Sports Picks & Predictions

**8** #1 RATED TNT FEBRUARY PLAY *80% RUN* Houston is not getting much respect here and it will show how good it really is. I figured Houston to half a big run after the break since it seems to be finally coming together and looking to make a big playoff push. The Rockets have won five straight games, all at home and they have won 11 of their last 12 games at the Toyota Center. They are 7-4-1 ATS in those games but three of those ATS losses came by a combined two points so another bucket in four games and we would see an 11-1 ATS mark. This is the final game in this six-game homestand and they want to close it out undefeated. I think many people doomed Houston once Tracy McGrady went out for the season. I was on the exact opposite on that theory and said so in that first announced game without him against the Nets. He has misses a ton of time this season and in my mind, they are far better off without him. LeBron vs. Tracy is always a good draw but not this season as he was in the midst of his worst ever season in the league since he has been playing on a regular basis. So how have the Rockets done in his absence? They are 5-0 in this most recent stretch and on the season they are 16-6 in games he has missed. Considering Houston is 20-15 in games he has played, you can make the decision on if it is better off or not. The Rockets have also played three games without point guard Rafer Alston who was traded to Orlando and he has not been missed. Aaron Brooks who was having a great season as a reserve has been put into the starting lineup and has responded with 15.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and a 1.88 assist/turnover ratio. He has doubled his points and rebounds on the year following his rookie season and the show is now on his shoulders. He has enough veteran leadership to continue to make it work. The Cavaliers have run off five straight wins, three of which has come at home where they are 26-1 this season. Those two wins on the road came against the Bucks and Raptors who are not very good teams. Overall, they are 18-10 on the road with a record of 8-6 over their last 14 road games, which is anything but impressive. Only half of those wins came against teams currently in the playoff picture and two of those were against Milwaukee and slumping Detroit. Cleveland is 36-6 against teams that are outside the top ten in the NBA while going 8-5 against the league

**8** #1 NBA REVENGE **GAME OF THE MONTH** The Mavericks biggest loss this season didn

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **59% TOP RUN** The last time I got involved with Orlando, it won on the road at Charlotte. The Magic had just played the Bobcats three days earlier and while I thought the Bobcats would be able to keep it close again, they failed as Orlando came out a lot stronger than anticipated. This situation is completely different as Orlando has not faced Chicago since the end of December and now the Bulls have a lot more in the tank and Orlando will have a tough time preparing for a team with the chemistry it has never seen. The acquisition of Rafer Alston will be very beneficial in the long run and during the playoffs but he is no Jameer Nelson. He played the most minutes since coming to Orlando in the last game against Miami and while he contributed 12 points and nine assists, he also had four turnovers. That may not seem like much but Nelson had four or more turnovers only four times in his 42 games played including no times in his last 23 games. As mentioned, Orlando won in Charlotte but the road has not been overly kid of late as it is just 2-3 in its last five road games and going back to mid-January, it is a pedestrian 8-6 in its last 14 games overall. Orlando has a game at the Knicks tomorrow night and while that normally does not mean much of a lookahead, any game played in MSG is looked forward to by the players. Chicago is coming off a pretty poor effort last time out at Indiana but overall, the Bulls have been playing pretty well. They made some moves to improve the team and are certainly not giving up on what is another underachieving season. Chicago is making a playoff push as it is a game and a half out of the current playoff standings and it is only three games out of the 6th place spot so there is still a lot of potential. The Bulls are 7-4 over their last 11 games which is even more impressive considering that eight of those 11 games came on the road. Of their last five losses going back to January 25, two have come in overtime while another came by just a bucket against Miami. With a few bounces going their way, the Bulls would be even in better shape right now. On top of that, Chicago has played the 4t toughest schedule in the NBA while Orlando has played just the 26th ranked slate. Orlando is 24-4 against teams ranked outside the top 16 while going a much worse 17-10 against teams within the top 16. The Bulls are outside that threshold but not by much as they are 18th and just a fraction of a point away from being 15th. At one point, Orlando was throttling teams and could not lose against the number. After suffering nine ATS losses in their first 30 games, the Magic have dropped that many against the number in their past 22 games and are on an 8-7 ATS run. The Bulls meanwhile have been covering machines as they are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games. It is obvious who is undervalued and who is overvalued in this matchup yet the public is all over Orlando once again. Last night I went against another public play in New Orleans ands will do so again here. The line is not nearly as big but Chicago is a much better team than Sacramento and it is also playing for some respect. Orlando won the first two meetings this season including a 19-point win in Chicago in that last meeting. That was the second biggest home loss this season for the Bulls and they no doubt remember how it transpired. Chicago is 5-1 ATS in the second half of the season against teams with a winning record and it is 5-0 ATS in its last five games following a loss. 7* Chicago Bulls

**10** WESTERN CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR This is an ugly as play as you can get but ugly is what makes money in this league. Sacramento has played the most road game of any team in the Western Conference and it is tied with Milwaukee and Toronto for the most played in the entire league. It has been a rough stretch recently as 10 of its last 14 and 20 of its last 32 games have all come on the road. The All-Star break was a welcomed break as the Kings were able to stay in the same place for more than a day only once in the past month so the fact that they got to remain home for seven days was a big energizer. Sacramento split its first two games off the layoff before getting drilled against the Mavericks, where else but on the road. Taking a look at this recent 32-game stretch tells us quite a bit and that is, like most NBA teams, the Kings are night and day depending on where they play. In those 20 road games, they are getting outscored by an average of 12.3 ppg while in the 12 home games during this stretch, they are getting outscored by 9.5 ppg. That may not seem like a big difference but that home margin is skewed by two games, one against Boston where it lost by 45 points and another against Orlando where it lost by 32 points. Take those two games out and he scoring margin dips to only -3.7 ppg. Those two games were both on one day rest following a home game so it is possible that the lack of travel actually went against the Kings in those spots. It may not seen right to pull out those Orlando and Boston games for this analysis as New Orleans fits in that same mold of the

**7** NBA NON-CONFERENCE GOW **15-3 RUN** ***Writeup truncated due to time of the game*** Which team will miss its superstar most? Boston with Kevin Garnett or Phoenix with Amare Stoudemire? I think it is going to be the former and quite a bit actually. The Celtics have yet to play a full game without Garnett and even though they are 3-1 without him this season, they have shown their struggles in those games, mostly on the defensive end. Boston has allowed 103.7 ppg in those four games and playing against a Phoenix team that is lighting it up on offense once again is problematic. As for the Suns, they have Shaquille O

**7** NBA WESTERN CONF. GOW ***14-3 RUN*** Utah is in the midst of a five-game homestand and EnergySolutions Arena is once against starting to show its bite. Last season the Jazz went 37-4 at home and this year, it took only 14 games for Utah to match that loss total but it is once again dominating. It has won six straight home games and is 13-2 in its last 15. The recent homestand includes victories over the Lakers and Celtics so they have not been taking out only bad teams during this run. Overall, Utah is 6-1 in its last seven games and it keeps on getting closer to being in full health. Right now, every game counts as despite the 32-23 record, Utah is sitting only a half-game from not even making the playoffs. This is where teams need to protect their home floor and the Jazz are showing once again how dominant their home floor is. Utah is 6-2 ATS in its last eight home games against teams with a winning road record. You never like to bring unfortunate occurrences into these games but the sad passing of Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller yesterday is going to inspire his players on Saturday. He was one of the most popular owners in the game and the players absolutely were on his side which is rare in this league as the almighty dollar often takes precedence but that was not the Miller lived. Utah is going to play this one for Miller. The Hornets enter this game off a crazy loss last night against the Lakers. New Orleans trailed by as many as 16 points and had to outscore Los Angeles by 13 points in the final quarter only to end up losing in overtime. It was the Hornets first overtime game of the season and it is going to spill over tonight. New Orleans dropped to 13-12 on the road which is definitely better than most teams can say, but considering it only lost 15 road games all of last season, this is definitely not the same team. Even the road games they have won, the Hornets are far from dominant. They have dropped four of their last five away from home included losses at Memphis and Minnesota while the load victory was a squeaker by two points. New Orleans have been a busy team since the All-Star break as this will be its fourth game in the first five night back and the

**9** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **75% RUN TW** The general thinking here is that Orlando is going to bounce back following that huge loss at New Orleans on Wednesday. I

**8** NBA NON-CONFERENCE GAME OF THE MONTH Orlando was surprisingly put to the test last night as it was taken to overtime at home against the Bobcats. While the Magic may have been caught looking ahead to this game, that is something they better not be doing much of in the second half because I believe that Orlando could be one of the league

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY ***60% RUN*** Why is Milwaukee getting points here? I was all over the Bucks last night on the road as they won outright in Detroit and they are still being undervalued. Milwaukee has had some of the worst luck of any team in the league as it has lost three starters over the last two weeks. The Bucks are without Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Luke Ridnour but that certainly isn

**7** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *63.6% RUN* Houston is one of the top teams in the Western Conference while New Jersey is one of the below average teams in the Eastern Conference. So why is this line so low? It is because of Tracy McGrady being sidelined and to be honest, I think this team is better off with him out. He is having the worst season of his career if you look at everything as a whole. Not counting his first two years in Toronto where he averaged 18 and 22 minutes per game respectively, he is averaging his second fewest amount of points per game, is averaging the second fewest rebounds per game, is averaging the fourth fewest assists per game and is shooting only 38.8 percent from the floor, the lowest of any season in his career. His minutes are down by just over a minute from his career average so less playing time has nothing to do with it. When he is on the floor you do not know which McGrady will show up so with him definitely out, the Rockets other players know what need to be done. He has missed 17 games this season and Houston has gone 12-5 in those games including a 10-1 record at home with that lone loss coming against the Lakers by five points. Tell me if you think the Rockets are worse off without him around. I

**8** EASTERN CONFERENCE GAME OF THE MONTH Milwaukee has had some of the worst luck of any team in the league as it has lost three starters over the last two weeks. The Bucks are without Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Luke Ridnour but that certainly isn

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *12-8 DHD RUN*This is a revenge spot for the Mavericks and actually could be considered a double-revenge television spot. Boston throttled the Mavericks in Boston by 24 points on national television last month so Dallas will be looking for some payback. It is also worth nothing that the Mavericks were the victims of another shellacking last Thursday night at Utah by 28 points for the entire TNT nation to see. Again on TNT, the Mavericks will be out to prove that they are not as that game looks. First of all, both of these aforementioned games were on the road where Dallas is a very inconsistent 14-13. The Mavericks are 17-7 at home and that is after losing their first four games at home. They have won five straight and are now 10-1 in their last 11 games at American Airlines Center. Since that loss in Boston, Dallas has gone 6-1 while the Celtics have gone 6-2 since that victory so it makes no sense with the way this line has been posted. Boston was an eight-point chalk in that game meaning this game should be a pick based on the home court advantage which is good for four points each way with these two teams and maybe even a little bit more. Boston had lost two of three games before its big win last night in New Orleans. Feeling good about itself, the Celtics may not put forth the same effort, especially with the All-Star break on deck. The Celtics also paid a price as Ray Allen was injured and is out for tonight. He dropped 23 on the Mavericks in that first meeting on 9-13 shooting including 4-5 from long range. That offsets the loss of Jason Terry for the Mavericks who is out until March with a broken hand. Boston was rolling along with a 12-game winning streak until it faced the Lakers and lost at home. During that winning streak the Celtics managed four wins against the opposing conference although two of those came against the lowly Kings and Timberwolves. The Celtics are an impressive 30-4 against the Eastern Conference but are just 13-7 against the Western Conference and only 5-3 on the road against the West. Also, Boston is 35-4 against teams ranked outside the top ten in the NBA but just 8-7 against teams within that rank and Dallas is now back among the elite top ten. The Celtics have won nine of their 12 games in the second of back-to-back sets but they are 5-7 ATS in those games. Dallas has had an extra day of rest for this one and even though it is 0-3 as a home underdog this season, those games have been close. A loss to San Antonio came in overtime while losses against the Lakers and Hornets came by a combined four points of covering. Boston is 0-4 ATS in its last four games following a win while the Mavericks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a win. The Mavericks also fall into a great situation. Play on home teams that have won between 6- and 75 percent of their games after having won four of their last five games playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 126-82 ATS (60.6 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential being +6.2 ppg. This is a big game for the Mavericks to prove that they are still a solid team out west and that the last two national television performances we not at all what they are made of. That is a big motivator and we all know the NBA is all about the motivation. 7* Dallas Mavericks

**8** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *7-2-1 RUN* We all know the Spurs are not a very good team when it comes to playing their second game in back to back nights as they are 4-7 ATS in that role this season. However, that includes a 0-4 ATS mark when that first game is at home and they are 3-1 ATS when both games are on the road so there is no worry here about any sort of fatigue because of the travel. Most important, the Spurs have owned this series with wins in seven of the last eight meetings and with this being the final game for them before the break, they want to close the first part of the season strong. The Spurs are red hot still as they have won six of their last seven games, including five of six on the road and are 20-5 over their last 25 games. San Antonio is 9-2 in its 11 games as a road favorite this season, going 7-3-1 ATS in those contests including 9-1 SU and 7-2-1 ATS records in the last 10 in this role. This is an extended roadtrip for San Antonio but unlike most NBA teams that just want to go home, the Spurs actually use this

**7** NBA EASTERN CONF. GOW ***14-2 RUN*** Charlotte has done nothing to impress me enough for it to be laying this type of lumber. The Bobcats are 1-5 in their last six games with that one coming last time out against the lowly Clippers. The Wizards as we all know are a game worse than the Clippers and they own the second worst record in the NBA behind Sacramento. Here is a little something to chew on however. Two nights ago, the Bobcats were favored by a point over the Clippers and now they are favored by as much as 8.5 points in some places over Washington. How does that make sense? Charlotte clobbered Los Angeles but this is not about that past result but more about the line value. The Bobcats have been favored by more than 6.5 points only once and that resulted in a non-cover against Oklahoma City. On the season, the Bobcats are just 7-12 following a win and even though they are 11-8 ATS in those 19 games, they were favored only three times as 10 of those spread wins were when actually receiving points and not giving. The Bobcats are still without two of their best players as Gerald Wallace is still out and Raja Bell remains questionable with a groin injury. Washington is just 1-9 in its 10 games in the second game of a back-to-back set but it is a respectable 5-5 against the number in those games. Not much has gone right for the Wizards this season but a win here closes them out with a 2-1 mark over the last three games and that is pretty significant. One bright spot for Washington has been the performance of rookie JaVale McGee. The seven-footer out of Nevada matched his season highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds against Atlanta last night and he is averaging 12.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg while shooting 53.7 percent from the field over his last six games. That is important considering starting center Darius Songaila is questionable after getting hurt last night. Washington has the pieces on offense to play well here as the Bobcats defense has been struggling and likely will continue to do so with so many new faces on the floor. The big two of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison has gotten some of the scoring load taken away by Nick Young who is proving to be a reliable third option in the offense. Butler returned Sunday against the Pacers, and finally the Wizards got all three scorers going. Jamison jump-started the Wizards with 17 first-quarter points, then Young boosted his team with 14 second-quarter points. Butler took over in the final four minutes and scored Washington's last 15 points. Head coach Ed Tapscott is making a conscious effort to draw up plays that would put Butler, Jamison and Young at different spots on the floor. With the trio spaced out and the ball flowing back and forth, defenders weren't able to pin the Wizards in one area, and Jamison, Butler and Young each got into better rhythms. Last night did not go so well even though Washington nearly matched the shooting output of Atlanta 44.6 percent to 45.9 percent. The problem was that these three guys went a combined 1-8 from log range and the Wizards went 2-13 as a team. Shooting 50.8 percent from inside the arc was not bad at all. Washington is 10-1 ATS in road games after a division game over the last two seasons. This has routinely been a very closely contested series as the road team is 5-2 over the last seven meetings while the underdog is 6-2 ATS over the last eight meetings. Six of the last seven meetings have been decided by eight points or less. 7* Washington Wizards

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *12-7 DHD RUN* The Knicks have lost four straight games and because of that we get added value in this line as if this game was played a week ago, they would be closer to a pick than anything. Those four losses came against Los Angeles, Cleveland, Boston and Portland with the first three ranked in the top three in the NBA while the Blazers are anywhere from 6th to 8th. That is a tough stretch and the thing of it is, New York actually played good on all of those games ands easily could have won three of those. Now the Knicks take a step down in competition and they are in position to close strong before the break with this game and then a game at the Clippers on Wednesday. The Knicks won the first meeting this season in New York and even though Golden St. is a totally different team now, the same can be said about New York. Golden St. has been playing particularly well of late, even though it has not shown in the win column. It has faced some extremely tough competition with the last seven games against Western Conference teams all currently sitting in a playoff position. So the same cane be said here in that Golden St. is taking a step down in competition. While that is the case, the issue is that the Warriors have played down to that competition as they are only 10-12 ATS against teams with a losing record including a 1-7 ATS mark against teams allowing 103 or more ppg. Coming off a win is the worst thing possible as Golden St. simply cannot string together consecutive victories as it is 3-13 both straight up and against the number following a win this season. The Knicks were rolling along with six wins in its last seven games before they hit this absolutely brutal stretch of games. Despite this little setback, New York is just two games back of Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Overall, the Knicks have had their problems with the elite teams, going 3-15 against teams ranked within the top ten in the league and 8-21 against teams ranked within the top 16. That completely flips however as they are 13-8 against teams outside the top 16 while Golden St. is just 10-12 against that same competition. As mentioned, prior to this recent skid, the Knicks went 6-1 including a cover is every one of those games and to no surprise, all were against teams ranked outside the top ten. They weren

**8** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *6-1-1 RUN* Denver was on a roll with four straight wins and victories in seven of eight games, going 5-3 ATS until playing at New Jersey on Saturday and getting throttled by 44 points. It was a horrible display on both ends of the floor and you can expect the Nuggets to put forth a full effort before traveling to Orlando on Wednesday. The Nuggets had been 4-0 since the return of Carmelo Anthony before that shellacking so with him back in the lineup, they did not miss a beat. Denver is 14-11 on the road and that winning road record is a true sign of an elite team in the league as only 10 teams can claim to be above .500 away from home. The Nuggets had won five of its last seven on the road prior to New Jersey and this season they are 3-0 in road games when coming off a loss in their last game which was also on the road and those three victories have been by +8.7 ppg. This is a perfect opportunity to redeem themselves once again. Miami is playing some pretty below average basketball right now, going 2-4 in its last six games both straight up and against the number with those wins coming against the lowly Bobcats and Clippers. Miami has been solid at home however, going 17-8 in its 25 games including a very 13-3 when favored. The problems is, the Heat have gone 7-9 ATS in those games when they are laying points and the majority of those came to some pretty bad teams. When favored by fewer than three points this season, the Heat are 1-6 ATS. This includes a 0-3 record at home where Miami lost all three of those games outright and by an average of 9.3 ppg. This line came out late due to the uncertainty of Dwyane Wade but he will play as he was stitched up after getting cut under the eye. The Nuggets, who have five games left on this trip, are 12-4 in games after a loss this season. Coming off that loss one may ask how the Nuggets will react but the players know what it takes. Asked how the Nuggets expect to bounce back from that Nets game, Anthony had a simple response.

**7** NBA NON-CONFERENCE GOW **13-2 RUN** Milwaukee caught some bad luck in its last game as it pretty much outplayed Detroit but ended up losing in overtime and lost the cover as well. That was the Bucks second straight loss following a bad game in New Jersey prior to that. They remain home where they are 14-9 on the season which is better than what the Rockets have done on the road. Milwaukee has not benefited from an easy schedule so far as 23 games have been at home while 30 have been on the road. That has led to the 13th ranked schedule in the league and the 8th hardest in the Eastern Conference. The loss of Michael Redd can not be overstated but Milwaukee is making things happen in his absence and after a few games, the Bucks are now familiar enough with the new lineup to get back into the groove. After dropping the first two games in his absence against Indiana and Minnesota, they bounced back with victories over Toronto and Atlanta before these last two setbacks. They are 1-1 at home and could feasibly be 2-0 if not for a missed free throw toward the end of regulation against the Pistons. They are catching a great number Monday. I went against Houston on Saturday and it was having a rough time with Minnesota for about three quarters before a 17-2 sealed the deal. It was a needed win for a struggling team but hitting the road could remain an issue. The Rockets are 13-14 away from home but since right before Christmas, they are just 3-8 on the road including some bad losses against Memphis, New York, Indiana, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto. Note how the latter five all reside in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets, who are 20-10 within their own conference, are just 11-10 against the much weaker Eastern Conference showing how they play up or down to the competition. Road favorites are usually a good proposition to at least win outright but it is feast or famine with Houston who is only 8-7 straight up as a road chalk including a 7-8 ATS mark. Houston is 5-10 ATS on the road against teams with a losing record and coming off a win does not help with momentum as it does for a lot of team as the Rockets are 10-19-1 ATS after a victory and 5-16-1 ATS after win against the number. Tracy McGrady is coming off another bad performance and his 15.9 ppg average is his worst since 1999-00 which was his final season with the Raptors. That was so long ago, people may not realize that he even played for Toronto. He is shooting 39.3 percent from the floor, the first time in his entire career that he is shooting below 40 percent. While still a weapon, he is a small weapon as his injuries and limited game played are really cutting his game down. Ron Artest was brought in to help with some of the scoring responsibilities, but he has been a huge disappointment. He is averaging 15.7 ppg and while it can be argued that his scoring along with McGrady

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *12-7 DHD RUN* This one will be short and to the point. I

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *12-6 DHD RUN* Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale was the Western Conference coach of the month for January after the Wolves went 10-5, their most wins in a month since the 2003-04 season. Minnesota has struggled out of the gate in February with a 1-2 record but it is important to note that the lone winner came on the road where the Timberwolves have been performing excellent. They are a perfect 11-0 ATS in their last 11 road games with seven of those being outright victories, with six of those with them being in the underdog role. Nonetheless, Minnesota catches a great number against Houston who is struggling and has shown no consistency this season. The Rockets have lost two of three, three of five and four of seven after Wednesday's 104-93 loss at Memphis. Houston is a much more solid 17-6 at home but it still is not covering the big numbers, going 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 home games. The Rockets are playing up or down to the competition as they are 12-8 ATS against teams with a winning record but only 8-18 ATS against teams with a losing record. That latter run includes a dismal 3-8 ATS mark at home. As favorite of six points or more, Houston is 5-12 on the season. The Rockets have a five-game winning streak against the Timberwolves and have won four consecutive meetings in Houston so that is part of the reason it is favored by what it is. It does not seem to matter as the Rockets, still a public team, are getting backed by that public once again tonight. The rockets are shooting only 42.2 percent from the floor over their last five games but the real problem has been the defense. They have allowed 100 or more points in seven of their last 11 games after allowing 100 or more points in only three of their previous 12 games. Houston won that first meeting this season in Minnesota making this a revenge spot for the Timberwolves. I do not put a lot of faith in road revenge however; it is a little different in this case. Minnesota is a perfect 8-0 ATS in road revenge games coming from a home loss against an opponent this season. McHale has been the catalyst for making this team stronger on the road as since he took over, the Timberwolves are 13-1 ATS in those road games. The Rockets are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 13 games against a team with a losing record. Play on road teams that are winning between 25 and 40 percent of their games after a game where they failed to cover the spread in their last game. This situation is 336-234 ATS (58.9 percent) over the last five seasons. That percentage may seem low but in fact, when the sample is based on 570 games, it is extraordinary in picking up 79 units along the way. The Timberwolves keep the road show alive and strong for another game. 7* Minnesota Timberwolves

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY *11-6 DHD RUN* To no surprise, the public is all over Portland in this game so we should be able to get some added rise in this number as the day progresses. The early sharps nailed this one right out of the gates and knocked it down a point to its current number of +4.5 at this writing Friday morning. This is still a great number for a home team as host underdogs have been money in the NBA (for the most part) which is typical in this league. Home underdogs are 107-111 ATS (49.1 percent) on the season as we all know that is not profitable. However, that is brought down by four teams (LA Clippers, Memphis, Minnesota and Sacramento) and taking their combined 24-44 ATS (35.3 percent) record out of he mix and we are left with a very solid 83-67 ATS (55.3 percent) record. Blindly betting every home underdog is not the way to but some teams have been ruling it all year, with Oklahoma City being one of those as its 11 wins against the number as a home dog is the most in the league. The point of this was to show that the public loves the road chalk and in the cases of the 21 teams that have had this situation, they are in the wrong. Oklahoma City remains one of the best ATS teams in the league, going 31-18 ATS which is third best in the league. The Thunder were on a killer run but have slowed down recently however that does not mean now is the time to jump off. Following a 10-point home win over the Pistons back in mid-January, the Thunder were covering machines, going on ATS runs of 9-1, 13-2, 15-3 and 22-6 over their last 28 games. They have gone 4-4 ATS since then but that does include a 3-1 ATS mark at home. Oklahoma City has not defeated many of the top teams, going just 2-24 against teams ranked within the top 16, but it has been extremely competitive. It has played 25 games against teams with a winning record and has gone 18-7 ATS so it has either been the Thunder playing up to the competition or the competition looking past and playing down. Maybe it is some of both. Portland is one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season as it currently sits at 30-18 and is in 4th place in the conference standings. The Blazers 18-5 record at home is the 2nd best in the West and tied for 5th best in the entire league. However, like most teams in the NBA, the play on the road is not nearly the same as Portland is just 12-13 away from home. Granted that is better than a lot of teams but the Blazers are just 10-15 ATS including 5-6 ATS as a road favorite. Portland is also only 4-7 ATS as a favorite of five points or fewer. The Blazers had a five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday at Dallas. Through the first 49 games this season, Kevin Durant has been the league's best-kept secret quietly shuffled away in the middle of nowhere, putting up 25.1 ppg and 6.7 rpg while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from three-point range, and 85.8 percent from the free throw line. He led the struggling Thunder to a .500 mark during the month of January and while going 0-2 in February, those two losses came by just five total points. Portland is just 4-10 ATS in its last 14 road games while Oklahoma City is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 home games and 7-0 ATS in its last seven games against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600. The upset alert is on yet again tonight. 7* Oklahoma City Thunder

**7** NBA REVENGE GOW **12-2 GOW RUN** It is revenge time for the Pacers who will be looking to avoid the 4-0 sweep against Orlando. We saw this last Friday when Atlanta avoided such a fate against the Nets as it blew away New Jersey. Obviously these teams are not the same but the Pacers will be the team that comes into this one with some added motivation. Indiana is coming off a loss last night in Philadelphia and a win there may have taken us off of them here as the line would have shifted. Indiana has lost three straight games and trails eight place Milwaukee by four games in the Eastern Conference standings. Even though the Pacers have lost two straight games at home, they are still a solid 13-11 on the season and that includes a terrific 8-2 ATS mark against teams with a winning record. Indiana is 1-7 this season when the second of its back-to-back games is on the road but a much better 3-1 when that second game is home and a perfect 3-0 when it is home following an away game. After a straight up win, the Pacers are 6-13 ATS but a much better 18-11-1 ATS following a straight up loss and that is the situation tonight. The Magic are coming off a win but this will be their first game without All-Star guard Jameer Nelson. I say that because quite frankly, the game against the Clippers can

**7** NBA STAR ATTRACTION **60% ATS RUN** There is motivation and revenge on both sides tonight. Boston will be looking to avenge the earlier loss this season in Los Angeles on Christmas Day which snapped its season0-high 19-game winning streak. The Lakers meanwhile will be looking for some revenge from their last game played in Boston, as they dropped the decisive Game Six of the NBA Finals by 39 points. That humiliating setback takes precedence here and I give the revenge edge to the Lakers. The Lakers are coming off that come-from-behind win last night against the Raptors and that was impressive considering they looked to be more focused on this game than that one. I like the fact that Los Angeles started slow and finished strong. This being the second of a back-to-back set is definitely on an edge for the Celtics as Los Angeles is 12-3 ATS when playing its 2nd road game in two days over the last two seasons. The Lakers have been underdogs only three times all season long and they have covered all three of those games, winning two of those outright by a combined 20 points (both over New Orleans) while losing the other by a single point at San Antonio. This is the most points it has gotten this season. The Celtics are once again hot as they have won 12 straight games but the competition has been pretty suspect with wins against Orlando, Phoenix and Dallas being the best of the bunch. The winning streak is solid there is no doubt but when the quality of competition goes up, the Lakers have proven more this season. They are 13-4 against teams ranked within the top ten in the NBA while Boston is only 7-5. That is a pretty significant difference in not only the more wins but also the five extra games played against that strong competition. Boston is 11-10 ATS in its last 21 games while the Lakers are 13-8 ATS over the same span. That isn

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **9-6 DHD RUN** Cleveland is riding a three-game winning streak but this team is clearly not the same that we saw earlier in the season Wins were coming by way of blowout earlier in the year but the Cavaliers have not been putting those runs together despite the recent three wins that have come by a good amount. The Cavaliers as we all know are having a spectacular season but they have been coming back down to earth recently with a 12-5 record over their last 17 games. That is still solid but when starting the season 26-4 that is a pretty serious dropoff. Part of the reason is a bullseye on their backs and teams are getting amped to play them but another reason is injuries as Cleveland has been pretty banged up of late. Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed some significant time while also on the shelf is guard Delonte West who will be missing his 11th straight game and it severely depletes the backcourt. He had averaged 14.4 ppg over his last 14 games prior to getting hurt while also averaging 3.8 apg and 2.8 rpg while committing only 16 turnovers combined in those games. It is a bigger loss than a lot people are taking into account. Cleveland is 21-0 at home but only 14-8 on the road with all four recent games taking their toll. The Knicks were rolling along with six wins in its last seven games before the Lakers and Kobe Bryant came to town. He dumped 61 points on the Knicks which was an MSG record, taking down the old mark of none other than Bernard King. In comes another player tonight capable of doing a similar feat but it just isn

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **9-5 DHD RUN** Life without Michael Redd is not going to be easy for the Bucks but they will have to make due and it looks at though they are starting to turn the corner. After dropping the first two games in his absence against Indiana and Minnesota, they have bounced back with victories over Toronto and Atlanta, the former coming on the road to improve to 10-19 away from home. That record is nothing special but playing a team tonight that is even worse at home certainly makes things more comfortable. This line has climbed since opening at -3 and the public continues to back this reeling Nets team. New Jersey is coming off an impressive road victory over Philadelphia and the key word there is road. The Nets are 12-12 on the road compared to just 9-15 at home. That win over the Sixers halted a run of eight losses in their previous nine games but they still have dropped three in a row in Jersey. The Nets won

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **9-4 DHD RUN** Washington was in a similar spot last night and most cashed a ticket by a hook but now the situation has completely revered. The Wizards were the play last night because of line value and that value was important as shown by the final score and the proximity of where the line was. They had not been competitive for four straight games, losing by 20, 13, 16 and 22 points but they were competitive last night after a dull first quarter and actually were in the running for a win late before the Sixers closed the door with a late run. It was yet another fourth quarter meltdown for Washington and while that line value helped us despite the losing straight up outcome, that line value shifts to the other side tonight. The Clippers are in an eerily situation, although they are not getting ass many points, as they have dropped four straight games and none of which were competitive. Those losses came by 15, 25, 20 and 17 points including that final one from last night against the Cavaliers. Injuries have been he big story for the Clippers this season, although they were playing bad before the injury bug hit. None of those hits were worse than losing Baron Davis, who came over from Golden St. and was supposed to be the savior. That has been far from the case but he recently missed 12 games with a tailbone injury. He has been back for the last two games as he is getting back into the flow of things. Prior to him going down, Los Angeles was on a 4-6 run which may not seem like anything special but for a team with only 10 total wins this season, it was a huge run. He adds a dynamic to the lineup not seen by many so his presence again is significant. Washington blew another late chance last night as mentioned and it has now dropped five straight and 12 of its last 14 games. I embraced the huge underdog line last night but in the role of favorite, it needs to be faded. Why you ask? The Wizards are a dreadful 2-8 ATS this season as a chalk including a 1-8 ATS mark with a line of less than -6. One will argue that this is a horrible Clippers team that they are favored against. That may be true but with the worst record in the league, in order for the Wizards to be favored in any situation, they must have been against some bad teams and they failed miserably. The Wizards are 0-9 in the second of back-to-back games this season. This does include a 4-5 ATS record but they were underdogs in seven of those nine games and those four spread wins came by a total of 7.5 points in the four games so they barely skated by. In the two games they were favored, against Toronto and Charlotte, both were straight up home losses. The Clippers have not been much better in this role but they have been better, winning two of their last seven outright in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Clippers fall into a great situation based on the recent bad play on both sides. Play against home favorites after being beaten by the spread by 24 or more points total in their last three games going up against opponent after being beaten by the spread by 30 or more points total in their last three games. This situation is 25-6 ATS (80.6 percent) over the last five seasons. We should expect to see a closely contested game and Los Angeles, while having an excellent chance at the outright win, catch some added value in this inflated number. 7* Los Angeles Clippers

**7** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **4-0 FRI RUN** Washington has barely competed its last four games and that is precisely why we are on the Wizards tonight. NBA teams go through runs, both good and bad, but those streaks come full circle at some point and this could be just that spot for Washington. The Wizards last four games have resulted in losses by 20, 13, 16 and 22 points and they are now only team in the NBA that has yet to win 10 games. This is the final road game before heading home for a five-game homestand and while one can argue that Washington won

**7** NBA EASTERN CONF. GOW *11-2 GOW RUN* Both teams come in with solid ATS records as the both are hitting 67.4 percent against the number this season so there is no edge on either side as far as line value goes. The line is exactly where it should be so it will come down to execution and matchups and for tonight, that will favor the home team. Orlando hit a small wall, losing to Boston and Miami in consecutive games for just the second time this season and the first since the opening two games of the year. Since that loss to Memphis way back on October 31, the Magic have followed up their first win after a loss with another win every time out, going a perfect 14-0 in their previous scenarios. They are coming off a win over Indiana in their last game and will be going for their eighth consecutive back-to-back run following a defeat. They are 6-2 ATS in that first win and 5-2 ATS in that second win with this one pending. Cleveland is riding a four-game winning streak but this team is struggling, if that can be said about such a good team. Wins were coming by way of blowout earlier in the year but the Cavalier have just been getting by recently as all four wins during this recent stretch have been by seven points or fewer. The Cavaliers as we all know are having a spectacular season but they have been coming back down to earth recently with a 9-4 record over their last 13 games. That is still solid but when starting the season 26-4 that is a pretty serious dropoff. Part of the reason is a bullseye on their backs and teams are getting amped to play them but another reason is injuries as Cleveland has been pretty banged up of late. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been out with a chip fracture in his ankle. His absence, which is reaching its 14th game, has coincided with the recent

**7** NBA Non-Conf. **Game of the Week** Portland has all sorts of edges in this game. Then Blazers are playing for revenge as they lost in Charlotte by five points in overtime but 10 days ago so that one is fresh on their minds. As a matter of fact, this is a triple revenge spot as the Bobcats have won three straight meetings including an eight-point win at the Rose Garden last season. Portland has had a day off since beating up on the Clippers and it will have two days off before its next game at home against Utah so there is no letdown nor is there a lookahead. Charlotte meanwhile is coming off that upset win at Los Angeles as that sixth road win of the season was by far the biggest. Considering it lost by 17 points and 30 points in its two visits to Cleveland, this win was absolutely enormous and one that I consider a fluke. If Kobe Bryant had not fouled out in the first overtime, things may have been different but we can only make assumptions on that. One assumption we cannot make is the status of Gerald Wallace. He played for only 32 minutes last night before hurting his ribs and being taken to the hospital. It is likely nothing serious but the leading scorer for the Bobcats will not be playing tonight. That hurts threefold. Not only will his production be missed but considering the Bobcats played a double-overtime game last night, this will be one tired team. Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Emeka Okafor all played more than 46 minutes last night and the Bobcats went only eight-deep (not counting Wallace since he should not be counted tonight). Third, the Bobcats are 0-2 without him this season both of which happened to come on the road. I have backed Charlotte numerous times with good results as the additions of Diaw and Bell and the subtraction of Jason Richardson has improved this team dramatically. We saw that last night against the Lakers but we are not going to see it again tonight. Portland is 16-3 against teams raked outside the top 16 in the NBA while Charlotte improved to just 4-10 against teams ranked within the top 10. Even more impressive for the Blazers 27-17 season record is that they have played the 6th toughest schedule in the NBA. They are 16-5 at home this season and the only recent losses have come against Cleveland, New Orleans and Dallas. Portland is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games against teams with a losing record. It is also 13-2 ATS in home games after two or more consecutive wins over the last two seasons. This is a horrible spot for Charlotte and the line has risen for good reason. It can keep rising for all I care as this one has a major beatdown written all over it. 7* Portland Trailblazers

**8** NBA DARK HORSE DANDY **8-3 DHD RUN** I went against Memphis on Friday in its game at New York and that was an easy win for the Knicks. However, that was the first game with interim head coach Johnny Davis and there is always some tough transition when a new coach takes over. Now the Grizzlies have officially brought back Lionel Hollins as the head coach who was interim coach of the Grizzlies when the franchise was in Vancouver. Also, the Grizzlies have had two days off to get ready for this one. Memphis is a mess as it has lost nine straight games and 17 of its last 19 games but this line is taking all that into account. The situation calls for Memphis to be the play here although the public isn

**8** Eastern Conf. GOM **35-22 TOP PLAY** The home team is a very popular choice in this matchup based on factors that the public only sees from the outside. Miami is coming off a big win against Orlando, it is a revenge game for the Heat while the Hawks just played on Sunday losing at home and they have been hit with the injury bug. Digging deeper shows some edges going the other way and those are the ones that we are going take more priority in. Atlanta is playing good once again despite coming off that loss on Sunday against Phoenix. The Hawks had won three consecutive games prior to that after dropping six of eight to start this month and have re-established themselves as a legitimate contender for one of the coveted home-court slots in the first round of the playoffs. Hawks coach Mike Woodson insists that keeping things that simple is the best way to make sense of the ebb and flow that comes with the playoff chase. The injury to forward Al Horford has definitely hurt the frontcourt but Josh Smith and Marvin Smith are both healthy again after missing a combined 16 games. This is an area that Atlanta can have a disadvantage in but that is not the case tonight as explained down further. Ever since a four-game winning streak toward the end of December, Miami has been a very average team, going 7-7. This does include is 6-2 record at home with wins over the Magic, Lakers and Cavaliers but also includes bad losses against the Celtics and Spurs. These are all elite teams so can we include Atlanta into that mix? The Hawks are ranked 10th in the NBA according to Jeff Sagarin and playing those top ten teams has been a struggle for Miami as it is 4-12 on the season. The Heat are just 8-9 ATS on the season against teams with a winning record and this includes a 3-5 ATS mark at home. This does include that win over Orlando however the Heat had to play nearly perfect to pull off the upset, turning the ball over just 4 times in the game, an all-time franchise low. I don

**8** NBA Supreme Annihilator *35-20 Run* Cleveland is coming off a last second victory last night in Golden St. as LeBron James hit the game-winning shot with less than a second remaining on the clock. I went against the Cavaliers based on the fact that it was coming off a couple tough and marquee games against the Lakers and Blazers while needing to travel to Utah the following night. That was spot on as Cleveland put forth a pretty lethargic effort last night. While I would normally lay off tonight because of the scheduling, I am coming right back to play against the Cavaliers based on the way they won that game last night. Even though it was Golden St., it took a lot out of them and wins like that don

**7** NBA Supreme Annihilator *33-20 Run* It doesn

**8** NBA #1 TNT ***Game of the Month*** The Magic were part of the recent Hot and Cold bets saying that they would be a great play here. We got the line we wanted so we are putting it in. This was the synopsis then and it has not changed. Orlando continues to eat the league up as it has won seven straight (6-1 ATS) including all four games from its just completed roadtrip. That includes solid wins over the Spurs, Lakers and Nuggets. The Magic are now 33-8 on the season (28-12-1 ATS) and one of those eight losses happened to come against the Celtics. They lost that game by 19 points which was the biggest loss of the season. Orlando won two of three against Boston last season with both wins coming at home so revenge is no doubt a very good possibility. Those wins came by just two and three points but the Magic are a much better team this time around. Orlando has had five days off prior to this game and while rust could be an issue, the rest from playing seven games in 12 days will be more beneficial. The Celtics are back to business with wins in six straight games. However, the competition was weak and not only that, Boston played a game last night in Miami. It was an easy victory and the starters got some decent time on the bench but the Celtics have struggled this season in the second of back-to-back sets, going 3-7 ATS. This includes a 2-4 ATS mark when that second game is on the road and here is the real kicker. Those games came against Indiana, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Charlotte and Golden St. So basically, they weren

**7** NBA Non-Conf. **Game of the Week** I think it is time for Portland to lay a beating on am inferior team and the Bucks look liker the perfect victim. The Blazers are back home following a four-game roadtrip out east where they have mixed results, going 2-2 including an overtime loss in their final game at Charlotte. That split may seem good for a lot of teams but Portland expressed disappointment in that roadtrip as it came against four average teams and considering the Blazers went in with a very respectable 8-10 road record, more was expected. This is the first of five home contests covering their next six games with the lone road game being against the Clippers so this is a pretty important stretch and one that needs to start the right way. Portland sits two and a half games behind Denver and with the Nuggets starting a stretch of 11 road games in their next 15 overall games, now is the time to strike. Milwaukee is coming off an inexcusable road loss against the Clippers on Saturday night as Los Angeles was absolutely riddled with injuries with its three top players out as well as losing a fourth during the game. This is the type of season it has been for Milwaukee and that is one of great inconsistencies. Milwaukee is 9-16 on the road this season including a 4-8 record against Western Conference teams. Looking into that a little further shows those four wins coming against the Kings, Thunder, Grizzlies and Spurs. The first three have a combined record of only 29-93. The win over San Antonio can be chalked up as a complete aberration. Need more proof? Portland is 13-3 against teams ranked outside the top 16 in the league while Milwaukee is just 4-17 against teams ranked within the top 16 so you can clearly see the disparity between these two teams. The Bucks got off to a very sluggish start and then put together a solid 5-1 run in December but since then they have been nothing more than a .500 team from a weak conference. Sadly enough as weak at the Eastern Conference is Milwaukee is still sitting on the outside looking into the playoff picture. The Blazers are 14-4 at home which is tied for the second best record in the Western Conference. As mentioned, this is a big stretch coming up starting tonight and one they need to take advantage of. While eyeing the Nuggets for first place, Portland has to be peeking in the rearview mirror as well as Dallas, Phoenix, Houston are Utah are breathing down their neck. As good as Portland has been, it is just a game out of actually missing the playoffs so the pedal cannot come off the gas. The Blazers are 5-1 at home against the Eastern Conference with the only loss coming to Orlando who every team has been losing too of late. This includes a one point win over Detroit and a five-point win over the Celtics. The other three were against below average teams Toronto, Miami and Chicago and came by 13, 38 and 42 points respectively. Milwaukee has been very good recently when coming off a loss but those next games have comes against the likes of Indiana, New York, Charlotte, Toronto, Washington, New Jersey and Sacramento. That is not exactly the greatest bunch of teams for sure. Portland is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games when coming off a loss as a road favorite. The Blazers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing road record so this combination sets up very well here. Portland is 6-3 ATS over the last nine meetings Milwaukee has been one of the better ATS teams in the league and because of that, we catch some value in this line. 7* Portland Trailblazers

**8** 82.1% Dark Horse Dandy *5-0 DHD Run* It is hard not to be impressive with what Orlando has been doing this season including last night as in went into Los Angels and defeated the Lakers. It was the sixth straight win for the Magic including the first three of this four-game roadtrip. That nationally televised victory last night was big and it proved that all of the power does not just lie in the Western Conference. However, how can Orlando possibly get up again for this game? I don

**7** 78.4% Dark Horse Dandy *4-0 DHD Run* Phoenix dropped a tough game last night in Denver and it came in overtime no less. The Suns now head back home for a game before hitting the road for a six-game roadtrip. The Suns had won three straight games prior to Thursday but there is just something not right about this team. Phoenix is 11-9 over its last 20 games and is currently a game and a half out from actually missing the playoffs. The Western Conference is rugged once again as it is going to be a nine-team race for eight playoff spots and the Suns could be on the outside looking in. There is a changing of the guard in the conference as young teams such as Portland and New Orleans are taking over for the teams that used to rule the conference such as Phoenix and Dallas. The Suns have been one of the bigger disappointments for backers as hey are just 13-22 against the number including a 6-13 ATS record at home. The Suns used to be able to take big spreads and crush them with no problem. That is far from the case this season yet the public continues to support this overpriced team. Phoenix is 2-11 ATS this season when favored by seven or more points and against teams with a losing record, it is a dismal 3-10 ATS. Minnesota is coming off a three-point loss at home against Miami on Wednesday but this team has quietly turned a corner. Prior to that loss, the Timberwolves had won five straight games and since enduring a 13-game losing streak, they are 7-3 in their last 10 games since then. Two of those losses came by 10 combined points while the third came against Orlando who has been beating everyone up so that was no surprise. Minnesota has been plagued by a poor defense all season but it has been getting better of late, allowing fewer than 100 points in four of its last five games. The offense is clicking as during this recent 10 games stretch, it is averaging 106.4 ppg and now gets to face a struggling Phoenix defense. In the loss against Miami, the Timberwolves got another big effort from Randy Foye, who has been the catalyst for their recent surge. He put up 29 points and eight assists in the losing cause and is averaging 22.2 ppg while shooting 52 percent (45-87) from the floor. The Suns have allowed 107.4 ppg over their last five games and it has been nearly as bad during the 9-11 stretch. Over those 20 games, the defense has given up an average of 106.3 ppg. In 12 home games, he Suns have allowed 104.8 ppg and they have outscored the opposition by only 3.9 ppg. Minnesota is one of the youngest teams in the league but the maturity is coming through and the recent shakeups are starting to pay off. After a season of discontent during which they fired head coach Randy Wittman and demoted VP of basketball operations Kevin McHale to the role, the Timberwolves have finally begun to see some results from the youth movement that last summer's trade of Kevin Garnett ignited. The Timberwolves fall into a solid contrarian situation for tonight. Play on road teams that are allowing 99 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after scoring 105 points or more five straight games. This situation is 29-8 ATS (78.4 percent) since 1996 with the average point differential being just -3.2 ppg. Minnesota has covered six straight on the road against teams with a winning home record while Phoenix has dumped four straight home games against teams with a losing road record. We will see these runs continue on Friday. 7* Minnesota Timberwolves

**8** NBA Non-Conf. **Game of the Month** Another game, another cover for Oklahoma City. This team has been on an amazing run of late against the number and the Thunder look to do it again at home tonight. This line is low to many and with that, the public is backing the other side once again. We saw it on Tuesday when the Thunder were getting 5.5 points from Utah and the majority was all over the Jazz at a good 75 percent clip. Oklahoma City went on to win that game and it is inching closer to getting away from the basement in the league standings. The Thunder are 4-4 over their last eight games and even the losses have been good over this span for the most part. One of the defeats came in New Jersey in overtime while two others, at home against Houston and at home against Denver, came by two points each. Losses like that can be discouraging to a lot of players and teams but that is not the case here as it seems to be even a bigger motivating factor. Oklahoma City has not defeated many of the top teams, going just 1-21 against teams ranked within the top 16, but it has been extremely competitive. It has played 21 games against teams with a winning record and has gone 16-5 ATS so it has either been the Thunder playing up to the competition or the competition looking past and playing down. It could also be a combination of both but all I know is that this team is on a roll. Since Scott Brooks took over as head coach, the Thunder have been a different team even though it may not show in the win column as they are a league worst 7-33 but a third best 26-14 against the number. Overall, the Thunder have been covering machines of late, going on ATS runs of 8-1, 12-2, 14-3 and 21-6 over their last 27 games. Detroit has lost three straight games after a run of eight wins in its nine previous games. The Pistons may be considered desperate here and will not be looking past this game as they have New Orleans at home tomorrow but even if that is the case, I am far from sold on this team. The Pistons are old, slow and despite the struggles, still a very overrated ballclub. Only a year ago, Detroit was right in the thick of the top spots in the Eastern Conference but now it is sitting in 5th place overall and in the division, Cleveland has taken over and likely for good. One of the best players in Pistons history can be partly to blame. Richard Hamilton has been struggling and he was absent from the Pistons recent 6-1 stretch due to groin injury, and his return has been less than stellar, shooting 8-for-25 from the floor in the two losses. He is hearing from every direction that he needs to be shipped out and he has said he will not be coming off the bench. Detroit has won eight straight meetings in this series but it has been far from dominant. The last six wins have come by two, three, four, four, four and two points. The Pistons could easily come in here and blow out Oklahoma City but at the same time, they could go down once again and I am banking on the latter considering the struggles and inconsistencies it is going through right now. Oklahoma City is a perfect 8-0 ATS in its last eight home games and against the Eastern Conference, it is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games. As mentioned, the Thunder have not won many, one actually, against winning teams but with Brooks, they are 13-1 ATS against teams with a winning record. Conversely, the Pistons are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams that have won fewer than 40 percent of their games this season. Detroit is 5-13 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points this season and its struggles will continue again tonight. 8* Oklahoma City Thunder

**7** NBA 71.2% TV **Game of the Night** I was on Chicago in the last meeting between these two teams back in the beginning of January and the Bulls were hammered by 25 points in Cleveland. While that call was certainly a bad one, this time around it should work in our favor as we get tremendous line value for the home team. Cleveland was favored by 12.5 points in that last matchup meaning it should be favored between 4.5 and 5.5 points in this one taking home court into consideration. The linesmakers are not doing that it seems and to their credit, it is the right move. Reason being is that the public is still all over the Cavaliers even with this overpriced line. If the line was where it should be, those wagers would certainly not change and be more on the Cleveland side. As far as strengths of these two teams, the Cavaliers clearly are the superior team. Chicago is again having a disappointing season but a lot of that can be traces to injuries. Kirk Hinrich missed 31 games, Luol Deng missed eight games and numerous other players have missed games here and there. Hinrich and Deng are big contributors and there absences were huge. Not only that but it messes everyone else up as continuity and consistency are hurt with key players being out. This is the third game back for both Hinrich and Deng so now that they are getting back in the flow, things will be getting even better moving forward. The Bulls are coming off a rare road win last time out in Toronto and bring some good confidence into this one. The Bulls are a much better team at home as proven by their 12-7 record. On the other side, the Cavaliers are a perfect 19-0 at home but just 11-6 on the road. In the NBA, anything over .500 is solid but does that make Cleveland a target to be such a big favorite in a road game against a division rival? I say no. Especially when you see that they were favored by roughly the same amount in their last road game at Memphis on Tuesday, who is 11-27 and ranked well below the Bulls in the NBA Power Rankings. Plus Chicago has played the NBA

**7** Western Conference Game of the Week This is the first meeting of the season between the Lakers and Spurs and the first meeting since Los Angeles ended the defending World Champions season last year. The Lakers won the Conference Finals four games to one and this could be payback time for the Spurs. After a slow start, the Spurs have caught fire, going 22-7 over their last 29 games. They are coming off a loss against Orlando on Sunday and have had three days to get ready for this big rematch.

The Lakers were absolutely crushing teams early in the season and that led to an 11-6 ATS mark to start the year. The linesmakers caught up and Los Angeles lost 10 straight against the number and lines were then starting to shift the other way. What happened? The Lakers reeled off five straight wins against the number but once again, they were overvalued and they have now lost four of five ATS. After a 17-3 start, Los Angeles was +11.0 in scoring margin. In 17 games since and going 14-3, it is just +6.2 ppg.

The Spurs that they were banged up in that playoff series with Los Angeles and it had the makings of a classic one. Manu Ginobili played but he was no where near 100 percent and it definitely hurt the team as a whole. He was out to start the year this season and once again, the Spurs struggled. San Antonio is 6-6 with him out of the lineup and 18-6 with him in the lineup. While Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are huge contributors, Ginobili is the biggest hole to fill when he is out. The Spurs went 7-2 without Parker.

San Antonio is coming off that loss against Orlando and that puts it into a great bounce back situation. Play on home teams that have won between 60 and 75 percent of their games where the line is +3 to -3 that are coming off a loss as a favorite and playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 58-24 ATS (70.7 percent) since 1996 including a 17-4 ATS mark (81 percent) over the last five years. San Antonio is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when coming off a non-conference game. 7* San Antonio Spurs

**7** NBA 67% DARK HORSE DANDY *8-3 L11* Orlando enters this game coming off a huge road win at San Antonio and on deck are games against the Lakers, Nuggets and Celtics. That puts this game at a low priority but a high priority for the betting public who will be all over the league

**7** NBA 71.1% DARK HORSE DANDY *7-3 L10* I am kicking myself for not jumping on Oklahoma City on Saturday at Chicago where it ended up winning outright in overtime. The Thunder had just come off a hard-fought battle with the Rockets in which they lost by just one point and I was unsure how the team would react. Well, they reacted pretty well once again and that has been the trait recently as you hardly find teams with such bad records that play harder than this team is. We get line value once again.

Since a 9-3 run in mid-November and early-December, the Nets have gone 7-11 in their last 18 games and have been the true word of inconsistent. Two of those seven wins came in overtime, while another came by just a single point. For the season, New Jersey is -2.0 ppg in scoring margin including -3.8 ppg at home. Only nine teams in the NBA have a negative scoring margin at home and the Nets are the only team sitting in a playoff spot while the best record of the other eight is Charlotte at 14-24.

Since Scott Brooks took over as head coach, the Thunder have been a different team even though it may not show in the win column as they are a league worst 6-32 but a fourth best 24-14 against the number. Overall, the Thunder have been covering machines of late, going on ATS runs of 6-1, 10-2, 12-3 and 19-6 over their last 25 games. On the road, the Thunder are 13-5 ATS on the season including 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games. Oklahoma City is 17-7 ATS as an underdog of seven or more points.

Oklahoma City falls into a great contrarian situation. Play on road teams that are allowing 103 ppg or greater on the season going up against an opponent after allowing 60 points or more in the first half last game. This situation is 49-21 ATS (70 percent) over the last five seasons wit the average point differential being +0.5 ppg in favor of the play on team. Also, Oklahoma City is 10-3 ATS this season against teams that average 99 or more ppg so it falls right into this system. 7* Oklahoma City Thunder

**7** NBA 83.3% DARK HORSE DANDY *6-3 L9* Miami is 6.5 games better than Indiana yet it is getting only 3.5 points less than what the Pacers got Friday night. I released the Lakers as an early Newsletter play and stuck with it but they struggled once again to put a lower echelon team away. They went into the 4th quarter with a 12-point lead but allowed the Pacers to come roaring back before they won on a Kobe Bryant jumper with three seconds remaining. Los Angeles will once again be without Lamar Odom and Luke Walton, two key bench players.

The Lakers were absolutely crushing teams early in the season and that led to an 11-6 ATS mark to start the year. The linesmakers caught up and Los Angeles lost 10 straight against the number and lines were then starting to shift the other way. What happened? The Lakers reeled off five straight wins against the number but once again, they were overvalued and they have now lost three in a row ATS. After a 17-3 start, Los Angeles was +11.0 in scoring margin. In 15 games since and going 12-3, it is just +6.5 ppg.

Miami is playing decent basketball. After an 8-9 start, the Heat have gone 11-7 over their last 18 games including a 4-4 record on the road. After losing three straight games by double-digits in mid-December, Miami has gone on a 7-4 run with the four losses coming by 8.8 ppg but they came against Denver, San Antonio, Orlando and Cleveland so there is nothing bad about that. This is a game the Lakers could be looking past as they are at Houston and San Antonio and then host Orlando and Cleveland in their next four games.

The Lakers are a dreadful 4-18 ATS in their last 22 games against the Eastern Conference while Miami is 7-3 ATS this season and an underdog of four or more points. The Heat also fall into a great situation. Play on underdogs of 10 or more points after allowing 100 points or more two straight games, going up against an opponent after a combined score of 215 points or more in two straight games. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3 percent) since 1996. 7* Miami Heat

**7** NBA SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *6-2 ATS L8* I was on Washington last night and the Wizards outplayed the Bulls for three quarters but the problem was that they could not recover from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter. They now go back home for a revenge game against Charlotte who won the first meeting less than three weeks ago by eight points. Washington scored a season low 72 points in that game and that was against a defense that is nothing but average, allowing 45.4 percent shooting from the floor, 16th in the league.

The Bobcats are coming off a loss last night as well as their road struggles continue. It was their third straight road setback to push them to 3-12 away from home. Of those 12 losses, 11 of those came by more than what they are getting tonight and for the season, they are getting outscored by 5.8 ppg away from home. That may sound decent but a 29-point road win over Memphis has skewed the numbers. The 12 losses have been by an average of 11 ppg and that is more indicative of the play.

All-star forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison combined to make five of 20 shots and score 14 points. One guy who is going to have a big night tonight is Butler. Last night, Butler's two points on 1-8 shooting were a season-low.

**9** NBA 82% TOP Conference Play *5-0 L5* Chicago is laying points and quite honestly has no business doing so no matter the competition. The Bulls have won 10 games since November 18th and only two of those have been by double digits. Meanwhile of their 15 losses over that span, eight of those have been by double-digits. In total during this 25-game stretch, Chicago has been outscored by 5.4 ppg. The thing is, the Bulls are still getting the call to try and cover a big number and they can

**7** NBA 70.2% DARK HORSE DANDY *5-0 Run* This situation sets up perfectly for the Thunder. Oklahoma City had been on a monster ATS run before getting whooped in Minnesota and whooped badly by 42 points. That is what you call a beatdown. Two good things come of that. It was two days ago on the road and the Thunder are now home again where they have been a much more solid team. It also gives us excellent line value. Oklahoma City was covering at a frantic pace and we were starting to lose some of that really good value. It is back now.

Houston is not going to show much interest here. The Rockets are coming off a huge road win in Boston on Wednesday and this is the final game of their five-game road trip. Waiting in Houston is a five-game homestand so after being on the road for nine days, it wants nothing more than to get home. The Rockets goal is to skate by Oklahoma City as is the case with most good teams since it is hard to get up for a team with only five wins on the season especially when you have already defeated them twice this season.

Since Scott Brooks took over as head coach, the Thunder have been a different team even though it may not show in the win column as they are a league worst 5-31 but a fourth best 22-14 against the number. Playing at home, Oklahoma City is 10-9 ATS but this was after a slow start. It is 6-0 ATS in its last six and 8-3 ATS in its last 11 at the Ford Center. Overall, the Thunder have been covering machines of late, going on ATS runs of 4-1, 8-2, 10-3 and 17-6 over their last 23 games. Oklahoma City is 16-7 ATS as an underdog of seven or more points.

They are 11-1 ATS against teams with a winning record since he took over. Houston is now 0-5 ATS in its last five games as a favorite and it is 2-8 ATS as a favorite of seven points or more. Houston is a tired team now and falls into a situation where you play against favorites coming off an upset win as a road underdog and playing their 8th game or more in 14 days. This situation is 101-50 ATS (66.9 percent) with the average point differential being just -2.3 ppg. 7* Oklahoma City Thunder

**7** NBA 80.6% ATS SMASH **4-0 ATS Run** The Knicks blew a chance for a win on Tuesday but they were favored in that game and that is not a spot you want to touch them in. I went against them there and won but I will now be backing them as this is a lot of points for a team that has been very competitive.
Of the last 10 losses, seven have been by eight points or fewer including five of the last six on the road. The lone exception was a 19-point loss in Boston. New York is off until Saturday after this while Dallas is looking ahead to a game in Phoenix on Friday.

Knicks head coach Mike D

**7** 84.5% SUPREME ANNIHILATOR *3-0 Run* Underdogs went 8-0 last night so point takers were very happy. It also brings up good spots for some of the favorites as public gamblers have some of the shortest memories around and in seeing the bogs roll last night, they will be all over them again tonight. This is one dog that is in a horrible spot yet the public is pounding New Orleans. The Hornets are coming off a huge win last night in Los Angeles and making it even stronger was the energy they exerted in that 4th quarter comeback.

That victory snapped the Lakers 15-game home winning streak and avenged the two losses that took place in New Orleans earlier this season. It is pretty safe to say that the Tuesday game was a pretty big one. Now the Hornets must try and bounce back in an equally tough environment in Utah. The Jazz have won five of their last six games at home following a rare 2-3 stretch at the end of November and early December. This is just the fourth home game for Utah since December 14th, a span covering 11 games.

David West and Chris Paul combined for 72 points last night and that total was more than the Hornets scored in their last game against Utah, a 77-66 setback in April of last year. Utah has won seven of the last nine meetings including four straight at EnergySolutions Arena. Those four wins have come by 22, 27, 10 and 24 points and those seven wins during this recent run have been by an average of 15.6 ppg. Dating back to last season, the Jazz are 50-8 in their last 58 regular season games.

This is not only a good spot but also a good number. Utah is 15-4 ATS as a home favorite of fewer than six points over the last two seasons. The Hornets are a dismal 2-12 ATS as a road underdog between five and 10.5 points. The Jazz are on a two-game ATS losing streak and that benefits us here as they are 10-1 ATS in home games following two or more straight losses against the number. Finally, New Orleans is just 2-12 ATS in its last 14 road games following a double-digit win as an underdog. 7* Utah Jazz

**7** NBA Tuesday 80% DARK HORSE DANDY The bad news is that Oklahoma City is coming off a draining last second loss to the Nuggets on a last second Carmelo Anthony shot. The good news is that four days have passed since then so any lingering effects from that game it should have won are now gone. Right now it is about moving forward and winning games to boost confidence and this is one of those games. The Thunder are a league worst 4-30 but a fourth best 21-13 against the number and yes we get some value once again.

The Knicks are coming off their biggest win of the season on Sunday over the rival Celtics and that one can cause a hangover in this game. They now hit the road where they are 5-11 on the season and all 16 of those games they have been underdogs. Yes they are playing the worst team in the league but if anything, this game should be a pickem. New York has been covering pretty frequently on the road, going 6-1 ATS in its last seven, but it was getting points in all of those games including at least 7.5 points five times.

The addition of Al Harrington has been big for the Knicks and the center position in the only one on the team in the plus in net production. At the forward position, New York is -12.1 in net production while the Thunder are +0.7 at the forward spot, mostly due to the emergence of strong forward Kevin Durant. Durant fashioned one of the better Decembers in the league as he averaged 25 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg and 1.2 bpg during the month. Those numbers are right at the top in the NBA.

As mentioned earlier, Oklahoma City has had ample time off to regroup and it is a perfect 7-0 ATS this season when playing only its second game in five days. This is different that the days rest in-between games as it takes into account time off prior to the previous game as well. The Thunder have been covering machines of late, going on ATS runs of 3-0, 7-1, 9-2 and 16-5 over their last 21 games. The Knicks are just 2-5 ATS as small favorites of seven points or fewer on the season. 7* Oklahoma City Thunder

**7** NBA Non-Conference Game of the Week I went with Denver on Saturday against New Orleans and it was able to pull out an important victory. That was the first game of an extended seven-game homestand and with the latter half very challenging, these are the games that the Nuggets need to take care of. Denver has now won three straight games and five of its last six and looks to be past a small slump that took place in mid-December where it dropped three in a row. The Nuggets are 15-1 against teams ranked outside the top 16 in the league.

The Pacers are on a modest two-game winning streak but seeing that those wins came against New York and Sacramento, it is hardly a worry. After a 5-5 start to the season, Indiana is just 7-16 over its last 23 games and to no ones surprise it is struggling against the better teams from its schedule. The Pacers are 4-14 against the top 16 in the NBA and this is not a good spot as it is the beginning of a brutal five-game west coast trip. Indiana is 2-8-1 ATS this season following a win.

The Nuggets are known for a strong offense and a weak defense but the Pacers have been even worse in that latter category. Indiana is allowing 104.9 ppg which is 4th worst in the league. That average is even worse of late. After allowing a very respectable 96.3 ppg through the first 10 games, the Pacers have allowed 108.7 ppg since then, a span covering 23 games including 109.9 ppg in their last 14 games. Denver is averaging 109.8 ppg through its last five games and will take advantage of that porous defense.

Denver is 6-1 ATS this season against really bad teams that have only won between 25 and 40 percent of their games. Also, the Nuggets are 15-4 ATS in home games against the Eastern Conference over the last two seasons with the scoring margin in those games being a solid +13.6 ppg. Indiana has struggled against the elite teams as mentioned and it is 0-5 ATS in its last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage greater than .600. Denver is also 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings in this series. 7* Denver Nuggets

**7** Western Conference Game of the Week It is pretty safe to say that Denver was looking ahead to this game last night as it almost lost on the road to Oklahoma City. Carmelo Anthony bailed the Nuggets out with a three-pointer at the buzzer giving them a solid 3-1 record on their four-game roadtrip. Denver now returns home where it is 11-4 on the season including wins in four of its last five. The Nuggets will be looking for a little payback as one of those home losses came against the Hornets back on November 27th. Denver outshot New Orleans 50.7 percent to 45.2 percent but the Hornets shot an astounding 52.2 percent (12-23) from long range and also went 27-29 from the free throw line. In two-point shots alone, the Nuggets outshot New Orleans 53.4 percent to 42 percent and it would not be surprising to see more of the same. The Hornets have been playing well but they are coming off a hard fought win in Portland last night who was once again without Brandon Roy. The final margin was 15 points but Portland led 58-51 with 2:59 left in the third period so it was far from a dominating game despite the score. Denver is a solid 4-1 ATS this season when laying fewer than four points while the Hornets have not been great in the underdog role, going just 1-4 ATS. Denver falls into a great scoring situation. Play against underdogs after allowing 90 points or less in two straight games going up against an opponent after a game where both teams scored 105 points or more. This situation is 30-13 ATS (69.8 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential being +8.7 ppg. Also, Denver is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games after allowing the opposition to shoot 55 percent or better. Look for Denver to get its revenge on Saturday. 7* Denver Nuggets

7* NBA Friday 75.5% DARK HORSE DANDY We saw this with the Lakers earlier this season and it looks like we are starting to see it with Cleveland now. The Lakers were rolling and thus their numbers were being inflated and they ended up losing 11 straight games against the number. The Cavaliers meanwhile have been rolling along as well but their numbers are reaching a point where they are simply too high. They have lost three straight games against the number including two in a row at home where they were laying double-digits. Overall, they have dumped three straight when putting down more than 10 points after going on a 9-0 ATS run as double-digit favorites. The numbers are not being adjusted however. The Bulls will be looking to rebound from a huge home loss against Orlando last time out and this is a team that can recover well. In eight previous occasions, Chicago has lost by double digits this season and it has gone 7-1 ATS in its next game with all seven of those wins outright by an average of 9.3 ppg. Most importantly, the Bulls were underdogs in six of those contests. Going back even further, the Bulls are 18-4 ATS in their last 22 games following a double-digit loss. Chicago also falls into a solid power situation. Play on underdogs in a game involving two teams that average between 98 and 102 ppg after allowing 60 points or more in the first half last game. This situation is 22-9 ATS (71 percent) over the last three seasons with the average point differential being just +1.3 ppg. 7* Chicago Bulls

7* NBA Wednesday 78.3% DARK HORSE DANDY These two met five weeks ago and Philadelphia was a 9.5-point favorite and ended up winning the game by a single point. This team has not improved and it has actually gone backward yet there is no adjustment made in the line in this second meeting with the exception of a six-point move based on home court (three for each side). Here is a quick little synopsis. Both Philadelphia and Los Angeles have dropped four straight games so any short term rum to go with is a wash. Looking longer tern, the Clippers are 5-6 over their last 11 games while the Sixers are 4-7. Going out further, Philadelphia is 5-12 in its last 17 games while Los Angeles is 6-11 over that same span. Those are certainly some ugly records but in there what makes the Sixers deserved of being the favorite? It is nothing evident in the numbers as it is based on the public who are backing the Sixers at a 74 percent clip so far half way into the betting period. And we will expect more. The Clippers are without Zach Randolph but the Sixers are still without Elton Brand and he would have been a big emotional edge for the Sixers in heading back home. The Sixers are 0-3 ATS this season against teams winning between 25 and 40 percent of their games and they are just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games as a road chalk of fewer than five points. Conversely, the Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a home underdog of fewer than five points. Also, Los Angeles is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games following a loss. Orlando came here three weeks ago and was -4 and now Philadelphia is -3? I don

7* NBA Tuesday 90.9% SUPREME KNOCKOUT The Bobcats are playing some excellent basketball right now. They are coming off a loss against New Jersey but that game was decided in overtime. Prior to that, Charlotte had won four of its previous five games and with a new roster, this team is off and running. Since acquiring Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, the Bobcats are 5-4 but even that doesn

8* NBA 75.4% SUPREME KNOCKOUT *24-13 Run* Detroit is getting points at home? We have not seen this in a while as a matter of fact, the Pistons have not been home underdogs since they were getting a point against Utah back in November of 2007. The Jazz won that game by 10 points by the way. This Pistons team just is not right despite winning six of their last eight games. Those wins came against some poor competition as those teams are currently ranked 15th, 30th, 17th, 27th, 22nd and 18th. That is not a good resume of wins. Detroit is just 2-4 against the top ten teams in the league and that includes a 1-2 record at home with the lone win being a statement win against the Cavaliers. Detroit has owned this series with wins in 12 of the last 13 games played at the Palace. Times have changed however as the Magic are now the team with a decided advantage. Orlando is fighting with Boston and Cleveland for Eastern Conference supremacy and it is not far behind. Orlando has gone 24-4 since dropping its first two games, and has won 11 of its last 12 games with the only setback being a last-second loss in Phoenix. Orlando is 11-3 on the road which is tied for the best road record in the league with Boston. The Magic are 20-2 against teams ranked outside the top ten in the league with the losses coming at Memphis in that second game and at the aforementioned Suns. Richard Hamilton is questionable for this game and he had been an Orlando killer so the Magic will be happy if he does not suit up. Even if he does, it remains a question how effective he can be with his groin injury. Orlando falls into a great situation as well. Play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are averaging 99 pr more ppg after a win by 20 points or more. This situation is 36-14 ATS (72 percent) over the last five seasons. Detroit is just 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games as a home underdog of fewer than five points while Orlando is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six games as a road favorite of fewer than five points. Orlando gets its revenge here. 8* Orlando Magic

7* NBA 77.6% DARK HORSE DANDY *24-12 Run* The public is all over the Wizards here and I continue to scratch my head as to why. Oklahoma City is the worst team in the NBA but the Wizards are not far off. At 4-23, Washington is easily the biggest disappointment so far this year and this team has absolutely no confidence right now. The Wizards have dropped eight straight games and while this could be the one game where they want to break out, there is no evidence it will happen. Washington is 0-6 ATS as a favorite this season and all six of those games have resulted in straight up losses as well. The Wizards have been favored just once since the beginning of December and that was a home game against Indiana where they lost by 20 points. The Thunder are 1-11 in their last 12 games but they continue to be competitive as they are a solid 93 ATS over that span. Going back further, Oklahoma City is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games. As an underdog of six points or more, the Thunder are 15-7 ATS and on the road, they are 12-3 ATS. Just because Washington is playing a bottom tired team does not mean an automatic win as it is 2-8 against teams ranked outside the top 16 while Oklahoma City is 3-9 against that same competition. The Thunder put forth a great effort last night in Detroit to fall short by only two points but don

7* NBA Friday SUPREME KNOCKOUT *23-11 Run* **Hoops writeups truncated on Friday** Carmelo Anthony is out again for the Nuggets and is the main reason we are catching some line value. Of course he will be missed but Denver is more than capable to make up for it.

8* NBA Friday DARK HORSE DANDY *23-11 Run* **Hoops writeups truncated on Friday** Since the trade with the Suns, Charlotte is a whole new team and one that is playing extremely well. Since acquiring Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, the Bobcats are 4-3 but even that doesn

7* NBA Game of the Week BOS/LAL *22-11 Run* **Hoops writeups truncated on Thursday** The Lakers snapped their 10-game losing streak against the number with their outright win over New Orleans on Tuesday. There was obviously no lookahead in that one and now they head home to take on the Celtics in the first rematch from last season

8* NBA 82.6% DARK HORSE DANDY *21-10 Run* The Lakers have now gone 10 straight games without covering which came on the heels of an 11-6 ATS start to the season. In losing 10 straight against the number, we are bound to get some value and we no doubt have it here. Los Angeles is coming off a hard fought game last night in Memphis and missing the cover by a bucket. Now the Lakers must recover quickly against the Hornets who are playing their best basketball of the season. New Orleans has won four straight, seven of eight and 11 of its last 13 games. The Hornets have won six straight games at home and this is a price range that has suited them all season as they are 5-1 ATS when favored by fewer than seven points. The only loss? It was a home against the Lakers who won that meeting by seven points. That happened to be the only time the Lakers have been underdogs this season. The Lakers had a 21-point lead cut to three but held off the Hornets in the final minutes and Los Angeles is well aware of the situation. The Lakers are 7-4 against the Eastern conference but 15-1 against the Western Conference. Going back to last season, the Lakers are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as underdogs so this role suits them just fine. The underdog is a perfect 8-0 ATS in the last eight meetings and that gets extended with the Lakers outright. 8* Los Angeles Lakers

7* NBA 77.4% SUPREME KNOCKOUT *21-10 Run* **Hoops writeups truncated on Tuesday** It looked as though the Pistons had gotten things back together with three straight wins before losing in double overtime on Friday against Utah. They followed that up with a loss in Atlanta on Sunday so now it is time once again to right a ship that has severely gone off course. This is a very manageable number and with the recent struggles and the surprising recent domination in this series by the Bulls, Detroit will be taking this one very serious. Chicago is coming off a win at home against Utah on Saturday but that comes as no surprise. The home team is now 21-6 in Bulls games this season which is the greatest home/road dichotomy in the NBA. Those 21 wins have come by an average of 11.5 ppg. Chicago took three of four from Detroit last season and covered all four and that has been taken into consideration in this number. The Bulls are just 6-22 ATS coming off a home win over the last two years while Detroit is 19-6 ATS after failing to cover two or more games over the last two seasons. Look for Chicago to once again struggle on the road with the Pistons getting back on track before the short Christmas break. 7* Detroit Pistons

7* NBA Monday SUPREME KNOCKOUT *20-10 Run* **Hoops writeups truncated on Monday** Generally, laying points on the road in the NBA is a non-profitable endeavor but some cases call for it and this is one of those. Houston has matchup advantages all over the place here and New Jersey once again is not going to have a big home court edge. The Nets have dropped five of their last seven games including four of five at home where they are 5-9 on the season. They have lost seven straight meetings to the Rockets in New Jersey and nothing changes here. Houston has a big game at Cleveland tomorrow night and the last thing it wants is to end its three-game winning streak prior to that contest. Overall the Rockets have won five of their last six, seven of their last nine and 11 of their last 15 games. Houston is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 games as a road favorite which certainly helps ease the tension of laying road chalk. Also, Play against home underdogs after allowing 105 points or more going up against an opponent after scoring 105 points or more in three straight games. This situation is 53-26 ATS (67.1 percent) since 1996. The Rockets roll again. 7* Houston Rockets

7* NBA 85.7% DARK HORSE DANDY *25-15 Run* **Hoops writeups truncated on Sunday.** Since a 25-point loss to New Orleans way back on November 21st, Oklahoma City has played 14 games. And while only two of those resulted in wins, but only one of those 12 losses was by more than what the Thunder is seeing on Sunday. This team has been very competitive of late and a win over Toronto on Friday no doubt added confidence to a team that was in desperate need of something good to happen. This is a tough spot for the Cavaliers. It will be tough to rise up for this one especially after playing a big game in Denver late Friday night and then having to face Houston at home on Tuesday. Cleveland was a two-point underdog in this matchup in Seattle last season. So basically the linesmakers are telling us that the Cavaliers and Thunder have somehow seen the gap widen by 15 points in less than a year with pretty much the same personnel? I

7* NBA Friday Supreme Knockout *18-8 Run* The Jazz have won six straight games over the Pistons, and have not dropped a series with them since the 2003-03 season and quite honestly, I think we are getting some line value because of that. The recent problems with the Pistons have kept this line low as well but they are slowly coming out of their funk. After a run of 4-7 that started in the middle of November, Detroit has won three straight games and while those three games came against horrible Eastern Conference teams, it is all about confidence.

Utah started the season 6-1 but it has been an uphill battle ever since. The Jazz have gone 10-10 since then including a 4-6 record on the road. Chemistry has hurt this team as injuries hit hard and often and that did not help in the whole team concept and consistency. Those four road wins combined with the two road wins to start the season have put Utah at but the six wins have comes against teams a combined 50-100 and none of those teams have a record better than .500.

The seven losses has been a mixed bag but it has been a struggle against the strong teams of late. Utah

7* NBA Friday TOTAL DOMINATOR *18-8 Run* Toronto

8* Western Conference TOP PLAY *17-8 Run* The Suns have won both games since they acquired Jason Richardson from the Bobcats but neither wins were easy and while this may look like a move to push toward the top of the Western Conference, I think this is a horrible move. Phoenix had no problem scoring points so what is the point of bringing in another scorer? It isn

7* NBA Western Conference GOW **16-7 Run** The Hornets have no doubt been looking forward to Wednesday night's nationally televised game in New Orleans Arena against the Spurs, the team that eliminated the Hornets in last year's Western Conference semifinals. The home team took the first six games of the best-of-seven series but it was San Antonio that broke that streak as it took the deciding game by nine points thanks to nailing 12 three-pointers. New Orleans has had this game circles since May 19th of last season.

The Spurs have come on strong after injuries led to a slow start. San Antonio started the season 2-5 but since then it has gone 13-3 and looks like the team of old. The recent run includes three straight wins on the road and its overall road record of 7-3 is pretty impressive. However, two wins over Minnesota, and victories over Memphis, the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento have padded that and those teams are a combined 26-70. Overall, the Spurs have played the 27th ranked schedule in the league.

New Orleans has faced the 18th ranked slate and it brings in a 7-3 record at home. Like the Spurs, the Hornets started slow but have rebounded well, going 9-2 over their last 11 games including four straight wins at home. The best news for the Hornets was that Tyson Chandler was back in the lineup last night against the Grizzlies and he will play a big roll against San Antonio. He averaged 11 rpg in the four games played in New Orleans in that playoff series.

The Spurs are 9-22 ATS in road games after playing two consecutive games as favorite over the last two seasons. They are also 4-10 ATS in their last 14 road games against a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. The Hornets meanwhile are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games against a team with a winning road record. The home team has dominated this series, going 8-1 ATS in the last nine meetings. This is a great price for the home team once again and the Hornets do get their revenge. 7* New Orleans Hornets

8* NBA Eastern Conference GOM **16-5 Run** Toronto had its short two-game winning streak snapped on Sunday against the Hornets which doesn

7* NBA Non Conference GOW **21-10 Run** Miami is 4-1 in its last five games and 5-2 in its last seven games. However, I am far from impressed with the run. I went against Miami Friday and it was hammered by the Hawks and will again go against them here. During this run, road wins over Phoenix and Utah look good but both of those teams were shorthanded with the Suns without Steve Nash and the Jazz without Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko. The other wins were against the 7-17 Bobcats, 7-15 Warriors and 2-21 Thunder.

Memphis could be argued that it is part of that latter group just mentioned but it is playing some good basketball right now. The Grizzlies have won three straight games which came after a dreadful 2-12 run. Two of those wins came at home against Chicago and Houston so they have actually taken out some good competition. They are 6-5 at home on the season including three straight wins they come into this game with a 5-2 ATS mark in their last seven home meetings with Miami.

The Heat are 4-3 on the road this season against the Western Conference which may sound good but there is a reason for that success. As mentioned, two of those games came against the Suns and Jazz who were missing key players while another came against the Spurs who were without Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker played only 10 minutes. The fourth victory came against Golden St. by just a point in overtime. Miami is just 2-6 ATS in its last eight games against the Western Conference.

Miami could be short-handed for this game as forwards Udonis Haslem and Michael Beasley missed Saturday's practice, and both are questionable. If they are unable to play, Miami would be thin on the front line without the team's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, respectively. This is the reason for the game being off the board for so long but this play is based on them actually playing so if one or both do miss this game, it is a bonus on our part. 7* Memphis Grizzlies

7* NBA Revenge Game of the Week *14-5 Run* The Hawks return home following a solid road win at Miami last night which snapped a three-game losing streak and provided some great momentum heading into this homestand. This is the first of eight straight home games for Atlanta and what better way to start out than by taking out one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Hawks are 7-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming against New Jersey in the middle of November. This sets up a great revenge spot after they loss in Cleveland by 14 points.

The Cavaliers are absolutely rolling right bow as they have won 11 straight games and even more impressive has been the fact that they have covered everyone of those games and in pretty east fashion. Those wins have come by an average of 20 ppg and only one of those wins was decided by single digits. Going against a streak like this may seem not too smart but what it provides us tremendous line value. Cleveland was favored by 6.5 points in its last road game in Philadelphia and this line is similar although the Hawks and Sixers are far from similar.

Cleveland has had the luxury of playing a rather soft slate as its schedule is ranked 26th in the league. The Cavaliers have gone 14-0 against teams ranked outside the top 16 in the NBA but they are a more realistic 6-3 against teams ranked within the top 16 and that is where the Hawks fall. Atlanta is ranked 11th overall and 4th in the Eastern Conference and this is with playing the 11th ranked schedule. The Hawks are 2-5 against the top ten in the NBA but all of those games came on the road.

The Cavaliers are 7-3 on the road including wins in four straight games but those contests came against the Sixers, Bobcats, Bucks and Knicks who are currently 22nd, 23rd, 19th and 21st. That is not exactly a solid resume of big wins. Do I think the Cavaliers are a very solid team? Of course. Do I think the Cavaliers are overrated? Yes. This streak is not going to last forever and this is the first time in over three weeks they have been truly tested and with their injury situation, the streak comes to and end tonight. 7* Atlanta Hawks

***8*** #1 NBA 92% Power Play in December The Pistons are reeling right now as are the Pacers. Which team is more apt to get their act together? I give the overwhelming edge to Detroit in this case considering two of its last three loses came on the road while the other came against the Sixers, a team it clearly does not match up well with. That is far from the case tonight. The Pistons have taken out the Pacers in each of the last seven meetings and with eight of the next 11 games being taken place at home, this is where Detroit needs to start a run the other way.

The Pacers are really struggling with a 3-11 record over their last 14 games after starting the year 4-3. They have dropped three of those games in overtime but at the same time, five of those losses have been by double digits. The road has been troublesome as Indiana is 2-9 while getting outscored by 8.4 ppg. The defense allows 102.2 ppg which is 7th worst in the league and that jumps to 102.9 ppg in road games and 110.9 ppg over their last seven games while allowing at least 49 percent shooting in each of the last six.

Detroit has dropped four of its last five games yet is actually outshooting the opposition over that stretch. The Pistons have also put up a solid 1.92 assist/turnover ratio. The problems have come from long range shooting where Detroit has hit only 30.3 percent from behind the arc compared to 37.2 percent on the season. The good news is that the Pacers allow 36.5 percent from three-point land including 38.5 percent over their last five games. Detroit will also pick up its rebounding as it has uncharacteristically struggled.

With Detroit coming off that loss in Washington, it not only served as a wakeup call but also put the Pistons into a superb situation. Play on home teams that are coming off a loss by 10 points or more as a favorite and playing with two days rest. This situation is 45-11 ATS (80.4 percent) over the last five seasons including 23-2 ATS (92 percent) over the last three years with the average point differential being +12.3 ppg. The philosophy is simple as a superior team bounces back after stewing over an upset loss for a few days. 8* Detroit Pistons

*9* 2008 #1 NBA Divisional Game *12-4 Run* Utah has been struggling with a 5-4 record (5-4 ATS) over its last nine games as injuries have played havoc with this lineup. The most shocking thing is that three of those losses took place at home after starting the season 8-0 and after last year going 37-4 at EnergySolutions Arena. They are getting healthy and with Carlos Boozer the only remaining casualty, it is time to get that home court back. A home blowout win over Toronto last Friday started the turnaround and it will continue here.

I went against the Blazers Tuesday and I mentioned then that the value has left the building. Portland has definitely turned the corner and with that, the public is backing the Blazers like there is no tomorrow. Portland is 15-8 yet just 11-12 ATS against the number including a 0-5 ATS run and that is due to inflated lines as it has actually won three of those five games outright. With Portland winning at a fevered pace and the public lining up behind, the linesmakers have no choice but to inflate the numbers and that is no doubt the case again on Thursday.

These teams met three times last season, twice in Utah, with the Jazz favored by 14 and 8.5 points in the two meetings in Salt Lake City. Now flash forward to this season. These teams met in Utah on November 5th with Utah the favorite by 6.5 points. Since then, Portland has gone 14-6 while Utah has gone 11-9. Apparently that three-game difference causes a huge line shift but I

**8** NBA BLOWOUT of the Month *10-4 Run* Toronto looks to snap a five-game losing streak as it takes on a team that is arguably struggling even more. This is the first meeting this season between the Raptors and Pacers so it will be the first time that T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic are back in Toronto and also the first time that Jermaine O

7* NBA Underdog 76.5% TOP PLAY **9-4 Run** Portland has definitely turned the corner and the sexy pick of the NBA season has the public backing the Blazers like there is no tomorrow. Portland is 15-7 yet just 11-11 ATS against the number including a 0-4 ATS run and that is due to inflated lines as it has won three of those four games outright. With Portland winning at a fevered pace and the public lining up behind, the linesmakers have no choice but to inflate the numbers. The Blazers were actually getting this number when these teams met here just a year ago.

Orlando started slow, if you can call a 0-2 start slow, but since then it has gone 16-3 including a 7-1 record on the road. At this point, the Magic seem to have the whole package as the frontcourt is one of the strongest in the NBA with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu while the backcourt is healthy again after Jameer Nelson missed five games with a hip injury. The Magic are 5th in the NBA in rebounding while Portland is dead last and they will dominate again similar to the first meeting.

The Blazers won the first meeting this season in Orlando as Portland was seven point underdogs in that game back on November 10th so the line has moved over 12 points but is it justified? A line shift this big suggests that the teams are playing in opposite directions but that is not the case. Since then, Portland has gone 11-4 while Orlando has gone 12-2. With two teams playing equally, the line shift should be eight points based on home court shift and we are seeing a lot more here.

This is a very good number since the Magic do not see lines coming their way too often. Orlando is 2-1 ATS as an underdog this season with the only spread loss coming in Boston. Being an underdog sets up a great situation as well. Play on underdogs after having won five or six of their last seven games and are winning 75 percent or more of their games on the season and playing a team that has won between 60 and 75 percent of their games. This situation is 26-8 ATS (76.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 7* Orlando Magic

7* Eastern Conference GOW **9-3 ATS Run** Miami is starting to heat up, no pun intended, as it has won three straight games including two road wins at Utah and Golden St. This is its longest winning streak of the season and this game is part of a string of 10 home games in its next 14 overall so this is the time to step up. The Heat have already lost at Charlotte this season so they certainly know not to take this team lightly, especially after the Bobcats took three of the four meetings last season. The home team is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings in this series.

Charlotte has played a very favorable schedule so far this season as it has gone on the road only six times compared to playing 14 games at home. Even with the favorable slate, the Bobcats have gone just 7-13 including a 1-5 record in those road games. Charlotte is averaging only 89.6 ppg which is dead last in the NBA and that has come against teams allowing 97.3 ppg so it is well below average. Rebounding is also an issue as Charlotte averages only 37.5 per game which is also last in the league.

Charlotte will be without Gerald Wallace for this game. He is the Bobcats leading scorer with 15.3 ppg and his absence is huge. He scored just one point against Cleveland last time out and they lost that game by 20 points. He has been held to single digits five times this season and Charlotte has lost four of those games by an average of 13 ppg. He has scored 231 or more points five times with the Bobcats going 3-2 and the two losses came by just 11 total points so it is obvious that they need his production to perform well.

Sean May could also sit out this game with a knee issue making the frontcourt depth very thin. Miami has outrebounded its last three opponents by an average of 11 per game so that does not bode well for the Bobcats. Miami is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 home games against teams that are winning 40 percent or less of their road games. The Bobcats are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a double-digit home loss while Miami is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games following an ATS loss. The Heat get their revenge tonight. 7* Miami Heat

7* Eastern Conf Game of the Week *7-3 Run* Charlotte has played a very favorable schedule so far this season as it has gone on the road only five times compared to playing 13 games at home. Even with the favorable slate, the Bobcats have gone just 7-11 including a 1-4 record in those road games. They are coming off a three-game homestand where it went 2-1 but the two wins were against Oklahoma City and Minnesota who are a combined 6-30 on the year. Charlotte has won back-to-back games only once this season, going 1-5 thus far following a win.

The Bucks have played a very difficult schedule so far this season as it is ranked 4th in the NBA. As with most teams around their ranking, they struggle against the elite teams but do well against the bad teams. Milwaukee is 1-11 against teams ranked within the top 16 and 7-1 against teams outside the top 16 and needless to say, the Bobcats are in that latter group. The Bucks snapped a four-game skid with a win over the Bulls last time out and carry that into tonight before hitting the west coast for a three-game roadtrip.

The Bucks defense has been average this season, allowing 97 ppg which is middle of the pack in the league. However this is down from 103.9 ppg allowed last season which was second worst in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is averaging only 90.1 ppg which is dead last in the NBA and that has come against teams allowing 97.8 ppg so it is well below average. Scoring has been up in three of the last four games but one of those came in overtime while the other two came against two of the six worst defensive teams in the NBA.

Coming off a win has been a good momentum boost for the Bucks as they are 6-1 ATS in their seven games following a win this season and each game they have won straight up following a loss, they have backed it up with another win in the last three occurrences. Milwaukee has fared well against the Eastern Conference, going 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games. Last but not least, Milwaukee is 8-0 ATS this season against teams that average fewer than 20 assists per game. Charlotte averages 17.8 apg, 3rd worst in the NBA. 7* Milwaukee Bucks

7* NBA Non-Conf. Game of the Week*6-2 Run* I am back on the Lakers tonight following that devastating loss last night as they blew a 15-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. They are no doubt and angry bunch after that and we will see a full 100 percent effort tonight as opposed to just a 75 percent effort. It really does amaze me how a team in the NBA can dominate a game for three quarters and then just completely let up and allow the opponent to not only get back into the game but win it outright.

Philadelphia is coming off an overtime win in Chicago last night and that could provide some momentum, it could also be a negative. The Sixers used a lot of energy against the Bulls and now facing off against the best team in the Western Conference is going to be a challenge. They are 0-4 against the league

7* NBA Spread Dominator TOP PLAY *6-1 Run* This is going to be a very public play unfortunately but sometimes you have to go that route when so many things are favoring that side. We all know the Lakers would be favored coming into this game and the number is about where it was expected. That brings motivation into the picture and the one way that the Lakers can topple this number is if they are motivated. Los Angeles is 14-1 and is two wins short of its best start in franchise history. That is some serious motivation.

The travel is not an issue as this team is rested with limited action by the starters in the 4th quarter on Sunday including Kobe Bryant sitting out the entire final period. Five players are averaging 10 or more points, led by Bryant at 24.7 ppg and only two players are averaging 30 or more minutes, led by Pau Gasol at 34:22. The Lakers lead the NBA in ppg scoring margin as they are +13.7 ppg. You could say the schedule has been soft but it is ranked 20th and of the 15 games, only four have been against teams outside the top 16.

The Pacers are struggling as they have dumped seven of their last nine games. They are 4-4 at home and that does include a win against the Celtics, something the Lakers are well aware of. Indiana does not match up well especially inside as Los Angeles has a huge edge.

**7** NBA TOP PLAY Magic/Celtics *5-1 Run* Orlando comes in as one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference but the one team that is hotter is the Celtics. Boston has won eight straight games and motivation should not be a problem tonight as it faces another division leader. The Celtics are just 2-3 ATS against teams with a losing record but 5-3 ATS against teams with a winning record. It goes to show that the Celtics have the ability to get up when they want and still be able to coast against the lesser teams in the league.

Orlando has won four straight games and nine of its last 10 to build a two and a half game lead over the Hawks in the NBA Southeast Division. The Magic defeated the Pacers on Saturday as Dwight Howard once again had a monster game for Orlando with 32 points and 21 rebounds. Howard is averaging 25.8 ppg, 15.5 rpg and 3.8 bpg in his last four games but will face quite a test tonight in reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett who has slowed down some of the best this season.

The backcourt for Orlando is still banged up as Jameer Nelson is expected to miss another week with a hip flexor, while Keith Bogans will be out at least another four weeks with a broken left thumb. Even the frontcourt is shorthanded as Mickael Pietrus is out three to five weeks with a torn ligament in his hand. They are basically playing a seven to eight-man rotation right now and that is a trouble area against a team like Boston that wears you down with tough defense and an overall physical game.

More motivation for the Celtics is the fact that Orlando won two of the three meetings last season with the home team taking all three games. Boston is 28-2 in its last 30 games at home and Orlando is still searching for a big quality win. Orlando has beaten only two teams, 7-7 Toronto and 8-8 Dallas, that have non-losing records and three of the Magic's four losses have come against 10-6 Atlanta, 11-6 Portland and 11-6 Houston. Boston continues the surge and shows it is still tops in the Eastern Conference. 7* Boston Celtics

**7** NBA Non-Conference TOP PLAY Winner One of the most unfair scheduling situations in the NBA finally comes to an end on Sunday as the Lakers will be playing their final home game before hitting the road. Los Angeles has played six of its last seven games at home and it has taken advantage and pulled out to an-NBA best 13-1 record. The Lakers already have a three and a half game lead over four teams in the Western Conference so they need just one more win to end the solid stretch before playing the next three games on the road.

Toronto won its last two games of its recent homestand to move above .500 but it has been a slight disappointment for far for the Raptors. Big things were expected with Jermaine O

**7** Western Conference Game of the Week The Spurs are back as they have won six of their last seven games to move two games over .500 for the first time all season long. The first three wins in this stretch were by a combined seven points while the last three have been by a combined 48 points so San Antonio looks to be hitting a long-awaited groove it so desperately needs. After starting the season 0-3 at home, the Spurs have won four of their last five in the AT&T Center including big wins over heavyweights Utah and Houston. The value is still with San Antonio so we need to hop on and continue to enjoy the ride.

The Grizzlies are struggling in a big way right now. They have dropped four straight games and eight of their last nine after starting the season a respectable 3-3. They have lost four straight games on the road and are 1-7 away from home on the season with five of those losses coming by double digits. The defense carried the load early on but Memphis is no longer buying into defense wins as it has allowed 103.9 ppg over its last 11 games and has given up over 100 points in eight of those.

Manu Ginobili is back for the Spurs giving them a big boost in their recently depleted backcourt. Ginobili made his season debut on Monday, scoring 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting in 12 minutes of playing time against the Grizzlies. He followed that up with 15 points in 18 minutes against the Bulls on Wednesday. His absence is the biggest reason for the slow start to the season for the Spurs and even with Tony Parker still on the shelf, this team is top to bottom much stronger than the Grizzlies.

Four nights back, the Spurs defeated Memphis by 13 points in Memphis and now the venue is switched. San Antonio has won seven straight at home in this series and the last three have been dominant with winning margins of 24, 13 and 16 points. Memphis is now 6-20 ATS in its last 26 games against a team with a winning record and a dismal 8-27 ATS after a game in which it scored 100 or more points. San Antonio is now 5-1 ATS in its last six games against a team with a losing road record. The Spurs roll again. 7* San Antonio Spurs

**7** Eastern Conference Game of the Week Washington was very impressive last time out with new head coach Ed Tapscott as it rolled over the Warriors. It was surprising to see an effort like that but it looks as though the Wizards actually did rally around their new man. However, that type of energy will not be on display tonight. This is a horrible matchup for Washington and we have seen that this is the case already once this season. The Wizards went down to Orlando and got pummeled close to three weeks ago. Expect more of the same.

Orlando is coming off a huge win last night in Philadelphia but do not expect a letdown here. The Magic have won 11 of their last 13 games after starting the season 0-2. Surprisingly both of those losses were at home but both came against Western Conference foes which is not a huge surprise. Orlando is now a perfect 8-0 in its last eight games against Eastern Conference teams and it has won those games by an average of 8.4 ppg.

Orlando has won five of the last six meetings in this series with those five wins coming by 25, 20, 30, 12 and 6 points with the last three all coming in Washington. The matchup problem tonight for the Wizards is controlling Dwight Howard. He went off for 31 points and 16 rebounds in the first meeting this season and in the four games Orlando won, he played very well but was not dominating. Washington has no one to guard him as Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee will have to try and slow him down. Good luck.

This game sets up a revenge spot for the Wizards but that actually falls in the favor of Orlando as it sets up a fantastic situation. Play against home underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a loss where it scored fewer than 85 points while coming off a home win by 10 points or more in their last game. This situation is 39-12 ATS (76.5 percent) since 1996 with the average point differential being +8.8 ppg. This scenario is 12-2 ATS over the last three seasons. The Magic roll again. 7* Orlando Magic

7** NBA Wednesday 75% TOP PLAY Total Miami and Portland played two weeks ago and while that game went over the total, the posted number was four points less than what we are getting tonight. Recent history is also playing a role in this number as Miami has gone