Magic