Sports Picks & Predictions

We can’t argue that the Jazz look like the best team in the NBA right now. They are just demolishing opponents on a nightly basis. This spread is just too much to us though. Philly is going to come to play and they won’t be intimidated. This team is 4-1 ATS in their last five against teams with a winning percentage above .600, so they get up for big games. They have covered in all of the last six meetings in this series. We think this is an inflated line for what should be a close game.

Top end teams in the west will always get up to play the Lakers. But the Nuggets have a lot of extra motivation here on Sunday. Not only did LA dump them from the playoff last season, but the Lakers just crushed Denver in LA less than two weeks ago. Denver played well in the first half but then were totally embarrassed in the second half as they were outscored 68-35. That one had to sting and we are sure Denver will put together more of a complete game here at home. They have double revenge in this one while this is just another game for the Lakers, who get their best shot from teams every night. The Lakers are having about the best start of a season any fan could ask for at 21-6. But look at their ATS record: 13-14. This team is overrated by the oddsmakers and their lines are shaded in every game. We have Denver favored in this one. This is probably one of the Lakers toughest regular season matchups.

Both teams have enjoyed a better than expected season so far, but we had the Hornets as a small favorite in this game and think the wrong team is favored. The Spurs have been solid on the road but we think they are in a tough situation here Sunday against a Charlotte team that is playing well right now and is very under the radar. These teams are pretty evenly matched but the homr court advantage will be the difference in this one. The Spurs have covered only one of the last five meetings here, and we see Charlotte pulling away in the fourth.

10 Unit Play. Take #826 Maryland Terrapins over Minnesota Golden Gophers (7p.m., Sunday, February 14 FS1) Big 10 Game of the Year Maryland will complete the season sweep of Minnesota at College Park, MD on Sunday. Both teams still have a shot to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large and will be well rested for this game having not played since Monday. Minnesota has won two straight home games but before that lost three straight and were only competitive in one of those losses. Minnesota has not fared well on the road going 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games. I expect homecourt will start to matter more down the stretch before the conference tournament and Maryland will get the win on Sunday.

4 Unit Play. Take 794 Wisconsin over Michigan (1p.m., Sunday, February 14 CBS) Hard to predict how Michigan will play after such a long layoff for COVID-19; however, I just feel Wisconsin needs this game more. The Badgers got pounded by the Wolverines on January 12th and in many ways, they have not been the same team since. But they are experienced, and Coach Gard knows the importance of winning this game against the best team in the conference. Wisconsin is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played on Sundays.

10 Unit Play. Take #747 Providence over DePaul (8p.m., Saturday, February 13 FS1) Top College Basketball Play of the Day. Providence is coming off a nice win over Connecticut and now should be able two in a row with a road win in Chicago against DePaul. The Blue Demons sit at the bottom of the Big East Standing and they are just 1-8 in conference play. Providence has more talent than their current record would indicate and expect them to pull away late and win this game by close to double-digits. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games between Providence and DePaul. The Blue Demons are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games when they are an underdog.

4 Unit Play. Take #684 Missouri over Arkansas (4p.m., Saturday, February 13 ESPN2) Missouri already pounded Arkansas in Fayetteville this season and we will lay the field goal with them today in Columbia. The Tigers are coming off one of their worst performances of the season, but they should be able to get back on track at home. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and have not lost a SEC home game since December 30th. The home team is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games between Arkansas and Missouri. The Razorbacks are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games against teams with a winning home record.

4 Unit Play. Take #638 Arizona over Oregon (2p.m., Saturday, February 13 ESPN2) Oregon is coming off an impressive road win on Thursday but I just do not believe they are good enough to sweep the Arizona schools on the road this year. Arizona will not be in the NCAA Tournament this season so I assume they will want to finish out the regular season with a bang. They are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. Oregon is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #626 Kentucky -3 over Auburn (1p.m., Saturday, February 13 CBS) Auburn has cooled off of late since getting some players back. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games with only a victory against Vanderbilt as their only win. That includes loses two home games to bad teams in Ole Miss and Georgia. Kentucky is not very good either, but they have been competitive in most of their games of late and should be able to pull away and win this one by 6-7 points. The favorite is 4-1 ATS and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games between Auburn and Kentucky.

Just think the Jazz are underappreciated and that they will use this game to show the NBA how good they are. The Bucks are only 7-7 on the road this season, and this is one of their toughest road games of the year. Strangely, this is the first time the Bucks have been underdogs all season. But last season this team ended on an 0-4 run as an underdog, so when they are catching points there is usually a reason. We expect a big game at home from Utah tonight.

This is a great spot for the Clippers tonight. They will be without Paul George, but they are healthy otherwise and now have Pat Beverly back. This is an elite team that will take the floor tonight. The Clippers lost two in a row before getting back on track last time out at Minnesota, and we don’t think they will overlook this game as a result, not to mention the Bulls played them tough last time these teams met, in LA, in January. But the Clippers have been playing well on the road where are 10-4 on the season. They are also 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings here in Chicago. Kawhi Leonard is playing MVP level right now and the Bulls don’t have anyone that can slow him down. This one looks a lot like a double-digit win by the road team to us.

4 Unit Play. Take #857 Milwaukee over Wright State (7p.m., Friday, February 12 ESPN3) This is a lot of points to be giving in a conference game from a one bid league. Milwaukee is coming off a home losing streak to Northern Kentucky, where the line in both of those games was a pick’em. Now it has been overinflated and we will grab the value with the underdog. The underdog is 3-0 ATS (1 push) in the last 4 games between Milwaukee and Wright State. The Panthers are 22-5 ATS in their last 22 games following a double-digit home loss.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

We just think this line has been inflated a bit. The Magic played the Blazers last time out and were getting only six, and we were on Portland in that game, and we think they are better than the Warriors. The Magic actually hung in that game but Portland got the slim cover. Golden State is still a work in progress and they have a big game against Durant and the Nets coming up next, so they may be distracted. Orlando has covered in 11 of the last 16 meetings in the Bay Area.

4 Unit Play. Take #729 Weber State over Montana (7p.m., Thursday, February 11) The Wildcats look to remain as one of the top teams in the league tonight when they travel to take on Montana. Weber State has covered the spread in 4 straight games, and they are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games. Montana is 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games. They have also failed the cover the spread in 6 straight home games.  

The Lakers are winning but not playing championship basketball right now. It was inevitable. They finished up the 2019-20 season what seemed like a month ago, and they were one of the teams that was against starting the new NBA season in December. But the Lakers came out of the gates strong and showed their Bubble championship was no fluke. But they have covered only two of their last eight games. They went to OT in their last two games, at home, against Detroit and this Thunder squad. They have been winning but haven’t looked great doing it, all while being overvalued by the oddsmakers like they always are. OKC led that game, on Monday, most of the way through. We think them keeping it close will motivate them to do better tonight, and it’s hard to beat the same team twice back to back even when one is one of the best teams in the NBA and one is one of the worst. But the Thunder, lacking talent, play good team basketball. They have a winning ATS record this season. Also, Anthony Davis is questionable again for tonight with an achillies injury. OKC has also covered four straight here in LA against the Lakers.

4 Unit Play. Take #644 Providence over Connecticut (4p.m., Wednesday, February 10 FS1) Not sure why UCONN is favored in this true road game. Providence has been struggling of late but they have talent and it would not surprise me if they get back on track against this longtime rival. UCONN has not been playing well of late either losing 3 of their last 4 games. The Friars are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played on Wednesday.

The Magic have covered in only one of their last six games. This team is just not playing well, and despite getting some favorable lines from the oddsmakers, they are still playing well below expectations. They face a tough test tonight in Portland. The Blazers have been up and down this season, but they have won two of three and covered in four of their last six. They are coming off a long road trip which saw them notch a win in Philly, so that is the type of win that can start things going in the right direction. Neither team has been good defensively, but the Blazers have one of the best offenses in the league, while Orlando has one of the worst, and that should be the difference tonight.

5 Unit Play. Take #618 Michigan State over Penn State (7p.m., Tuesday, February 9 ESPN2) Michigan State has been one of the most disappointing teams in the country this season, but they still have talent and should be able to beat Penn State at the Breslin Center. Penn State has yet to win on the road this season in Big 10 play. Penn State is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following a victory in their previous game. Michigan State is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games played on Tuesday.

2 Unit Play. Take Kansas over Oklahoma State (9p.m., Monday, February 8 ESPN) Kansas still have some quality wins on the season and I feel that they will pull away late and win this game by 5-7 points. Cade Cunningham is coming off a bad performance on Saturday against Texas and I am just not sure he can find his form in such a short turnaround. Kanas needs this game and they get it.

The Wizards offense is really struggling right now and we don’t see them having a breakout game here. That was one thing that Washington could count on this season, but they have scored 103 or less in three straight games, with their last two contests coming in under the century mark. Just some ugly basketball coming out of DC right now and we don’t see things getting too much better tonight even though these defenses are both bad. But with a total so high, even a short cold streak by either team will probably cause this one to go under. The under is 6-1 in the Wizards last seven road games.

4 Unit Play. Take #798 Indiana over Iowa (12p.m., Sunday, February 7 FOX) Iowa just never seems to finish out the season strong and they are heading in the wrong direction once again in 2021. Iowa has lost 3 of their last 4 games and Indiana has already beaten them once this season in Iowa City. The Hoosiers need this game more to ensure they remain in the NCAA Tournament field and expect them to take this one down to the wire and win it. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between Iowa and Indiana. Iowa is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #764 Georgia Tech over Notre Dame (8p.m., Saturday, February 6 ACCN) The Irish are 4-6 in ACC play, but those wins have come against the bottom teams in the league (BC, Miami, Pitt, & Wake). Georgia Tech is very experienced, and they have played better than their record would indicate. The last game against Louisville might have been the worst they have played all season long and expect them to bounce back in a big way at home. They could have easily beaten Duke and Virginis and dominated Florida State. Experience, better talent, and playing at home will allow Georgia Tech to win this game by double-digits. Georgia Tech is 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games following an ATS loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #739 North Carolina over Duke (6p.m., Saturday, February 6 ESPN) Boy has this game lost a lot of luster in 2021. Neither team might make the NCAA Tournament and this game will likely come down to which team can shoot it better from the arc. If Carolina can hold their own on the three points line they should be able to win this game straight-up. Duke is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #657 Wisconsin over Illinois (2:30p.m., Saturday, February 6 FOX) I like this Badgers in an underdog role and feel they have a great chance to win this game or at least take it down to the wire. Illinois currently sits at 8-3 in the Big 10 but I just do not trust them laying them many points against the top teams in the league. The road team has covered the spread in 4 straight meetings between Wisconsin and Illinois. The Fighting Illini are 2-6 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 10 games played on Saturday.

4 Unit Play. Take #640 West Virginia over Kansas (2p.m., Saturday, February 6 CBS) Kansas still has respect from the oddsmakers but their talent is way down this year. West Virginia did not play well in their last two games, but they always get up for hosting Kansas. The home team is 15-5 ATS in the last 20 meetings between Kansas and West Virginia. Kansas is 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games following a victory of more than 20 points in their previous game. Kansas will lose their fifth straight road game.

The Celtics just aren’t playing well right now. They have dealt with injuries and a lack of cohesiveness, and could be considered a disappointment thus far even though they are playing above .500 ball. But the Clippers are playing like a championship contender and playing with a chip on their shoulder, and they have both a defense and an offense in the Top 6 in the league. They have both been taking care of business against lesser opponents and getting up for big time opponents, and we think they will bring their A Game tonight back home after the road trip.

4 Unit Play. Take #896 Nevada over Boise State (9p.m., Friday, February 5 FS1) Nevada is just a different team when playing at home and I feel that they can take this game down to the wire on Friday. Boise State is 10-1 in conference play, but they close the season out when six games against the top teams in the conference so that record is a little misleading. The home team is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings between Boise State and Nevada. The Wolf Pack are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

These teams played last time out and the Wizards won outright as a big dog without Russell Westbrook. He will be back tonight and this team should take care of business once again or at least keep this one close. The Wizards match up well here. The Heat have won one of their last eight games. So why are they favored by this much? Washington has a bad reputation with bettors and they have started off the season slow with Covid issues and getting a new star into the mix. But this is too many points for what should be another close game.

The Nets are one of the best home teams in the NBA at 10-4 on the season. We had this line at 7 even without Harden if he doesn’t suit up, but if he does this line will rise so bet early. Both teams have been off a couple nights. The Nets are coming off their big win over the Clippers that was one of the best performances of the year in the NBA. Thankfully, they have had some extra time off after that win to settle in and we think they will be primed and ready against one of their biggest rivals from the east. Toronto has won two straight, but both came against Orlando, and this team is just not in good form right now.

4 Unit Play. Take #859 Maryland over Penn State (7p.m., Friday, February 5 FS1) Penn State is improved but they should not be favored against anyone in the league except Nebraska. Maryland has done most of their damage on the road this season and should pick up another road win tonight in State College.

4 Unit Play. Take #841 Northern Kentucky over Milwaukee (6p.m., Friday, February 5 ESPN3) This is an important two games series with regards to seeding for the upcoming Horizon League Tournament next month. The Horse have won 4 straight games and will enter this game with a lot of confidence. NKU is 9-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 14 road games. Milwaukee is 4-12 ATS in their last 16 home games.

This is a revenge game for the Nuggets, who lost in the Conference Finals to these Lakers last year. The Nuggets have won six of seven games, and this will be their first game of Feb so they are extremely well rested and have had plenty of time to focus on this game, which is probably their biggest of the season so far. The Lakers have covered in just one of their last five games. This team is always overvalued by the oddsmakers. Even in seasons where they are great SU, they often have a negative ATS record. We feel they are overvalued here as all the motivation lies with the Nuggets, while this is just another game for LA. And the Lakers are back home after a long road trip, which can often be a tricky situation for players who have personal business to attend to and could be distracted from the game.

5 Unit Play. Take #738 Eastern Kentucky over Austin Peay (7p.m., Thursday, February 4 ESPN+) The Colonels are a top team in the Ohio Valley Conference and will look for the season sweep of the Governors tonight in Richmond. EKU has won 9 straight games and has been scoring points at will of late against their opponents. Austin Peay not fared as well against the top teams in the league. The Governors are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. EKY is 12-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 17 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

This is a letdown spot for the Clippers after their epic game against the Nets last night. Not to mention they have Boston on deck next, so they may be distracted here and not giving 100%. Cleveland is playing much better basketball this season and they have been playing Top 10 defense. We just feel the Clips won’t bring the energy tonight and the Cavs will play strong defense and we think this will be a close game. The under is 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Cleveland and the Clips are 5-13 ATS in the last 18 meetings here.

These teams played last month and put up a huge total, and we see that happening again tonight. The Wizards are playing on a back-to-back and they have the worst defense in the league. They probably won’t put any extra energy into defense. Miami has no business laying this many points. They have lost six of seven straight up and they have failed to cover in five straight games. We think this will be a close, high-scoring game.

Dallas hasn’t been kind to us lately, but they have to win a game sometime, don’t they? They have had a real tough schedule lately but this is their easiest matchup in a bit. Atlanta is a team on the rise but they are still learning and not quite there yet. They will try to fend off a desperate Dallas team that has high expectations but has recently sent their season into the toilet. They need a win here very badly and we think they do enough to get it and cover this small line.

6 Unit Play. Take #678 Mercer over East Tennessee State (7p.m., Wednesday, February 3 ESPN+) The Buccaneers have been overachieving all season, but I feel this is a brutal stretch for them having to play 3 games in five days. This will be their second straight road game having lost by 5 to Wofford on Monday. The Bears are a traditional powerhouse and they are ready to return home after playing the top two teams on the road in their last two games. Expect them to pull away late and win this game by 7-9 points.

Going to take another shot on Detroit getting points as they are one of the best underdog teams at 10-3-1 when getting five or more points. They got an extra night of rest as their game was postponed last night right before tipoff because of Covid protocol. But there are no lingering effects from that cancellation, and this team is pretty healthy. We see the road team putting up a fight here and the Jazz have this one sandwiched between a bunch of key WC games, so they will probably overlook this opponent a bit.

Despite their records, the Celtics are the better team in this matchup, and we think they will be ultra motivated after two straight losses. The C’s have not lived up to potential so far this season, but this team has dealt with a lot of injuries. This is kinda a rivalry, though, and a team the Celtics always get up for playing as they are 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings in Golden State. They are 8-3-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings. This number looks more than fair for us for the road team tonight.

The Clippers are just getting to where they want to be. Last season they had chemistry issues and their main guys didn’t have an appropriate time to build together. Now the Nets are in that same situation, while the Clippers are playing their best basketball of the Kawhi era. The Clippers are playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now, and they are covering too with a 7-2 ATS record in their last nine. This is probably a game they have had circled for awhile. The Nets are a darned good team, but they are still working out issues, and we think the better team will take care of business tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #624 Clemson over North Carolina (7p.m., Tuesday, February 2 ACCN) Just believe North Carolina will have to shoot it well from the arc to be able to win and cover this game. That is something they have not done much of this season. Clemson got embarrassed last time out against Duke but as we saw last night, I expect a much different game tonight. North Carolina is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. Clemson is 6-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 home games.

Going to take a shot on Dallas here. We have been on them the last three games and they are not playing well lately. But this team is just in a slump, and they will start to be desperate for a win. It’s early in the season, so no game is a must win, but this team needs a win to get out of the funk they are in. This is a nice revenge spot since these teams played on Saturday. But Dallas has almost a full roster tonight and they should win this one to get the monkey off their back.

Any loss to the Timberwolves is embarrassing this season. Now that the Cavs are playing better basketball they are on a different level than teams like the Wolves and they lost yesterday to Minnesota. They should be embarrassed and ready to bring their A Game tonight. Tonight they are at home. Minnesota has just one road win this season. Minnesota has won back to back games only once this season, way back in December at the start of the season. They have been among the worst teams in the NBA since, and we think revenge will be in order tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #861 Miami over Duke (7p.m., Monday, February 1 ESPN) The Hurricanes have been depleted all season long, but they are still at home and playing a team that is just 7-5 on the season. Duke has won two straight games, but both came at home and the Georgia Tech final score was very misleading. Duke is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a road favorite. The home team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games between Duke and Miami.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

7 Unit Play. Take #838 Nevada over UNLV (9:30p.m., Sunday, January 31 FS1) This game means more to Nevada and they have dominated this series of late winning 6 straight against UNLV. Nevada has better talent and is playing this game in Reno and expect them to win this game by close to double-digits. UNLV has been playing better of late, but they are still in a major rebuild. The Rebels are 15-32 ATS (4 pushes) in their last 51 road games against teams with a winning home record. The Wolf Pack are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games.

We can’t overstate how big this game is for the Mavs. They got off to a slow start, in part because of injuries, but they are getting healthy again and they just got spanked in consecutive games in Utah. This team is much better than they have been playing. It’s still early in the season, but this is almost a must win game to keep the season from falling apart and help team morale. We believe this team will get back on the right track, and we think that will start here vs. Phoenix.

The Lakers started the season better than we expected after winning the NBA Finals what seems like last week. But they have hit the wall lately, with consecutive losses, a legit one at Philly and then a concerning blowout at Detroit. Things don’t get easier tonight as they face one of their biggest rivals as the road trip drags on. Anthony Davis is questionable here, but even if he does play we think the Celtics have a great chance here. They always get up for the Lakers, when they come to town, and they are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.

4 Unit Play. Take #774 Arizona State over Stanford (8p.m., Saturday, January 30 ESPN2) Arizona State got back on track Thursday with a win against California and should get better as February nears with a full team back and playing. Stanford is coming off an impressive win against Arizona last time out, but they are still depleted and that will eventually catch up to them. They got blown out in their two previous road games before beating Arizona and I just do not see them winning this game tonight in Tempe. The home team is 14-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 20 meetings between Stanford and Arizona State. Stanford is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

10 Unit Play. Take #670 Oklahoma State over Arkansas (4p.m., Saturday, January 30 ESPN2) This play is about going against Arkansas, as they appear to be overrated again this year after playing a weak nonconference schedule. They have only beaten the bottom teams in the SEC, and I think they will struggle to make the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys continue to improve and will enter this game having won 3 of their last 4 Big 12 games. Cade Cunningham is probable for this game and that will put them over the top and allow them to win this game by close to double digits. Arkansas is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games. Oklahoma State is 8-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 11 games played on Saturday.

4 Unit Play. Take #655 Wisconsin over Penn State (3p.m., Saturday, January 30 BTN) Wisconsin grinded out a win against Maryland on the road this week and expect them to do it again in State College. Penn State is just 2-6 in conference play and I do not see them being able to complete with the top teams in the league. The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 matchups and Wisconsin is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games played on Saturday.

4 Unit Play. Take #610 Georgetown over Providence (1p.m., Saturday, January 30 FS1) The Hoyas are back after a long pause and I see them being able to take this game down to the wire. The Friars have been up and down this season, but I just do not believe they are good enough to be laying this many points against anyone on the road. The underdog is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

These teams played Wednesday and the Jazz made it look easy in a 12-point win. Despite heavy action on the suddenly in-vouge Jazz, this line has remained the same that it was on Wednesday, and that tells us that the bookies want action on the Jazz here. We will side with the sportsbooks. Dallas has gotten off to a slow start but this team is finally getting healthy. And they aren’t too far off from the Jazz as far as top teams in the West. They will bring their A Game tonight as they need this win to get back on the right track.

The Clippers played a wild game on Thursday where their bench (starters now with three normal starters out) erupted in the third quarter with a huge offensive output. The total still stayed under the opening number. Just don’t see them doing well offensively on a back-to-back. The Clippers have been playing great defense lately and we see that continuing tonight, but the Magic have the upper hand as they are rested. We see the Magic pulling away late in a low-scoring game.

We think this is a good spot for the home favorite. The Wizards have hit rock bottom pretty much and there is nowhere to go but up, and we think this is a good Buy Low team right now. This team has been a mess this season with new additions and subtractions and then getting hit by Covid and a bunch of games cancelled. But they have a couple games under their belts now. They are starting to get healthy again. This is their first home game since Jan 11. This is a bad spot for the Hawks after facing a murderer’s row of opponents – Nets, Clippers and Bucks – and they have the Lakers on deck next. So if there was a game they would give less than full effort, this is it.

The Pacers have been playing well, winning three of their last four, while the Hornets have lost six of seven after starting off the season playing well. These teams played last time out and the Pacers won easy, and normally we would go the other way with these quick turnarounds. But we just think Indiana matches up so well here. They have covered in all of the last four meetings, and they are in much better form right now.

4 Unit Play. Take #856 Cleveland State over Green Bay (7p.m., Friday, January 29 ESPN3) The Phoenix are much improved but do not see them being able to stay with the Vikings at home. Cleveland State sits atop the standings in the Horizon League and it is important that they sweep this series to remain atop the standings. The Vikings are 6-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games as a home favorite.

Detroit has been an incredible underdog play this season when getting five or more points as they are 9-3 in these situations so far. They played a very bad game yesterday in that loss to Cleveland, but they were probably looking ahead to this matchup. Both teams are coming in on a back-to-back, and the Lakers lost a nailbiter to the Sixers. The Pistons have covered in six of the last eight meetings, and we think that trend will continue tonight.

The Mavs have been road warriors, cashing six of their last seven road games against the spread. This team has not played to expectations this season yet, but they have excuses. They have had their roster decimated but they should be as healthy as we have seen in a long time. Utah is playing the best basketball in the NBA right now. But they come in on a back-to-back after a crazy comeback last night against the Knicks. They expended so much energy in that comeback, and we don’t know how much they will have left in the tank here. We could see the Mavs pulling away late in the game when the Jazz run out of gas.

5 Unit Play. Take #701 Wisconsin over Maryland (9p.m., Wednesday, January 27 BTN) Wisconsin has bounced back this year after loses and tonight should be no different. Throw in the fact that they have revenge, as Maryland upset them earlier this season in Madison. Maryland has 3 impressive road wins but also has home losses to all the top teams in the conference at home. The Terrapins are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games. Wisconsin is 4-0 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 6 games following a loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #688 Arkansas over Ole Miss (8:30p.m., Wednesday, January 27 SECN) The spread has been coming down this morning and now it falls into a number where we feel comfortably playing the home team Razorbacks. Arkansas has won 2 straight games to get back on track and should be able to win this game by 7-9 points. Ole Miss is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games. Arkansas is 9-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 14 home games.

The Kings are 1-4 on the road this season. They are in for a tough task tonight to get their second road win. The Magic are off to a slow start. But this is a better ballclub than they have played so far. And they are better than the Kings. They have showed promise lately. They have won two of their last four, but they were very competitive in all those games, losing to the Pacers on the road in OT and losing to Charlotte by 3 in the first game of a back-to-back against them where they won by 9 the following night. The Kings have won one of their last five, against the Knicks, and they have covered in only two of their last 10 despite some very favorable lines from the oddsmakers. The Magic are 4-1 ATS in their last five as a home favorite and we think they are undervalued here tonight.

Utah has been playing as well as anybody in the league lately, but we think the oddsmakers have overpriced them here. The Knicks are much improved this season and they have the No. 1 defense in the NBA for points allowed. They have covered in four of their last five games, so they are playing beyond the oddsmakers expectations right now but they aren’t on the radar of casual bettors. For Utah this is a bad spot. They are coming off a win against Golden State and have two matchups against Dallas upcoming. So they won’t be focused on an out of conference team that is not a playoff contender. They don’t need to give full effort here and probably won’t, and they can still win. But that Knicks defense should keep the score respectable and keep them within double digits.  

5 Unit Play. Take #641 Georgia Tech over Duke (9p.m., Tuesday, January 26 ESPN) Duke is not the same Duke team that we have grown accustom to under Coach K. The Blue Devils have lost 3 straight games and I just do not see a blowout in this game. Duke is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite. Georgia Tech is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog. The road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings between Georgia Tech and Duke.

Always a good thing for a struggling team when Minnesota rolls into town. The Warriors are coming off two straight losses and this looks like a good get right game for them. At 4-11 the Wolves are one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. They are coming off a rare win and rare offensive explosion last time out against the Pelicans. They scored 120 on that game, but they had failed to reach the Century Mark in four of their last five games. In today’s NBA that’s really bad. We don’t see them replicating their output from that last game tonight, and we think the Warriors can get their points and that this one can still go under in a likely blowout.

4 Unit Play. Take #864 West Virginia over Texas Tech (9p.m., Monday, January 25 ESPN) I am not as high on Texas Tech as others and feel they should not be this low of number on the road. They are coming off a tough home loss to Baylor last time out and I do not believe they will be able to get up for this game tonight in Morgantown. West Virginia has only played one game since January 10th, but they got back on track Saturday with an easy win against Kansas State. Texas Tech is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games. West Virginia is 25-9 ATS in their last 34 home games against teams with a winning road record.

The Cavs are a .500 ballclub this season. That is impressive considering what we have seen from this team in recent years, and we think they can keep it up. They should be primed for this game with LeBron James coming back to town. They played yesterday but the starters played limited minutes in a blowout vs. Boston, and we think Cleveland was looking ahead to this game with that dismal performance. We thought the Lakers might get out to a slow start this season but they have been great. But when they play well, the oddsmakers start to overvalue them, and we think that is the case here, especially with a game vs. Philly on deck next that the Lakers will probably be taking more seriously than this one as that next game is a potential NBA Finals preview.

These teams played Friday and OKC was one missed free throw at the end of the game of covering. We expect them to get the cover tonight. The Clips have been playing as well as any team in the NBA. But we just don’t see them blowing out the Thunder in consecutive matchups. OKC was down big in that last game and fought hard to make it respectable. LA goes on the road after this and we think they will be distracted here and just don’t see them bringing their A Game today. We think OKC keeps this within double digits.

These teams played last night and the Nuggets won in overtime. We see this one going the other way as it’s hard to beat a team twice in the same building in consecutive nights. The Suns have been one of the best ATS teams since the restart of last NBA season, and we think they find a way to get the job done tonight. We think both teams will be fatigued in this one and they will also make defensive adjustments, so we expect a much more low scoring game than last night.

Utah is playing the best basketball in the NBA right now, and it’s not even close for second. They have won and covered in seven straight, and this team looks like it is playing with a chip on its shoulder. That chip should still be there tonight after they were embarrassed on live TV Thursday by the TNT crew. Utah always seems to have the Warriors’ number as they have covered in eight of the last 10 meetings. Golden State is better this year, but they are inconsistent, and they were spanked by the Knicks last time out so they are not in great form.

5 Unit Play. Take #684 Wisconsin over Ohio State (4p.m., Saturday, January 23 CBS) Ohio State has been overachieving of late and their momentum will run out today in Madison. The Buckeyes are coming off a tough loss to Purdue in Columbus last time out and this will be most experienced and talented team they have faced this season. The Badgers have won two straight games (2-0 ATS) and they will likely finish in the top 2 of the conference because of their consistency and favorable schedule coming up. The favorite is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 games between Ohio State and Wisconsin.

7 Unit Play. Take #644 Georgia over Florida (2p.m., Saturday, January 23 ESPN2) Top College Basketball Play of the Day. Florida played their best game of the season against Tennessee this week and I just do not believe they can play that well again on the road. Georgia is coming off two straight conference wins and they have righted the ship after a tough start to SEC play. Florida is still banged up and they are just 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games played on Saturday. Georgia is 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as an underdog.

4 Unit Play. Take #608 Syracuse over Virginia Tech (12p.m., Saturday, January 23 ACCNX) Here we have an unranked team that is favored over a ranked team and that is usually a sign for a strong play. The Orange are coming off their best performance of the season this week against Miami and look for another win today at the Carrier Dome. Virginia Tech is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 road games. Syracuse is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.

Atlanta was hot to start the season but then came back down to Earth a bit but now they have an easier part of their schedule and they are heating up again with two straight wins. They covered in both games. One of those wins was against this same Minnesota team, one of the worst squads in the NBA this season. Revenge won’t be a factor because the teams played a game since that matchup already, and everyone is beating the Wolves these days, so they aren’t focusing on one loss.

Cleveland played probably their game of the season last time out in an OT win against Brooklyn. They are probably satisfied with that result, and we just don’t see them putting in the same effort. They are not as deep as the Nets, and that will hurt them in this game after playing all the extra minutes Wednesday. Brooklyn will be very motivated here, and we think this could be a double-digit blowout.

4 Unit Play. Take #844 Purdue over Michigan (7p.m., Friday, January 22 FS1) Purdue has been playing outstanding basketball of late having won 4 straight games with 3 of those wins being against likely NCAA tournament teams come March. They are now ready for some home cooking, as Purdue traditionally plays much better at home compared to on the road. Michigan currently sits atop the standing in the Big 10, but they got run over in their last road game against Minnesota, losing by 18 points. The underdog is 5-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 meetings. Purdue is 4-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 games.

These teams played last time out, and the result was a Utah blowout. The final score was not even indicative of how one-sided that game was. Normally we would go for the zig zag theory in this game since it’s hard to beat a team twice in two consecutive games. But Utah has just been so dominating lately and is quietly playing some of the best hoops in the league, and we think they will be able to cover again as the oddsmakers didn’t make a big enough adjustment to this line.

4 Unit Play. Take #774 Washington State over Utah (10p.m., Thursday, January 21 PAC12N) Not sure why Utah is favored in this game considering Washington State is at home and may have the best player on the floor. Wazzou has played a brutal schedule of late and thus their 3 game losing streak is not as bad as it appears. The home team is 4-1 in the last 5 games between Utah and Washington State. The Cougars is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a loss in their previous game.

Both teams are playing well but we think the motivation lies with the home team here. The Lakers are defending champs and they don’t have anything to prove. This is a marquee national TV game but just another matchup for them. After flaming out in the postseason last season, the Bucks have a lot to prove and they will want to show they are one of the best teams in the NBA. Plus, the bookies always shade the lines for the Lakers, and we think that is the case here as we had this line handicapped at 3.5. Milwaukee has covered in five of the last six meetings.

4 Unit Play. Take #735 Rutgers over Penn State (7p.m., Thursday, January 21 BTN) We will follow the line movement in this game, as Penn State opened as the favorite but now Rutgers is a slight favorite. Penn State has yet to win a conference game this season. They have been competitive at times but usually falter down the stretch and today will be no different. Rutgers has been struggling as well and needs to win this game to get back on track and solidify their NCAA Tournament bid come March. The road team is 5-2 ATS (1 push) in the last 8 games between Rutgers and Penn State.

These teams played Friday and the Clippers scored 138 in a blowout. Sacramento is the worst defensive team in the NBA, allowing 124 points per game. The Clippers already showed they can excel over this defense, and their offense in general is humming like a well-oiled machine right now. They have scored 129 or more in three of their last four games. Just don’t see any way the Kings will slow them down tonight. We think the Clippers can pick their score tonight and they should very likely score in the area of 130 again. And the Kings should play better offensively than they did on Friday, but we think this will be another blowout as the Clippers are very focused right now and playing probably the best basketball in the league recently.

4 Unit Play. Take #708 Arkansas over Auburn (9p.m., Wednesday, January 20 SECN) The Razorbacks are ready for some home cooking after getting blown out on the road two straight games. Auburn is improving but they already lost at home to Arkansas earlier this season. Auburn is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning home record. Arkansas is 9-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 13 home games. Auburn is not eligible to play in postseason play and thus I expect them to fade down the stretch as we get closer to February.

4 Unit Play. Take #712 Wisconsin over Northwestern (8p.m., Wednesday, January 20 BTN) The Wildcats are a sinking ship now, having lost 5 straight games and all of them have come by double digits. Wisconsin will challenge for a Big 10 Title this season and expect them to pound Northwestern in this game winning by close to 20 points. Wisconsin is ready to return have after two straight road games and expect them to jump out early in this game. The favorite is 14-6 ATS (1 push) in the last 21 meetings between the Wildcats and Badgers. Northwestern is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #670 St Bonaventure over VCU (6p.m., Wednesday, January 20 CBSSN) The Rams are always a traditional power in the Atlantic 10 and thus we get a favorable line going against them tonight. The Bonnies have won 4 straight games including the last 3 in blowout fashion. This team will challenge for the Atlantic 10 regular season championship come March and they will take care of business tonight. The favorite has covered 4 straight games in this series. The Bonnies are 11-4 ATS (1 pus) in their last 16 home games.

4 Unit Play. Take #671 Rhode Island over Duquesne (6p.m., Wednesday, January 20 ESPN+) The Dukes have been a sinking ship at the moment having lost 4 of their last 5 games, the last 3 coming by at least 9 points. Rhode Island has better talent than what they have showed thus far in 2021 and expect them to go on a run and move up atop the standing in the Atlantic 10. The closing stat on this game: the road team is 18-3 ATS in the last 21 meetings between the Rams and Dukes.

Utah is quietly playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. They have won five straight and covered in all of those games. Four of those five were on the road. We think they are undervalued again tonight, especially under the key number of 7 for NBA betting. New Orleans has lost four of five and they didn’t cover in any of those losses. One of these teams is trying to figure things out, while one is in midseason form, and the number is more than fair here for the favorite.

5 Unit Play. Take #635 Colorado State over Utah State (9p.m., Tuesday, January 19 CBSSN) The Aggies might be in a letdown spot coming off a sweep of San Diego State last time out. That was an emotion win for this program, as the Aztecs were predicted to win the MWC regular season this season. The Rams are beaten the bad teams in the league thus far and they are coming off two blowout wins against San Jose State over the weekend. See this game going right down to the wire and we will grab the points in this game. Colorado State is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up win in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #879 Kansas over Baylor (9p.m., Monday, January 18 ESPN2) We have used Kansas in this spot over the years and had success and will do it again on Monday. The talent may favor Baylor in this game, but Scott Drew seems to have issues winning the Big 12 and this year may be no different. The underdog is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings between Kansas and Baylor. The road team is 23-8 ATS (1 push) in the last 32 meetings as well.

Even with the troubles this Houston team has gone through so far this season, this is still a better team than the Bulls, and we think the Rockets have their best chance for success this season by getting rid of Harden as he was holding the team back. Of course they will miss his talent, but this is still a capable team, and we think they are underrated by the oddsmakers right now. We think this will be a close game but that Houston will pull away in the fourth quarter.

We think the wrong team is favored here. We had the Blazers as a slight favorite in this matchup, and we expect them to win a close one. The points are just the icing on the cake here. Both teams are dealing with some injury issues, but we think the Blazers will be fine. They are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in this series, and we think they match up well again here in this game.

Atlanta was hot to start off the season and their hot start culminated with a win over Brooklyn on New Year’s Day. But then things went downhill, and they have lost six of their last seven. But they have had a pretty difficult schedule, and we think this is a Get Right game for them and one they should use to turn the momentum around. We think there’s a great chance for a double digit win here by the home team.

The Pacers are a perfect 4-0 ATS as an underdog this season. We see them playing another competitive game tonight. We have been on the Clippers a lot this season, with mixed results. This team can look like one of the best in the league one night, like they did last time out in a blowout at Sacramento, and then the next game they can look bad (like the major blowout vs. Dallas). Indiana is 6-1 ATS in their last seven meetings in LA, and we think this will be a very close game tonight.

Going to ride the hot team here as the Jazz have won four straight and covered in all those games. This team has notoriously gotten off to slow starts in recent years, but this year is different and they seen very focused and determined. The Nuggets are 4-8 ATS to start the season, so this team has been a bit overrated at the beginning of the season. The Jazz are 6-2 this season away from home and have been very good in this role. We think with both teams bringing their A Game that the Jazz are the better team.

4 Unit Play. Take #808 Purdue over Penn State (1p.m., Sunday, January 17 BTN) Purdue is just a much better team at home and they are getting a Penn State team that has not played a game since December 30. The Nittany Lions have lost 3 straight games and I see them losing this game by double digits. Purdue has won 2 straight games, and this is the easiest teams they have played since December. Penn state is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall.  

The Hawks have not lost five of their last six. They were blown out in Utah last night, and they looked tired in that loss. Just don’t know how they will rise up against another Western Conference playoff contender tonight and play a better game. They will actually play better since they can’t do much worse than last night, but this spread is more than fair and we think the rested Blazers will be able to cruise to a comfortable win.

We had Houston when these teams played on Thursday and the Rockets won outright. We normally would go the other way when the home team loses like this in the first game but we just think this line is out of whack. The Spurs are now 0-3 ATS this season as a favorite of three or more, and this team just isn’t good enough to be laying big points. The Rockets got rid of their team cancer in Harden that was holding them back. This team lost a lot of talent when he left town, but now they can focus on maximizing the talent they do have on the team and they are underrated a bit by the oddsmakers now.

6 Unit Play. Take #625 San Diego State over Utah State (1:30p.m., Saturday, January 16 CBS) The Aztecs are too good of a program to lose to the same conference team twice in a week. Utah State jumped out early on Thursday and never looked back, but San Diego State did not shoot well for the entire game. With no homecourt advantage I see the Aztecs evening up this series and keeping their hopes alive for a conference championship come March. SDSU is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a loss in their previous game.

3 Unit Play. Take #603 North Carolina over Florida State (12p.m., Saturday, January 16 ESPN) Carolina has the talent edge in this game, as Florida State is just not as strong as they were compared to last year. We will grab the points in this game that we expect to go down to the wire. With Carolina it usually comes down to whether they can make shots from the arc and if they do they can win this game straight-up.

The Clippers haven’t been covering many lines lately, but we think this number is more than fair. This is a team that LA typically dominates, and they are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings. They are well rested and playing well, and we think there is a very good chance for a double-digit win here tonight. Sacramento has been horrible defensively, and a team like LA can take advantage of that. And with extra rest the Clips will have the energy to play shut down defense.

Going with the hot team here. Utah has won three straight, all by double digits, and that includes a road win over the Bucks. After a hot start, the Hawks have lost four of five. That includes losses to the Knicks, Cavs and back-to-back losses against Charlotte. This team is just not playing well right now, and they are in a real tough spot on the road against one of the best teams in the West.

4 Unit Play. Take #889 Wisconsin over Rutgers (9p.m., Friday, January 15 FS1) Both of these teams are desperate for a win and tonight is a must win for Wisconsin if they have visions of winning the regular season title come March. Wisconsin got blown out at Michigan on Tuesday, but Rutgers has dropped 3 straight games including the last two by double digits. Rutgers is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games played on Friday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports