Sports Picks & Predictions

The Celtics have been playing better of late and had the Rockets on the ropes in Houston before losing late and we think this will be a blowout here in Chicago on Monday. The Celtics have covered in five of the last six meetings and they won by 25 at home the last time these teams met in December. Boston has covered in four of their last five games overall so they are trending up in the betting markets. The Bulls, despite getting some very favorable lines from the bookies, have covered only two of their last eight and this team more often than not does not put in the effort on the court on a nightly basis.

The only teams the Cavs have beaten since the All-Star Break are Memphis and Brooklyn. They should not be favored by this many tonight and this is a very public line. Heck, the Pistons haven’t been playing well but they have even been playing a little better than Cleveland. Detroit won the last meeting when these teams played in January by double digits at home. We expect a close game here and you just have to go against the Cavs laying this many points with the way they have been playing lately.

7 Unit Play. Take #838 Purdue over Michigan (4:30 p.m., Sunday March 4 CBS) Purdue will complete the season sweep of Michigan and win the Big 10 Conference Tournament Sunday night in New York City. Michigan has had to run a gauntlet just to reach the finals and playing an extra day and much better competition will catch up with them in this game. Purdue has had a cake walk to the finals and they are ready to come out strong early in this game. Purdue controls this game for 40 minutes and wins it by 6-8 points.

4 Unit Play. Take #618 Utah State over UNLV (9p.m., Saturday March 3 ESPN 3) The Rebels are a sinking ship now and after showing some signs early in the season they have fallen off a cliff of late. The Aggies have been bad as well but they are always a tough out at home and expect them to close out the regular season with a win. The Aggies already won in Las Vegas this season and the type of loss UNLV suffered on Wednesday will have a lasting effect into this game. UNLV is 5-21 ATS (4 pushes) in their last 30 road games.

The more we see Houston play and grow together as a team, the more we think they could be a serious threat to Golden State’s supremacy in the Western Conference. The Warriors seem to have lost a bit of their hunger while the Rockets are as hungry as ever. The more we see the Celtics play the more we think this is a good team but not a great one. Houston will want to showcase themselves on national TV here and we think that this one has a great chance to be a 10+-point win.

10 Unit Play. Take #600 Utah over Colorado (7p.m., Saturday March 3 PAC12N) TOP COLLEGE HOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY. Utah still has life with regards to the NCAA Tournament but they need a double-digit victory today to close out the regular season. They Utes played their worst game of the season last time out and they have had a week to sit on that performance. The Buffaloes have not been playing well down the stretch losing three of their last four games and Utah has revenge on their minds. When Colorado loses they tend to lose big and expect that to be the case yet again on Saturday. Colorado is 18-38 ATS (1 push) in their last 57 road games. Utah is 38-13 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 53 road games against teams with a losing road record. 

4 Unit Play. Take #565 Kansas over Oklahoma State (4p.m., Saturday March 3 ESPN) The Jayhawks are playing some of their best basketball of the season and will enter this game in Stillwater having won 5 straight games. They last 4 teams are much better than what they will face today, as they Cowboys will not be going to the NCAA Tournament. Kansas is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 road games. Oklahoma State is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games following a win in their previous game.

We like the Thunder for a blowout here. We will keep the units reasonable here since the Thunder have struggled against bad teams this year. But they had a close call against the Mavs last time out and we expect them to be more focused here. The Suns broke their long losing streak last time out against Memphis and they are probably satisfied with that. They have not been playing any defense lately and we expect the Thunder to be able to pick their score on offense tonight and whatever they put up should be more than enough to cover this big number.

Toronto is for real this season and they seem very focused and determined right now. This is a real NBA Finals threat this season and they are peaking right now. Four of their last six games have been blowout wins, and they are in the Top 3 ATS rankings for the season. This team doesn’t have any mega names on the roster and they play north of the border, so this team does not face public lines as often as some of the more popular teams in the league and we had them as 7-point favorites for this matchup and we think they could win this one by close to double digits.

The Grizzlies seem hopeless right now. And by looking at their defensive numbers, this once-proud defensive team is not even trying lately. They have now given up 109 or more in six straight games. There is no focus here and no effort. That does not bode well for them against one of the hottest teams in the league. Denver has been playing as well as any team in the NBA lately and their offense has been pretty much unstoppable. They are coming off two straight losses that can be categorized as “heartbreaking” to two playoff-type teams and that is why they will not lose focus here against this opponent that seems to be already looking towards the offseason.

This feels like one of those games the Warriors might slog through as it’s the end of a trip and ahead of three days off. The Hawks have done very well against the Western Conference this season in going 7-1 ATS.  The Hawks have covered two of the last three meetings and they lost by only eight in the non-cover during the last meeting, which was also on this home court. We think one team here will be giving max effort, and that won’t be the Warriors.

The Magic have covered five straight games in this series and we think they win this one straight out but we will take the spread instead of the moneyline as we expect a close game. But the Pistons have not been playing well. Neither have the Magic, but this team is healthy right now and they will be desperate to break their long losing streak in front of the home crowd and they face a very winnable game against a flawed team that they have played well against in the past.

4 Unit Play. Take #850 Nebraska over Michigan (2:30 p.m., Friday March 2 BTN) The line is just too high considering all the factors. Nebraska has much more to play for in this game as most feel they need to win it to ensure they reach the NCAA Tournament. They only quality win is against Michigan, winning by 20 points in the only meeting of the season. Michigan did not look good against Iowa yesterday and they also had to play five extra minutes just to advance to today's quarterfinal game. Nebraska is 15-2 ATS in their last 17 Big 10 games.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #847 Wisconsin over Michigan State (12p.m., Friday March 2 BTN) We will ride the Badgers for a second straight day as they won yesterday despite being an underdog. Wisconsin has been on a nice ATS run of late covering the spread in 5 straight games. They took Michigan State to the wire last Sunday and I see them being somewhat competitive in this game keeping the deficit around 6-8 points. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. Wisconsin has been taking the air out of the ball of late keeping the scoring low and thus it is much harder to come this big of a number.

The Wolves started life without Jimmy Butler a couple games ago and they haven’t really skipped a beat. They won and covered both games pretty easily. But they face a much tougher test tonight after playing the Kings and Bulls in their last two games. This is the type of game where the loss of Butler will really start to be felt. Portland has won four straight and six of seven. And they didn’t just beat pushovers, as their wins included games against the Warriors and they also broke the Jazz’s long home winning streak. This team is peaking right now and we think they are underrated by the oddsmakers here tonight.

The Lakers enter this one having won three straight, but those wins were against Atlanta, Sacramento and Dallas, three of the worst teams in the NBA this season. Those teams are all tanking, and tonight they face a big step up in competition against a team that is currently the No. 8 seed in the east and will be very cognizant to win games like this for the rest of the season. Miami is normally a team that plays hard nearly every night, but they aren’t going to overlook an opponent like this when they are a couple losses away from being outside of the playoff picture.

4 Unit Play. Take #759 Nevada over UNLV (11p.m., Wednesday February 28 CBSSN) The Rebels are in freefall now having lost three straight games including two via a blowout. Since this is an in-state rival they will get up for this game, but I just do not believe they have the horses to beat Nevada twice in one season. Nevada did not have Caleb Martin in the first meeting and that was a huge loss as he is averaging over 19 points per game. Nevada has already locked up the top seed in the MWC and will be going to the NCAA Tournament, but they still have a lot to play for. If they win out they could move to a NO. 5 seed. UNLV has been a poor home team this season with 4 losses in MWC play. UNLV is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games. Nevada is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games at UNLV.

The Clippers have won both meetings this year. Those results were pretty shocking and we think they had more to do with an off night from the Rockets than anything the Clippers did. You have to hand it to LA, they are playing harder than they ever had when they employed Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, and Coach Doc Rivers has done a masterful job coaching this ragtag squad. But they are coming in on a back-to-back after a hard-fought win last night in Denver and they won’t have much left here against a Houston team that will want to make a statement here.

Wins have been a rarity for the Mavs lately. They got one last time out. It’s doubtful they will put up much of a fight here, however. OKC has won three of their last four overall so they are in pretty good form right now. This is a good revenge spot for the visitors as Dallas won the last two meetings, but both those were earlier in the season and the Thunder are a better team now. This looks like a really good spot for the Thunder to get a road win by 7+ points.

The Spurs are back home after their long road trip and they have lost four of five. That win did come on the road against the Cavs last time out, however, so we think the pendulum is swinging the other way for this team. They have a favorable home-heavy schedule the next few games and even though this is the toughest matchup, they will be eager to get back on track. This team is 22-6 at home and has one of the best home-court advantages in basketball. New Orleans has been playing well but this is their third game in four nights and they have also had a couple OT games recently, so they won’t have the energy needed to keep this game competitive.

Boston has just owned this series lately as they have won six straight meetings, and they covered in five of those with one push. They have won three straight heading into this game and they are getting back on track, and they are the much better team in this matchup. Their offense has been playing really well lately and we think they have a big scoring night tonight, so they should be able to cover this number with no problem. The Hornets have won five straight but that was against a very easy schedule and we think they will be exposed tonight in a high-scoring affair.

The Bucks have not covered in any of the last four meetings (one push). We always like to back a decent team that got embarrassed in their last game and that is certainly the case for the Pistons after a nearly 30-point loss to the Raptors on Monday. But Detroit was off last night and the Bucks played a hard-fought game against Washington and they are playing their third game in four nights and they also went to OT in two of their last three games, so we think they will be running on fumes tonight against a Pistons team that will be desperate to get back on the winning track.

Toronto is playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now. They seem to have their eyes set on the No. 1 seed in the east and home-court advantage and they have not been letting up. Their only loss in the last nine games was in OT vs. the Bucks, another streaking team. The Magic are in a freefall. They have lost six straight. This team looks to be in full tank mode with a strong draft ahead. Toronto has taken care of business against bad teams as they are 7-0 ATS in their last seven against a team with a winning percentage below .400 and they are 21-10 ATS (10-6 on the road) against teams with a losing record.

Denver has won and covered both of the last two meetings in this series here at home. Denver is coming off a loss to Houston but they have won eight of their last nine games overall and this team is playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. They were down big against Houston but they came back and made it a game late in the fourth. We were very impressed by that comeback against one of the best teams in the NBA. The Clippers have been playing well but this team is overrated by the oddsmakers here in this situation.

4 Unit Play. Take #549 Army over Loyola Maryland (7p.m., Tuesday February 27) Both of these teams are on long losing streaks but look for Army to complete the season sweep of Loyola Maryland tonight. Army won the first meeting by double digits and they are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Greyhounds are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games.

The Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Sacramento. The Wolves didn’t miss a beat after losing Jimmy Butler in their decimation of the Bulls last time out. They seem motivated, and should be able to beat a bad team here. This team is tanking and we doubt they will put forth the effort here that the Wolves will. Minnesota has put up lots of points lately on bad teams and we think they will be able to score enough to cover the spread with ease.

We think this is one of those lines that the bookies have intentionally set low to attract Pelicans money. But New Orleans is just 1-8 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a losing road record and we think this is a spot where the Suns will keep this one close and cover the line. This is a back-to-back for the Pelicans and their third game in four nights, and both of their previous games went to OT. This is a tired team tonight that is ripe for an upset, and one that doesn’t play well against lousy teams at home.

The Grizzlies are in the midst of a 9-game losing streak but we think they are getting too many points tonight. They still have a very solid defense, and so does Boston, so with what could possibly be a low-scoring game the points are all the more valuable here. Boston is just 1-5 ATS when laying nine or more points this season. They have also covered in 14 of the last 18 meetings in Boston. We think they can keep this one within double digits, and we expect them to play hard tonight after a couple embarrassing losses in their last two games.

Detroit was hot right after the Blake Griffin trade but then things have fallen apart lately and now this team has covered in only one of their last 10 games. But we think this is too many points and the Pistons are a decent team. They should be able to keep this one close. The Pistons are 13-2 ATS as a dog of five or more points this season, and that is a very strong trend. They are also 5-1 in the last six meetings in Toronto. We expect the Pistons to put up a fight here and we think that this will be a close game.

4 Unit Play. Take #724 Virginia Tech over Duke (7p.m., Monday February 26 ESPN) Despite winning by 16 points over the weekend, Duke did not play well against Syracuse. They did not make a three-point basket until the middle of the second half and now they face a much better team on the road in a hostile environment. This is the third straight home game for the Hokies and they have a bad taste in their mouth after losing to Louisville last time out. I expect them to take this game down to the wire and we will collect with whoever comes out on top. The home team is 3-0 ATS in the last three match-ups.

Denver has quietly won seven of eight and this team is playing as well as any team in the league right now. Their offense has been even better than that of the Rockets lately. They will be amped to play Houston tonight and they have one of the better home-court advantages in the NBA. Also, Eric Gordon will miss this game for Houston and he is a key contributor. The Rockets are the better team but the oddsmakers have them overvalued here.

We just think that this line is too short. The Sixers are coming in on the second half of a back-to-back after winning vs. Orlando last night. Both teams will be playing their third in four nights but at least the Wizards had the night off last night. Both teams have been playing well, but the Sixers have had a pretty easy schedule, and it has been home-heavy. The home team has been strong in this series and we see that being the case again here on Sunday.

5 Unit Play. Take #834 Nebraska over Penn State (2:15p.m., Sunday February 25 BTN) The Cornhuskers still are undervalued by the line makers despite the fact win in this game will give them 13 conference wins. They have revenge in this game as they lost a tough fought two-point game earlier this season in State College. Nebraska has won 7 of their last 8 games. Nebraska is 14-2 ATS in their last 16 Big 10 games. Penn State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against Nebraska.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

We had this line handicapped at 7 so there is some nice value here for Sunday’s marquee matchup. The Spurs have won the last three meetings between these teams so the Cavs will want to get some revenge here. Two of those games were in San Antonio and the loss in Cleveland was in OT. But the Spurs are kind of a mess on the road this season at 13-19 and the Cavs are playing their best basketball overall of the season right now. We see this as a comfortable win for the home squad.

4 Unit Play. Take #816 Wisconsin over Michigan State (1p.m., Sunday February 25 CBS) Wisconsin has been playing better of late having won three straight games and they will close out the regular season today at the Kohl Center. Michigan State has a ton of issues now with players and coaches and expect them to just go through the motions and win this game by 4-6 points. If Wisconsin can stabilize the game early they should be able to take this game down to the wire. Wisconsin is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games against teams with a winning road record. Michigan State is 2-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 road games. Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

4 Unit Play. Take #668 Florida over Auburn (8:30p.m., Saturday February 24 SECN) I still do not believe Auburn is as good as their ranking suggests. The Gators have lost three straight games and this is one game that they need to ensure that they reach the NCAA Tournament in 2018. Auburn did not look good against South Carolina in their last road game and I expect Florida to win this game by 4-6 points.

10 Unit Play. Take #661 Arizona State over Oregon State (8p.m., Saturday February 24 ESPN U) Arizona State has been one of the most disappointing teams during conference play this season after running the table in the nonconference portion of the season. They have a knack for getting games they need to avoid a complete free fall in the standing. This is one of those games against an undermanned Oregon State team coming off an overtime loss to Arizona on Thursday. ASU will not take them lightly since they beat OSU by just two points earlier this season in Tempe. The Beavers have not played well of late losing 7 of their last 9 games. Arizona State is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a losing record. Oregon State is 6-13 ATS in their last 19 home games. The favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings between ASU and OSU.

4 Unit Play. Take #702 Western Illinois over Denver (8p.m., Saturday February 24) It has not been a good season for the Leathernecks, but I expect them to go out on senior day with a victory on their home floor. Western Illinois beat North Dakota State last time out and they are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a victory in their previous game. Denver is 4-11 ATS in their last 15 road games.

4 Unit Play. Take #636 Duke over Syracuse (6:15p.m., Saturday February 24 ESPN) Syracuse is nowhere near as talented as Duke is this season. Syracuse may struggle to win a regular season game in their last three and they will lose this one by double digits. Duke has covered the spread in 4 straight games. Syracuse is 15-38 ATS in their last 55 games played on Saturday.

4 Unit Play. Take #590 Pittsburgh over Virginia (4p.m., Saturday February 24 ESPN U) Pittsburgh is terrible and will likely go winless in the ACC this season. They are at home and this is just a ton of points to be giving for Virginia, a team that does not score a ton of points. The Panthers have stayed under this number in their last two losses and I expect them to make it three in a row.

4 Unit Play. Take #584 Drexel over Wilmington (4p.m., Saturday February 24) Drexel is riding high now after coming back from a 34-point deficit last time out to beat Delaware. Expect that momentum to carry into this game on senior day in Philadelphia. The favorite is 7-2 ATS (1 push) in the last 9 meetings between Wilmington and Drexel.

The Clippers have been playing very well lately. In fact, they have won 7 of 10. The 2017-18 Golden State Warriors are probably the best version this team has had, but at the same time they have gotten smarter and they don’t care about the regular season that much. They definitely don’t care about these Clippers anymore now that Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are gone and this rivalry is no more. We don’t see the Warriors expending major effort here like they did with the Clips of the past and the blue collar Clippers should be able to keep this one within double digits.

4 Unit Play. Take Santa Clara over LMU (10p.m., Thursday February) No bet is a bad bet against LMU at this point of the season. The Broncos have already beaten the Lions by 16 points this season in Los Angeles and that is how I see this game going as well. Santa Clara has won 3 straight games including back-to-back road games. LMU is 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games played on Thursday.

4 Unit Play. Take #658 Weber State over Eastern Washington (9p.m., Thursday February 22) The Wildcats are always one of the top teams in the Big Sky and this year is no different. They enter this game having won 9 straight games and need to win both home games this weekend with a trip to Montana on deck. Weber State has covered the spread in 8 of those last 9 wins. Eastern Washington is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a victory in their previous game.

We will go against the Hornets as a big favorite tonight. They have not done well in this role as they are 3-7 ATS when laying six or more points. This is a below average team and they just don’t blow opponents out on a regular basis. The Nets are not a tanking candidate in the second half as they don’t own their first-round pick and this has been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA all season. In fact, they are the only team in the Top 5 for ATS results that has a losing record, so this is a team that could hold betting value all season long.

We think the Magic are a team to watch after the All-Star Break as long as they can stay healthy. This team is getting some key players back tonight who have been out with injury for awhile, and this team when healthy has some nice young talent. We had this line handicapped at -6.5 and we think that there is great value here. The Knicks season is in shambles now that Porzingis is done for the year and this is a team that should be faded in spots as they are a likely Tanking candidate. Orlando has won and covered the last two meetings and we think that trend continues tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #571 Wisconsin over Northwestern (7p.m., Thursday February 22 ESPN 2) The Wildcats are in freefall at the moment having lost 4 straight games including a shell shocking loss to Michigan State on Saturday in which they blew a 27 point lead. That affected them against Maryland last time out and will happen again on Thursday. They may be without Bryant McIntosh again and that is a major void for them to fill. The road teams is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

10 Unit Play. Take #766 UNLV over Fresno State (10p.m., Wednesday February 21 ESPN 3) The Rebels are coming off their worst performance of the season but I expect them to bounce back in a big way Wednesday. The Bulldogs have won four straight but their last two games have come against the worst teams in the league (Colorado State & San Jose State). UNLV has talent evident by the fact that the are the only team to win at Nevada this season. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings. The line is moving our direction and that is with good reason. UNLV gets back on track in a big way tonight in Sin City.

4 Unit Play. Take #728 Virginia Tech over Clemson (7p.m., Wednesday February 21 ACCN) Just believe Clemson is a sinking ship at the moment. They have lost two straight games and now and now face a Virginia Tech team that is hungry for a victory. The Hokies are coming off a dominating road victory against Georgia Tech and need to win all three of these home games on their docket. Clemson is 2-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 games against Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #536 LSU over Vanderbilt (9p.m., Tuesday February 20 SECN) I just do not believe in Vanderbilt this season especially when they are playing on the road. Vanderbilt has lost all 7 conference road games this season. The Tigers have a new coach this season and they close out the regular season with 4 games that are winnable and a chance to finish conference play .500. LSU has revenge after losing in Nashville by 6 points. LSU has covered the spread in 4 straight home games. Vanderbilt is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games. Lay the points in this game.

4 Unit Play. Take #853 Nebraska over Illinois (3:30p.m., Sunday February 18 BTN) This is a very big public play and the line is trending towards Illinois despite that. That is somewhat worrisome, but they bottom line is Nebraska is 11-4 in conference play and Illinois is 2-12. Nebraska does not want any bad losses as they are a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament. It will not be easy but I believe Nebraska will win this game by 3-5 points.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

7 Unit Play. Take #843 Duke over Clemson (1p.m., Sunday February 18 ACCN) The Blue Devils are hitting the Tigers are just the right moment. They are coming off an overtime loss last Wednesday and they are down two starters for this game. Point guard Shelton Mitchell is in concussion protocol and losing your starting point guard who is averaging 33 minutes per game will be tough to overcome. Duke is without Marvin Bagley but the last two games that has not hurt them. In fact it seems to have gotten Grayson Allen on track, as he is averaging 24 points per game the last two games. Duke is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played on Sunday. Clemson is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games played on Sunday.

4 Unit Play. Take #652 UCLA over Oregon (10:15p.m., Saturday February 17 ESPN) The Bruins are quietly moving up the standings in the PAC-12 and I believe that they will make the NCAA Tournament come March. Oregon is well coached, but they just do not have the talent to compete with the top teams in the league. They lost a heartbreaker to USC on Thursday and I do not expect them to be able to bounce back in 48 hours. UCLA has won 5 of their last 6 games and lost to Oregon by just 3 points in Eugene earlier this year. Oregon has lost 2 straight road games. UCLA is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games.

4 Unit Play. #622 Take Washington over Colorado (8p.m., Saturday February 17 P12N) The Huskies still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament as they close with five winnable games to finish out the regular season. They have lost three straight games and that makes this a must win game. If Washington can beat Arizona and Arizona State in Seattle, they can beat Colorado. Washington already beat them in Boulder earlier this year. Colorado is 18-37 ATS (1 push) in their last 56 road games.

4 Unit Play. Take #584 Kansas over West Virginia (6p.m., Saturday February 17 ESPN) Just have not been sold on this West Virginia team all season long. We have went against them a lot and I just feel if they are not turning you over they really struggle to score. I have not given up on Kansas winning the Big 12 but to accomplish that they must win this game. Kansas is coming off one of their worst performances of the season last Saturday in Waco but that will not happen in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have already won in Morgantown this season and they will pull away late to win this game by 8-10 points. The home team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings between West Virginia and Kansas.

5 Unit Play. Take #568 UCLA -7 over Oregon State (11p.m., Thursday February 15 FS1) The Bruins have vaulted back into the bubble conversation after beating Arizona in Tucson last week. That is the best win of any team in the league, but they must follow that up with a sweep of the Oregon schools at home. UCLA lost the first game to Oregon State and they cannot afford another bad loss on their resume. Oregon State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. UCLA is 6-1 in their last 7 home games against teams with a road losing record

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

5 Unit Play. Take #558 Long Beach State (pk) over Santa Barbara (10p.m., Thursday February 15) Always like to play the Beach at home. This game means more to them tonight and it is a must win if they have any hopes of winning the Big West Regular Season Title. The 49ers are 18-7 ATS in their last 25 games against the Gauchos.

4 Unit Play. Take #549 Arizona over Arizona State (9p.m., Thursday February 15 ESPN) Both teams have been treading water of late, but Arizona still has far and away the best talent in the league. They are 10-3 in the conference but they should be 13-0. Arizona State just has not gotten on track during conference play despite running the table in the nonconference portion of the season. They have home losses to Oregon and Utah and Arizona is much better than both of those teams. Arizona State is 3-8 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 13 games overall. Arizona is 3-0 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 5 games against Arizona State.

Denver has been playing well, but they have had a home-heavy schedule. However, this team is just 8-19 on the road this season. This is kind of an awkward scheduling spot for them after beating the Spurs at home last time out and now they have to travel on the road to face a good Milwaukee team before the all-star break starts tomorrow. We think this is a real letdown spot for them tonight. The Bucks have won five of six and are playing well, and we think they will have much more incentive here at home tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #522 Connecticut -3.5 over Tulsa (7p.m., Thursday February 15 CBSSN) Kevin Ollie is fighting for his job despite having a National Championship on his resume. UCONN is a much better team at home and they should be able to get revenge from a 2-point loss in Oklahoma earlier this season. Tulsa is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a victory in their previous game.

3 Unit Play. Take #508 Wisconsin +10 over Purdue (7p.m., Thursday February 15 ESPN) The Badgers need to survive the start of this game. If they can do that they should be able to keep this game within single digits. Purdue has not been playing as well of late losing two straight games and they have not covered a spread in their last 6 games. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. It is Frank Kaminsky night and look for Wisconsin to show some form on life.

10 Unit Play. Take #788 Boise State over Nevada (11p.m., Wednesday February 14 ESPN U) First place in the MWC is on the line when the Wolf Pack head to Boise, ID to take on the Broncos. This is a must win game for Boise State to keep their at-large chances alive for the NCAA Tournament in March. Boise State played well in Reno before Nevada pulled out a hard-fought victory late. If Boise State gets ahead in the second half Nevada will not be able to come back at Taco Bell Arena. A win by Boise State will put them in great shape to win the conference as Nevada still has road games left at UNLV and San Diego State. Nevada is 0-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 4 road games. The favorite is 5-1 ATS (1 push) in the last 7 meetings between the Pack and the Broncos.

Sometimes NBA handicapping is all about motivation. You have to find teams that are going to play hard on any given night. We think the Suns fall into that category tonight. They got treated like a D-League team last time out in Golden State as Warriors coach Steve Kerr had his players coaching during the game. He wasn’t going to try this experiment against the Spurs or the Rockets, but he did it against the Suns because that game was a sure win no matter what. This had to be embarrassing for the Suns players and coaches, and we think they will come out with some fire tonight against a line that was already inflated.

4 Unit Play. Take #773 St Johns -1 over DePaul (9p.m., Wednesday February 14 CBSSN) The Red Storm are clearly playing their best basketball of the season having won three straight games. Those victories came against Duke, Villanova, and Marquette. All three of those teams are far and away better than what they will see tonight from DePaul. We will start to ride St Johns now until they come back down from their high. The Blue Demons are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.

New Orleans has won and covered three of the last four meetings. This will be the Pelicans last game before the All-Star Break and the Lakers play on Thursday before the break so the Pelicans have the advantage that they can leave it all on the court as they will get rest afterwards while the Lakers have a real tough schedule to close out the first half of the season as they have to play at Minnesota on Thursday. The Pelicans enter with confidence after winning two straight on the road, including a road blowout win at a Pistons team that has been playing well.

The Nets have dropped six straight games and they will want to get back on the winning track to avoid entering the all-star break on a big losing streak. They have a very winnable game tonight against an Indiana team that is much better at home than on the road. Despite their recent struggles the Nets are the No. 3 ATS team in the NBA and they are the only team in the Top 5 with a losing record. That shows that they play hard most nights. They really have been in a funk lately but we think they will go all out to get back on the winning track tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #741 Clemson +4.5 over Florida State (7p.m., Wednesday February 14 ACCN) The Tigers are having an outstanding season and I see them taking this game down to the wire in Tallahassee tonight. The Seminoles have not been playing well of late losing three of their last four games and only one of those losses have come against a team likely to make the NCAA Tournament. The Underdog is 6-2 ATS (1 push) in the last 9 meetings between the Tigers and Seminoles. 61% of the money is coming in on the underdog and it is with good reason.

4 Unit Play. Take #549 South Carolina over Tennessee (9p.m., Tuesday January 13 ESPN U) The Gamecocks are coming off a terrible performance against Florida on Saturday, but I expect them to play better tonight in Knoxville. This is a lot of points to giving in a conference game and Tennessee got blown out last time out as well. I am just not sold they are a legitimate Final Four contender this season despite being ranked in the top 20. I expect the Gamecocks to hang around for 40 minutes and lose this game by 8-10 points.

The Hawks have won three of five games, and they are coming off a confidence-building win at home against Detroit last time out. Besides their blowout loss at Cleveland this team has been playing hard every night and we think they will keep this one close against a Bucks team that has become overrated by the oddsmakers. The Bucks have struggled to cover numbers against bad teams at home as they are 3-7 ATS at home against sub-.500 teams this season. This is the first game back home for the Bucks after an extended road trip and those situations can often be tricky for the home team.

The Raptors are playing as well as anyone lately with five straight wins and covers, but the oddsmakers have simply made this line too high tonight against the Heat. Miami has covered two straight and three of four in this series and we think that they match up well tonight in this game. These games have been very low scoring with five straight meetings falling under the posted total, and we believe that will be the case again here Tuesday night and the points become all the more valuable for the underdog in a low-scoring game. Miami hasn’t won many games lately but they have been competing every night and we think that their defense shows up big time tonight to keep this one close in a low-scoring affair.

4 Unit Play. Take #525 St Bonaventure over La Salle (7p.m., Tuesday January 13) The Explorers just do not have the talent that the Bonnies have. They are coming off back-to-back losses against terrible teams (Saint Louis & George Washington). St Bona has a chance to earn the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament, but this is a game they must win to achieve that. The Bonnies have won 6 straight games and clearly, they are playing their best basketball of the season now. La Salle is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #524 Nebraska over Maryland (7p.m., Tuesday January 13 BTN) The Terrapins have not won a road game in conference play since December and that will hold true again tonight. The Cornhuskers continue to be undervalued by the odds makers despite being well on their way to receiving a bid into the NCAA Tournament. They have won five straight games and have a chance to win their final 4 games this season. Nebraska is 12-1 ATS in their last 13 Big 10 games. 69% of the money is coming in on Nebraska and it is with good reason.

The Spurs are 13-16 on the road this season. That is very un-Spurs like. This team will be without Aldridge tonight as he will join Leonard on the bench. Utah has won nine straight, and this is their longest winning streak in decades. They are playing as well as any team in the league right now. They have a great defense and their offense is finally coming around as they have been putting up some big numbers on the offensive end. The Spurs have lost three of four, including a nine-point loss to these same Jazz at home, and we feel like this team is ready for the All-Star Break while Utah wants to keep the streak alive.

Brooklyn has been one of the best ATS teams in the league this season but lately this team hasn’t been playing well and they have dropped six of their last nine games ATS. You get the feeling that this is a team that is ready for the All-Star Break. The Clippers, on the other hand, are playing without expectations after trading away Blake Griffin and they are playing loose and free, and this team has some real talent. And they work hard almost every night. They are on the cusp of the playoff race in the West and they will be the team playing with more purpose tonight.

The Sixers have been money at home and the Knicks haven’t been able to cover any lines lately but this pick for New York is just a simple case of line value. This line should be no more than 8.5 points but this number has been inflated because the Knicks are a team that no one wants to bet on right now since Porzingis went down and they have not played well without him. The Sixers are 0-3 ATS this season when laying eight or more points and we think that they will win this game but that it will be much closer than the oddsmakers expect.

4 Unit Play. Take #713 Notre Dame over North Carolina (7p.m., Monday February 12 ESPN) The Tarheels will be playing their third game in five days and that will catch up with them in this one. They beat both of their rivals in hard fought games and they now play a team desperate for win in Notre Dame. The Irish are starting to get healthy and have won back to back games. Notre Dame has covered the spread in 6 of their last 8 games against North Carolina.

4 Unit Play. Take #820 Wisconsin +4 over Michigan (1p.m., Sunday February 11 CBS) The Wolverines were dominated last time out at Northwestern and playing their second straight road game will be tough to overcome. Wisconsin has covered the spread in two straight games and they have been playing a little better of late. The underdog is 13-4 ATS in the last 17 meetings.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #671 Boise State over Utah State (9p.m., Saturday February 10 AT&T SN) The Broncos never win by a ton of points but they usually end up on the winning end in the MWC. They currently sit atop the standing and with Nevada having injuries they may be the team to beat now. The Aggies got blown out last time out and they have lost their home court edge that they used to enjoy for decades. The road team is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 match-ups with Boise State and Utah State.

The Bulls come in on the second end of a back-to-back while the Wizards had the night off on Friday. Chicago played a very emotional game vs. some of their old players on Minnesota and they scored an unlikely win on Friday. Watching that game you saw the Bulls give it everything they had in the second half. We doubt they have much left in the tank here. Before that win the Bulls had lost seven straight. They had covered only once during that losing streak. They are 3-5-1 ATS on the second end of a back-to-back this season. They have also covered in only 3 of the last 13 meetings between these clubs in Chicago. The Wizards have played well despite missing John Wall and even though they have lost two straight entering this game they are still the much better team here in this matchup. We see the Wizards getting back on track in a big way tonight against a fatigued Bulls team who got its glory last night and is probably content to sleepwalk through this game.

4 Unit Play. Take #636 Arizona State over UCLA (7p.m., Saturday February 10 PAC-12 Network) The Sun Devils made a great comeback last time out against USC to win but they did not have a 3-point spread. Expect them to do both tonight as they look to solidify their NCAA Tournament bid. The Bruins are playing their best basketball of the season but they just do not have the firepower to beat both Arizona and Arizona State on the road. UCLA is 7-15 ATS in their last 22 road games. The home team is 12-3 ATS (1 push) in the last 16 match-ups between Arizona State and UCLA.

4 Unit Play. Take #543 Kansas over Baylor (2p.m., Saturday February 10 CBS) We have pounded Kansas on the road during conference play most of the season and will not stop now. Kansas wins the Big 12 every year and Baylor will not make the NCAA Tournament barring a miracle run. The Jayhawks have played better on the road this season and they have had success in Waco in the past. Kansas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. Kansas is also 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games played in Waco.

Utah is healthy right now and they are playing extremely well. They have won seven straight, and the last four have come on the road. They have covered in seven of their last nine games so this team is overachieving against oddsmaker expectations right now. They are back home after a four-game road trip and this team has one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA, and the house should be rocking on Friday night. Charlotte is playing their fourth and final game of a four-game road trip tonight and they come in on a back-to-back after playing in overtime last night in Portland. A road back-to-back is already tough but it makes it even harder when they played an extra five-minute frame, especially when they lost in OT. Charlotte is 3-5-1 ATS in the second half of a back-to-back. The Hornets are 8-17 on the road this season and 8-13-4 ATS, so they don’t often cover in these situations despite getting some hefty numbers as a road underdog. They are 5-16 ATS as an underdog of seven or fewer points this season. We see the Jazz playing very well tonight against a fatigued Hornets team and we expect this to be a very comfortable win for the home club.

These teams completed the blockbuster trade of the NBA season that sent Blake Griffin to the Pistons. That put the Clippers in a position of being competitive but made the Pistons a contender in the east, and they have responded with five straight wins. Sometimes all you need is some confidence in the NBA to have success and Detroit has been playing with a lot more confidence, and Griffin seems to have fit in well with his new team so far. LA really screwed Griffin over in this trade after telling him he would retire with the team when they signed him to a mega-deal in the offseason, and we think he will give extra effort here against his old team in the final meeting of the season. His teammates seem to like him as well and we think they will give extra effort here also. The Clippers have surpassed expectations this season. They are fighting for a playoff spot. But this team has some overrated wins this season. Their wins over the Rockets and Warriors are quality, but we think those teams didn’t play well on those nights. And otherwise LA has wins over mostly pretty lousy teams otherwise. We thought that this spread would be closer to 7 and we think there is nice value here. Detroit has won and covered both of the last two meetings.

4 Unit Play. Take #588 Arizona State over USC (11p.m., Thursday February 8 ESPN 2) This line is trending toward Arizona State, as they have been one of the most disappointing teams during conference play this season. It is imperative that they sweep the LA schools this week to right the ship. USC is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 meetings with Arizona State. Arizona State is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 home games.

4 Unit Play. Take #563 Wisconsin over Illinois (9.m., Thursday February 8 BTN) Both of these teams lack talent and thus this is too many points to be giving for either team. Wisconsin won the first meeting by 25 points. Wisconsin is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games played in Champaign. Wisconsin is also 18-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 26 games against Illinois.

The Wizards have been hot since John Wall went down with injury. No matter what anyone says, this team is not better without their leader and best player. They came back to Earth last game out with a blowout loss at Philly and we expect them to lose this one as well. We actually handicapped the Celtics as three-point favorites in this game so there is very nice betting value here for Thursday night. The Celtics have been one of the best bets in the NBA as an underdog this season as they are 11-2 ATS when getting points this season. They have the much better team on the court tonight, especially with Wall sidelined. They are also 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings between these teams. We always like to take a good team off an embarrassing loss since these professionals don’t like to get humiliated like this and normally give a much better effort in their next game, and that is certainly the case for the Celtics tonight as they are coming off a 20-point blowout loss at Toronto. Before that, however, they had won four straight. The Wizards are not a good team when laying points as they are 6-18 ATS this season when laying fewer than nine points.

4 Unit Play. Take #541 Youngstown State over Illinois State (8p.m., Thursday February 8 ESPN 3) The Flames are not as good as their record would indicate and I do not see a blowout tonight in this Horizon League game. This line has been coming down all morning and it is with good reason. The road team is a perfect 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Penguins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record.

4 Unit Play. Take #549 Duke over North Carolina (8p.m., Thursday February 8 ESPN) Duke will be ready for this game after losing to St. Johns over the weekend. But we saw last night how much talent the Red Storm have despite a terrible record. Duke has great inside presence to offset the offensive rebounding prowess of North Carolina. Duke is 10-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 14 road games. North Carolina is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. The road team is 19-7 ATS (1 push) in the last 27 match-ups.

4 Unit Play. Take #608 SIU Edwardsville over Eastern Illinois (8p.m., Thursday February 8) The home team gets the call tonight in a battle of bad teams. The Cougars are coming off their best win of the season against Jacksonville State and they should be able to follow that up with another victory at home. Eastern Illinois is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #750 Wyoming over Utah State (9p.m., Wednesday February 7) Wyoming should bounce back at home against Utah State after playing their worst game of the season last time out against Fresno State. Wyoming already won in Logan this season and they will enter this game having won 4 of their last 5 games. Utah State is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win in their previous game. Wyoming is 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games following a loss in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #714 Penn State over Maryland (6:30p.m., Wednesday February 7 BTN) Maryland struggled to put away a terrible Wisconsin team on Sunday and injuries have caught up to this team. The Terrapins have lost three of their last four games and Penn State has the revenge factor after losing to Maryland earlier this season in College Park. Penn State has won three of their last four games and should be able to win this game by 8-10 points. The Nittany Lions have covered the spread in four straight games.

4 Unit Play. Take #568 Take Fresno State over San Diego State (11p.m., Tuesday February 6 CBSSN) The Bulldogs are coming off their most impressive win of the season at Wyoming. They will take down SDSU at home tonight as they Aztecs are just not the same team this season under a new coach. SDSU has lost 4 of their last 6 games with their only victories coming against bottom feeder teams in Colorado State and Air Force. Fresno State is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games against San Diego State.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #566 New Mexico over Boise State (10p.m., Tuesday February 6 ESPN U) On paper this should be a blowout in favor of the Broncos. But the Lobos just have some magic at home this season and they were embarrassed in the first meeting of the season. They lost that game by 28 points in Boise, ID. The line is very telling in this game and I see New Mexico winning by 3-5 points. Boise State is 1-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 6 games. New Mexico has covered the spread in 5 straight home games.

4 Unit Play. Take #548 Oklahoma State over Baylor (8p.m., Tuesday February 6 ESPN U) The Bears have been falling apart losing 6 of their last 8 games. One of those victories did come against Oklahoma State but revenge will occur tonight. The Cowboys are coming off their best win of the season (at Kansas) and they will take that momentum into tonight’s game. The home team is 15-6 ATS (2 pushes) in the last 23 meetings between Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Pokes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

Brooklyn hasn’t been in top form as they have failed to cover in five of their last six games, but even with that slide they are still the No. 2 ATS team in the league, and we think that this is a good spot for them to play a close game and get the cover tonight. Houston is coming off big road wins at San Antonio and Cleveland, and we don’t see them getting too amped to play Brooklyn here and this is a letdown spot for the visiting team. The Nets have been great in the underdog role this season as they are 17-6 ATS when getting six or more points. They are also 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings in this series. This team gets hyped to play the best teams in the league, especially at home, and we think they put up a strong effort tonight in keeping this close.

4 Unit Play. Take #542 Kentucky over Tennessee (7p.m., Tuesday February 6 ESPN) Kentucky needs this game more and I expect them to get it at home. The Wildcats have won three of their last four games and must continue to win their home games. Kentucky is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 meetings against Tennessee in Lexington. The home team has also covered 4 of the last 5 match-ups between these two programs.

The Clippers have won three of four and as a result the bookies have posted too high of a number here for this game on Monday. This team is now without Blake Griffin and although they have played well at points this season now this squad is missing its best player. We think the Mavs match up well here tonight and we expect a very close, hard-fought game. The Mavs destroyed the Clippers in Dallas the last time these teams met by 25+ and we think they could challenge for the win here. The Mavs have a couple nights off after this game and we think they will give an A+ effort here.

6 Unit Play. Take #720 Oklahoma over West Virginia (9p.m., Monday February 5 ESPN) The books are still overvaluing West Virginia especially when they are on the road. Oklahoma needs to bounce back after losing to Texas on the road on Saturday. The Mountaineers have lost three of their last four games and if you can beat their pressure you will be able to win since they are not a great shooting team. The favorite is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 meetings between West Virginia and Oklahoma.  

Detroit has won and covered all of the last four meetings. Blake Griffin has had a couple games to get acquainted with his new team and the Pistons are playing well after their big losing streak as they have now won two straight. Sometimes all you need in the NBA is confidence and the Pistons seem to have regained theirs now that Griffin is in the mix. This team now had hope for the future. We had this line handicapped at 5.5 so there is very nice value here as the bookies have posted too low of a number.

The Kings are an awful team. They might be the worst in the NBA, and the players or management don’t seem to care about winning. Dallas isn’t a great team but at least they play hard and they are the much more talented team in this matchup tonight. The Kings gave it everything they had last night vs. the Warriors and they played tough for most of the game before a total fourth-quarter collapse, which happened in the last 4-5 minutes, led to a 15-point loss. Now this team has to pick itself up and play a strong game against the Mavs in a back-to-back? We don’t see the effort being here for the home team and we expect Dallas to coast to a comfortable win.