Sports Picks & Predictions

4 Unit Play. Take #755 Bucknell over Colgate (7p.m., Monday January 15 CBSSN) The Bison are one of the top teams in the Patriot League this season and they look to move to 5-1 in conference play tonight. Bucknell is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall. Colgate is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played on Monday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

The Pacers are not a very good road team and they have not played well in this series. Indiana is just 2-11 ATS in the last 13 meetings and they are 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings in the desert. The Suns have been playing well lately at home and this is an underrated bunch that is lacking in talent but they tend to play hard on most nights and we think they have a very good chance for the straight up win here tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #822 Rutgers over Ohio State (7p.m., Sunday January 14 BTN) I believe Ohio State is playing over their heads and they are not good enough to be giving this many points on the road. Only 1 of the Scarlet Knights four conference losses have come over the posted number for today’s game. Rutgers took Michigan State to the wire this week and I expect this game to be close throughout the entire 40 minutes. Ohio State is 13-30 ATS (1 push) in their 44 road games. Rutgers is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. 

4 Unit Play. Take #715 Montana State -1 over Sacramento State (10:05p.m., Saturday January 13) the Bobcats played one of their worst games of the season last time out and expect them to get back on track tonight in Sacramento. This team has still won four of their last five games. The road team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings between Montana State and Sacramento State.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #668 Take Boise State -3 over San Diego State (10p.m., Saturday January 13 ESPN 2) The Aztecs have some bad losses on the season and I feel Boise State is the clear cut second best team in the league. The Broncos are undefeated at home this season and all 4 of their conference wins this season have been convincing. Boise State is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games. 

10 Unit Play. Take #604 Take Oklahoma State -1.5 over Texas (5p.m., Saturday January 13 ESPNN) The Cowboys need all the wins that they can get in the Big 12 and they should be able beat Texas at home. The Pokes are averaging over 81 points per game and I just do not believe Texas will be able to keep up with this in this game. Texas is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games played on Saturday. Oklahoma State is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games played on Saturday. 

4 Unit Play. Take #550 Florida State -4.5 over Syracuse (2p.m., Saturday January 13 ACCN) Syracuse is not very good this season and they will have trouble wining any game on the road. Despite covering the spread they were never really in the game against Virginia and will enter this game having lost three straight. This is also their third road game in their last 4 games overall. The Seminoles are coming off a bad loss to Louisville at home and need to get back on track and they will win this game by double digits. 

This Rockets team is just not the same club without James Harden and even though they have played well without him they will have some bumps in the road along the way to his return, and this is a game where they could have some problems tonight. This game is sandwiched between some more important games. The Suns don’t have a lot of talent but this team plays hard and they can score on offense so we think they can match up well with the Rockets tonight in what should be a high-scoring matchup. The Suns are coming in off a long rest and they don’t play Saturday so there is no reason they won’t leave it all on the floor tonight.

Brooklyn has lost three straight but those were all against top teams in the east. But there is no way they should be getting this many points at the Hawks, one of the worst teams in the NBA this season. The Nets don’t have too much of a better record but make no mistake this team is on a higher tier than the Hawks and a much better team. They have covered in six of their last seven games and they are the No. 2 ATS team in the NBA this season. That means this is a bad team that has some talent and plays hard on a  nightly basis. They won by 20 on this same floor the last time these teams met and they have covered in five of the last six meetings.

Amazing. The Cavs are by far the worst ATS team in the NBA and they are once again facing an inflated line tonight against a Pacers team that is very strong at home. Not only that but Cleveland is coming in on a back-to-back and on the road no less for both games. This is the last game of a long road trip and they face Golden State at home next time out, so things might get worse before they get better. We are being conservative with the units on this one since Cleveland might have hit rock bottom last night and could give an inspired effort here. But even if that happens this should be a very competitive game and Indiana should come out on top regardless. The Pacers have covered in five of the last seven meetings.

The Lakers are completely healthy and they have been playing well. San Antonio is really banged up and will be without a handful of key players tonight, hence the small line here. The Spurs have not played well on the road this season at 10-12 and that is just two more wins than the Lakers have at home and Los Angeles has been underachieving for much of the season. They have won two straight, however, in very impressive fashion and this would be a marquee win for the ballclub and they will give it their all tonight since the Spurs are in a weakened state. We think the Lakers are playing hard right now for their coach after the controversy with the Ball family.

4 Unit Play. Take #563 Arizona State over Oregon (10p.m., Thursday January 11) The Sun Devils have played three straight road games to open conference play. They are ready for some home cooking and will win this game by double digits. Oregon is nowhere near the same team that made the Final Four last season. Arizona State needs an easy game and it will come tonight. 

The Clippers gave everything they had last night in their shocking upset of the Warriors in Oakland. This is not only a back-to-back but their third game in four nights. This team has to be running on fumes right now, and on our line we had the Kings favored by a couple points. The Clippers are already thin in the rotation and with the fatigue factor this doesn’t set up well for the road team tonight. The Clippers have won ten straight in Sacramento but the Kings have a real good chance to break that streak tonight and we think that they put forth their best effort.

4 Unit Play. Take #559 Take San Diego over Pacific (10p.m., Thursday January 11) I believe that the Toreros are the third best team in the WCC this season. They enter this game having won 7 of their last 9 games. The Tigers have lost 6 of their last 8 games including an 18 point loss to Saint Mary’s. San Diego lost by just 7 points to that same team. Pacific is 6-20 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 28 games following a victory in their previous game. San Diego is 21-8 ATS (1 push) in their last 30 road games. 

4 Unit Play. Take #526 William & Mary over James Madison (7p.m., Thursday January 11) No bet against James Madison is a bad bet at this point of the season. The Dukes have lost five straight games and they will struggle to win any conference game this season. William & Mary sits atop the CAA standing and they will win this game by double digits. 

This game is in London. Both teams are playing very well right now. Both teams are well rested. With the international travel involved here we think that favors the underdog in what we think is a pretty even matchup with both teams healthy. Boston has won and covered both meetings this season but the Sixers have covered in four of the last six and we think that this game is a coin flip and that you have to take the points in that situation. Both teams will be playing hard and Philly won’t want to lose three in a row to one of the best teams in the East.

5 Unit Play. Take #773 Wyoming over New Mexico (9p.m., Wednesday January 10) New Mexico is just in a complete rebuilding mode and nowhere in the same class as Wyoming is at this point of the season. The Lobos are 2-2 in the conference, but those two wins have come against San Jose State and Air Force, the two worst teams in the league. They can get up occasionally, but they cannot consistently play with the best teams in the MWC. Wyoming has played a brutal schedule thus far in MWC play and they are 2-1 with their only loss coming at Nevada, the best team in the league. Playing at the Pit is not what it once was. Wyoming is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 conference games. New Mexico is 5-15 ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games following an ATS win in their previous game. 

The Magic are getting healthy and we think they will have the offensive chops to keep this game competitive tonight and to push this one over the posted number. The Magic have traditionally done well as a double-digit dog and after a bad loss last time out in Dallas we think that they will play much better tonight. They have a strong history against Milwaukee as they have covered in 15 of the last 22 meetings. We think this one will be a shootout but we see the Magic hanging with the Bucks offensively all night and we think this will be a close, high-scoring game.

We like the home dog here. Anthony Davis is doubtful for this game tonight for the Pelicans and we think that Memphis should be a slight favorite here. The Grizzlies have had a very tough schedule lately but they have covered three of their last four games and despite a poor record this team is playing hard on a nightly basis. They already beat the Pelicans once in this same building at the start of the season and they have covered in five of the last seven meetings in Memphis. Take the home dog tonight.

Going to ride the Pacers in this one as they have regained their home-court edge with blowout wins in their last two games here at home. Miami has put together a nice run lately but this squad is playing in a road back-to-back tonight and this will be their third game in four nights. And after a hard-fought win in Toronto last night we think this is a bad spot for them and this looks like a game where they could possibly take the night off. The Heat are 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings in Indiana and we think that this game has a great chance for a double-digit win by the home squad.

We have been very impressed with the play of the Hornets lately, and after a slow start to the season they seem to be peaking right now. They have won three of four, all on the road and by double digits, including that big win over the Warriors in the Bay Area. This team has always had the talent, and now they are putting it together. Usually the game after a road trip can be treacherous for the home club but Charlotte has had four nights off and that is crucial rest at this point of the season. Dallas is coming off a homestand where they lost three of four and they aren’t playing with the same intensity we have seen from this team at some points in the season. Dallas is 4-12 ATS this season against sub-.500 teams and we think they are in for a rough outing tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #561 Boise State over Fresno State (11p.m., Tuesday January 9 ESPN U) I just believe Boise State is the second-best team in the MWC this season. The Broncos are coming off a bad loss against Wyoming in which they blew a double-digit lead in that game to lose by one point. Fresno State is always a tough out at home, but they lost a lot of firepower from last year. Boise State already has a win at UNLV and they do not have a bad loss this season. The Bulldogs have yet to earn a quality win on the season and they are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games. The Broncos are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #547 Wisconsin over Nebraska (8:30p.m., Tuesday January 9 Big 10 Network) We will follow the line movement in this game. Wisconsin did not get anything from Ethan Happ on Friday and thus they suffered a loss at Rutgers. They will need more from him tonight, but it should be easier to face Nebraska, as they do not pressure the ball like Rutgers does. Tim Miles is all but fired come March and I just do not believe Nebraska will have much success in the Big 10. Wisconsin is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games played on Tuesday. 

The Pistons have just been horrible on the road lately and they have lost four straight away from home. Two of those losses were to Orlando and Dallas, both by double digits, and they face much tougher competition than those clubs tonight. New Orleans has been inconsistent but this squad has covered in eight of the last 10 meetings and this is a club they traditionally play well against. The Pistons have some key players banged up tonight and we feel that their road woes continue here with a comfortable win by the Pelicans.

Cleveland has dropped five of eight and they just aren’t playing well right now. However, the books keep lining them as if they were winning. This is normally one of the best teams in the NBA to fade and now they are 12-26-1 ATS this season so they are even better than normal as this team is just not as good as previous squads and this team normally performs at 75% effort during the regular season to save their energy for the playoffs. The Wolves have been really strong at home lately and this team is finally getting it together after years of potential and this team is playing very well right now. The Wolves are 14-6 at home this season while the Cavs have been poor on the road and we expect a strong showing from the home club tonight.

The Lakers have lost nine straight games and this team is dealing with a lot of inner turmoil right now and we just don’t think that they should be favored by this many points against any team right now. This team is 1-6 ATS at home against sub-.500 teams and this is about as shaky of a favorite as you can get in the NBA betting market. Atlanta has won three of six, including wins over Portland and Washington, and they are in better form right now. This game seems like a coin flip to us so we have to take the underdog that is getting so many points.

5 Unit Play. Take #853 Canisius over Siena (3p.m., Sunday January 7 ESPN 3) The Saints are terrible and anytime you get a number this low you have to press against them. This team has lost two straight home games and they are the only winless team in the MAAC. Canisius is the only undefeated team in the MAAC and they are clearly one of the top teams in the league. They have gotten out of their nonconference funk and will enter this bus trip having won five straight games. Siena is 5-12 ATS in their last 17 home games. Jimmy Patsos is clearly on the hot seat and things will not get any better for his squad this afternoon.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

3 Unit Play. Take #830 Oakland over Wright State (3p.m., Sunday January 7 ESPN 3) It is not often you find a 1-2 team favored by this much over a 3-0 team in conference play but that is the situation on Sunday. Oakland is desperate for a victory and I expect them to get this game by double digits. Wright State is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. Oakland is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 Horizon League games. 

4 Unit Play. Take #541 Duke over NC State (8p.m., Saturday January 6 ESPN) NC State has been blown out twice in conference play to open the 2017-2018 ACC season. They will have some fight early in this game but will fade in the second half. Duke already suffered a loss at Boston College and thus they cannot afford to take this game lightly. When Duke win it tends to come big and that will be the case again tonight. Duke is 7-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 road games. NC State is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games. 

4 Unit Play. Take #694 Take Austin Peay over SE Missouri State (8p.m., Saturday January 6) The Governors have won three straight OVC games to open conference play and expect them to win this game by double digits at home. The Redhawks have lost 5 of their last 6 games and they have no been competitive in those losses. Austin Peay is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. Take #623 Green Bay over Youngstown State (7p.m., Saturday January 6 ESPN 3) The Penguins are playing over their head at the moment having won both of their conference games but they are about to come back down to reality. Green Bay took Cleveland State to the wire and expect them to finish the task on Saturday and pull out the victory. Green Bay is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games played on Saturday. Youngstown State is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games. 

4 Unit Play. Take #614 Take Auburn over Arkansas (6p.m., Saturday January 6 ESPN U) Arkansas is just a different team on the road and they pressure is just does not have the same effect. Auburn has quietly become one of the top teams in the SEC at 13-1 and they have not had that many competitive games in those victories. The Tigers are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Tide is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 SEC games. 

4 Unit Play. Take #682 Take Furman over Mercer (4:30p.m., Saturday January 6 ESPN 3) Mercer is just not the traditional power in conference play this season. They enter this game having lost 5 of their last 7 games and will lose this game by 6-8 points tonight. Since December Furman has lost just 1 game. 

The Clippers have been playing well lately and we think they are getting too many points here in the Saturday matinee. Golden State has absolutely dominated this series but now that Chris Paul is gone we don’t think the Warriors have that same burning desire to embarrass the Clippers and this is just another game for them. They are coming off a game against Paul and Houston and that is the game that was more important to them and we feel this is a letdown spot. That was the first in four games Golden State covered and they needed a 7-0 run to finish the game just to get the ATS win. We might throw a couple bucks on the Clippers moneyline here as we think this is a decent spot for them to challenge for the win.

Both teams have been playing well beyond expectations lately but we just think this is too many points to be laying against the Bulls who have been playing hard every night. After a real hot streak the Bulls have lost three straight but they have had a real tough schedule and all those losses were to playoff-caliber squads. They take a big step down in competition tonight and we think that these teams are evenly matched and we had this line handicapped at -3 with a lean to Chicago at that number so we think there is very nice value here tonight getting this many points.

This looks like the kind of spread where the bookies are begging for Boston money but we will side with the road team with this small spread as we think the Wolves have a legit chance to win this one straight out. Boston is in a letdown spot here as they are coming off their big win vs. Cleveland and then they play tomorrow and we would think they might not play to their potential against this out of conference opponent tonight. The Wolves are coming off a loss but this team lately had been playing as well as any club in the league and we think they are a live dog tonight.

10 Unit Play. Take #827 Wisconsin over Rutgers (7p.m., ESPN 2) Just do not trust Rutgers at all. This has been a bottom feeder program for much of their existence and anytime you get this low of a number you need to press. After beating Seton Hall, Rutgers has lost three games in a row and they have yet to win a Big 10 game this season. Wisconsin still has Ethan Happ and he alone is better than anything Rutgers will put on the floor. The Badgers have won 5 straight games and that has given them confidence that they will take into this game. Just seeing the ball go into the basket can help young players. I still do not believe that this is an NCAA Tournament team, but they still have a system and that usually is good enough to beat inferior teams. Rutgers has played Wisconsin tough in the past and that means Coach Gard (3-0 against them) will not take them lightly. Rutgers is 17-38 ATS in their last 55 Big 10 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

The Clippers have been playing well but they have had a super easy schedule and their only real quality win was at Houston but we think that was more of an off night for the Rockets than the Clippers doing anything special. OKC has won seven of nine and this team is starting to put it together after a slow start to the season where there were some growing pains with the new Big 3. But this is a team that was supposed to be a Top 3 team in the NBA and they are suddenly playing the part while the Clippers ceiling this season is probably a No. 8 seed if they even make the playoffs (and if they can stay healthy). The Thunder have covered four of the last five meetings. They played in LA last night and barely broke a sweat against the Lakers so they have no travel and this is about the best situation for a road game back-to-back that they could possibly have tonight.

3 Unit Play. #593 Take Portland State over Eastern Washington (9p.m., Thursday January 4) The Vikings do not want to start conference play 0-2 and thus it is important for them to come ready to play and win this game. This team has won 6 of their last 8 games including a 25 point victory at Cal. The Eagles enter this game having lost 6 of their last 9 games. Portland State is 20-8 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 30 road games. Eastern Washington is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a victory in their previous game. 

2 Unit Play. Take #544 Take Colorado over Arizona State (8:30p.m., PAC-12 Network) ASU put a lot into their game at Arizona and they lost it in a close game. Sometimes a loss like that causes another road loss since their undefeated season came to an end. This team is still in unfamiliar territory and I am not convinced that they will be able to handle prosperity. The Buffaloes are a much stronger team at home and I just do not see them getting run off the floor this evening. CU Boulder is 3-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 home games. 

The Warriors are getting healthy again and the Rockets are banged up, with of course their superstar James Harden out of the lineup for this contest. Golden State has revenge for the Rockets beating them early in the season and when this GSW team is motivated they play their best. We have no doubt that this is one of the biggest games of the season for them and they should give 100% tonight. Golden State had won and covered three straight in this series before that season-opening loss and this version of the Rockets with Chris Paul leading the charge is a weaker team than the Harden-led club that Golden State dominated in those meetings. We think with the Warriors playing at their best that this game is a real mismatch.

Utah is coming off a win over the overrated Cavs, but otherwise this team has not been playing great basketball after a nice start to the season. They really miss Rudy Gobert and this is a team to be wary about until their best player returns. These teams played about a month ago in New Orleans and the Pelicans led by as many as 16 before squandering that lead in the second half. Revenge is an overrated handicapping angle but when a team folds like that they normally remember and want to right the previous wrong. And they have just the team to do it against tonight in the reeling Jazz.

6 Unit Play. Take #784 Take Boise State over New Mexico (9p.m., Wednesday January 3) The Lobos have gotten up for a couple of games this season against TCU and Nevada but they cannot consistently stay with good teams on the road. They caught Nevada at just the right time as most of the Pack has the flu last Saturday. Boise State has the most impressive win in the MWC thus far winning at UNLV over the weekend. They have won 8 of their last 9 games. The Lobos have gotten blown out by UTEP, Colorado, Maryland, and New Mexico State. Boise State is better than all of those teams. New Mexico is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 road games. Boise State is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games. 

Chicago has been a nice story, but if we are being real here the Raptors are so far ahead of the Bulls as far as talent and ability that this should be a blowout if Toronto plays their game. Chicago has lost their last two games so this team is cooling off a bit. Toronto has won three straight matchups in this series and we had this line handicapped at -8.5 so we think there is some nice value here getting the much better team on the other side of the key NBA betting number of 7.

Miami has been a nightmare for bettors when they play at home as they are 4-11-2 ATS on the season here in South Beach and we think they are overvalued here again tonight. Not only are the Pistons in great form after blowing out the Spurs last game but they have had three days off coming into this matchup, their first of 2018. They will also get Avery Bradley back tonight and that should give this team a big boost. The Heat have been very inconsistent this season, but the one thing that is very consistent with this squad is that they don’t often cover on their home court and we think that trend will continue here on Wednesday night.

4 Unit Play. Take #746 Duquesne over George Washington (7p.m., Wednesday January 3) I do not expect either one of these teams to make much noise in the Atlantic 10 this season. That being said I am a fan of Keith Dambrot, as he had great success at Akron and should make Dukes much more competitive in the Atlantic-10. The Colonials have not played a true road game since December 9th and they will struggle to win many games on the road. George Washington is 3-10 ATS (1 push) in their last 14 road games following 3 or more consecutive home games. The favorite is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings between these two teams. 

The Clippers are playing well recently with three straight wins and five of six. But you get the feeling that things won’t continue to go well for this team as this squad is probably a lottery team this season even if Blake Griffin stays healthy. The Grizzlies one of the teams that always seems to give the Clippers trouble and they have covered in eight of 10 here at Staples Center and they are 14-6-1 ATS in the last 21 meetings overall. The Grizzlies are playing with some confidence right now and we think they will challenge for the win in what should be a close contest.

Atlanta is one of the worst NBA teams in the league this season and this team is 3-15 on the road. The Suns aren’t a good team, either, but at 14-24 and playing in the tougher Western Conference they are quite a bit better than the Hawks, in our opinion. The Suns have won two of three and they are in nice form right now and this is a very winnable game for them so we think they go all out tonight in front of the home fans. The Suns have covered in four straight meetings and they have won the last two meetings at home, and we think those trends will continue here on Tuesday.

The Spurs have not been a good road team this season. They are 8-10 SU and 6-12 ATS. We think the Knicks can keep this one close tonight and this is just too many points for the public Spurs. At 18-18 the Knicks have been playing much better than expected. They have done most of their damage at home, where they are 15-6 on the season. The Knicks have covered three of four meetings. Their non-cover was last week in San Antonio but New York will play much better this time around and on their home court.

5 Unit Play. #524 Take Wisconsin over Indiana (7 pm ESPN) Neither one of these teams will make the NCAA Tournament but Wisconsin is at home and they have had great success against Indiana over the years. The Badgers enter this game having won four straight and the last three by blowouts. Wisconsin has covered the spread 4 of their last 5 games against Indiana and they have a great win/loss record against them. Indiana is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Phllly got the upset win in Denver last night but now they have a real tough back-to-back in Phoenix. Denver is a tough place to play either the first or second half of a back-to-back and the Suns will run the Sixers with a fast pace all night and we think they will be real worn out by the fourth quarter and the Suns have a real legitimate chance to pull the upset here. Philly has yet to win or cover a b-2-b this season in four tries and this young team may be in another bad spot tonight.

The Pacers will likely be without Victor Oladipo tonight and he is really one of the main reasons that this team has played so well this season. They have lost three straight entering this matchup and this team is not in good form right now and without their best player we feel they will have a tough time beating the Wolves tonight. The Wolves are coming off a loss but they won five straight before that and even though they are banged up they should get some players back tonight and we think they have a good chance to win this one comfortably.

The Clippers had been playing well before Blake Griffin returned and with their best player back in the mix they should be even better. The Hornets are in a letdown spot after beating the Warriors last time out but we think that was more of an off game by Golden State than anything and they will likely come back closer to what they are tonight. The Clippers have covered in 11 of the last 16 meetings and we feel that will continue tonight as whenever the Hornets show signs of a spark they normally let down backers soon afterwards.

Embiid is the big start for this Philly team and when he rests as he will tonight you have to look to fade this team and that is what we will do tonight. Denver has one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA and they are 12-3 here this season. Philly has lost six of their last seven and this team is just not playing well right now and that trend should continue with Embiid sidelined in a hostile environment. The Nuggets have had two nights off before this game so they are well rested, and the Sixers probably have road fatigue as they have been on this trip for awhile and are probably ready to get back home to Philly.

2 Unit Play. #646 Take Austin Peay over Eastern Illinois (8p.m., Saturday December 30) The Governors have had an easy start to OVC playing to bad teams to open the season. They beat SIUE by twenty points and expect another easy victory tonight against Eastern Illinois. The Panthers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Austin Peay is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

2 Unit Play. #608 Take UTSA over North Texas (8p.m., Saturday December 30) Back to Back road games for the Mean Green, as the Road Runners look to move to 2-0 on the season. UTSA is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. North Texas is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a victory in their previous game. 

We always like to back a good team off a bad loss and the Pistons certainly qualify tonight as they lost by double-digits in Orlando on Thursday. Now they face a Spurs team at home as a big underdog. The Spurs just haven’t been good on the road this season and they are just 8-9 SU away from home and an even worse 6-11 ATS. Detroit played the Spurs very tough in San Antonio earlier this month and we think they can be even better here at home despite being a but banged up. But we had this game handicapped as a pickem so we think there is some nice value here on Saturday.

3 Unit Play. #619 Take St Mary’s over BYU (4p.m., Saturday December 30 ESPN U) The Gaels have played their traditional home heavy nonconference schedule and they will enter this game having won 7 straight games. St Mary’s had great success against BYU last season and the Cougars have not come close to getting back their NCAA Tournament level the last few years. 

2 Unit Play. #534 Take Green Bay over Oakland (1p.m., Saturday December 30 ESPN 3) Just do not see a blowout in back to back road games for Oakland to go along with an early start. They are clearly the best team in this game but playing in Green Bay is always a tough task. Oakland is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games. Green Bay is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 played on Saturday. 

The Clippers are playing well lately and they have won three of their last four. They could get Blake Griffin back tonight. He will probably be rusty but we think that he will help the team whether he plays or not as with BG back this team could actually fight for a playoff spot since he is coming back about a month ahead of schedule and now this team has some hope. They have won five straight in this series and covered in four of those games and we expect that domination to continue tonight.

Steph Curry is still out but otherwise this team is pretty healthy right now. They were in a letdown spot coming off their big Christmas win over the Cavs when facing Utah last time out but they just dominated despite somewhat of an off night and they won by 25. That tells us that this team is in fine form right now and they Charlotte team that has thus far been a big disappointment this season. This team is just 3-8-3 ATS away from home despite getting some very generous lines from the oddsmakers. We think this will be another GSW blowout tonight.

This game is really a coin flip and we just have to take the points here as either team could win this game. The Kings might be in a letdown spot after beating the Cavaliers last time out (we were on the Kings in that one) and this is the type of team that will probably be happy with that result and think that they have done their work for the week. They don’t handle success well as they are 2-7-1 ATS following a double-digit win and this team probably won’t handle the role of the favorite too well on Friday night.

4 Unit Play. Take #845 Kansas State over Iowa State (9p.m., Friday December 29 ESPN U) The Cyclones have won 9 straight games, but this will be the toughest team that they have faced thus far in 2017-2018. Kansas State is 10-2 on the season and they have played challenging road games and have come out on top in most of those games. Iowa State is 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game. Kansas State has covered the spread in 4 straight Big 12 games. 

4 Unit Play. Take #847 Kansas over Texas (9p.m., Friday December 29 ESPN 2) It is Big 12 play and thus expect Kansas to rise to the top of the standing. One thing is always a given and that is Kansas will win the conference as they have done so all but one year during the Bill Self era. Texas had played a strong schedule, but they seem to struggle down the stretch in close games. If Kansas can weather the storm early and stabilize the game, they will pull away late and win this game by 6-8 points. Kansas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. Texas is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games. 

Dallas has won and covered two straight, including at Indiana, where the Pacers rarely lose, so they are playing well right now. The divide between these two teams isn’t as large as this line would suggest. The Pels have won three straight but those were against pretty shoddy competition. This team does not play defense well while Dallas has been playing really excellent defense lately and they will be what keeps them in this game for four quarters with a chance for the straight up win late.

Even with dropping six of eight ATS the Nets are still one of the better betting teams in the league at 19-15 ATS and they have face a very difficult schedule lately. But this is a very winnable game for them tonight as there isn’t much about the Heat that gets us excited. The Heat are just 2-7 ATS as a favorite of three or more points this season and this is just not a role that they are very good in as a big favorite and we seriously think the road team has a decent chance to win this, but this game should be close regardless.

4 Unit Play. Take #828 Appalachian State over Texas State (7:30p.m., Friday December 29) These are likely middle of the pack teams in the Sun Belt Conference but expect the Mountaineers to emerge victorious at home. The Bobcats have a winning record but they do not have an quality wins on the season. Have you ever heard of Ecclesia or McMurry? These are teams Texas State has beaten. TSU is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games against teams with a winning home record. 

Houston has lost four straight and they aren’t in great form right now and the bookmakers are still lining them as if they are on their big winning streak. The Wizards are no pushovers and we had them as a slight favorite in this matchup. The Wizards beat Boston on the road on Christmas and then fell flat next game out at Atlanta but this team gets up for big games and we expect a winning performance from the home team here.

4 Unit Play. #529 Take Oakland over Milwaukee (8p.m., Thursday December 28) The Golden Grizzles are the top team in the league and should be able to take down the Panthers in Milwaukee tonight. Oakland played a very challenging nonconference schedule and they should accumulate a lot of wins in conference as Kansas, Syracuse, & Michigan State are not in the Horizon League. Oakland is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Horizon League games. Milwaukee is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Sacramento has played the Cavs tough the last two games, covering both and losing by only six in Cleveland earlier this month. We think Cleveland is in a letdown spot after their big game against the Warriors on Christmas. Cleveland is 11-22-1 ATS this season. They are normally awful ATS as they do enough to win but don’t expend full energy every night. Sacramento looked awful last night in a blowout loss in LA but they were probably looking ahead to this game and they should put forth a much better effort on their home court tonight.

4 Unit Play. #739 Take Nevada over Fresno State (10 pm) Nevada wants this game in the worst way. Fresno State beat Nevada twice last season before Nevada finally turned the tide in the MWC Conference Tournament. The Pack suffered a bad loss last time out against San Francisco hurting their at-large changes for a bid into the NCAA Tournament. They need to be close to perfect during conference play and it starts tonight in Fresno. Nevada is 26-10 ATS in their last 36 MWC games. 

3 Unit Play. #727 Take Xavier over Marquette (8:30 pm FS1) The Golden Eagles are 9-3 on the season but they have not recorded a quality victory in those nine wins. Xavier has the guards to match-up with them and the size down low to do damage. Xavier is 12-1 on the season with their only loss coming against Arizona State, one of the best teams in the country. They already have road wins at Wisconsin and Northern Iowa with both coming by double digits. Marquette is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games. Xavier is 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games. 

The Thunder have won five straight and six of seven but we aren’t convinced that this team has figured it all out yet. We at least at this point in time think that the Raptors are the much stronger team and you aren’t often going to get this many points when betting on the Raptors. Toronto is one of the best ATS teams in the league and OKC is one of the worst. Toronto is on a back-to-back but they are 3-1 ATS in these situations this season and we think their lackluster performance in Dallas last night was more of a look-ahead to this game than a sign of more concerning problems. Toronto is 4-0 in their last four meetings here.

The Knicks have covered in four of the last five meetings in this series. If this was a couple weeks ago the Knicks probably would have been 3-4 point favorites here. But the Bulls have been playing well. However, this is a tough spot as they are coming off a three-game road trip and are on a back-to-back tonight. We had the Knicks handicapped at -2 for this game so there is great value in them as an underdog. While the Bulls have been playing better this team will still finish with one of the worst records in the NBA and the Knicks are a much better team. We think they have an excellent shot at the rare road win tonight.

Boston is not in good form right now as they have lost three of four and they are just 11-8 in their last 19 after starting off the season playing the best ball in the NBA. Charlotte played the Celtics tough in their first meeting of the season, in early November, in Boston, which was a three-point loss. This is a road game sandwiched between home games vs. Washington and Houston for Boston and we think they might save their energy a little for the Rockets, whom they play tomorrow night. We think there is some value in the home dog here.

Detroit has taken two of three meetings this season so far in this series but we think that these teams are pretty even and the Pacers have a strong history in this series as they have taken seven of nine meetings against the spread. This game has reverse line movement as the public is on Detroit and the line is getting smaller, meaning that other sharp bettors probably like the Pacers as well in this game tonight. Both teams have been good ATS but the Pacers have been even better as they are the No. 2 ATS team at 20-13 on the season. The Pistons are not in the best form as the oddsmakers have overadjusted in some games, and as a result they are only 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. They are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games while the Pacers have played very well on the road and are on a 7-1 ATS run away from home. One of the Pistons best players, Avery Bradley, has been out for four games and is questionable tonight and the Pistons will need a complete effort to get by Indiana and we just don’t see it happening tonight.

4 Unit Play. #550 Take Missouri over Illinois (8 pm ESPN 2) Missou has done respectable despite not having Michael Porter Jr this season. Illinois is rebuilding under a new coach and Missou needs to need this four-game losing streak this year. Missouri is father along at this point with their new coach than is Illinois evident by the fact they have won five straight games. Illinois is 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games played on Saturday. 

4 Unit Play. #558 Take UC Davis over Radford (5:30 pm) We will ride the Aggies again today after an easy cash with them on Friday. This team just has a knack for winning these mid-major games early in the season. Their style of play becomes frustrating for opponents. Radford is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 neutral site games. UC Davis is 7-1 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 10 nonconference games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. #542 Take Minnesota over Florida Atlantic (3:30 pm BTN) Sooner or later Minnesota is going to put it all together and cover one of these twenty point spreads. They played much better in the second half against Oral Roberts on Thursday and look for them to carry that momentum into Saturday against another inferior opponent. This team is not a lock to make the NCAA Tournament but they are in the midst of six straight home games and expect them to win all of them. FAU got run over by Texas Tech on Tuesday and their next game is against their rival Florida International. Richard Pitino coached at FIU and thus you can get he wants to beat FAU big today. FAU is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games. Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against Conference USA teams. 

4 Unit Play. #552 Take North Carolina over Ohio State (1:30 pm CBS) Ohio State got run off the floor last year in this tournament against UCLA and expect a similar result today against an angry UNC. Carolina lost to Wofford last time out and Coach Williams cannot be happy about that. Ohio State has a new coach and it is in complete rebuild mode since he did not take over until the summer months. Ohio State is 7-19 ATS in their last 26 neutral site games. North Carolina is 7-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. 

4 Unit Play. #852 Take Alabama over Texas (9 pm ESPN 2) Both teams are fringe Top 25 teams that will likely make the NCAA Tournament come March. The Longhorns have beaten the teams that they are supposed to beat but only have a victory against Butler as an impressive win. Alabama has a ton of talent and has a homecourt edge as this game takes place in Birmingham, AL. Texas is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. Alabama is 33-16 ATS (1 push) in their last 50 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. 

The Rockets had their long winning streak broken by the Lakers last time out and that was just a game where they took the night off as every NBA team does in certain games. But they will be motivated by this one as this has become a rivalry in the last few years, even more so now after the trade sent Chris Paul to the Rockets in the offseason. Paul will be out tonight, but it won’t matter. The Clippers just don’t have the players to compete in this matchup and besides a couple holdovers from last year the Clippers don’t have a lot of extra motivation in this matchup. We think Houston will get back on the winning track in a big way.

The Bucks have been up and down this season but last time out they scored a big win over the Cavs on at home and we think that game might be the catalyst for a winning streak. This is the first of a home-and-home, back-to-back and we think the home teams will play well in each game. The Bucks have the advantage here tonight not only being at home but they have had the last two nights off as well. They have covered in three of the last four meetings and we expect a very strong game from the home club tonight.

Although the Pistons aren’t playing as well lately as they were early in the season they are still one of the better ATS teams in the NBA and we feel they are catching the Knicks in a nice spot tonight coming off an upset win over the Celtics. New York hasn’t been good in back-to-backs this season and they aren’t good on the road at 2-9 on the season. The Pistons have won three of their last four and we just don’t see the Knicks beating the Celtics and Pistons on consecutive nights and we think there is a good chance for a big New York letdown tonight a good possibility for a 10+-point win for the home team.

4 Unit Play. #895 Take SIU Edwardsville over Central Michigan (7 pm ESPN 3) The Chippewas have played a very weak schedule to amass their 9-2 record and I do not see a blowout tonight. This team lost a lot of talent from their squad last season and they will struggle to win games in the MAC. The Cougars have won three straight games and should be able to put up some points in this game since the Chippewas do not play much defense.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. #568 Take Idaho over UC Irvine (9:30 pm) The Anteaters are in a funk now having lost five straight games and I do not see things getting better in Boise. Idaho has a lot of talent back and they are 8-3 on the season with two of their loses coming against UCSB. They already have a win against Washington State and they will win this game by double digits. Idaho is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a losing record. Irvine is 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. #564 Take Minnesota over Oral Roberts (8 pm) Minnesota has not been playing up to their talent level of late and they need a game to get back on track. Oral Roberts should provide a 30-point victory for Minnesota. When the Golden Eagles lose they tend to lose big and that will be the case once again on Thursday. Oral Roberts is 4-12 ATS (1 push) in their last 17 road games. 

We went against the Bulls last night and that didn’t work out. They won their seventh in a row, and in blowout fashion, against Orlando. For whatever reason this team, which looked like the clear-cut worst team in the NBA before the season started, has put it together with great coaching and solid team-oriented basketball. Just have to love getting double-digit points here with this team tonight as good as they have been lately. The Bulls have covered in eight of the last nine meetings and this team normally gets up to play Cleveland no matter the circumstance, so we don’t think the back-to-back will hurt them too much tonight. The Cavs are one of the worst teams to bet on in the entire NBA year in and year out as they face inflated spreads by the oddsmakers and they don’t care much about the regular season and tend to do just enough to win but not always cover the line.

4 Unit Play. #520 Take South Florida over Charlotte (7 pm) The 49ers fired a former NBA player as their coach this season and I do not see a remarkable turnaround for them upcoming. Charlotte has lost four of their last five games and they are just 1-3 in true road games. USF has won two straight games and for the most part they have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat especially at home. Charlotte is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall. USF is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played on Thursday. 

The Blazers have won and covered two straight in this series. This team has been kind of under the radar for awhile as they have been on a long road trip and they have earned mixed results as far as straight up wins go. But when you look at their recent ATS results you see that they are 6-0 ATS in their last six, so they are underestimated by the oddsmakers right now. And that looks true again tonight as they are only slight favorites against a Spurs team that has been very shaky on the road and will be without Leonard tonight.

Denver has had a road-heavy schedule lately and they have been kind of a forgotten team after some mixed results on the road. But tonight they are back at home where they are one of the best in the NBA on their home court. They are 11-2 at home while the Wolves are a paltry 7-7 on the road. Denver has covered in five of the last seven meetings in this series and we expect them to win this one comfortably tonight as the Wolves have been very inconsistent away from home. Denver is 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games and we expect that trend to hold weight again tonight.

The Bulls are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and out of nowhere this team has won six straight. Any team can get hot at any time in the NBA as these are some of the most talented basketball players in the world even though some teams have less supreme talent than others. But now the Bulls are in the role of a big favorite against a team that is probably a bit better than them. Even with the six-game winning streak the Bulls are only 9-20, and when all is said and done this team will have one of the worst records in the NBA. We just think this is too many points for a team like Chicago to be laying tonight.

Brooklyn is in the Top 4 this season for NBA ATS teams and we think this is a good spot for them tonight. Brooklyn has a strong history in this series as they are 7-1 in the last eight meetings at home and they are the much stronger team in this matchup. Brooklyn has lost three straight but they have had a pretty tough schedule lately and we think they will use this chance against an inferior opponent for a big win here on Wednesday night. This is the final game of a four-game road trip and we think the Kings will be ready to go home after this one.

We went with the Hornets last time out against the Knicks and were very impressed with the way they played and we will back them here as this is a team that has some talent and they started off the season slow but this might be time for a surge and they certainly will not get any love from the oddsmakers as this is a team that the public hates to bet on even when they play well. And we certainly think that they are getting a good line tonight as we had this game at pickem so there is nice value here for the home underdog in a game we expect to be close and it could go either way as to who wins straight up. Charlotte has covered in three of the last four meetings.

The Bucks are a team that doesn’t always play to their potential this season but they should be sharp and focused here on Tuesday night. The Bucks have lost three straight, including one to the suddenly-hot Bulls. A three-game losing streak is bad. But a four-game losing streak is panic time. They would be hyped for this game anyways but there is a lot more on the line tonight as this team needs to get back on a winning streak. The Cavs are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now but this team is notoriously bad against the spread and this season is no different at 11-19-1 ATS. They are overvalued again tonight.

4 Unit Play. #546 Take Arkansas over Oral Roberts (8 pm SECN+) The Razorbacks are a much better team at home where they are called for less fouls and their press is very effective. Oral Roberts has already been blown out by Oklahoma State, Penn State, and UNLV and Arkansas is a better team than all three of them. In fact, Arkansas will be the best team they have faced this season. Arkansas is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games. 

The Warriors are banged up right now but this is still a very good team and much better than the Lakers even with these key players out. They still have Durant and Thompson and they have a lot of other nice pieces. The Lakers are retiring Kobe Bryant’s jerseys tonight and that could be a distraction for the home club. Golden State is 13-6 ATS in the last 19 meetings and even though the Lakers have been down for a couple years other teams still want to win at Staples Center and we think the Warriors bring their best effort tonight.

4 Unit Play. #748 Take Montana State over Denver (9 pm) The Pioneers are 0-4 on the road this year including back to back road losses to Northern Colorado and Stanford by a combined 33 points. This is their third straight road game and I see them losing this game by double digits as well. The Bobcats are coming off a terrible performance last time out against Santa Barbara and they will be eager to get back on the court and get that out of their system. Denver is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

We will go with the hot team here with the home underdog as the Bulls have won five straight while the Sixers have lost five of six. Chicago is playing great team basketball and strong defense and they are obviously better than most of us thought as this winning streak is no joke. Their last three opponents are likely playoff clubs. Philly has playing OT games in their last two contests and this is a lone road game sandwiched between home games and we don’t think this is a good spot for the road club tonight.

The Hawks are only 6-23 SU but they are 15-13-1 ATS and that shows us this is a team that is better than the oddsmakers think and also a team that plays hard most nights to keep games close. The Hawks have had two nights off while Miami will be playing its third game in four nights and they have Boston on deck after the night off Tuesday so they could very well be in a letdown spot here. Atlanta has won only two of their last nine games but they are 7-2 ATS during that span but this is a game we think they can actually win straight out.