Sports Picks & Predictions

The Clippers have had an incredibly tough schedule since the all-star break as they have played the top 3 seeds in the west, and things didn’t turn out well for them. So this game is crucial. Chris Paul is getting back into playing shape and he will start to be more of a factor down the stretch. This team has been inconsistent for much of the season but when this team is playing well they can beat anyone, and the Bucks have been one of the worst teams in the east for the last month or so. This should be a “get right” game for the Clippers and a blowout would not surprise us.

These teams just played on Wednesday in Toronto and the Wizards scored the road win. Revenge isn’t a big handicapping factor in the NBA because these guys are professionals with short memories, but when teams play games in close succession like this the second meetings normally fares well for the losing team, and we think that will certainly be the case tonight, and we love that we are getting so many points here as we had this line handicapped at -3 with a lean to Toronto at that number. Toronto had won the last five meetings in the series before the Wednesday loss.

4 Unit Play. #748 Take Utah over California (11 pm ESPN U) A big game for both teams who still have visions of making the NCAA Tournament. Utah is always a tough team to beat in Salt Lake City and tonight will be no different. The Golden Bears have lost three of their last four games with their only win coming against bottom feeder Oregon State. This was a 2 point game at Cal a few weeks ago but I see Utah winning this game by 6-8 points. Utah has a bad loss to Oregon State on their resume and they must sweep the Bay Area schools this week. Utah is 38-14 ATS in their last 52 home games against teams with a losing road record. 

Portland has won five in a row at home against the Thunder. We think that trend continues here tonight. Portland has won only one of their last six games. They haven’t been covering lately, either. But if you look closer that have been playing some decent ball. They were up big late last time out against Detroit before falling in OT and they lost at Toronto by six the game before that when getting 5.5 points. They played well at Atlanta before the break too but lost in OT. They should be hyped to play the Thunder tonight and we see them giving their best effort. OKC is a decent team but their current four-game winning streak came mostly against lousy teams. We think they will lose this one on the road tonight.

4 Unit Play. #761 Take Montana +4 over Weber State (9 pm) Just do not see a blowout between these two teams tonight in Utah. This was a three-point game when these two teams met in Montana and I see it as another tight game tonight. The Wildcats have lost three straight games and have blown their chance to win the regular season title. The Grizzles are coming off a bad performance last week and I see them getting back on track tonight. Montana is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. Weber State is 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

The Bulls have won 17 straight home games on TNT on Thursdays. While we don’t believe in certain trends like the day of the week trends, some like these stand out and the Bulls definitely like to play in front of a national audience against top teams. The Warriors have covered in only one of their last six games and this team is being overvalued by the oddsmakers compared to their play on the court. The Bulls have covered in four of their last five so they are playing pretty well right now. With the TNT trend in mind we thought the Warriors should be about -4.5 and it would not shock us to see them win this one straight up.

4 Unit Play. #708 Take Marshall -2.5 over Rice (7 pm) We will jump back on the Thundering Herd at home selection. This will be a welcome sight for them as they have played five of their last seven games on the road. Marshall has lost just two games at home this season. Rice is on a nice winning streak but they have been playing teams at the bottom of the standings and they have not been blowing out many of those teams. 

4 Unit Play. #571 Take Utah State over UNLV (11 pm ESPN U) The Runnin Rebels are just playing out the string at the moment and will not win another game this season. UNLV has lost 9 straight games and if they could not get up playing Nevada over the weekend (in-state rival, lost 94-58), how are they going to be motivated for playing Utah State. The Aggies are looking for their first three game winning streak in MWC play under Tim Duryea and they already beat this UNLV team by a score of 79-63. UNLV just does not have any keepers from this year’s team that they can build upon for next season. Only one of their last six losses has been a competitive game and this one will not be either. Utah State is not any good either, but they have shown some signs of life and they will go all out to win their last regular season game of the season. Utah State is 40-19 ATS (1 push) in their last 60 games as a favorite. UNLV is 5-22 ATS (1 push) in their last 28 MWC games. 

We think this is a great spot for the Clippers. They have had two nights off entering this game and should be well rested. They lost to the Warriors and Spurs on back-to-back nights out of the break and now they play the third best team in the west. They really need to put on a good performance tonight and should go all out to do so. They don’t want to lose to the three top teams in the west in one week’s time as they would be a bad omen for their playoff chances. The Rockets have six more wins than the Clippers but have been relatively healthy this season compared to LA, who missed both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul for a considerable time. Paul and Griffin were out last time these teams played in a blowout home loss but the Clippers won and covered both meetings before that. The sharps pounded the Clips overnight as this line was released at PK but there is still very nice value here with the Clips laying the small number at home. The Rockets have covered only one of their last three games and this team is probably a bit overvalued right now and this is pretty much a must win game for the Clippers after losing those last two to GSW and San Antonio. LA is 5-2 as a small favorite this season and we think they get the job done here tonight at Staples Center.

The Nuggets come into this one on a back-to-back and this team is 3-10 and 5-8 ATS in these situations this year. They scored a win last night at Chicago but are just 2-3 in their last five games, and another win against the Nets is hardly impressive. The Bucks have been inconsistent but we just think this line is way too short tonight for the home team. Denver has either been putting up big numbers lately or struggling on offense, and we think the Bucks defense will come up big tonight against a fatigued Nuggets squad.

The Hawks have had all the success in this series the last couple years but we think the Mavs will be competitive here tonight and maybe even win this one straight out. Atlanta has won only one of their last four games and that was against Boston, who was probably looking ahead to their matchup tonight against the Cavs. Dallas comes in having won two straight and they are playing with a lot of confidence right now. The Hawks have been below average on the betting line when laying a big number and we think they are overvalued again here tonight.

The Lakers are in full tank mode. They have to be because they need to keep losing in order to keep their draft pick. So this is a team to go against in certain spots moving forward. The Hornets have won four straight in this series. We have seen a drastic improvement from this team in the last few games as they have covered three of their last four and took the Clippers and Pistons to OT in road losses. This team has always had some talent but they have lacked consistency but it looks like they are putting it together for a possible playoff run. We just think they are the much more motivated team tonight and we expect them to get a pretty comfortable win.

4 Unit Play. #754 Take Boise State over Fresno State (10 pm CBSSN) This is an important game for seeding for the upcoming winner take all conference tournament. A win by the Broncos will guarantee a top three seed. Fresno State is just a different team on the road and we will lay the wood against them tonight. Boise State is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played on Tuesday. Fresno State is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games. Throw in revenge and I see a 7-8 point victory at Taco Bell Arena by the home team.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

You can’t do much better than betting the Nuggets in this series the last couple years as they are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings and they have won the last two outright. We think that they have a real good chance to score the straight up win here again tonight. Huge NBA Finals sandwich game here for the Bulls as they beat the Cavs last time out and then they host the Warriors in their next contest. They are not going to take this game that seriously as a result and this team is just 13-17 ATS against sub-.500 teams as they normally play down to the level of their competition. Denver is 8-2 ATS as a small dog in this point range they find themselves in tonight and we think they will play hard in a very winnable game.

We really love the way the Jazz are playing right now as they have won and covered three straight and they are in playoff form right now. They are the better team in this matchup and this line is more than fair. They have done their recent good work against solid competition. The Thunder have also won and covered three straight, but those games were against the Pelicans, Lakers and Knicks, three of the NBA’s more dysfunctional groups. Utah is 9-3 ATS as a small favorite and the Thunder are 1-6 ATS as a small dog, and we think that those trends will continue tonight and we thought Utah should be at least -4 here and maybe a bit more. We think there is a great chance that they put up a great defensive performance and win this one by 5+.

4 Unit Play. #719 Take Indiana over Purdue (7 pm ESPN 2) The Hoosiers have had a disappointing season and this in-state rival is the only thing that will motivate them for the rest of the season. Indiana will put forth a good effort in this game. They do not have enough to win the conference tournament but most of their games recently have been competitive despite losing five of their last six. Purdue is starting to feel the pressure of winning the Big 10 Championship. They barely beat Penn State and got pounded by Michigan over the weekend. Indiana is 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. 

10 Unit Play. #724 Take Davidson over St Bonaventure (7 pm) The Wildcats have not lived up to expectations this season currently with a 7-9 conference record. But they are still a tough out at home and this is a game they need in order to sure up their seed for the conference tournament next week. Davidson still has the best player on the floor in Jack Gibbs and something the Bonnies have not seen recently. St Bonaventure is 10-6 on the season in Atlantic 10 play but most of their wins have come against the bottom of the conference (St Joes 2, Saint Louis 2, & Duquesne 2). The Bonnies are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games played on Tuesday. The Wildcats are 21-6 ATS in their last 27 games played on Tuesday. 

Sacramento has won and covered both meetings this year. But that was with DeMarcus Cousins leading the charge for the Kings. But you know what? With the departure of Cousins we think that gives this team some value as these young guys probably have a lot to prove, the oddsmakers will undervalue this team and the betting public wants no interest in them. They played really well in their first game out of the break and then took a step back their next time out, but we don’t think they will have to real bad games in a row and they face an inconsistent Wolves team tonight. We think both teams get their points but that the Kings keep this one close or win a close one.

Five straight meetings in this series have gone under the posted number. We think this will be another low-scoring, defensive battle, and we think the Mavs should come out on top here. Miami has been playing well but we are just not big believers in this team long term and they are definitely becoming overvalued as we had the Mavs -3 on our line for this game. Dallas has covered four of five at home and they have been real tough here lately and we expect that to continue tonight. The Mavs have been playing exceptional defense lately and we think that will translate into a cash on both the side and the total tonight.

The Celtics have six more wins than the Hawks but these teams are normally very competitive on the basketball court and the Hawks have either won or lost a close one in all of the last four meetings. We think that this one will be competitive again and we love the line here tonight and think that this is a very public line. The Hawks have lost three straight but two of those were very tough matchups and then their last head-scratcher was at Orlando on a back-to-back and they were probably looking forward a bit to this game as this is developing into a nice little rivalry. A team is never as bad or good as their last game and we expect a solid effort from the road team tonight.

4 Unit Play. #518 Take Baylor over West Virginia (7 pm ESPN U) Both teams have had disappointing conference records but Baylor is still a tough out at home. West Virginia is not anywhere as strong on the road and Baylor needs this win more. The Bears have lost three of their last four games but they still have great size and talent. West Virginia is 11-23 ATS in their last 34 games as a road underdog. Baylor is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite of 6.5 points or less. 

4 Unit Play. #841 Take USC over Arizona State (6:30 pm PAC-12 Network) It is put up or shut up time for USC. They are currently a bubble team to the NCAA Tournament and they cannot afford a loss like this to finish out the regular season (3 games remain). USC gave Arizona a decent battle for 27 minutes but this is a much weaker team than is Arizona. The Sun Devils are coming off back-to-back blowouts including one against Washington State. USC does not have enough quality wins to avoid a bad loss here and expect them to win this game by 5-7 points. Arizona State is 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games played on Sunday. 

Toronto rarely gets proper respect from oddsmakers and that is why they have been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA the last couple of seasons and this season is no different. And we think that this spread is a bit short as we had this one handicapped at 7.5 so we think there is nice value here tonight. The Raptors have won three straight meetings in this series and they looked real good in their first game back after the break as they dominated the Celtics and we think they hold their momentum here and score a big home win over an overmatched opponent.

Washington is hot but when you put these two teams down on paper the Jazz are the much better club and we had them as a slight favorite in this matchup. Utah has been very good on the road this year and that has always been a problem with this team but this is the best Jazz team we have seen in years and we expect them to get the job done on Sunday. The break might have sunk the Wizards momentum as they had a head-scratching loss at Philly and the Jazz looked very good in their win after the break. We expect the Jazz to score the road win here and think they match up very well here.

4 Unit Play. #859 Take Wisconsin over Michigan State (4 pm CBS) This line tells me a great deal about this game. It opened as a pick but now has Wisconsin close to a field goal favorite. Michigan State is just not very good this season and will need an impressive run to even qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin is back in the driver’s seat to win the Big 10 with a pair of home games following this game and they are tied with Purdue in the loss column. Sooner or late Wisconsin is going to break out of this slump and it might as well come today. Michigan State is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. Wisconsin is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 6.5 points or less.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

If their effort in their first game back from the break is any indication, the Lakers are in tank mode for the rest of the season. This team needs to lose to keep their pick in this year’s draft. The Spurs are ruthless and they can often cover these big lines and they rarely let down at the end of games and let the opponent in the back door. San Antonio won by 40 the last time these teams played and the Spurs seem very focused after a solid win over the Clippers last time out and they are familiar with this building after just winning here.

It will take some time for DeMarcus Cousins to work himself into the force that the Pelicans are hoping he can become with the twin tower tandem with Anthony Davis. They put up some big stats in their first game, a blowout loss to Houston. But they didn’t get any production from any other players on the court. This is a work in progress for sure while the Mavs have been playing very solid team basketball despite some up-and-down results. But this team is a winning team ATS and they are often undervalued and we sure think that is the case tonight as we expect them to score the straight up win here as the small home dog.

4 Unit Play. #670 Take Arizona over UCLA (8:15 pm ESPN) All Arizona does is win! They have a chance to win the outright PAC-12 Championship with wins in their final two games and this should be their last test of the season. Arizona already won in Los Angeles this season and they play much better defense than do the Bruins. The Wildcats are 70-1 in their last 71 games in Tucson. UCLA is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. Arizona is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 6.5 points or less. 

6 Unit Play. #654 Take Colorado State over San Diego State (8 pm CBSSN) TOP COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAY OF THE DAY. Still not sure how the Rams are doing it with our 7 scholarship players but they are in position to win the conference Championship and they are always a tough out at home. San Diego State is overvalued due to years of dominating in the MWC but this year’s squad is just not very good. They have lost road games at Air Force, San Jose State, Boise State, and Nevada. The Rams already won in San Diego this year and will enter this game having won five in a row. Colorado State is 9-1 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams that have a losing road record. 

Miami has dominated this series lately with three straight wins and covers. We were on the Pacers last night and they covered at home in an impressive win vs. Memphis. But now they go on the road where they haven’t been the same team and they are on a back-to-back, no less. Miami is on a back-to-back but they are 8-2 ATS compared to a 2-9-1 ATS record in back-to-backs for the Pacers. Miami is in much more consistent form lately as well and this team just keeps getting the job done. We think they get some home cooking tonight and they should win this one by 7+.

4 Unit Play. #705 Take South Dakota over IUPUI (7 pm ESPN 3) The Coyotes look to close out Summit play with six straight wins. The already beat the Jaguars this season by 11 points. If they win today they will guarantee at least a share of the Summit regular season championship and they are just a better team than IUPUI. South Dakota is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games played on Saturday. IUPUI is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played on Saturday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

10 Unit Play. #625 Take Nevada over UNLV (6 pm CBSSN) Always dangerous to lay points on the road in a rivalry game but the talent disparity is just too large. The Rebels have lost eight straight games and they cannot wait for this season to end and put the rest the worst season in their storied history. Nevada won the first meeting by 27 points and the Pack have to much to play for to let up in this game (regular season MWC title). Nevada has not played that well on the road in recent games against San Diego State and Utah State but those teams had playmakers and that is something UNLV lacks in a major way. Nevada is 33-16 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 51 games. UNLV is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 home games. The spread should be double digits and we will take full advantage of a favorable number. 

Not sure what is wrong with the Hornets but they have better talent than they have displayed lately and they have just been horrible as they have not been playing fundamental team basketball. They had a great chance for a win last time out at Detroit but blew a huge late lead and lost in OT. No way they should be a favorite here. The Kings played great in their first game in the post-Cousins era and they seem to have a chip on their shoulder. This team still has some talent and they are probably the better team right now even without Cousins. Great value in the home underdog in this early tip.

4 Unit Play. #630 Take Michigan over Purdue (4 pm ESPN 2) Purdue is starting to feel the pressure of winning the Big 10 conference. They struggled to put away Penn State this week and now face a team that is still trying to improve their resume in Michigan. The Wolverines have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 home games. With two road games on deck, this is a game Michigan needs. 

4 Unit Play. #518 Take Pittsburgh over North Carolina (12 pm ACCN) I always like taking big underdogs in these early start games on Saturday and I just do not believe Pittsburgh will get blown out in this game. North Carolina has been on a roll of winning three straight games (all of them by double digits). Expect a more competitive game on Saturday as Pittsburgh has two very talented players. The Panthers lost by just 2 points in Chapel Hill earlier this season and I see this game being a 5-6 points victory for North Carolina. The Tar Heels are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a winning home record. Pittsburgh is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. 

The offenses should be rusty here and the defenses should be fresh, and we think this will be a low-scoring contest just like the last four meetings have been, and all have gone well under the posted total. This one has been given a big total because of some of the Bucks recent contests, but we think they will be able to hold down a Jazz offense that is not often very dynamic on the road and we think that they can score the win in a low-scoring game. The Bucks won three straight before the break and we think that the positive momentum will carry on here in their first contest after the break.

The Pacers were in a bit of a slide before the all-star break but they have been very good at home this season at 20-10 and we had them as a slight favorite in this game and we think the wrong team is favored here. The Pacers faced a real tough schedule before the break and we think the all-star break gave them the rest they needed and they will come back fired up to halt this six-game losing streak. The Grizzlies have had all the luck in this rare matchup the last couple years but we think this is a real nice spot for the home team to get back on track as they will win a low-scoring matchup.

The Warriors own this series. They have won nine straight in the series (they have covered in five of six) and they seem to take a perverse pleasure in making the Clippers look bad. They know exactly how to expose their weaknesses and how to push their buttons. And the Clips really have no answer for these guys. This team is thought of as the only team to be able to challenge the Warriors in the playoffs (besides maybe the Spurs), but that is complete BS as that series would be a 4-0 sweep. These teams hate each other but the Warriors are the ones that have the superior talent and the better coaching and also they play as a team. And they always take this matchup seriously, and when they are at their best they are very hard to beat. Chris Paul could return for the Clippers tonight. As we saw when Blake Griffin returned to action for this team, it took him a few games to get back in the groove. This is not the type of game where a player wants to be thrown in the fire after being out for a long time, and the possibility of Paul playing has lowered this line and given us even more value as we were more than happy to take the Warriors at the opening number of 14-14.5. They haven’t had any success against the Warriors recently with Paul in the lineup anyways, and a rusty Paul might be more of a hindrance to his team than a weapon.

6 Unit Play. #550 Take Arizona -8 over USC (10 pm PAC-12 Network) The Wildcats have been winning games all season long despite not covering very many spreads of late. Now we have great value with them against a very shaky USC team. Arizona won the first meeting by 7 points in Los Angeles and they know the importance of this game and will not be looking ahead to UCLA on Saturday. Despite their gaudy 21-6 record USC does not have many quality wins (UCLA at home) and they are not a lock to make the NCAA Tournament this season. They have lost two straight games and four of their six losses have come by double digits. USC is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning record.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. #547 Take Wisconsin over Ohio State (9 pm ESPN) Wisconsin has not been playing well of late but they still have enough firepower to beat Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming off a home loss to Nebraska and will enter this game having lost three straight games. Wisconsin needs to win this game to keep hopes of a Big 10 Championship alive since they trail Purdue by a ½ game in the standings. The Badgers won the first meeting by 23 points and I see them winning this game by 8-10 points. Ohio State will have some moments in this game but they just do not have the chemistry and discipline to beat Wisconsin. Bronson Koenig finally woke up in the second half Sunday against Maryland and when he is on this team is the best in the league. Wisconsin is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite. Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. 

The biggest trade of the season happened over the break as DeMarcus Cousins was sent to New Orleans to pair up with Anthony Davis. Cousins should play tonight and we don’t think he will be incredibly effective from the start. But his presence brings a lot of excitement to this city and to the team and we think that the squad will respond very favorably on the court tonight. The pelicans finished off first half before the break hot, winning three of four on a four-game road trip. This is their lone home game before they go on the road again, and we think they will bring their A Game tonight.

Both of these teams have been playing badly before the break but we have to take the points with the home underdog here. This is just one of those cases where one team always seems to come to play against another, and the Magic are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings in Orlando and 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings overall. Portland dropped three straight and four of six before the break. The Magic haven’t been playing any better, but they are the ones getting points here and we think that this game is a coin flip for whoever wins it so getting the points in this situation provides some nice value in what should be a close game.

6 Unit Play. #754 Take Nevada -5 over Boise State (10 pm ESPN 3) This is a play out game for these teams that both have hopes of winning the regular season MWC Championship. The loser will likely be out of the running and that will be Boise State. Nevada is not a good match-up for Boise State and already beat this team by 19 points in Boise last month. This game will be closer but Boise State just does not have enough offense to keep pace with Nevada in Reno. The Wolf Pack have lost just one home game this season and I expect them to win their remaining four games of the season all by double digits. Boise State is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games. Nevada is 20-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 28 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. #746 Take North Carolina -5.5 over Louisville (9 pm ESPN) North Carolina is just an unstoppable force at home and we will continue to use them with these low numbers. The Cardinals are playing a bit over their head and I do not believe they are as strong as their ranking would suggest. The ACC is an unbalanced schedule and that has benefited the Cardinals only having to play Duke, North Carolina, and Florida State once. North Carolina did not play well on offense on Saturday and still beat Virginia (a team that beat Louisville by 16) by 24 points. Louisville is 1-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 games as a road underdog. North Carolina is 19-7 ATS in their last 26 home games. 

10 Unit Play. #723 Take Duke over Syracuse (7 pm ESPN) The Blue Devils are playing outstanding basketball at the moment having won 7 straight games. That includes wins over three ranked teams and they just have much more talent than does Syracuse. The Orange have cooled off of late having lost three straight games and Duke just has too many shooters for them to not be effective against a 2-3 zone. Coach K has won 4 of the 7 meetings against Syracuse and expect them to take care of business tonight at the Carrier Dome. 

10 Unit Play. #544 Take Illinois over Northwestern (8 pm BTN) The Illini are looking for the season sweep of Northwestern tonight in Champaign. Most believe Northwestern has done enough to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid in program history but they have been very shaky of late. The Wildcats have lost three of their last five games and we down late at home last time out to Rutgers. Illinois has talent but they will likely be making a coaching change in the next couple of weeks. That being said they have won two of their last three games and they will be up for this game since they can only play the role of spoiler at this point of the season. Illinois has a record of 133-40 against Northwestern including 67-14 in Champaign. Northwestern is just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. 

4 Unit Play. #538 Take Richmond +1.5 over Davidson (8 pm CBSSN) I still like the Spiders as a play especially when they are at home. The Spiders have a very easy schedule down the stretch and I could see them going 4-0 the rest of the regular season. Richmond has the T.J. Cline and I like him more than Jack Gibbs for the Wildcats. Richmond already won in Davidson and I expect them to complete the season sweep tonight at the Robbins Center. The Spiders are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. 

4 Unit Play. #514 Take Central Michigan -2.5 over Northern Illinois (7 pm ESPN 3) These are similar teams and I expect homecourt to make the difference tonight. I just cannot see the Chippewas losing three straight home games. This team can still score points at will and they have the best player on the court in Marcus Keene who is scoring over 30 points per game. The Huskies have lost four straight games and they have not really been competitive in all of them. Central Michigan has the revenge factor as well and I expect them to win this game by 8-10 points. 

10 Unit Play. #506 Take North Carolina over Virginia (12 pm ESPN) Just feel Virginia is still getting way too much respect for this year’s squad. They have trouble scoring points and that will be their undoing at North Carolina on Saturday night. The Tar Heels have not lost a game at home this season and have a variety of scorers on the floor at any time (including bench players). Virginia has lost three of their last four games and North Carolina is better than all three of those teams (Syracuse, Duke, & Virginia Tech). North Carolina is 20-8 ATS in their last 28 home games. These teams are trending in different directions and North Carolina has beaten Virginia the last two years in the conference tournament. 

4 Unit Play. #865 Take California over Stanford (10 pm FS1) Cal has the better team with the more experience coach with his team and thus they will win this bay area battle tonight in Stanford. The Golden Bears are in line for an NCAA Tournament Bid and cannot afford many bad losses like tonight would be. Cal won the first meeting by one point but I see them win this game by 5-7 points. Stanford is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games. 71% of the money is coming in on Cal and it is for good reason.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

We had the Pacers as our big play on Wednesday and they hung with the Cavs all game until the fourth quarter, and one thing about tonight’s game as a reason why we like the Pacers is even though they come in on a back-to-back, they didn’t give much effort in the fourth last night so they should be relatively fresh! Yes, the Wizards have been playing well but they have dropped four of six ATS as they have been overvalued by the oddsmakers. Washington has played a home-heavy schedule, which has made them look good, but the reality is that this team is 9-14 on the road and the Pacers are one of the best home teams in the NBA.

7 Unit Play. #716 Take Marshall -2.5 over UAB (7 pm CBSSN) Regardless of the outcome of this game, the Thundering Herd should be a 6.5 to 7-point favorite. Both of these teams do most of their damage at home and are a different team when playing on the road. Marshall has really had only one slip-up at home this year and that came in their last home game when UTEP beat them by 23 points. That loss was just an anomaly, as the Herd could not make a shot in that game and I do not look for that to happen again. That loss stung Marshall and it took a couple of games for them to get back on track but they did in their last two games nearly beating second place Louisiana Tech and defeating WKY (both road games). 

10 Unit Play. #710 Take Wisconsin over Michigan (7 pm ESPN) We have seen all season in college basketball that good teams tend to respond in a big way after a couple of lack-luster performances. The Badgers have not been playing well of late despite winning eight of their last nine games including three road games during this span. Michigan is a good match-up for them as they do not have a strong post game and do not play in your face defense that could frustrate the Badgers. Michigan has been up and down the entire season and they have not won three games in a row since before Christmas. If Michigan gets hot from the three-point line they can win this game but I do not believe that will happen. The Wolverines have not beaten the Badgers since 2014 and expect that trend hold true tonight. Michigan is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games against teams with a winning road record. 

A lot of people are down on the Clippers right now and with good reason as they have pretty much stunk since their hot start and they have dealt with major injuries as well. But they have been very good recently and are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games, and those were all on the road where the Clips traditionally haven’t played great. But they are back at home tonight and they really need this win to go into the all-star break with some momentum. They are at Golden State and vs. San Antonio right after the break, so that makes this game even more crucial against a very beatable opponent. One day of rest as been the sweet spot for the Clips, who are 8-1 ATS in their last nine in this situation. This team has played very good in the past with Griffin in and Paul out, and we think they continue their ascension tonight.

4 Unit Play. #569 Take Duke over Virginia (9 pm ESPN 2) Just feel these two teams are heading in opposite directions. Duke has won three straight regular season meetings and if they can stabilize this game early I feel Virginia will get tight and find a way to lose this game. Duke has won five straight games and Virginia is coming off a double overtime loss on Sunday night to Virginia Tech. Virginia is not as strong this year as they have been in past years and are still trading off their name and not the substance. They are still great on defense but Duke has many more playmakers on offense. Look for this game to go down to the wire with Duke winning this game straight-up. 

4 Unit Play. #568 Take TCU over Oklahoma State (9 pm ESPN U) The Frogs have righted the ship winning three of their last four games. They are on their way to receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and this is likely the last time they will be a favorite this season. The Pokes have been playing better basketball as well but they are not as effective on the road and TCU has thrived at home this season. Oklahoma State has failed to cover the spread in 4 straight games played on Wednesday. TCU has covered the spread in 5 of their last 7 games played on Tuesday. 

4 Unit Play. #571 Take Illinois State over Missouri State (9 pm ESPN 3) The Redbirds could receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Granted they got run over by Wichita State but that is their only blemish in MVC play. They only beat the Bears by 3 points in their first meeting and thus they will certainly not take this team lightly. Missouri State has lost three straight games and five of six overall. Illinois State is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games. Missouri State is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games. ISU is just a better all-around team and expect them to take care of business tonight in Springfield. 

Just think this is too many points for the road team tonight. Unbelievably, the last three times these teams met all three games went to overtime, and that just goes to show you that these squads match up pretty well. The Pelicans are in the last game of a four-game road trip and they have won and covered in two of their last three, so they are playing pretty well right now. In their non-cover they were competitive in a six-point loss at Sacramento as four-point underdogs. The Pelicans have been strong underdogs in this spread range with a 5-1 ATS mark as dogs of between 7 and 10.5 points, and we think this will be another competitive meeting between these squads and OT is not out of the question here!

With their recent body of work, the Bucks just don’t deserve to be favorites by this many over any team in the NBA. This team has been really bad against the dregs of the NBA as they are 1-5 ATS against teams with a winning percentage under .400. The Nets have of course struggled a lot recently but this team has had a very tough schedule but they have been pretty competitive recently and have covered in two of their last four. They have also covered in two of the last three meetings between these clubs. The Nets haven’t done much to cheer about lately but this is a very winnable game for them and we think they give top effort here as they will want to enter the break with a win while the Bucks look like a team that needs to regroup at the break.

These teams played a week ago and the Pacers lost by 15 points at home. Now they face each other in a rematch and the Cavs are pretty small favorites at home here. This line seems fishy and we will side with the sportsbooks on this one. The Pacers always seem to get fired up for this series and they are 7-1-1 ATS in the last nine meetings despite that last loss last week. But this sets up a nice revenge spot for the road team here. Kevin Love had a big game last week with a double-double but he is out now and that leaves the Cavs a bit shorthanded. The Pacers haven’t been a good road team this season but they have been better recently and are 4-0 ATS in their last four on the road. The Cavs have not been good in back-to-back situations like they find themselves in again tonight and are 0-4 ATS in their last four in this situation.

The Lakers as a favorite? No thanks. This team is 3-5 ATS as a favorite this season and they are 3-6 ATS at home against a team with a losing record. We had the Kings as a slight favorite in this game and we expect them to take care of business tonight. The Lakers are a tricky team moving forward as they need to keep losing to get their Top 3 pick in the draft. We aren’t saying that they will tank, but they don’t have a lot of motivation to win. This team should perform well as an underdog but they are more likely to disappoint as a favorite like we see them here tonight.

After losing two straight tough, close games, we expect the Raptors to come out with a big game tonight against the banged-up Bulls. Looks like Jimmy Butler might play tonight but Wade is out again, and this team is just not any good at full strength. They have their moments, but they face a much better team tonight. Even though the Raptors have been struggling a bit to cover lines, this is still one of the best NBA teams against the spread and we expect them to finish in the Top 5 this season in this category as this team rarely takes a night off.

4 Unit Play. #710 Take George Mason over Richmond (7 pm) The Patriots are just not a good match-up for the Spiders. They never trailed in the first meeting and expect more of the same tonight in the District. The Patriots have won three straight games and they have a chance to move up to the third seed in the conference tournament next March. The Spiders have struggled to beat the top teams on the road and look for that to continue Tuesday. Richmond is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games played on Tuesday. George Mason is 18-7 ATS in their last 25 games played on Tuesday. Both trends hold true tonight as the Patriots emerge victorious.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

5 Unit Play. #708 Take VCU -16.5 over Saint Josephs (6 pm CBSSN) The Hawks just do not have many bodies left after losing Lamarr Kimble and Shavar Newkirk, both of their leading scorers. They have lost 8 of their last 10 games and they might not win a single game the rest of the season. The Rams should be able to name their score in this game and they need to keep winning in order to stay atop the standing in the Atlantic 10. VCU has covered the spread 6 of their last 8 games when they are a favorite of 13 points or greater. This will be a twenty point game and expect the Rams to dominate for the full 40 minutes. 

One day of rest seems to be the perfect recipe for the Clippers as they are 7-1 in their last eight in this situation which they see themselves in tonight. And we just think that this is too many points. The Clippers had been struggling but seems like they are back on the right track with two straight wins. Utah has lost two straight and they haven’t looked great in those outings. The Clippers have won and covered in three straight meetings in this series and we just think that this is too many points tonight as we had this line handicapped at 4.5 so there is some nice value here on Monday night.

4 Unit Play. #540 Take Kansas over West Virginia (9 pm ESPN) Just do not believe West Virginia is as strong on the road compared to playing in Morgantown. Kansas is coming off back to back road wins and they lost at home for the first time in over 50 games. Expect them to win this game by double digits to get back on track at home. The Jayhawks are 4-0 against West Virginia in Lawrence and won two of the three meetings last year. West Virginia is 10-23 ATS in their last 33 games as a road underdog. Kanas is 4-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 games played on Monday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Dallas has won and covered in three of the last four meetings and we have them handicapped as a slight favorite in this matchup and expect them to win the game. The points are just a bonus in case it’s close. Both teams are playing well but the Mavs have been really underestimated by the oddsmakers and they have cashed in seven of their last eight games. This seems like another spot where they are underrated as the Mavs have been really good at home lately and they are 17-10 ATS here on their home court this season.

A team that has won two straight comes in as a big underdog against a team that has lost nine of 10. But we have to go with the squad with the much better talent here, and because of the Hornets recent struggles we are getting a very solid number here to go against. And you can’t really punish the Hornets for their recent struggles as they have had one of the toughest schedules in the NBA recently but this will be one of their most winnable games tonight and we think they go all out with max effort to get a big win here and they will want to get far ahead in order to avoid the risk of a backdoor cover.

The Raptors have had their troubles in the dog days of the NBA season but this team is still one of the best bets in the NBA at 31-22-1 ATS on the season. They are healthy now and we think that they will want to finish the first half of the season strong before the all-star break. They have won and covered in two of their last three and they are in a good spot here to take that 3 of 4. Detroit has lost 9 of their last 13 games and this team has been very inconsistent all season long but they have been trending downwards in a big way lately. We see the Raps getting a pretty comfortable win here.

The Warriors like to portray an image of being great teammates, whether that is true or not, and we think that they may go overboard to get Kevin Durant a big night here in his first visit back to OKC after leaving the city for the Bay. We think that may screw up their game. This is already a distraction as reports came out today that Durant has hired extra security for this game. The crowd here will of course be a big factor and Golden State is also coming in on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights while the Thunder were off Friday and they had two nights off before their last game on Thursday, so they should be well rested here and primed for a big performance. OKC has all the motivation here and we expect them to keep this one close or win straight up.

The Heat have won 13 straight and you can’t argue with that success. But this team is just not as good as they have looked lately and they have benefited from a pretty easy schedule and they have played a home-heavy schedule for the most part. They are on a back-to-back here and they will be playing their third game in four nights while the Sixers had the night off on Friday. We think they may run out of gas here and lose this one straight up. The Sixers are 9-0 ATS in their last nine home games. This team plays hard almost every night, and they have revenge here for a recent beatdown in Miami. It seems like the oddsmakers are begging the public to take Miami here with this small line but we think this is a real bad spot for them and expect the Sixers to keep this very close or win it.

There is something wrong with the Bucks. This team has just fallen on its face big time lately, and the low point of the current fall from grace came in their game against the Lakers last night where they allowed LA to score 47 points in the first quarter! It might be difficult to score 47 points in a quarter with no one defending, but with an NBA defense that just shows a total lack of effort from the Bucks. Now they come into this one on a back-to-back and face a much better team that has one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA right now. This line is more than fair, and we think the Pacers come to play after losing a close one in Washington on Friday.

10 Unit Play. #541 Take Florida State over Notre Dame (6 pm ESPN) Just feel that the wrong team is favored and the Seminoles are the more well rounded team. Notre Dame has been in a freefall losing four of their last five game and they were only competitive in one of those losses (Georgia Tech). The Irish won a lot of close conference games earlier this season but their luck in close games eventually caught up with them. The Seminoles are one of the best teams in the country and have righted the ship with three straight blowout winning by an average of 30 points per game. This team has an outstanding 14.2 point differential and should have no problem going into South Bend and winning this game. Florida State is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win in their previous game. The Irish have only beaten one ranked team and I just do not see them wining this game. The wrong team is favored as the Seminoles continue to roll. 

4 Unit Play. #588 Take Colorado State -3 over Fresno State (4 pm ESPN 3) The Rams are just playing better basketball at the moment. They have won five of their last six games with their only loss coming on a buzzer beater against Boise State. They also have revenge on their minds after losing to Fresno State by 21 points earlier this season. The Bulldogs are lost three of their last four games and they are coming off a four-overtime loss at Wyoming on Wednesday. Just do not believe they will have much left in the tank after that game. Their last two road losses have been against Utah State and Wyoming and Colorado State is better than both of those teams. Fresno State is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games. Colorado State is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games. 

The Wizards have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA for awhile, but the odds are starting to get inflated with this club, and as a result they have covered in only one of their last four games. Indiana is no scrub, either, as they have won seven of their last eight games overall. Washington showed some troubling signs in their last game as they needed OT to get the win in Brooklyn. These teams are normally pretty competitive when playing each other and we just have to take the points here in what we think is a pretty even matchup.

We love to back the Warriors when they are motivated, and they should be extra motivated tonight after the Grizzlies won the past two against them. The Grizzlies are a team that can give the Warriors some trouble but Golden State is a much better overall team and they are at their best with a chip on their collective shoulders, and that should be the case tonight. We think the Warriors has off nights the last two times these teams played but that won’t happen a third time in a row and this spread is more than reasonable since the Warriors are on the road. Lightning won’t strike three times here tonight as we think the road team wins this one pretty comfortably.

The Bucks haven’t been playing well lately but this is a very winnable game for them and we expect them to get back on the winning track in a big way here. We had this line handicapped at 8, but of course the bookies can’t lay a big line on this game like that since the Bucks haven’t been playing well, but this is only their second game in six nights so they are very well rested and they will go all out for the win here, especially with a much tougher game at Indiana coming up on Saturday. The Bucks have covered in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these teams here in Milwaukee.

10 Unit Play. #742 Take Duke over North Carolina (8 pm ESPN) Just feel Duke needs this game more. The Blue Devils have great talent but have only played as a unit in spurts this season. With Coach K back over the weekend I expect this team to take off over the next couple of weeks and move up to a number two seed come March. Duke has won four of the last five match-ups with North Carolina and 11 of the last 15 going out even further. North Carolina has played a relatively easy conference schedule thus far, as they still have games against Virginia (2), Louisville, and Duke. The Blue Devils are the better shooting team from the arc and their freshman are starting to come along. Playing at Cameron is always tough and this is the first big game the home fans get to see this season (first ranked team to come to Durham). North Carolina is 9-24 ATS in their last 33 games as an underdog of 6.5 points or less. Duke is 15-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 22 home games as a favorite of 6.5 points or less. Both trends hold true tonight. I really believe Duke needs this game in order to reach the Final Four this season. 

The Magic are 2-8 ATS as a favorite this season and this team just should not be favored by this many against anyone with the way they are playing right now. They have shown a real lack of heart in getting blown out the last couple games. These teams have similar records and even though the Magic have better talent, the Sixers have at least been playing harder lately and we think they can challenge for the win tonight. Philly is 6-6 ATS on back-to-backs this season so they should be fine here after a pretty competitive game last night against the Spurs (they covered).

4 Unit Play. #578 Take Arizona over Stanford (11 pm FS1) The Wildcats are coming off their worst loss of the season at Oregon last week. But the Ducks have a long homecourt winning streak and there is no shame is losing that game. Expect them to bounce back at home against Stanford tonight in Tucson. The Wildcats beat the Cardinal by 39 points in Palo Alto and I really would not be surprised if it is a similar result tonight. Stanford has lost three of their last four games and only one of their last six losses have come under double digits. 

4 Unit Play. #553 Take Missouri over Texas A & M (8:30 pm SECN) Missouri is trash and one of the worst power 5 conference teams in the country. But Texas A & M lacks a point guard and they are not an offensive juggernaut by any means and I believe they will have trouble covering this big of a number. The Aggies have won just one conference game over tonight’s posted number and I see them winning this game by 9-11 points. Texas A & M is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games. 

The Heat have won 11 straight. And they are getting points against a team that is 22-28 on the season? We have to give credit to the Heat as winning 11 games in a row in the NBA is impressive no matter who the opponents, but Miami has had a home-heavy schedule lately and they have played a lot of bad teams as well. They had some good wins there as well, but they have mostly played bad teams at home. Even though the Bucks have a losing record, this is a team that we are pretty high on and they should have a lot of betting value down the stretch of the season. We think they match up well with Miami here, and the Heat aren’t going to keep this winning streak going much longer. In fact, we think it ends tonight. The home team has won and covered in the last four meetings in this series. The Bucks have also covered in seven of the last 10 meetings.

The Pelicans have played pretty well at home lately, winning three of their last five, including wins over the Spurs and Cavs. We expect them to challenge for the win tonight. The Jazz are a very good team but they are much better at home than on the road. Utah is coming off a big road win over Atlanta and they will probably overlook this New Orleans team a bit tonight. We expect a big night from Anthony Davis here, and even though the Jazz are playing well they normally can’t score enough on the road to cover big numbers and they are just 10-14 ATS on the road this season. And they have shown the aptitude to have a letdown in these spots against teams with winning percentages lower than .400 as they are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams like this.

4 Unit Play. #586 Take Nebraska Omaha over IUPUI (8 pm) The Mavericks are playing better basketball at the moment having won two straight games. The Jaguars have lost three of their last four games and have been blown out in their last two road games. Omaha already beat IUPUI on the road this season by 8 points and I see a 10-12 point victory by them this evening. The Jaguars have covered the spread just one time in their last five conference games. The Mavericks are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 conference games. 71% of the money is coming in on the home team and I believe this line is 2-3 points off the mark of where it should be.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

4 Unit Play. #544 Take Oklahoma State over Baylor (7 pm ESPN U) It is not often you find a top 6 team in the country has an underdog against an unranked team but that is the situation that presents itself on Wednesday. The Pokes have won five straight games and are making some noise about an NCAA Tournament bid after a terrible start in conference play. They are coming off back-to-back road wins including at West Virginia and I see them continuing to dominate. Baylor has lost two straight games including a home game against Kansas State and I just do not believe this team is as good as their ranking suggests. Oklahoma State lost by just four points in Waco earlier this year and I see them winning this game by 5-7 points. Baylor is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Pokes have won and covered the spread in five straight games.  

4 Unit Play. #750 Take Colorado State over Utah State (9 pm ROOT Sports) The MWC is always dangerous to try and handicap but this game is too good to pass up. Utah State has some good wins at home but playing on the road for a second straight game will catch up with them. They have lost five straight MWC road games and Colorado State already beaten them in Logan this year. The Rams still have a chance to win the regular season championship and are coming off a dominating road win at UNLV by 20 points. Utah State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games. Colorado State is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Dallas played in the high altitude in Denver last night while the Blazers were off last night and they had a day off before their last game on Sunday so they should be plenty fresh and ready to score the road win here. And this is a big revenge spot for the road team as they lost to the Mavs in Portland on Friday. Dallas jumped out to a 24-point lead in that game but won by only four points, and the only thing that stopped the Blazers from coming back and winning that one was that time ran out. Revenge is an overplayed NBA handicapping facet but it does come into play when teams have met recently, and that is certainly the case here tonight.

4 Unit Play. #746 Take Arkansas over Vanderbilt (8:30 pm SECN) The Razorbacks have always been a much at home under Mike Anderson and that will hold true again tonight. Arkansas already beat Vanderbilt in Nashville and they are coming off a bad loss at Missouri. Arkansas has won three straight games at home and all of them have come by double digits. The Commodores are also coming off a bad loss at home to Ole Miss and I just do not believe they are good enough to win three straight conference road games. Vanderbilt is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games as a road underdog of 6.5 or less points. Arkansas is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. 

Orlando has a very strong history in this series and they are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Houston and 11-3 ATS in the last 14 meetings overall. This team hasn’t been playing too well lately and they have burned us a couple times, but when the value is there it’s there and we have to roll with them again tonight. This team is definitely better than they have shown in recent games and without a lot to play for teams like this sometimes don’t give effort every game in the dog days of the NBA season but they have covered three of their last five overall and they have been very good as an underdog play this season.

4 Unit Play. #728 Take Massachusetts over Rhode Island (7 pm CBSSN) The Rams have a bigger game on the docket for Friday and thus I do not see them blowing out the Minutemen on the road. UMASS has been on a four-game losing streak but they have been competitive in those games with only one double digit loss. They lost by just two points at Rhode Island and feel it will be another close game tonight. Rhode Island is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 6.5 points or less. UMASS has covered 4 of their last 5 home games when they are an underdog. 

The Kings have covered the last two meetings in this series and they were very competitive when these teams met last time in Chicago late last month, a three-point loss. We think they will return the favor here tonight. The Kings are riding sky high after an OT win last time out here on this same court against the Warriors. We think that positive momentum will carry over here into this game. The Kings have covered in eight of the last 10 meetings, and we think this is another very public line tonight as we thought the home team should be favored by a couple more points.

The Clippers haven’t played well here in Toronto but we expect them to compete for the win here tonight. They played a pretty listless game on Super Bowl Sunday at Boston but still got the cover. We think that they will give a better effort here, and the Raptors haven’t exactly been playing their best as they have lost eight of their last 11 and will be without DeRozan again here. The Clippers have played well without Chris Paul in the past and now that Blake Griffin is getting back into game shape we can see this team starting to notch some more wins. They should be in must-win mode tonight and we don’t expect two games in a row like the one they played against Boston yesterday.

These teams have similar records but the Jazz have had many injury issues this season and the Hawks have been playing a bit over their heads but we just think that Utah is the much better team here and we think they should be a decent-sized favorite here. Utah has covered four of the last six meetings in this series and we think they match up well in this contest. They won by 27 at home when these teams met in November. We expect the Jazz defense to flex its muscle tonight and we think there is a chance they will hold the Hawks to a real low score here. We had this game handicapped at Jazz -3.5, so we think there is some nice value here.

4 Unit Play. #535 Take East Tennessee State -4 over Wofford (7 pm ESPN 3) The Buccaneers need to keep winning games in order to stay atop the standing in the Southern Conference. They have won four straight games and have beaten Wofford during this winning streak by 7 points. That is how I see this game going as well as the Terriers are just not a top team in the league. ETSU is 16-6 ATS in their last 22 games as a favorite.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

We like the home dog here. Both teams are on a back-to-back tonight, but the Wolves have been great in this situation and are 6-1 ATS on the season in the second end of a back-to-back. They also have a big advantage here being at home in this one as that makes the back-to-back a lot easier to navigate. The Grizzlies are not only on the road here, but they are on their last game of a six-game road trip and they looked like they were running out of gas last night in OKC. We really doubt they give full effort in this one. Also, Minnesota has covered in five of the last six meetings at home in this series.

The Nuggets are on a back-to-back here and playing their third game in four nights while the Spurs last played Thursday and they had Wednesday off as well, so this team is fairly well rested. The Nuggets are only 4-6 ATS on the second of a back-to-back. San Antonio has covered in four of the last five meetings and they covered lines of 12.5 and 14.5 in that span. The Spurs are 19-14 ATS when laying six or more points, so they are very solid at covering the big lines. The Nuggets are 4-8 ATS when getting five or more points so this team has not been very good as a solid underdog. The Spurs have won the last two meetings by an average of 21 points, and we expect another blowout here tonight.

Orlando has won and covered in three of the last four meetings in this series. They have covered in three of their last four contests overall, including two straight up wins over Toronto. They are 11-4 ATS this season when getting seven or more points, so they have been an excellent play as a big underdog. They are also an excellent 7-3 ATS when playing in the second end of a back-to-back. We expect a close game here and think that the Magic will keep things close all game long. They are pretty healthy right now and this team has done their best work on the road this season (15-12 ATS on the road).

10 Unit Play. #592 Take Illinois over Minnesota (4 pm BTN) BIG 10 GAME OF THE YEAR. These are similar teams and playing at home will allow the Illini to emerge victorious. Both teams still have an outside chance of making the NCAA Tournament but need to protect home court in order to accomplish this. Minnesota has lost five straight games and this will be their fourth road game in their last six. Illinois has beaten Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa in Champaign and Minnesota is very similar to those teams. Illinois has had great success against Minnesota with an all-time record of 122-65 including 71-18 when playing in Champaign. Illinois has also won three straight and Coach Croce has beaten Minnesota six of eight. Both coaches are on the Hot Seat but the Illini get up more for this game and expect them to win this game by 8-10 points. The Illini have the best player on the floor in Malcolm Hill and this is a game they need. Minnesota is 15-35 ATS (1 push) in their last 51 road games. Illinois has covered the spread in 6 of their last 8 home games. 

The Bucks have not been playing well lately and the Nuggets have been pretty good (although they have lost two straight entering this game). But the Bucks are just a much better team here and we had them handicapped as 3-point favorites here, and that makes great value tonight as we think that Milwaukee should win this game straight up. Milwaukee has had a really tough and road-heavy schedule lately and they are underrated at this point of the season. We think that this team will get things together and go on a nice ATS run soon, and that could start tonight. Denver is pretty banged up right now while the Bucks are relatively healthy and the Nuggets are also playing their third game in four nights, so fatigue should be a factor here. We would not be surprised to see the Bucks win this one by 6+.

We sometimes look for talented teams that suffered a bad loss and look to back them in their next game. We did that recently with the Clippers after their blowout loss to the Warriors and they took care of business next time out at Phoenix. The Wolves come off a horrible effort at Cleveland and we think they will bounce back here against a much lesser team. Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Detroit and they have been a great bounce back team at 5-0 ATS in their last six games after a loss. That last one was a big loss and this team should play with a lot of pride tonight. We expect a high scoring game here as both teams are trending heavily to the over in recent games.