Sports Picks & Predictions

The Lakers have burned me the last two times I have played them, against the Sixers and prior to that against the Pacers. Los Angeles has won the last three games during this roadtrip but all three have come against teams with a losing record. As a matter of fact, this is just the third game of this roadtrip against a team with a winning record and the first two resulted in outright losses, first Cleveland and then Toronto last Sunday. On the season the Lakers are 8-2 ATS on the road against losing teams but only 1-8 ATS on the road against winning teams. As a small favorite of fewer than five points Los Angeles is 0-4 ATS and when the line is anywhere from +4.5 to -4.5, the Lakers are 0-8 ATS. The Celtics return to Boston following two straight road losses against Orlando and Atlanta so they will no doubt be ready for this one. Playing the Lakers will have them ready anyway and even more so following a sweep at the hands of Los Angeles as season ago. This included a one-point loss against the Lakers at home when the Celtics were favored by seven points. Now they are getting a point and that eight-point swing is simply too much. Boston has struggled at home against the solid teams but a lot of those games came at far from full strength. Now they are healthy and ready to start a needed run. There is too much value to pass up here. The Celtics also fall into a solid situation. Play against road favorites with a winning percentage greater that .750 after having covered four of their last five against the spread and now playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 44-16 ATS (73.3 percent) since 1996. 9* Boston Celtics

Kudos to the Bobcats for winning two straight games on the road. That is only the second time they have done that this season and winning three straight will be a stretch. Defeating Phoenix was definitely a big win while the win over the Warriors last night was nothing too special. Charlotte was favored last night and it is favored again despite bringing in a 5-17 road record on the season. I do not think the Bobcats should be favored here. Laying two points to Golden St., who is 9-13 at home, is one thing but laying a point and a half to Sacramento, who is 13-9 at home, is a different matter. Charlotte has definitely been one of the pleasant surprises in the league this season but I just cannot see it winning three straight on the road against the Western Conference. Charlotte has seen solid against the number with no rest, going 9-3 ATS but most of those games were as underdogs as it is just 5-7 straight up. The Kings have certainly not had a great season but most of their problem has come on the road where they are 3-20 on the season. Overall, the run since just before Christmas has been horrid as they are 3-15 over their last 18 games but looking at those 18 games might tell us why. 13 of those games came against teams that are currently sitting in playoff positions so the schedule has been absolutely brutal. Overall Sacramento has played the fifth toughest schedule in the NBA and it really does not let up and the next few games after this are just as bad. Sacramento is also playing with no rest tonight but the situation is a good one. The Kings are only 1-5 when playing back-to-back road games but they are 3-2 when that second game is at home. Charlotte is just 1-5 ATS in its last games following a double-digit win and it is 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in Sacramento. 9* Sacramento Kings

How about this roadtrip the Bulls have had? They were spanked by Golden St. and the Clippers, two of the bottom teams in the Western Conference, but since then they have reeled off four straight wins and against quality opponents in Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Those are impressive to say the least and now back at .500, it is easy to say that head coach Vinny Del Negro has saved his job. Here is the kicker however. The Bulls were getting at least six points in all four of those wins but now they are getting only four points (as of Friday morning) against a team that has a better home record than all four of those previously defeated teams. This is outstanding line value as the linesmakers have taken note of this winning streak. Even though there have been four straight wins, Chicago is still 8-15 on the road this season so just because the recent past has been good, we cannot look past those first 19 road games that were simply a disaster. New Orleans is coming off a roadtrip of its own as it played four games against Western Conference foes and came away with a solid 3-1 record with the one loss coming on overtime against Denver. There was talk about making changes on this team earlier in the season as the start was slow and the Hornets were far from a playoff looking team. Since going 3-8 to start the season, New Orleans is 22-12 over its last 34 games and the home court has been even better. The Hornets went 2-2 in their first four games at New Orleans Arena but they are 14-2 since then and besides the Lakers and Cavaliers, it is the best home record in the league over the last 16 games. The Hornets are 12-4 over their last 16 games with two of those four losses coming on overtime, another coming by four points on the road and the last coming against nemesis San Antonio. The recent run has been outstanding but it is still under the radar and that provides us with excellent value on top of the Bulls recent streak. This is also a revenge game for the Hornets who lost in Chicago by 11 points just over a month ago. It is actually a triple revenge spot as New Orleans was also swept last year in the season series and all three of these losses have been by double-digits so there is some serious payback in the works. 9* New Orleans Hornets

Philadelphia is 8-8 over its last 16 games, both straight up and against the number. That is certainly nothing to start jumping up and down about however seeing that the Sixers started the season 7-22 straight up and 11-18 against the number, we have seen a huge improvement. The linesmakers are still not buying into them and why should they when they started the season 0-7 ATS as home underdogs. If there is a positive from this, they did get their first win as home underdogs when they defeated the Mavericks last time they were in that spot. Philadelphia is riding a two-game losing streak following a loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday and a return home against the reigning World Champions should get their pulses racing. This is just as much of a play on the Sixers as it is against the Lakers. I went against Los Angeles on Wednesday when it was playing at Indiana but the Lakers had a huge edge at the free throw line and the Pacers had no answer for center Andrew Bynum. Anyone who knows the Lakers knows that Bynum rarely puts solid back-to-back games together and I expect no different here. The longer this roadtrip goes on, the more tired the Lakers have to be getting. The last game was their fifth in seven days and this will be the sixth in nine days and with a game at Boston coming up on Sunday, I do not see a lot of effort this time around. Especially coming off two straight blowout wins against lesser competition that has not has the same run that that Sixers have had. It may not seem like a run to some but it has been a confidence builder and as head coach Eddie Jordan pointed out, it is only a matter of time when this team finally gets together because of all of the injuries and new faces that had hurt the chemistry early on. The Sixers are also in a very good league-wide situation. Play against favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage of .750 or better that are playing their 3rd road game in five days and playing a team with a winning percentage between .250 and .400. This situation is 28-9 ATS (75.7 percent) since 1996 with the average point differential being just -1.6 ppg. 9* Philadelphia 76ers

This one is pretty similar to the game we saw last Thursday. In that game, the Lakers were facing Cleveland, a team they lost to at home rather handily on Christmas Day. The talk was that Los Angeles was out for revenge against the Cavaliers but the problem was that it was to have to do it on the road. Obviously that did not happen and we cashed a ticket with the anti-revenge angle of a team playing better trying to prove that the first win was no fluke, and we saw it with the Cavaliers winning again. Also on Christmas, Boston went into Orlando and handled the Magic rather easily. This time Orlando will be out for revenge but the big difference is that the Magic are now playing at home and that is the revenge angle we will follow and back this time around. It is pretty well known that Orlando is playing below average right now as it is just 5-8 in its last 13 games but it did win three straight before losing its last game at Charlotte. The majority of those losses in fact came on the road as the Magic are 2-7 in those 13 games but a much better 3-1 at home including a win over the best team to visit which was Atlanta. Boston has won two straight games but both came at home and prior to that, the Celtics were on their own bad run, going 4-8 in their previous 12 games. A lot of that was due to injuries but neither team is playing at its peak right now so we give the edge to the home team that is 16-4 at Amway Arena on the season. Speaking of revenge, Orlando is 23-11 ATS in its last 34 games revenging a home loss against the opponent. The Celtics meanwhile are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage higher than .600 and they are just 3-13 ATS this season against teams coming off a loss and that shows us that teams are putting forth big efforts when playing the Celtics with a bad taste in their mouth. Orlando gets its revenge in another chance on national television. 10* Orlando Magic

Milwaukee has gone through a brutal stretch of games recently. The schedulemakers have done the Bucks no favors as 11 of their last 15 games have been on the road. This included a loss last night in Dallas by just a point but even though this schedule has not been in their favor, it will not affect them here. If anything, playing at home should be a very welcomed sight. Even though the stretch has been brutal, there has been some solid rest in-between a lot of those games. This includes two days off before playing Dallas so the no-rest factor tonight does not mean anything. For that matter, Milwaukee is 7-2 ATS when playing the second game of a back-to-back set. It is also big time revenge tonight for the Bucks who have lost six straight meetings in this series and that is definitely helping with the line here. The Sixers have been one of the bigger disappointments in the NBA this season as they are currently 14 games under .500 which includes being six game under .500 on the road. Philadelphia has gotten a little better since riding a 12-game losing streak as it is 10-11 in its last 21 games but that is far from a big turnaround. This stretch has included road losses again Washington, LA Clippers and Minnesota so it hasn

The Lakers are coming off a relatively easy win last night in Washington and so far on the extended roadtrip, Los Angeles has alternated wins and losses. Playing the second of back-to-back games has not been kind for the Lakers this season as they are just 5-6 ATS in such situations and it is actually even worse here as this is the fifth game for Los Angeles since last Thursday so there has not been much rest along the way. The Lakers are not a good road team to begin with as they enter this game 11-8 but for the team that is supposedly the best in basketball, it is very average in my opinion. Add to the fact the Lakers have played the 26th ranked schedule in the NBA. Indiana is coming off a home-and-home split with the Sixers but in reverse as the road team won those meetings. The Pacers are not great at home this season with a 10-11 record that includes a 3-6 mark as a home underdog but a lot of that was when Indiana was slumping badly as it has won its last two games as a home underdog outright over Phoenix and Orlando. Even with the losing record, the Pacers are only -0.9 ppg in scoring margin at home while the Lakers, who are three games over .500 are only +1.0 in road scoring margin. Los Angeles is 10-4 as a road favorite but it has covered only six of those 14 games showing it is overvalued which comes as no surprise. We are also seeing some reverse line movement taking place as close to 80 percent of the action is on the Lakers yet the line has dropped from 6.5 to -5.5 as of last Wednesday morning. Indiana falls into a great situation as well. Play against .750 or better favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are playing their 3rd road game in five days and playing a team with a winning percentage between .250 and .400. This situation is 28-8 ATS (77.8 percent) since 1996. 9* Indiana Pacers

It is pretty safe to say that this is a big game for the Knicks. They are coming off a humiliating defeat on Sunday at home against Dallas by 50 points. Scoring margins that big are rare and even for the Knicks as that was the worst ever loss at MSG and second-worse loss in the history of the 46-year old franchise. They were down by 53 points at one stage in the fourth quarter and that is the largest deficit (or lead) of any kind in the NBA this season. Asked if the effort was there, head coach Mike D

I last used Memphis Friday and it won by a bucket over Oklahoma City but failed to cover by a point and a half. It has been an outstanding turnaround season for the Grizzlies but it could be even better if not for a number of heartbreaking losses, including their last two setbacks that came by a bucket apiece. The good news is that they are on their home court as part of a very favorable scheduling spot. After playing four straight home games, and winning all four, Memphis went on the road for just one game before returning home to play two more. The Grizzlies are 16-5 on their home floor and this after a 1-2 start and they have won 10 straight games at FedEx Forum as this place is becoming a tough venue for the opposition. While they are four games over .500 overall, they are still on the outside looking in on the playoff picture in the perennially tough Western Conference. The Grizzlies are 8-4 ATS against the Eastern Conference and they have won 12 of 14 games this season when playing as a home favorite. Orlando was lucky to come away with a victory on Saturday after it blew a big lead in the second half. The Magic were taken to overtime and they were fortunate to jump out to an 11-0 lead in the extra session to make it into an easy win. It was definitely a much needed victory as Orlando needs to string something together after a very poor run, going 2-7 in its previous nine games prior to this current 3-0 run. Two of those wins were at home against lowly Sacramento and Indiana and considering those two teams are a combined 8-37 on the road, the recent run id definitely skewed. Orlando is just 13-11 on the road and after losing only 14 road games all of last season, it has definitely been a struggle. It is only 3-6 ATS on the road against winning teams and 1-6-1 ATS in its last eight road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Memphis is 13-2 ATS coming off a home win this season and a perfect 5-0 ATS against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600. 8* Memphis Grizzlies

We cashed a ticket last night with Atlanta over Charlotte as the Bobcats continue to struggle on the road. However, they do not struggle at home where they are 18-4 this season and tonight they catch an overconfident Orlando team that has won two straight games against inferior competition. The loss to the Hawks last night snapped a six-game winning streak for Charlotte with all of those wins coming at home. The schedule is an odd setup with those six straight home games followed by one road game and another home game before a west coast roadtrip of six games. Taking care of business has been a priority and the Bobcats will be out for some payback tonight as one of those four home losses this season came against Orlando by 12 points back in November. This is actually a double-revenge spot as Orlando followed that up with a home win a week later. Orlando has not won three straight games since before Christmas and even then is it debatable how good it was since its last three-game winning streak included all three games being played at home. The Magic do have a winning record on the road at 12-11 but they are 2-9 in their last 11 games away from home so that 10-2 start on the road is rather insignificant now. Orlando is just 2-6 ATS this season on the road against teams with a winning record and this price range has treated the Bobcats great as they are 9-3 ATS as a favorite of fewer than six points this season and they are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 home games as a favorite of three points or less. Also, Charlotte is 8-2 ATS this season when playing with no rest. As mentioned, Orlando won the first two meetings this year but those were back in November and it has dominated this series but the teams are much different now and Charlotte gets that revenge tonight. 10* Charlotte Bobcats

No matter what the Lakers do on Thursday night against Cleveland, win or lose, this is a definite letdown spot for them. Playing the Cavaliers meant two things for Los Angeles and that was playing the best team in the Eastern Conference with the best player in the conference and playing with revenge. The Lakers were after revenge following the home loss against the Cavaliers on Christmas and even though I thought it mattered little, it did matter to the players and that is big thing in this league of egos. There is no chance the Lakers will be as energetic or focused on Friday following that game. I have played against the Lakers on 11 different occasions this season prior to Thursday night and had gone 8-1-1 ATS and this is no accident as I have been able to find those go-against spots. Actually the one loss should have been a win but the Lakers outscored the Kings 18-9 in overtime to secure a cover. A lot of the thinking for Thursday was that Los Angeles was overpriced and I actually think it is not overpriced in this game as this line is right where the number should be. This will get a ton of Lakers action and of course I believe that is the wrong side. As for the Knicks, they have hit a bit of a rough stretch after a great run but having four days off prior to this game could not have come at a better time. They had gone on a run of 11-5 prior to their recent 2-4 skid but to their credit four of those games came on the road. At home the Knicks are 10-11 and that record is nothing special but they are 9-3 over their last 12 games at MSG and that is big especially when getting points. The Lakers are only 5-10 ATS on the road and despite being 12-1 against the Eastern Conference, they are just 6-6 against the number and as a favorite of fewer than six points they are 0-6 ATS. New York will be the more inspired team on the floor on Friday. 9* New York Knicks

Memphis suffered another road loss on Wednesday, this time in a close defeat at New Orleans, and that has been the story this season. It has been an outstanding turnaround season for the Grizzlies but it could be even better if not for a number of heartbreaking losses, including their last two that have come by a bucket apiece. The good news is that they are on their home court once again as part of a very favorable scheduling spot. After playing four straight home games, and winning all four, Memphis went on the road for just one game before returning home to play two more. That is excellent news as the Grizzlies are 15-5 on their home floor and this after a 1-2 start. They have won nine straight games at FedEx Forum, and while feared may not be the right word, this place is becoming a tough venue for the opposition. While they are three games over .5000 overall, they are still on the outside looking in on the playoff picture in the perennially tough Western Conference. One of those early season home losses came against Oklahoma City so it is revenge time. The Thunder are also having an incredible turnaround season and they are actually in the seventh spot in the Western Conference. They are six games over .500 after going 8-34 through 42 games a season ago which is an incredible 16-game turnaround. They are the talk of the league but let

This is not an easy spot for the Bobcats. Charlotte is part of the grouping of one of the teams that is having a great turnaround season (Memphis and Oklahoma City being the other) but until it learns how to win on the road, the Bobcats will not be going very far. They are 18-4 at home which is the best home record and the most wins in the Eastern Conference however they are 3-15 on the road which is one of the worst road records in the league. This is a typical home/road dichotomy in the NBA but this one is more extreme than others as the home team is an amazing 33-7 in Charlotte

I was able to cash a ticket with the Cavaliers on Christmas Day as they went to Los Angeles and won rather easily from start to finish in what was a pretty solid revenge situation from the prior season when the Lakers swept Cleveland in the season series by 17 and 10 points. That sets up a revenge spot for the Lakers now but I do not like that at all. Playing with road revenge is bad enough but when a team is not very good on the road and playing one of the best home teams in the NBA, it makes it even worse. I have played against the Lakers on 10 different occasions this season and have gone 8-1-1 ATS and this is no accident as I have been able to find those go-against spots. Actually the one loss should have been a win but the Lakers outscored the Kings 18-9 in overtime to secure a cover. I said from day one this season that Los Angeles will be an overpriced team and that has been proven with its 18-22-1 ATS record. And it is overpriced again here. Yes, the Lakers are underdogs for just the fifth time this season but it is not enough. They have gone 0-3 ATS as an underdog of fewer than six points and the results show three outright losses by a total of 52 points. This is just the 16th road game of the season which is still the fewest in the NBA and thus, Los Angeles has played the easiest schedule in the league. Los Angeles is 1-7 ATS this season on the road when playing a team with a winning record. Cleveland is 15-3 at home which is the best home record in the Eastern Conference and while a 6-12 ATS mark in those games may not look good, the majority have been big spreads where the Cavaliers are not blowing out the teams they should be. They are 6-12 ATS against losing teams but 13-6 ATS against winning teams. The best proof shows the Cavaliers going a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as a home favorite of fewer than five points. While this may be revenge for the Lakers, Cleveland does not want to give that Christmas win back as it wants to prove that it is just as good, if not better than the defending World Champions. They prove it Thursday night. 10* Cleveland Cavaliers

The Bulls recent turnaround has been sudden but surprising as there was talk about head coach Vinny Del Negro not sticking around for too much longer. However a home win over New Orleans sparked an 8-3 run and put the Bulls right back in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as they currently hold the eighth position in the standings. They are coming off a loss in their last game, the first of a seven-game Western Conference roadtrip where they have not fared well. Chicago is 5-9 this season against the Western Conference including a 1-5 record on the road where it is 4-14 on the season overall. Two of those road wins include victories over conference rivals Boston and Cleveland and take those away and the Bulls are 1-13 in their other 14 games when getting points away from home. The Clippers have hung tough this season despite another setback before the year even got started with the loss of Blake Griffin. Los Angeles is four games under .500 on the season and that is not going to do much in the Western Conference standings but it is taking care of business when it is supposed to. The Clippers are 7-1 in their last eight home games, going 7-0-1 ATS in those contests and on the season, they are 9-1 as a home favorite and while that is the straight up record, laying a short number is definitely beneficial. Chicago has won the last two meetings in Los Angeles by 20 and 19 points and those blowout losses certainly have the attention of the Clippers. Chicago is just 3-11-1 ATS in its last 15 games after allowing 100 or more points while the Clippers have covered six straight against the Eastern Conference. 8* Los Angeles Clippers

This is the sixth consecutive home game for Golden St. whose first five games of this homestand have been up and down as two wins have been sandwiched around three losses. The last game against Chicago resulted in a win to move the Warriors to 8-10 at home which is certainly nothing special but that record is a half-game better than what the road record is for Denver yet the Warriors are getting a very generous number here. Golden St. has been decimated with injuries this season but it has remained very competitive as even though it is 12-27 overall, it is 21-17-1 against the number including an 11-7 ATS mark at home. This includes a 7-2 ATS record as a home underdog as four of those nine games have been won outright and two others resulting in losses by three points or fewer (Rockets and Cavaliers). The Nuggets are on a three-game winning streak but all three have come at home and as already said, the road has not been great as they are 8-11 on the season. Of those 19 games, Denver has been favored 14 times and has gone a very disappointing 4-10 ATS in those games. This is a quick turnaround for the Nuggets who return home tomorrow night against the Clippers as part of three more home games in a row. This is the first meeting in Golden St. since last November as the last two meetings last season and the first two meetings this season have all taken place in Denver. Going back further, the Warriors are 22-8 ATS in their last 30 games as a home underdog. 9* Golden St. Warriors

New Orleans lost its last home game against San Antonio and this one has turned into a rather big game. The Hornets have a four-game roadtrip on deck following this home game against Memphis so it will want to go into that coming off a win to provide some sort of momentum in what has been a difficult season playing on the road. Playing at home has been a different story as New Orleans, after a 2-2 start at home, is 13-2 in its last 15 games at New Orleans Arena. The hornets have faced nine teams at home that have winning records and have gone 7-2 ATS in those games with the losses coming against the Blazers and Spurs as mentioned already. New Orleans had won seven straight in this series before the Grizzlies won at home last season but the Hornets came back to win the series season finale at home where they have won 12 of the past 14 meetings. Like New Orleans, Memphis is a much better team on its home floor where it is 15-5 on the season but just 7-13 on the road. The Grizzlies have won four straight games but all of those were at home and they get two more at home following this one. They have definitely been playing better on the road after a rough start to the year but they have played only once on the road since January 7th and that will be an issue here. The Hornets are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games overall against teams with a winning record. 8* New Orleans Hornets

Cleveland has not been nearly as good this season when laying points as it was last season but I like this spot for the Cavaliers to be able to get it done. Cleveland is coming off an average roadtrip where it went 3-2 with those two losses coming by just three points combined while two of the wins coming by a combined four points so it was involved in some close contests. The Cavaliers have a game against the Lakers up next but it is not until Thursday so there will not be a lookahead and that game should actually help them focus more in this one as wining big win here increases confidence and provides momentum against what will be a very hungry Lakers team. Because of Cleveland

What is wrong with Orlando? After starting the season a pretty average 6-3, the Magic went on an 18-5 run and resembled the team that represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals last season. However, they have fallen back as they have gone just 2-6 over their last eight games including two straight blowout losses on this roadtrip. They now have their first shot at the Lakers following their 4-1 series loss last season in the Finals and while many will argue that this is the worst time to face the Lakers, I think the spot is great. In the last game at Portland, Orlando was favored by 5.5 points and now the number has completely reversed itself which is no doubt justified based on the recent play by the Magic. However, we are still grabbing the right side and a lot of that is based on the movement of this line. This line opened at 6.5 in a lot places and even though close to three-quarters of the betting action is on the Lakers as of Monday afternoon, this number has come down. Los Angeles possesses the best record in the NBA and that is the way it should be as the Lakers have played the easiest schedule in the league thus far. 25 of their 40 games have been played at home which is easily the biggest home/road ratio in the league and even though they are 22-3 in those 25 home games, they have covered just 13 of those. Los Angeles is only 18-22 ATS on the season which is horrible considering it owns the best record in basketball but that is due to being a publicly overpriced team. In this price range, things have been even worse as the Lakers are 3-6 ATS as favorites of fewer than seven points. There is definitely a bulls-eye on the Lakers back and for Orlando, this would be the best way to break out of its funk. Orlando falls into a solid contrarian situation. Play against teams after a win by 15 points or more going up against an opponent after two straight losses by 15 points or more. This situation is 33-13 ATS (71.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* Orlando Magic

The Sixers hit the road where they have been playing very well as they are 4-1 over their last five road games. They are also 6-4 over their last 10 games overall but I don

Last night was a devastating loss for the Wizards. I won with Washington as it was able to cover pretty much wire-to-wire in what was a close game throughout. However, losing in double-overtime is a tough loss to begin with and now trying to recover with a game the next night is a tough proposition. The Wizards are 2-8 ATS this season when playing with no rest and one of those wins was a game against New Jersey which is saying very little. That loss made it four straight defeats for Washington and sitting at 12-26 on the season, it is clearly one of the biggest disappointments this year after it was picked as a sleeper in the Southeast Division. This starts a stretch of six straight home games and that is arguably more on the minds of the players than this actual game. The Kings are struggling as well as they have lost seven of their last eight games including three straight on the road. Overall, Sacramento is just 3-14 away from home so asking for a win here may seem like too much to ask for but the spot is simply too good and the Kings have fared well against the number as they are 9-6-2 ATS. Overall the Kings are 8-4 straight up against teams in the bottom half of the league. They lost last night in Philadelphia so the travel is not a big factor here and they are 2-1-1 ATS in the second ob back-to-back road games when playing with no rest. The loss last night saw the return of shooting guard Kevin Martin who scored 19 points in just under 34 minutes as the rust of missing 32 games was apparent. The one game played however will provide the opportunity for a better game tonight and Sacramento should be able to get the offense back in gear as the 86 points scored was a season low. The Kings are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games following a double-digit loss while Washington is 2-12 ATS in its last 14 games as a home favorite of three points or less and it is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 home games against a team with a losing road record. Additionally, the Wizards are 2-11 ATS this season following a cover. 9* Sacramento Kings

Milwaukee has had its road struggles this season as it is 4-14 away from home but to its credit the schedule has been extremely tough. Seven of those games have come against teams ranked in the top 10 as well as four others between 11th and 16th. The Bucks are 3-4 in the teams ranked below the top 16 and that is where tonight

This is a very tough sandwich game for the Bulls. I had Chicago on Thursday against Boston in a big contrarian situation but now we will switch to the other side so a few scheduling reasons. Chicago was no doubt amped up for that game against Boston on national television so coming back and playing Washington is far from a game that it will put forth the same energy. Add to that, the Bulls embark on a west coast roadtrip after this game where they will play seven games in 12 days. Chicago is definitely playing a lot better of late and that was part of the Thursday play but this is about spots and this is one spot the favorite needs to be avoided. The Bulls have not been very consistent this season when laying points as they have won 11 of the 15 games when being favored but they have covered only six of those games. Taking Washington may not seem like a good investment but now that the Wizards have had a few games since the whole Gilbert Arenas situation went down, they can get back to playing their average basketball. Average is not necessarily a bad thing here as Washington is 1-5 ATS on the road against teams with a winning record but a much better 5-4 ATS on the road against losing teams. An even better look at it shows that in all games this season when it is a small underdog of less than three points, Washington is 0-4 ATS and when getting close to double-digits or more, it is 0-5 ATS. The Wizards are 10-4 ATS as underdogs between 3.0 and 8.5 points and those are against the team it can compete with. They are 8-10 straight up against teams ranked outside the top 16 in the league. Coming off a loss has better suited the Wizards all season as they have covered only two of 12 games this season following a win. Chicago has struggled this season when playing with no rest as it is 2-6 ATS and only 1-7 straight up. Another outright loss would be far from surprising if it happened here but we will take the generous points anyway as Washington looks to extend its current 5-1 ATS run in this series. 7* Washington Wizards

San Antonio won at Oklahoma City in overtime on Wednesday which forced us to rip up a ticket but I will be going against the Spurs again on the road here. Let

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *24-8 DHD RUN* After last year

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR **65% RUN** There will be a lot of action on Houston here based on the fact it is getting points and has the better record and of course, is the more popular team. The Rockets are hitting the road for just one game before going back home to play three straight and eight of its next nine games. Getting up for Charlotte is certainly not a priority here especially with the fact that the Rockets have swept the season series each of the last three years and have won seven straight meetings overall. Houston is 10-12 on the road including losses in four straight and while the road schedule has been rough, this one is ranked up there as well. The wins in the last seven games against the Bobcats have come against teams not even close to the same team as they have this season. Charlotte is the epitome of an NBA team that has success at home but struggles on the road. In the Bobcats 35 games this season, the home team is 28-7 and that includes a 13-4 record at home. They have won four straight games and the four losses this season have come against Orlando and Boston from the Eastern conference and Portland and Utah from the Western Conference. Those are four tough teams no doubt and while Houston can be lumped up there with them, I do not like this spot for the Rockets at all. Charlotte is a very respectable 4-7 against teams ranked within the top ten and I consider that outstanding as it went 5-19 against top ten teams last season and 4-21 against top ten teams in 2007-08. This is dramatically improved team. Charlotte is 22-9 ATS in its last 31 games following a game where both teams scored fewer than 90 points and it is 25-10 ATS in its last 35 games coming off a home win. Houston meanwhile is 0-6 ATS in its last six road games and those road woes continue Tuesday. 9* Charlotte Bobcats

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *23-8 DHD RUN* After Boston swept the season series against Atlanta last season, the Hawks are trying to return the favor. They have won both matchups this season and go for the third straight tonight in Boston. Atlanta defeated the Celtics in the most recent meeting just this past Friday at home but it is coming off a dud on Saturday as the Hawks went to Orlando and were blasted by 32 points. That dropped the Hawks to 9-9 on the road which is still very respectable as they are one of only nine teams in the entire NBA that has a .500 or better record on the road. Boston rebounded from that loss in Atlanta by defeating the Raptors in Toronto yesterday and it was yet another win against an average team. The Celtics have played a pretty light schedule this season and they have won the games they are supposed to as they are 23-4 against teams ranked outside the top ten. They are just 3-5 against the top ten and as mentioned, that includes a 0-2 record against the Hawks. Boston is only 1-3 ATS at home against teams with a winning record and with only four games coming against good teams, the 11-4 record at home makes more sense. The Hawks meanwhile are 8-2 ATS this season against teams with a winning percentage of .700 or better. Atlanta falls into a solid situation based on its most recent performance. Play on road teams that are averaging 103 or more ppg on the season, after trailing in their previous game by 20 or more points at the half. This situation is 24-3 ATS (88.9 percent) over the last five seasons. It basically states that good teams are able to rebound off a poor performance and we will see it again here. 9* Atlanta Hawks

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *23-7 DHD RUN* Portland has had its up and downs this season but it is coming off a big home win against the Lakers Friday and now welcome another elite opponent. Prior to that last victory the Blazers were coming off two losses it never should have lost as it went down against the Clippers in Los Angeles and at home against Memphis. Prior to that they had gone 8-2 in their previous 10 games and they bring in a solid 14-6 home record into this one. They have been annihilated with injuries this season and are still on the mend but at least the core players are back, with the exception of Greg Oden. That home record is a half-game better than what the Cavaliers have on the road making this line out of whack similar to that Lakers game. Cleveland is laying points simply because it has to but the linesmakers are saying that Cleveland is a point and a half better than the Lakers, who were laying just four points Friday. Less than a month ago, Cleveland was favored by 10 points over Portland at home and the line shift to this game in Portland does not fit as based on a four-point edge for home court, the Cavaliers should be just a two-point chalk here. The Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS this season as road underdogs but just 8-8 ATS as road favorites and they are 4-7 ATS as favorites of fewer than six points. The Blazers are 18-6 ATS in their last 24 games as a home underdog and they are also 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring 105 or more points in their previous game. Cleveland has struggled against good rebounding teams this season, going 0-6 ATS against teams outboarding opponents by three or more per game. 9* Portland Trailblazers

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *22-7 DHD RUN* Denver is coming off a huge win last night sat home against Cleveland and that was without Carmelo Anthony in the lineup. The Nuggets will likely be without Anthony against tonight and this is a game they could definitely use him as this is a massive letdown spot. Overall, Denver is not playing good basketball right now as it is 4-6 in its last 10 games and its lead in the Northwest Division is down to just one game over Portland. Denver is 15-3 at home after last night

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *21-7 DHD RUN* It has been eight years since the Lakers have won in Portland and there is no reason to think that streak is broken tonight. Los Angeles has had the best schedule to date in the NBA as it has played 23 home games and only 12 road games and one of those road games was against the Clippers last time out which is not even considered a road game in my opinion. The Lakers are only 8-4 in those road games including losses in two straight. Of those eight wins, four came in overtime while the other four came against Golden St., Chicago, New Jersey and Detroit, all of which have losing records on the season and are a combined 38-98. The best record in the NBA has been aided by the easiest schedule in the league. Portland has had its up and downs this season and it is coming off two losses it never should have lost as it went down against the Clippers in Los Angeles and at home against Memphis. Prior to that the Blazers had gone 8-2 in their previous 10 games and they bring in a solid 13-6 home record into this one. They have been annihilated with injuries this season and are still on the mend but at least the core players are back, with the exception of Greg Oden, and this will definitely be a team looking to bounce back following two poor losses. On the other side, all indications are that Pau Gasol will not play tonight and is targeting a comeback at home on Sunday. The Lakers are just 5-8 ATS in the 13 games he has missed including a 0-4 ATS record on the road. They are also 0-5 ATS this season in their five games on the road against teams with a winning record which makes their 0-4 ATS mark as favorites of fewer than six points more plausible. Play on home underdogs after two or more consecutive overs and are outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. This situation is 46-19 ATS (70.8 percent) since 1996. The streak continues tonight. 9* Portland Trailblazers

**10** NBA #1 JANUARY REVENGE GAME *HUGE* It is safe to say Minnesota has had this game circled for quite some time. The Timberwolves and Warriors met earlier this season in Golden St. and the Warriors prevailed by 41 points. Minnesota has had some bad losses this season but that was by far the worst and it will be out for some payback tonight. The Timberwolves have dropped four straight games including two on the road and two at home. Those two home losses came against Orlando and Utah, two top teams in the league so it is a big step down tonight. The Timberwolves have struggled against those better teams going 3-7 ATS at home against teams with a winning record while going a much more respectable 4-3 ATS at home against teams with a losing record. Golden St. is coming off a horrific loss last night in Denver as it hung tight with the Nuggets but lost in the last second because of a phantom foul. Denver hit two free throws with 0.4 seconds left and pulled off the improbable win and that loss for the Warriors will be tough to overcome. That was the eighth straight road loss for Golden St. who fell to 3-17 on the road and 9-24 overall. Golden St, is getting outscored on the road by 8.2 ppg and with this being the final game of a four-game trip, I don

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *21-6 DHD RUN* The Kings are in a little bit of a slump as they have lost three straight and five of their last six games but this is a good spot for a rebound. Two of those losses came in overtime against the Cavaliers and Lakers in consecutive games and unfortunately I happened to be backing the Kings in those games as they were outscored 31-9 in the overtime sessions of those games so that was simply bad luck. Another loss came at the Lakers by a point as Kobe Bryant hit a shot at the buzzer to win it. A couple breaks and Sacramento could be on a much better run it is what it is and it welcomes yet another strong opponent to Arco Arena. The Suns are coming off a home loss against Memphis on Saturday and it wasn

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *20-6 DHD RUN* Neither Atlanta nor Miami is playing very good basketball right now as both are mired in three-game losing skids. The Hawks lost both game in a home-and-home against the Cavaliers before losing its third straight in overtime against the Knicks last time out. That home loss to the Knick was surprising as it was the second home loss against New York this season so that revenge game did not work out. The Hawks are now involved in another revenge game but the roles are switched this time. Miami has had a couple days to stew over its last loss against Charlotte at home on Saturday which happened to be just the third road win of the season for the Bobcats. Now the Heat look to get back into the win column against one of the bet teams in the Eastern Conference and motivation should be no issue. After losing the Conference Quarterfinals last season to the Hawks, Miami lost the first rematch game this season by 15 points in Atlanta. Now, it gets a chance to extract some revenge in the first game at home since then. Miami is 4-1 ATS this season as an underdog of fewer than three points while Atlanta is 0-2 ATS as a favorite of fewer than three points so this number is right in our parameters. The Heat also fall into a great situation based on that revenge. Play on teams that are revenging a road loss against opponent of 10 points or more and coming off a loss by 10 points or more as a favorite. This situation is 71-35 ATS (67 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* Miami Heat

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *100% ANGLE* This number is a lot smaller than I expected. The Lakers won all three meetings in this series last season by more points than they are putting down on Sunday but it is the first meeting that took place this season that makes this a big play. The Mavericks came into Los Angeles and defeated the Lakers in the second game of the season and it wasn

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *19-6 DHD RUN* Milwaukee is not the underdog in this game, yet, but it still classifies as a dark horse team based on recent results. Oklahoma City has been a very hot team with wins in five straight games and that makes this the right time to back off and look in the other direction. Buy low and sell high is what we are looking for in this league and this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of a very soft line. The Thunder are 9-7 on the road this season and those nine wins are already more than all of last season when they went 8-33 away from home so to say this team has shown improvement is an understatement. Still, the situation calls for going the other way. While Oklahoma City is winning, Milwaukee is losing. The Bucks have dropped four straight and seven of their last eight games and this is the other half of the buy low and sell high spot. Losing is never a good thing but to their credit four of those recent losses have come against the Lakers, Cavaliers, Spurs and Magic and while the Thunder have improved, they cannot be put into that grouping. Milwaukee has lost four straight games at home and coming off a two-game road swing, this is a great opportunity to snap that skid after starting the season 9-3 at home. The Bucks also fall into a great situation. Play against road teams that are averaging between 98 and 102 ppg going up against teams that are allowing between 98 and 102 ppg, after a win by three points or less. This situation is 41-16 ATS (71.9 percent) over the last five seasons. The home team is 10-2 ATS in the last 12 meetings and Milwaukee is out to avenge an 18-point setback in Oklahoma City back in November as well. 9* Milwaukee Bucks

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR **18-9 RUN** It is revenge time for Utah but that is meaningless here as road revenge is tough in the NBA especially when a team cannot win on the road. The Jazz are 6-9 on the road this season which is not horrible but five of those victories have come against Minnesota, Charlotte, New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York. The common trait for all of those teams is that they all have losing records and not even good ones as all are at least six games under .500. The lone road win that was quality came at San Antonio which played without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili so it is safe to say that the Jazz possess no good road wins this season. Oklahoma City has quietly won four straight games with three of those coming on the road and this run put an end to a recent 1-5 stretch that came against elite competition including the Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets and Cavaliers. I do not put Utah in that category anymore as it was there at one point but it is on a downward trend while the Thunder are moving in the other direction. Utah had won seven of the eight meetings in this series the previous two years but Oklahoma City won the first meeting in Utah this year as it took advantage of 24 turnovers from the Jazz. As mentioned, the road revenge factor comes into play and Utah is not a team that has had success in it. The Jazz are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 road games revenging a loss against an opponent. Oklahoma City has been solid this season against good offenses as it is 10-3 ATS in the 13 games against teams that are shooting 46 percent from the floor or better. It is also 6-0 ATS in its last six home games against a team with a losing road record while the Jazz are 8-18 ATS in their last 26 road games against a team with a winning home record. 9* Oklahoma City Thunder

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *19-5 DHD RUN* The safe play here is on the home team as Phoenix as coming off a big win against the Lakers while the Celtics are reeling with two straight bad losses against the lower class of the Western Conference. I am going opposite thinking here however as I expect a big Boston bounce back and even though this is a team that the Suns should be up for, I still see a letdown. The win over Los Angeles was a big revenge game for Phoenix as it overcame two huge defeats earlier in the season and now the roles are reversed. Boston comes into this game with its own revenge in mind following a seven-point home loss to the Suns back on November 6th. That was the first loss of the season for the Celtics who started off 6-0 and put them into a mini-slump where they went on a 3-4 run. They won 11 straight and went 14-1 in the next 15 games before the two recent losses leading up to this game. Boston has played up and down to the competition on the road this season as it is 2-7 ATS against teams with a losing record and a perfect 5-0 ATS against teams with a winning record. This includes a 3-0 record as underdogs and those three games also resulted in outright wins over Cleveland, San Antonio and most recently Orlando on Christmas Day. After starting the season 14-3, the Suns are only 6-9 in their last 15 games and they have not won back-to-back games since November 29th. They are 0-6 in their last six games following a win while covering just one game when they were underdogs. The road team is 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings in this series and that continues on Wednesday with an outright Boston victory. 9* Boston Celtics

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *33-14 RUN* You won

**10**NBA TOP 2009 REVENGE PLAY *18-6 RUN* It is time for another big revenge spot and this time it is on the up and coming Hawks. Atlanta is back home following a 2-2 roadtrip that involved a lot of travel in the week it was on the road. The Hawks have had two full days off to get ready for this one and ready they will be. They have had this one circled since last May when they were swept in the Conference Semifinals by Cleveland and it wasn

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *18-5 DHD RUN* This is a big game for Phoenix. The Suns are playing for some huge revenge as they lost the first two meetings this season, both in Los Angeles, by 19 and 20 points. They are coming off a road loss at Golden St. on Saturday which came right after easily defeating the Clippers at home on Christmas night. That was a big win as it stopped a two-game skid at home after winning the first nine to start the season. The Lakers are 8-2 on the road this season but I am still not impressed. I played against Los Angeles in its last road game against the Kings and that was a tough loss to swallow as the Lakers won it thanks to a big run in the second overtime. The eight road wins have come against some less than stellar competition as of those eight victories, only one has come against a Western Conference team that is currently sitting in a playoff spot and that was at Houston by a single point in overtime. The two other road games against Western Conference playoff teams resulted in losses at Utah and at Denver. Overall the Lakers have played the 29th ranked schedule in the NBA while the Suns have played the fourth toughest schedule in the league. The debacle against Golden St. puts Phoenix into an outstanding situation here. Play on teams that are shooting 48 percent or better on the season after a game where they allowed the opponent to shoot 55 percent or more from the floor. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential being +6.2 ppg, The Suns get their revenge at home tonight. 9* Phoenix Suns

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *17-5 DHD RUN* This number is too big for two teams that are very evenly matched and are within just a game of each other with Dallas actually holding that one-game edge. Recent history is playing into this line and that is definitely helping our cause. The Mavericks have had this game circled since last May following a 4-1 playoff loss the Nuggets which added to a dreadful 8-1 season series loss. Of the eight Nuggets victories last season, four came by three points or fewer including the two games played in Denver during the regular season. This certainly explains the listless effort last night by Dallas in the five-point home win over Memphis. Denver is 13-1 at home which is the best home record in the NBA but the Mavericks are 10-4 which is the best road record in the Western Conference. Dallas won only 18 games on the road last season and it took the first 21 road games to reach 11 wins while a win here would make it only 15 this season showing a vast improvement. The Mavericks were beaten badly in the conference semifinals last season and they will be out for some revenge here. I do not look too much into road revenge, only under certain conditions, and this is definitely one of those. 9* Dallas Mavericks

The thinking here will be that the Lakers bounce back from that huge loss against Cleveland on Christmas day but I think it is just the opposite. Obviously the Lakers are a great team but that defeat can linger as they were humbled pretty good and if anything, this will be a big letdown the day after. Add to that, Los Angeles is at Phoenix in two days. I played the Kings in their last game and they covered for 48 minutes but the problem is that the game went to overtime which no underdog bettor ever wants to see and Sacramento was outscored 13-0 by the Cavaliers. That can leave a lingering sting but they have had time to get over it and with another marquee team in town, the Kings will be up once again. They are 10-4 at home and they have been solid in these spots, going a percent 9-0 ATS in their last nine games following a double-digit loss. The Lakers meanwhile are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a double-digit loss. Also, Sacramento is 10-3 ATS in its 13 games this season against teams averaging 99 or more ppg. 10* Sacramento Kings

The wrong team is favored here or I should at least say that the Spurs should not be favored as this game should be in the pickem range. San Antonio was favored by eight points in the first meeting at home this season and the venue change should turn this one into a game right around even. Since that game, the Spurs have gone 9-5 while the Bucks have gone 4-11 so the teams have not been on equal ground but the schedule has had a lot to do with it. Also, Milwaukee has had some brutal losses as three of the last four defeats have come by three points or fewer including two one-point losses at home. You cannot ignore the fact that the Spurs are just 3-6 on the road which is a bad record and it also shows that only just over a third of the games have come away from home. The Spurs and the Lakers are the only two teams in the NBA to play fewer than 10 road games on the year. 8* Milwaukee Bucks

This game reminds me a lot of the Golden St./New Orleans game on Wednesday. New Jersey is horrible and currently playing some bad basketball so this is a good time to back the Nets. Just like taking the Warriors then, we are buying low tonight as this line is severely inflated yet the public is riding it out. There are a lot of +10.5 lines out there and just a week ago, the Nets were +12.5 against the Lakers and there is no way the Rockets are only two points worse than the Lakers. Houston is in a horrendous spot here as it is coming off a game in Orlando on Wednesday and has a game at Cleveland tomorrow. Despite losing to the Magic, I do not see the Rockets getting up for this one especially with the Cavaliers on deck. There certainly is not much good to say about New Jersey but winning in the NBA is about winning ugly and it does not get uglier than this. 8* New Jersey Nets

After starting the season 10-0 at home, the Suns have dropped two straight at US Airways Center. The Clippers coming to town is the perfect remedy. Phoenix is just 4-8 in its last 12 games but to its credit, it has played some major competition. Six of those losses have come against teams that will no doubt be in the playoffs come the end of the season as well as a loss against up and coming Oklahoma City last time out. The Clippers have been up and down this season and the road woes continue. They are 5-8 which isn

Catching Cleveland as an underdog is rare as it has gotten points only three times this season at Miami, at Orlando and at Phoenix and it won all three of those games outright. The loss on Sunday against Dallas snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cavaliers and it was a rare setback against a good team but it responded with that Phoenix win and then the overtime win in Sacramento. This season, the Cavaliers have been playing up and down to the competition as they are 5-8 ATS against teams with a losing record but 9-3 ATS against teams with a winning record. The Lakers are 16-2 at home which is solid they can be beat. They are 0-2 ATS this season as a favorite of five points or less and that definitely sets up well here. Cleveland was blasted in both meetings last season so you know it will be out for some major payback here. 8* Cleveland Cavaliers

Orlando is one of very few teams that give the Celtics trouble and it will get even worse here. This line may seem high based on two elite teams facing each other but the absence of Paul Pierce cannot be understated. His numbers are definitely down this season but with him out of the lineup it does give big matchup advantages to the Magic. Boston has lost only once on the road this season and it came against Indiana of all teams but besides beating Cleveland opening night, the Celtics have hardly been tested away from home. They defeated San Antonio but other than that, the next best team is Oklahoma City who is 2-12 against top ten teams. Boston is 1-3 against the top ten while Orlando is 5-2 and it comes as no surprise that the Celtics have played the easiest schedule in the NBA this year. Boston wants revenge but it won

**8** NBA LATE NIGHT BAILOUT **12-2 RUN**I won with Cleveland on Monday against Phoenix as we saw a solid effort from the Cavaliers in that game. We are also going to see a solid effort from them on Christmas Day when they are playing the Lakers. That makes this game a tough letdown/lookahead spot for Cleveland but that isn

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *16-5 DHD RUN* Golden St. is playing horrible right now so why not play the Warriors? This is the perfect example of buying a team low and I don

**10** NBA CONFERENCE *GAME OF THE MONTH* This is a game of two very disappointing teams as both Philadelphia and Washington were expected to make big strides. Instead both are well below .500 and they are ahead of only New Jersey in the Eastern Conference standings making this game not very appealing to most. However, appealing games do not win bets as it is more about situations and this one sets up great for Washington. The Wizards are home from a four-game west coast roadtrip where they went 1-3 to drop to 4-10 on the road for the season. They are just 4-7 at home which certainly is not much better but this home game is of more importance than most as Washington goes right back on the road after this one for a three game trek beginning tomorrow night. The schedule makers have done no favors for the Wizards in December to end the month but they did give us a big opportunity here. While the Wizards are struggling, the Sixers are struggling just as bad if not worse. After the loss at home to the Clippers in their last game, they are on a 2-14 run to fall 13 games below .500 on the year. The game before that resulted in a road win at Boston and that was definitely a head-scratcher and it was the first road victory over a team not named New York or New Jersey. Six of the last seven games have been at home for Philadelphia and this marks the first game of a six-game roadtrip through the holidays. The Sixers have been doing a good job covering on the road but those have been games where they have been getting a ton of points and that is far from the case here. Washington has not forgotten getting swept in the season series last year and it is 1-0 this year as it looks to return the favor. The past, present and future schedules are aligning correctly for us tonight and we take advantage with a big winner. 10* Washington Wizards

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *15-5 DHD RUN* Cleveland lost on Sunday against a short-handed Dallas team which certainly came as a surprise to many as the Mavericks were without Dirk Nowitzki. Now the Cavaliers must regroup and do it quickly against the Suns and I think they have no problem doing so. Catching Cleveland as an underdog is rare as it has gotten points only twice this season at Miami and at Orlando and it won both of those games outright. The loss on Sunday snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cavaliers and it was a rare setback against a good team. This season, the Cavaliers have been playing up and down to the competition as they are 4-8 ATS against teams with a losing record but 8-3 ATS against teams with a winning record. This includes a win against Phoenix in the first meeting this season which was the third straight in this series. The Suns are undefeated at home at 10-0 and bring in a 19-game home winning streak to the table but I am not overly impressed. They have defeated Orlando and San Antonio on their home floor but other than that, there have been no other quality wins. On the season, Phoenix has struggled against the top teams in the NBA as it is 15-2 against teams ranked outside the top ten but just 3-7 against teams ranked in the top ten. The Suns are 7-3 ATS at home but this includes a 5-0 ATS mark against teams with a losing record. Facing the solid Suns offense is not an issue for the Cavaliers as they held them to 40 percent shooting in the first meeting and they are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games against teams that are shooting 48 percent or better from the floor. Also, Cleveland is 24-8 ATS in its last 32 games following a loss and it will extend that tonight as it bounces back from Sunday

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR **24-9 RUN** I won with New Orleans on Friday which was a big revenge game for the Hornets as they took care of the Nuggets. They now hit the road where they are just 2-10 on the season with the two wins coming against the Timberwolves and Clippers. They have been playing much better of late after a slow start to the season but I still do not trust this team on the road especially with catching a very small number. Toronto is coming off a big win over the Nets on Friday and while beating New Jersey is no big deal, it snapped a two-game road skid and provided some momentum heading into this game. The Raptors are 8-5 at home but the schedule has not been easy with two losses against Orlando, a loss against Phoenix and a loss against the Hawks all of which are part of the elite class of the league right now. They have played the third toughest schedule in the NBA and are 2-11 against the top 10 in the league. Play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are averaging 102 or more ppg and coming off a win by 15 or more points going up against a team averaging between 98 and 102 ppg. This situation is 29-7 ATS (80.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* Toronto Raptors

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *15-4 DHD RUN* This one sets up very well for Oklahoma City. Both teams come in off Friday wins but it will be Houston that will be the less focused team tonight. The Rockets won in Dallas last night in overtime and that was a big game for them as they were in big-time revenge mode, trying to avenge a 31-point loss against the Mavericks earlier in the year at home. Mission accomplished. Even though they are heading home now, this is not the time to back this team. Houston is 6-4 at home which is certainly nothing special and it is the worst record of the current top eight teams in the Western Conference. The Rockets have already won both meetings this season against the Thunder and they have actually won 12 straight in this series so we know what that means. It is now revenge time for Oklahoma City which hasn

**10** NBA #1 REVENGE REPORT **22-8 RUN** This is a huge game for New Orleans and everything falls into place for the Hornets on Friday. New Orleans is playing its first game against Denver this season and the last time it saw the Nuggets was in last year

**9** NBA ESPN STAR ATTRACTION **73% RUN** It may come as a surprise but this is the first game on ESPN tonight. While the matchup is far from glamorous, it does give us a big opportunity for a winner tonight. I played against the Knicks last night and they folded in the fourth quarter against the Bulls to cement their second straight loss. Both of those defeats came on the road and now New York is back at MSG and this is a big game for this team. The Knicks do have their own television network but playing on a national level does not come often and the home team steps it up in what is a solid revenge situation as well. The Clippers won both meetings last season but both of those games came in overtime and sometimes those are the worst losses, even worse than a big blowout. That makes it four straight losses for the Knicks in this series and quite honestly, losing four straight to the Clippers is something no team should be proud of. Los Angeles is in the early end of a six-game roadtrip and it started the trek with a blowout win at Minnesota on Wednesday night. That was the second straight road win for the Clippers but the first one was way back on November 27th as there was a block of six home games in the middle. This is just the third time all season that the Clippers have played two straight road games and only the second time they have done so following a win. The first time resulted in a loss at New Orleans and a similar result is likely here. On the season, Los Angeles is 4-5 on the road and just two games under .500 overall but it has played the easiest schedule in the NBA so being under the break-even point is not even close to impressive. The Knicks are a solid 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games despite the recent two setbacks and this includes a 4-1 ATS mark at home. This means that 10 of those 15 games have come on the road so the time at home has been minimal but includes wins over Phoenix and Portland which has upped the Knicks record to 7-2 ATS against the Western Conference. New York is 17-6 ATS in its last 23 games after playing two consecutive games as a road underdog while the Clippers are 8-24 ATS in their last 32 games coming off a win as an underdog. The Knick snap that skid against the Clippers tonight. 9* New York Knicks

**8** NBA TNT STAR ATTRACTION **70% RUN** Phoenix is a perfect 9-0 at home this season but it is a different team on the road as is the case with most teams in the NBA. The Suns have been tested on the road this season but the problem is that they have only passed half of those tests. They are 8-8 on the road and this includes five straight losses away from home so the problem is even more troublesome. Looking at those road games, wins have come against the Clippers, Wizards, Sixers, Timberwolves and Raptors, which is far from a solid resume. Granted, Phoenix did defeat Boston but the majority of games against the top teams in the league have resulted in losses. These include the Magic, Lakers (twice), Cavaliers, Mavericks and Nuggets. While many will not classify Portland in this

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR **19-8 RUN** We will go back to the Bulls tonight who brought a ticket home against the Lakers last time out although it was certainly not by a big margin. Chicago was in that game the entire time until the final quarter when the Lakers pulled away but now it takes a step down in competition. The Bulls have faced Boston and Los Angeles over the last two games and that will not result in a lot of success for many teams. Overall, the Bulls have played the toughest schedule in the NBA. 16 of their 23 games have come against teams ranked in the top half of the league where they have gone 4-12 meaning they are a more respectable 4-3 against teams outside the top 16. The Knicks definitely fit into that category. New York is 8-16 on the season including a 4-8 record on the road and it had a solid run going before its last game. The Knicks had won four straight games before a loss at Charlotte last time out and that is a problem as losses have come in bunches this season. The Knicks are 4-5 this season against the Western Conference which is a rather big surprise but it is just 4-11 against the Eastern Conference. Chicago has been a wallet burner for mot of this season compiling a 6-15-2 ATS mark on the year. You will see that the Bulls are 1-5 ATS in their six games as a favorite but all of those losses were as overprices favorites. They are 0-5 ATS as a favorite of fewer than six points and this small number actually fits into a lot of solid success and lack thereof on the other side. Chicago is 3-0 ATS this season when the line is between +3 and -3 while the Knicks are 5-9 ATS when the line is between +5 and -5. The problem this season for Chicago is the offense as it is shooting only 42.3 percent on the season which is second to worst in the NBA, ahead of only the Nets. The good news is there will not be much resistance tonight as the Knicks are allowing opponents to shoot 48.3 percent on the season which is third worst in the league so something will have to give and it looks like the Bulls get the edge there. Chicago bounces back at home and picks up the easy win. 9* Chicago Bulls

**10** NBA #1 DECEMBER TOTAL **100% RUN** We are getting some excellent value on this number and for a variety of different reasons. First and foremost, we are going against history here as over the last two seasons, the

**8** NBA GAME OF THE WEEK **17-7 RUN** I will be fading the Lakers once again. They were fortunate to come away with a relatively easy win last night thanks to a big fourth quarter but they still failed to get the cover against the Bulls. This is a different team on the road and one that still have not seen the road much this season. The Lakers have the second best record in the NBA but their schedule has had a lot to do with that. They are the defending World Champions so we know how good they are but playing 29th ranked schedule in the league has certainly not hurt the cause. 17 of their first 21 games came at home which is insane and they have gotten a great early break by the NBA. The six road games have not been particularly good either as they are 4-2 with one win coming against Golden St. and two others coming in overtime at Oklahoma City and Houston. Los Angeles is just +2.0 ppg in its six road games. This is just the second time this season that the Lakers have had to play back-to-back games on the road. The first time resulted in an overtime win by just a point over Houston in that second game. Milwaukee has been a pleasant surprise this season. It has won two straight games after going through a 1-8 slump but that run included some tight losses as well as six of those eight losses coming on the road. The Bucks are 9-3 at home this season with the three losses coming against Cleveland, Orlando and Dallas and those latter two were both by just two points. They welcomed Michael Redd back last game and he definitely showed some rust but he will be much better tonight. The play of rookie Brandon Jennings has been outstanding. The Bucks have had three full days off in between games and that can play a big role here in preparation for playing a team such as Los Angeles. The Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games when playing with no rest while the underdog is on a solid 10-1-1 run in this series. Milwaukee is a perfect 6-0 ATS the last six meetings. 8* Milwaukee Bucks

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *14-4 DHD RUN* One look at the 1-10 road record of Charlotte is going to sway a lot of people from taking the Bobcats here but that should not be taken into consideration. I will agree that the record is not good and the fact that one of those losses came against New Jersey is even worse but for the most part, those road games have been brutal. The list includes Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Dallas all of which are at least 8-4 on their home floors. Overall charlotte has been playing much better as after a 3-9 start, it is 7-4 over its last 11 games and the start of this recent run began with an easy home win over Indiana. The Pacers will be out for some revenge but most importantly they will be just out to win and it won

**7** NBA POWER PLAY SITUATION *77% ANGLE* Memphis is coming off a couple very good games against Miami and Boston, winning the former on the road by a wide margin and losing to the latter by just five points at home. The Grizzlies are 10-14 on the season which is just a one-game improvement through 24 games last season but it is their recent success that has us really liking this team now. After starting the season 1-8, Memphis has won nine of its last 15 including two big home win against Cleveland and Dallas at home as well as that Miami game on the road as mentioned. The Allen Iverson experiment was a big failure but that has not done anything to the mentality of this team and there is a great mixture of youth and experience that can lead this team to even bigger things. Atlanta is off to a solid start again this year as it has won four straight games following a rough 2-4 straight prior to that. I don

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *13-4 DHD RUN* Less than a month ago, the Lakers were favored by 9.5 points over Chicago at home. Now they are favored by 9.5 points on the road. Granted the results of the two since then have been on opposite ends as Los Angeles is 9-1 while Chicago is 2-9 but the schedules have played a big role in that. The Lakers have the second best record in the NBA but their schedule has had a lot to do with that. They are the defending World Champions so we know how good they are but playing 29th ranked schedule in the league has certainly not hurt the cause. 17 of their first 21 games came at home which is insane and they have gotten a great early break by the NBA. The five road games have not been particularly good either as they are 3-2 with one win coming against Golden St. with the other two coming in overtime at Oklahoma City and Houston. Los Angeles is just +0.6 ppg in its five road games. They Bulls have been playing a tougher slate with the majority of their games coming on the road. They are 2-10 in 12 games away from Chicago but a much more respectable 6-4 at home. The home loss against New Jersey is a bad one for sure but the fact that Chicago lost by 26 points last time out against the Celtics actually helps us here as it does add to that line value and will most certainly get the team more focused this time around to avoid another embarrassing home loss like that one. The Bulls had a pathetic shooting game against Boston and that plays into a situation explained in a little bit. The Kobe Bryant situation is sill a little fuzzy. He broke his finger against Minnesota and came back with a 7-24 effort against Utah but the flu was blamed for that one. I believe the finger is the issue and it will be for a while. Bryant didn't practice Monday before the team left for Chicago and could be hampered by that broken right index finger. The situation referred to earlier says to play against teams that are shooting 46 percent or better on the season going up against an opponent after a game where it shot 35 percent or worse from the floor. This situation is 149-92 ATS (61.8 percent) since 1996 with the average point differential being just -2.1 ppg. The Lakers are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road favorite while the Bulls are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games as a home underdog. 9* Chicago Bulls

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *13-3 DHD RUN* The Spurs are favored here, well simply because it is the Spurs. San Antonio has no business being a road chalk with its 11-9 record that includes a 1-5 mark on the road. This situation is very similar to the Lakers situation from last night in that San Antonio has benefitted from a very favorable early season schedule as 14 of the first 20 games came at home which is the second biggest home/road disparity in the league behind Los Angeles. Despite this, and the schedule being ranked 24th in the league in strength, the Spurs are not off to a great start but the public still pounds them and that is a main cause for this road line to be as high as it is. As of early Sunday, 78 percent of action has come San Antonio

**10** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *12-3 DHD RUN* The Lakers have the best record in the NBA but their schedule has had a lot to do with that. They are the defending World Champions so we know how good they are but playing 29th ranked schedule in the league has certainly not hurt the cause. 17 of their first 21 games have been at home which is insane and they have gotten a great early break by the NBA. The four road games have not been particularly good either as they are 3-1 but one win came against Golden St. while the other two came in overtime at Oklahoma City and Houston. Los Angeles was hammed in Denver by 26 points in the only real road test. Now it heads out on the road for the first time since November 28th and in a back-to-back situation no less. The Lakers are coming off another easy home win but it came with a price Kobe Bryant broke a finger. He was able to play through it and won

**8** NBA STAR ATTRACTION **74% NBA RUN** Orlando is coming off a loss last night in Utah and must turn around and try to rebound tonight in Phoenix. I say they do it no problem. The Magic lost four games prior to last night and they rebounded with four wins right after that and none of those games were even close. Those four wins came by an average of 16.8 ppg and two of those came on the second leg of a back-to-back set. The first followed a loss in Detroit and coincidentally, the victim happened to be Phoenix in a 22-point beatdown. The most recent came in Atlanta by 17 points after losing to Miami the previous night. Those two wins show that the follow up wins have come against some good competition. Phoenix has been mired in a slump that it cannot get out of. The Suns started the season 8-1 in their first nine games, 10-2 in their first 12 games and 14-3 in their first 17 games but they have gone just 1-4 over their last five games. Granted all four of those losses have come on the road and Phoenix is home here where it is a perfect 7-0 on the season, However, those seven wins are unimpressive in my eye as they have come against teams a combined 58-94 (.382 winning percentage) and none have come against a team with a winning record. None. Phoenix is 10-1 against teams ranked outside the top 16 in the league but just 2-5 against top ten teams. We know where Orlando falls. The home team has won the last four meetings in this series but there is a difference. Orlando has won the two home games by 22 and 12 while the Suns won their games at home by only one and four points and that alone tells us there is a big difference. Orlando is 16-5 ATS in its last 21 games as a road underdog of three points or less. Also, we play on underdogs with a .750 or better win percentage that have won six or seven of their last eight games and now playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 57-28 ATS (67.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 8* Orlando Magic

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *14-5 NBA RUN* Cleveland can

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *14-5 RUN* The linesmakers have caught up to Oklahoma City but I think that have caught up a little too much and are starting to make some over adjustments. The Thunder have been a pleasant surprise this season with an 11-9 record after winning just 23 games all of last season. They were huge against the spread last year however and are hitting 60 percent against the number this season but this line tells us a lot. The last meeting against Memphis at home had the Grizzlies -7 and now it is a five-point swing which is simply too much. Oklahoma City has played five straight home games and this is its first trip since November 24th and that is a big situational go against. While the Oklahoma City improvement has been well documented, the Memphis turnaround isn

**10** NBA #1 TNT DECEMBER PLAY *13-5 RUN* Washington is not getting a lot of respect here and maybe that is warranted. The Wizards were a popular preseason pick this year to have a big turnaround and be the sleeper team in the NBA Southeast. Instead, they are in last place, looking up at the Magic who have a nine-game lead. Inconsistencies have been the issue all season but the play has gotten better even though it has not resulted in a lot of wins. Washington is 4-3 over its last seven games but two of those losses have come by a total of six points including one in overtime. The Wizards 4-5 home record is not going to intimidate many teams but three of those losses have been by four points or fewer and the résumé already includes a win over Cleveland. The play has go better which has coincided with the return of Antawn Jamison. It took a couple games for the team to get its chemistry back and he is averaging 20.1 ppg despite having three straight games of 15 points or fewer. I expect a big game tonight as well as one from Gilbert Arenas who is coning off a horrible game against the Pistons where he scored just eight points after early game foul trouble. Boston is rolling along with eight straight wins and it is a very solid 9-1 on the road this year. The road schedule has been very unimpressive however. The Celtics won opening night in Cleveland but the next four road wins came against teams that are currently a combined 23-84. That has been the story this season as Boston has played a schedule ranked 27th in the NBA which compares to a schedule ranked 12th for the Wizards. This takes nothing away from Boston as winning is tough in this league so what it is accomplishing is certainly solid. I just do not like them in this spot at all. Boston swept the season series a year ago but Washington was not close to full strength. The year before, the Wizards swept Boston and that was when they were at full strength. They are a team that gives the Celtics matchup problems and the fact that Washington has had three full days off before this game gives it a greater edge in preparation and rest. The Wizards are 1-10 ATS this season when playing with no rest or just one day off and a much more respectable 4-4 ATS with two or more days including 2-1 ATS with three days or more. Washington falls into a great contrarian spot as you play on underdogs that have not covered the spread in 12 or more of their last 15 games going up against an opponent that has covered three of its last four games. This situation is 47-19 ATS (71.2 percent) since 1996. 10* Washington Wizards

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *12-5 NBA RUN* The last time I ventured out on Minnesota was on Saturday and that resulted in an outright victory over Utah and this team is definitely turning a corner. After defeating Denver as 14.5-point underdogs on the road at the end of November, they have put together a five-game cover streak and this is significant since Minnesota went on a 1-10 ATS run prior to that. That included a 0-6 ATS mark at home but a loss to Memphis by a bucket on Wednesday ended that string as well and it has now covered two in a row at the Target Center. Timberwolves forward Kevin Love made his season debut against the Hornets seven weeks after he broke his left hand in a preseason game. He delivered an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double while playing half the game off the bench. His return is big as it adds more depth to the frontcourt and actually makes it a strength now. In three games he is averaging 15.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Last night Minnesota was stung with a bad shooting night as it shot 36 percent including 30 percent (3-15) from long range. Those nights are going to happen. New Orleans has no business laying wood on the road. The Hornets are 1-9 away from home this season and the lone victory came in Los Angeles against the Clippers and not the Lakers. In 20 games, the home team is 17-3 in New Orleans games this season so it is obviously that the host has had an edge all season. The linesmakers have no choice here but to make the Hornets a favorite and despite being 9-11, they are somehow still a very publicly backed team and that is certainly the case again tonight as the betting action is all over New Orleans early in the cycle. As a favorite of three points or more, the Hornets are 1-5 ATS on the season and this includes a cover loss just last week at home against Minnesota. The Hornets were favored by 9.5 points in that game and based on the venue switch and simple math, they should be favored by a point and a half at the most. The last meeting in Minnesota came last January and the Timberwolves were favored by a point in that game. Since then, Minnesota has remained pretty level while the Hornets have digressed considerably. The Hornets are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games against a team with a losing home record and this season they are 0-3 ATS against teams that have a winning percentage below .250. The Timberwolves are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against a team with a losing record. 9* Minnesota Timberwolves

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *11-5 NBA RUN* Cleveland is starting to heat up with four straight wins and four straight blowouts for that matter. The Cavaliers have won those games by 16, 17, 14 and 15 points so it is no surprise once again to see them in the role of a big favorite and with the public backing them once again. Going back further, Cleveland is 12-2 in its last 14 games but both of those losses came on the road and with spreads that were much smaller than what we have tonight. This is actually the most he Cavaliers have been favored by on the road in their last eight games away from home and personally, I do not think it is justified. They are coming off a road win against a division rival and have a game at Houston tomorrow night which makes this one tough spot for Cleveland. As for Memphis, it is on a two-game winning streak including a home win against Dallas by 16 points as six-point underdogs. That came on the heels of a 2-3 roadtrip which was far from horrible as the stretch was a difficult one. Since suffering through a seven-game losing streak, the Grizzlies are 7-4 over their last 11 games and they are obviously playing much better, mostly on the defensive side of things. After allowing 111.1 ppg through their first nine games, they have allowed only 100 ppg through their last 11 games. This includes just 93.6 ppg in five home games during that stretch and the defense which was emphasized to start the season is finally coming around. The Memphis big men have been solid this season. Zach Randolph is averaging just shy of a double-double with his 18.2 ppg and 9.7 rpg and Marc Gasol is averaging 14.6 ppg and 9.7 rpg. Rudy Gay is contributing 20.5 ppg. With youngsters O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley up top, this is turning into a very well rounded team that is playing with a lot of confidence. Cleveland has won seven straight meetings in this series including season sweeps the last three years but this is arguably the best Grizzlies team to take the floor over this span. 9* Memphis Grizzlies

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *10-5 NBA RUN* This is a real tough spot for Utah. The Jazz played last night and had a relatively easy win against Indiana thanks to a big first quarter. That was the sixth straight home game for Utah who has not played a game on the road since November 19th at San Antonio. That is a span of 15 straight days of staying at home and that is huge in the NBA so it is no wonder the Jazz went 5-1 in those games. Making matters even worse is the fact that Utah has San Antonio on deck at home on Monday so coming off that huge homestand and looking ahead to another big game means that Utah wants no part of playing lowly Minnesota. With New Jersey

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **9-2 NBA RUN** The Celtics are coming off a big win last night at San Antonio to make it six straight wins and while it is rolling along, this is a tough spot for the Celtics. This team is very solid once again but it is an old team plain and simple and playing on back-to-back nights is starting to be an issue as Boston is just 1-3 ATS in the second of back-to-back games this season including a 0-3 ATS when the second game is away from home. The recent run is the second longest current streak in the NBA but it hasn

**8** NBA GAME OF THE WEEK ***89% ANGLE*** Toronto is playing horrible right now as it is mired in a dreadful five-game losing streak but this is the time to buy as when a team is down, we get them at a good price as well as getting a likely solid effort. These two teams just played in Toronto two games back and Washington walked out with a four-point win as seven-point underdogs. Based on that line, just three nights ago, coming home for the rematch should make Washington a one-point favorite based on the line switch due to the venue change. Obviously, the linesmakers are not thinking that way and have upped the number giving us additional value here. During this losing streak, Toronto is playing the worst it has all season as it has been outshot by 8.7 percent from the floor while getting outscored by 20.4 ppg. Making matter worse, the Raptor are on a six-game losing skid away from home with the last five coming by an average of 22 ppg. Washington is playing better as it has won four of its last five games. It snuck one out on Wednesday, much to my dismay as it was unable to cover the spread by a point, to even its record at 4-4 at home. There are still problems on this team which we saw again the other night and it all comes down to team chemistry as there is still some issues going on with players not getting a lot of time together yet. Washington has been horrible in the role of favorite as it is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games when laying points and it is 0-4 ATS in its last four home games against teams with a losing road record. The road team has won the last five meetings in this series and covering all of those as well and it is revenge time for the Raptors who also fall into a solid situation. Play on road teams that are averaging 103 or more ppg on the season, after trailing in their previous game by 20 or more points at the half. This situation is 23-3 ATS (88.5 percent) over the last five seasons. The public will no doubt be fading the Raptors especially coming off the 31-point loss against the Hawks but this is the time to ride. 8* Toronto Raptors

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **9-2 NBA RUN** Phoenix was throttled in New York last night as it was no doubt caught looking ahead to this game and that can only help us here. It will give us a highly motivated Suns team and one that want to bounce back quickly while also providing us with some solid line value. Phoenix has bounced back from its first three losses with wins the next time out and that includes a loss in Orlando followed by a win in Boston two nights later. The Suns were held to 99 points last night, the first time all season they have been held below the century mark. They shot a decent 45.5 percent but that is well below the season average and they managed only 77 shots which were below their average as well. Shooting 23.5 percent from long range (4-17) does not help nor does the 17 turnovers they committed. Clearly, they were not in the game mentally. Cleveland enters this game over a solid home win over Dallas which followed a loss at Charlotte prior to that. Cleveland shot 57.7 percent from the floor and that was with Shaquille O

**8** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR **9-2 RUN** I think last night

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **8-2 NBA RUN** Both Washington and Toronto come into this game following rough endings in the month of November. They are only separated by a half-game in the Eastern Conference and Toronto is getting a lot of credit on this spot for some reason. The Raptors have dropped three straight games and are 2-7 over their last nine games. To their credit, the schedule has been tough but the majority of these losses have not even been close. Five of those seven defeats were by 13 points or more including the last three. The defense has been atrocious as Toronto is allowing 109.3 ppg on 47.9 percent shooting, 30th and 26th respectively in the NBA. Washington has won two straight games prior to its last game against Charlotte that was a complete disaster. The Wizards tied a season low with 76 points as they shot just 39 percent from the floor including 25 percent from long range. Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison shot a combined 5-20 and scored only 12 points so we can expect big bounce backs from both tonight. The schedule has been difficult for Washington as well as it is ranked 10th in the league and 10 of the first 15 games have come against teams ranked in the top 16 and tonight

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **7-2 NBA RUN** This is the final game for the Bulls on their roadtrip and it has not been a good one. Chicago won the opener is Sacramento but it has dropped the last four games, none of which were even close. However, those games came against ranked second, 11th, 10th and 13th so the competition was definitely difficult. Overall, the Bulls have played the hardest schedule in the NBA so their 6-8 record at least has some merit. They take a step down in competition tonight and it comes against a team they have done well against in the past as they have won seven of the last eight meetings against Milwaukee including three straight. With this being the final game of the roadtrip, it could mean Chicago just wanting to get it done with and head home. However, the Bulls have fared well in this spot over the years as they are 3-1 ATS and straight up over the last four years in the last road game of this annual roadtrip so instead of quitting, they pick things up to end it. Milwaukee started the season surprisingly strong but it has had a rough time of late. The Bucks opened the year 8-3 but they have lost four straight and even though three of those games were on the road and the lone home game was against Orlando, I can see this team falling fast. The injuries are piling up once against for Milwaukee and that has been a common trend over the last couple seasons as now Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd are both on the shelf. Redd has already missed nine games because of a knee strain he sustained October 31st against Detroit. While the offense has been hurt, the defense has been playing worse as the Bucks have allowed at least 100 points in four straight and seven of 10 after giving up 87 points or fewer in four of their first five games and not allowing an opponent to hit the century mark. Milwaukee also has the fatigue factor going against it and that is also part of a great situation. This will be the Bucks seventh game in the last 11 days and that is a brutal stretch. Play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 after four or more consecutive losses and having played eight or more games in 14 days. This situation is 45-19 ATS (70.3 percent) over the last five seasons. The Bulls end the trip on a high. 9* Chicago Bulls

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **7-1 NBA RUN** I was on Memphis in its last game on Friday and that resulted in an easy, yet surprising win for the Grizzlies. Because there is a day off in-between, I think we do not have to worry about a letdown factor at all. This is already the third meeting this season between Memphis and Los Angeles with the home team taking the first two games. The Grizzlies lost at the Staples Center by three points as a four-point underdog and it is surprising that this line dropped only a half-point from that last game. Memphis has won five of its last seven games and won the revenge game by 15 points. I like the way this team is coming together and we are still getting value as we have the ability to buy low and if it continues to play well, that won

**10** NBA GAME OF THE MONTH *7-0 NBA RUN* I successfully played against Portland last night as the Blazers were embarrassed at home against Memphis as they lost by 10 points and were down by 29 points at one time in a game they clearly were not ready for. I am switching gears tonight and backing Portland in an excellent situation where it should be able to come back and take this one outright. The Blazers are 5-3 on the road this season and even though this is the first road game in five games, it will not be an issue based on last night

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **6-0 ATS RUN** I feel this is a very good spot for Memphis despite the differential of the home and road records for these two teams. The Grizzlies are coming off a loss in their last game at Phoenix which dropped them to 1-7 away from home on the season. Prior to the Phoenix loss they had won four of their previous five games including a victory at Philadelphia in the only road game during that stretch so they have definitely been playing better of late after a very slow start to the season. They have dropped eight straight in this series including a home loss against the Blazers just over two weeks ago by 14 points. Portland is 7-2 at home this season including three straight wins during this homestand, all coming by double-digits. A fourth is what everyone is thinking here but this is not a good spot for the Blazers as they travel to play Utah tomorrow night so this is a definite lookahead spot. This is obviously a very contrarian play and it is backed up by a very contrarian situation. Play on underdogs that are allowing 48 percent shooting or worse on the season going up against an opponent that has gone two straight games of shooting 50 percent or better. This situation is 33-9 ATS (78.6 percent) since 1996 with the average point differential being just -4.4 ppg. 9* Memphis Grizzlies

**8** NBA LATE NIGHT BAILOUT ATS *BLOWOUT* This is a very tough scheduling situation for the Knicks. They are coming off a loss last night against the Lakers making this their second game in two nights and it actually gets worse. New York is also playing its fourth game in five nights and it has been nothing but travel over this stretch. The Knicks played in New Jersey, went to Boston, travelled to Los Angeles and now are in Sacramento. The two back-to-back spots have not been long travel situations but it is travel nonetheless. They lost by 10 points last night to Los Angeles but it was much worse than that as they were down by as much as 25 points but used a strong fourth quarter to make it look more respectable and that gives us some line value tonight. The Kings have been playing pretty decent this season especially at home. They are back from a three-game roadtrip where they lost all three games and they are currently on a four-game skid. The home team is 10-3 in Sacramento games this season and the Kings covered their lone game as a chalk this season, defeating Memphis at home by 11 points in overtime. Kevin Martin is still out but Tyreke Evans has picked up the slack as he has scored 20 or more points in the last seven games he has played. The Kings are 6-0 ATS in their last sis games following an ATS loss while New York is just 12-27 ATS as a road underdog of fewer than five points. Sacramento is 6-2 ATS this season when playing teams averaging 99 or more ppg while the Knicks are 0-2 ATS against teams averaging 103 pr more ppg. 8* Sacramento Kings

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **78% ANGLES** Houston has not won back-to-back games since Halloween and the day after Halloween. The Rockets are coming off a home win against Sacramento and it was rather unimpressive which can be said about the entire season thus far. Houston is 8-6 on the season including 4-2 at home but it has struggled for the most part against the top teams as it is 5-1 against teams outside the top ten but just 3-5 against teams within the top ten. Dallas is obviously part of that group and it comes in at 10-4 and angry after a home loss against Golden St. last night that saw the Warriors play only six players the entire game. The Mavericks are 5-2 on the road this season and have not lost consecutive games this year. They are 2-0 on the season against the NBA

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **71% ANGLE** Oklahoma City is already one of the most improved teams this season based on its play on the road. The Thunder are 4-4 this season away from home and that is already half of their road win total from all of last season. Oklahoma City did not win its fifth away game in 2008-09 until March 10th so the fact that we are still in the first month of the season is something special. Utah used to has a great home floor edge and while it is sitting at 4-2, it is nothing like it has been in past years. Losing to Houston and Sacramento is uncalled for on its home floor but going in we knew there was going to be something not right about the Jazz and that is the case as it is just 7-6 on the season. Last January, Utah was favored by 10 points at home over Oklahoma City and now we are seeing a drop in the line by only a bucket but the gap between these two teams has closed quite a bit since then. Oklahoma City is 36-17 ATS in its last 43 games following a loss while Utah is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games following a win and the Thunder have covered six of the last eight meetings in Utah. 9* Oklahoma City Thunder

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **83% ANGLE** Minnesota has been pretty non-competitive of late as it has lost 12 straight games with the last eight all coming by double-digits. That being said, the Timberwolves are getting just single digits and to no surprise, the majority of the public is on the Clippers tonight. Minnesota has not won on the road is it is 0-6 with five of those losses coming by more than what it is getting here. The lone exception came in the first meeting in Los Angeles where the Clippers were favored by seven and won by only three points. We cashed a ticket in that game and we will see another similar result tonight. The big difference is that the line is roughly the same as that first meeting and will likely get to seven points and possibly more but the Clippers are playing this one without Eric Gordon. Los Angeles is 2-7 with him out of the lineup and while early indications were that he might be back tonight, that will not be the case as he is now targeting Wednesday at Indiana being his likely return game. The Clippers are 2-8, including last season, when Gordon misses games. I was on the Clippers in their last game against Denver as they cashed outright while getting nine points. That was a bad spot for the Nuggets and now we are seeing a line difference of 16 points from that game to this game and that is a huge differential within just a one-game span. The Clippers are 3-5 at home this season with all of the wins coming by seven points or fewer including two by three points including the first meeting with the Timberwolves as mentioned. Minnesota has dropped eight straight against the number and that is where we are getting value. It also falls into a great angle as you play on road teams that are averaging only between 88 and 92 ppg going up against a team that is allowing between 98 and 102 ppg, after allowing 105 points or more. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential being just -1.7 ppg. The Clippers are just 7-23 ATS in their last 30 games coming off an outright win as an underdog. 9* Minnesota Timberwolves

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY ***74% ANGLE*** Atlanta has won seven straight games and it is not in a good spot here. The Hawks are coming off a huge home win last night as they took the game on a last second shot so that alone is hard to recover from. Also, this is Atlanta

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY ***85% ANGLE*** Denver started the season 3-0 on the road but it has dropped three of its last four games away from home and it is just 3-3 overall in its last six games after beginning the year a perfect 5-0. Two of those road wins came against New Jersey and Indiana, certainly nothing to brag about and while tonight

**9** NBA STAR ATTRACTION (TNT) *67% YTD* I

I got burned on Minnesota last week when it hosted Portland as the Timberwolves stuck around for a while but were simply outclassed. They were getting 7.5 points in that game and now they are getting just a point and a half less against Houston which makes no sense. Minnesota has lost 10 straight games so we are getting added value based on that as well as the six straight ATS losses. Minnesota is 5-1 at home and the last five games have been tough ones as it has faced Cleveland, Boston, Portland and Dallas. I do not put Houston into that group as right now the Rockets are a bunch of role players trying to put together a winning team and it just is not happening. The Rockets are coming off a loss at home against Phoenix last night as it blew a 15-point lead and that game will be tough to bounce back from. Houston is 1-2 on the road in its last three games away from the Toyota Center and it does have a pretty big game on deck at Atlanta in tow nights. It would not be surprising at all to see this team overlook Minnesota especially knowing the fact that Houston has absolutely owned this series, going 8-0 and 7-0-1 ATS but those were Houston teams that were at or close to full strength. This one is not with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady both on the shelf. One player who is having an excellent season for Minnesota is Al Jefferson and he returns tonight after missing two straight games because of the death of his grandmother. Jefferson did not play in the final two matchups against the Rockets last season because of a torn ACL. He averaged 35.0 ppg and 17.5 rpg in the first two games, matching a career high with 22 boards in the second game. His effort tonight will be huge. 9* Minnesota Timberwolves

This is a massive game for Washington. Expectations were extremely high for the Wizards entering the season but a 2-7 start has people wondering if this is the same old team from last season. They have dropped six straight games and have covered none of those but the sky looks brighter. Antawn Jamison will be making his season debut tonight following the recovery from a shoulder injury as well as a small bout with the flu. The offense has been listless but now with him, Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler on the floor at the same time in forever, the offense will get the boost it needs. The Cavaliers have won five straight games and coupled with the Washington losing streak, that is putting the money in one direction. This line is small enough where the public is absolutely pounding the Cavaliers. Cleveland is coming off a dogfight last night against Golden St. and the starters played a lot more minutes than they anticipated. While that usually does not have a huge impact this early in the season, it does when the opposition has not played in three nights, as is the case with Washington. Despite the poor record, Washington is getting outshot by only 0.2 percent on the season so this team is a lot better than what it has put up in the win/loss column. The Wizards fall into a great spot based on the rest angle. Play on home teams that are coming off a home loss in their last game while playing just three games within the last 10 days. This situation is 45-17 ATS (72.6 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential favoring the home team by +5.5 ppg. The underdog has covered seven of the last eight meetings in this series and the only favorite to cover was Cleveland this season by just a half-point. 9* Washington Wizards

**8** NBA LATE NIGHT BAILOUT **BLOWOUT** The circus is in town in the Windy City and that means only one thing. The Bulls begin their annual extended roadtrip although this is not as bad as years past. They play six straight games on the road that will take them into December before returning home on December 2nd. Chicago has not fared well on the opening leg of this roadtrip as it has dropped 10 straight openers with all of those games coming on the west coast. That is obviously a trend that is concerning if taking the Bulls here but the competition has been in a different category. The last three openers have come against the Lakers, Suns and Mavericks so this is a big step down in competition. Chicago is just 1-3 on the road this season but looking at this slate, this is the most winnable game of the first five games so this one takes on a little more meaning than in past years. The Kings have been red hot with wins in four straight games but they have definitely been helped out by the opposition as Golden St., Oklahoma City and Houston decided not to play any defense while the latter two struggled shooting on offense. Those four victories came in a span of six days so momentum played a big role in those games going forward. Sacramento has now been off since Friday and it has played only once in a week. A team like this that cannot play consistently good needs that momentum so any extended time off completely kills that. And that will be the case here. Injuries are starting to pile up as Kevin Martin will be out for a while and now Andres Nocioni, who has been solid of late, is questionable with a hip injury. The Bulls are 13-2-1 ATS in their last 16 games against the Western Conference while the Kings are 9-23 ATS in their last 32 games against the Eastern Conference. Chicago also falls into a great situation. Play against all teams where the line is +3 to -3 and are coming off a home win and playing with three or more days rest. This situation is 50-21 ATS (70.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 8* Chicago Bulls

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *UPSET SPECIAL* If this was baseball, we would not be touching this game as that is the one sport that you play on and ride the streaks out. When point spreads are involved, we go against those streaks since the lines are taking those runs into account and that is the case here. The Nets have lost 10 straight games to start the season and things are certainly not looking good. However after starting 0-5 ATS against the number, the Nets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games and on the season, four of their losses have been by three points or fewer. Two of the ATS losses came by a half-point each so despite a couple bad efforts, New Jersey has been competitive for the most part this season. While the Nets have been losing, the Pacers have been winning. They have won four straight games including a win over Boston at home in their last game on Saturday and that was the only quality win of the bunch. Indiana has played only seven games so far this season with five of those coming at home. It has not had to travel since a November 4th game against the Knicks so were looking at two weeks of being grounded and that is a long time in the NBA for that to happen. The Pacers head back home tomorrow for two more home games against the Knicks and Cavaliers. The injury situation has not been kind to the Nets as they have only been able to go eight deep. The good thing is they have not played since Saturday either so that allows some time for rest and recuperation and they will get Bobby Simmons back on Tuesday which will help an offense that has been horrid. That offense actually put the Nets into a great contrarian situation. Play on home teams that are averaging fewer than 88 ppg going up against a team that is allowing between 98 and 102 ppg. This situation is 29-9 ATS (76.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* New Jersey Nets

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *UPSET SPECIAL* Toronto is a banged up bunch right now and this travel schedule is not helping matters. Many players are hurt but nothing has been put on the injury list, most likely because they will be playing despite some nagging aches and pains. As far as the travel goes, the NBA has not done Toronto any favors. The Raptors had a three-game road trip to New Orleans, Dallas and San Antonio and then headed home for a game against Chicago two days later. Now two days after that, they begin a west coast trip.

**8** NBA NON-CONFERENCE GAME OF THE WEEK The Sixers have gotten off to a somewhat slow start with a 4-4 record but there is no way they should be underdogs in this spot. They last home game they were a point and a half dog to Phoenix and that was right as the Suns were rolling at the time and were deserved of that number. Philadelphia is 2-2 at home this season with wins against Milwaukee and New Jersey and losses against the aforementioned Suns and the Celtics. I

**9** NBA STAR ATTRACTION (TNT) *100% YTD* A lot of reasoning for this play was based on the result of the Cavaliers game last night. Cleveland came out on Wednesday and gave it all it had in trying to save some face and get that revenge against the Magic after last season

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **71% NBA RUN** It doesn

**9** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR **5-1 RUN** Sacramento is a surprising 3-4 to start the season including two straight wins. Making the two-game winning streak even more impressive is the fact that both wins have come with leading scorer Kevin Martin on the bench as he is expected to miss about two months with a broken wrist. Rookie Tyreke Evans is averaging 27.5 ppg in his absence as he has put together solid back-to-back games but let

**8** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **4-1 NBA RUN** I

**10** NBA GAME OF THE MONTH ***4-0 RUN*** This writeup will be kept short due to the early start of this game. Plain and simple the wrong team is favored here. Phoenix is off to a great start this season after many expected a down year however we are only a week and a half into the season and the Suns are all of a sudden the public darlings once again. The best thing that could have happened to us is Phoenix defeating Boston on Friday and even though there is one day in-between that win and this game, it still puts Phoenix in a letdown spot. Washington has dropped three straight games which also adds to the value of this line. The Wizards lost in Cleveland and then at home to Miami in a game it should have won but missed frère throws at the end killed it for them. They are coming off an embarrassing loss at Indiana on Friday and they will be looking to bounce back from that prior to playing in Miami on Tuesday. There were words in the locker room after that Pacers game and that could exactly be the kick start that the Wizards needed. Caron Butler, injured Antawn Jamison and head coach Flip Saunders were all involved in the post-game shakedown and this spot is the best to play following that. Guard Randy Foye said he thinks the players really took the comments from Jamison and Butler to heart.