Sports Picks & Predictions

Philly is 0-5 SU and ATS in their last five. But we just think this is too many points. The Sixers are dealing with a lot of injuries. But so is Denver as some of their key players are out as well. The Sixers have played a lot of close games during this losing streak but they were blown out and embarrassed last time out, losing to the Jazz by 35. This is a winnable game for them and we expect a much more focused effort and we think they will challenge for the win here.

The Warriors faced their first major road test against Brooklyn and dominated without really breaking a sweat. This seems like a team on a mission, and they are facing a banged up Cavs team that is on a back-to-back after putting up a good fight against that same Nets team last night but losing by 10. That was a conference game and now on a B2B and very thin roster we doubt they play better than they did last night and against a hotter team tonight.

10 Unit Play. Take #760 Ole Miss over Marquette (7p.m., Thursday, November 17 ESPN2) The Golden Eagles are sky high coming off a victory at home against Illinois, who was without Kofi Cockburn. Watching that game on tv, I saw a poorly officiated game that greatly favored Marquette down stretch. That will not happen in this game and karma will likely strike back at them. Marquette is in a major rebuild under Shaka Smart and they struggled to put away SIUE and New Hampshire in their first two games. Ole Miss returns 4 starters from last season and should challenge for an NCAA Tournament big come March. They have not played anyone this year but will win this game by double-digits. Marquette is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games.  Ole Miss is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. 

These are two lousy teams. But they are a different level of bad. The Thunder are building something, while the Rockets seem hopeless right now and are unable to win a game. And despite some generous lines from the oddsmakers, they have not been covering, either. The Thunder aren’t too far removed from a four-game winning streak, and they have covered in five of their last seven. They are a much better defensive team than the Rockets, and we think that will be the difference.

The Cavs have some injuries tonight, but the Nets are on a back-to-back after a beatdown by Golden State last night, and we don’t see them playing well enough to win by double digits. The Cavs are 10-5 ATS this season ad flying way under the radar. They are playing excellent team basketball and solid defense, and we think they will bring that same mentality to the floor regardless of who suits up tonight. The Nets are only 7-8 ATS this season.

The Lakers have been bad, but we think this is too many points. The Bucks aren’t exactly in mid season form. They are 6-8 ATS on the season. They have covered only three of their last 10. The Lakers need a win badly, and we think they will play hard against the Bucks. They probably have to feel a bit disrespected also since this is their biggest line as an underdog in a while. Plus, knowing that LeBron is coming back soon might give this team a jolt.

Both teams are hot, but we think the Warriors record and recent results can be taken with a grain of salt. This team has had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA and it has been very home heavy as well. This is only their third road games outside of the state of California. They are facing their toughest opponent of the season, on the road, and we think this spread is short tonight. Might the Warriors be as good as their record indicates? Possibly. They certainly have some talent on the court. But we will have to see how they perform consistently on the road where things are a lot tougher in the NBA. We think there’s a great chance Brooklyn wins this one by 7+.

5 Unit Play. Take #834 Wisconsin -5.5 over Providence (9p.m., Monday, November 15 FS1) Wisconsin will be better than people think in 2021 and they have a veteran team that will be a tough team to beat at the Kohl Center. Providence returns experience as well but they did lose David Duke and that will be tough to overcome. Wisconsin got rid of a bunch of overrated seniors last year and this should be a much more together group that plays well off of each other. The Friars are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS win in their previous game.

These teams played on Friday and the Cavs won a close one. Both squads were on a back-to-back so that was a boon for Cleveland as they were at home. Not only is it tough to beat a team twice in a three-day span, but with no B2B situation we give the edge to the better team, and that’s Boston. We have used the Cavs a lot lately with success but this is a good spot to go against them as the Celtics get revenge tonight.

4 Unit Play. Take #812 Marquette +8 over Illinois (7p.m., Monday, November 15 FS1) Kofi Cockburn is still out for this game and thus I see it going down to the wire. Marquette is in a rebuild under Shaka Smart but they are always a tough out at home and tonight should be no different. 76% of the money is on Marquette and this is a statement game for the new coach.

Bad spot here for the road team against the surging Clippers. LA is well rested with Friday off, while the Timberwolves are coming in on a back-to-back after playing the Lakers on Friday in a game they probably wanted more than this one. This is the first back-to-back of the season for Minnesota, and it’s a game we don’t see going well for them. These teams have already played twice and the Clippers dominated both matchups.

4 Unit Play. Take #664 Gonzaga -7 over Texas (10:30p.m., Saturday, November 13 ESPN2) Gonzaga is always a tough out at the Kennel and I just do not feel Texas with a new coach is ready to be competitive in this environment. Mark Few is back on the sidelines for Gonzaga tonight and this team is loaded again with talent. Texas is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games played on Saturday.

Both teams are coming in on a back-to-back, but Cleveland has a major edge here since they are at home. This team has been one of the best bets in the NBA this season and they are still flying way under the public betting radar. We think they are being undervalued again here on Saturday night, and this line has some nice value.

4 Unit Play. Take #638 Cincinnati -9.5 over Georgia (7p.m., Saturday, November 13 ESPN+) The Tom Crean tenure at Georgia has not gone as planned and I do not see him being able to turn things around anytime soon. Cincinnati has a new coach in Wes Miller and he has a much better chance to be successful. Georgia is predicted to finish last in the SEC and I see them losing this game by double digits. Cincinnati is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

4 Unit Play. Take #643 Delaware -2.5 over Siena (7p.m., Saturday, November 13 ESPN3) Both teams are coming off blowout losses but look for the Blue Hens to get back on track tonight in upstate New York. Delaware returns all five starters from last season and they should finish in the top half of the CAA come March. Siena lost 4 starters from last season and they should finish in the bottom half of the league. Sienna is 1-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games overall.

The Lakers have won two straight, both in OT, but in both games the opponent kind of beat themselves instead of the Lakers playing great. This is just not a good team right now. But this squad always gets the benefit of the doubt from the oddsmakers as they are the most popular betting team in the NBA every year based on their popularity. Especially after a couple wins. And they are always one of the worst ATS teams every year. We think they are overvalued again here tonight.

The Suns have a nice record so far, but we still believe they are overrated. Their path to the NBA Finals last season was paved in gold. And they have played a super home heavy schedule so far this season. The Lakers are not good to start this season. They got blown out at Portland. And they scored a slim road win at Sacramento. The Suns overall have been racking up wins against an easy schedule that has kept them in the overrated category in our eyes. But we think this is a very tough road contest for them and we expect a comfortable win from the home team.

Just going with the hot team here as the Cavs have been one of the best bets in the NBA this season. And they are 9-1 ATS in their last 10. They are very quietly getting the job done playing great team basketball, and without star players they are staying off the public radar. Cleveland has covered in five of the last six meetings between these clubs, and we think this line is more than fair tonight.

We really like the way Boston has been playing lately. They have showed us that they are probably a different team than last season, and a change of leadership has probably done this team well. They have won three of four and have covered four straight. This team has always gotten up for big games, and we feel that will be the case again on Friday night. The Celtics always seem to play well against the Bucks and they have covered in five of the last six meetings. We see them bringing their A Game here tonight.

In Thibs We Trust. Tom Thibodeau is one of the better coaches in the NBA, and on Wednesday he benched his starters for the entire fourth quarter to send a message. We anticipate they will respond here with an excellent performance against a Hornets team that is struggling after having lost five of their last six after a hot start to the season. The Knicks have been very good on the road this season as they are 5-1 away from MSG. We expect an inspired performance from the road team in this one.

This would have been a bigger play but the Heat went to OT last night against the Lakers and the odds moved after that. We still think the Clippers take care of business. After a slow start, the Clippers seem to be gelling well and they have won five straight. They have covered in four straight. They will face a tired Miami team that is 0-5 in their last five matchups against the Clippers.

Utah has been playing very well this season and is among the top teams in the league so far. But we don’t think this matchup will really move the needle for them and this is too many points for an out of conference game they won’t be very interested in. Indiana has been playing excellent defense lately, and as a result their last four games have all gone under the posted total. We think both teams will play strong defense here, and we expect a low total, making the points for the underdog all the more valuable.

4 Unit Play. Take #301210 Texas A&M over North Florida (8p.m., Wednesday, November 10 ESPN+ ) Year 3 of the Buzz Williams era gets underway on Wednesday at Reed Arena. It has been less than impressive thus far but Williams seems to win at every stop that he lands. Look for a big showing from Quenton Jackson tonight as the Aggies will win this game by double-digits. North Florida is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Cleveland has been playing as well as any team in the NBA lately and they should be PK here if not a small favorite. We think this game is a coin flip, so getting this many points provides nice value. The Cavs have won four straight and covered in five straight games. At 8-3 ATS they have even been a slightly better bet than the Wizards (7-3 ATS). But the Wizards have had a home-heavy schedule thus far and they are only 2-2 ATS on the road. Cleveland is playing great team basketball right now, and we believe they have a great chance at the outright win here.

Two teams that have been bad ATS, but the Clippers are trending up and they have won four straight and covered in their last three games. This team is used to slow starts as evidenced by their playoff performance last season, but this team is starting to gel together and they have been playing well lately on both sides of the ball. Portland has dropped four of their last five games ATS. And they are 0-5 ATS in their last five visits to play the Clippers. 

5 Unit Play. Take #612 Butler -25 over IUPUI (6:45p.m., Tuesday, November 19) Butler returns all five starters from last season and look for them to challenge for an NCAA Tournament bid come March. The Bulldogs once again have a strong defense and if they can make some shots from the field, they will win this game by 30+ points. The Jaguars are rebuilding and are predicted to finish last in the Horizon Conference. Butler needs a big year and it starts tonight with a dominating win.

Even though we aren’t sure who the Lakers will suit up tonight, this seems like a good situational spot to take them laying the small number. The Hornets are coming in on a back-to-back after a loss here to the Clippers last night. They really trailed off at the end of that game and looked tired. We think this will be a tough B2B for them. They are 0-4 SU and ATS the last four, and they lost the last three by 10+. We rarely take the Lakers but we think this is a good spot for them to get back on track and they are in desperate need of a win so they need to bring their A Game against a tired team.

Cleveland has covered four straight and they are 7-3 ATS on the season. This team is still not getting any respect from the oddsmakers, and they are playing great team basketball right now and staying off the public betting radar at the same time. The Knicks are off to a slow start. They have lost two of three and have covered in only one of their last four games. Their defense isn’t playing anywhere near as good as they did last season. We expect a close game here. The Cavs defense has been much better than the Knicks thus far.

The Thunder just beat the Lakers last week in OKC. Revenge is an overrated angle in NBA handicapping, and for sure the Lakers are trying to gel as a team and work on their issues rather than get revenge against the big bad Thunder. While OKC isn’t a good team, they have covered in three of their last four games, and they are playing beyond the oddsmakers expectations. The Lakers are always overvalued by the oddsmakers and they are 2-6 ATS on the season, and they will likely be one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA as they often are.

Philly is shorthanded tonight with some key players injured or ill, not to mention the Simmons situation, which continues to be a distraction. They are also coming in on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights while the Pistons had the night off on Wednesday. Detroit has a great chance to win this outright. They are coming off two blowout losses, so there will be some urgency here. These teams played last week and the Pistons hung tough most of the game on the road, earned the cover, and should play better here at home.

1-Unit Play #520 Take Sacramento -5 over New Orleans (10 p.m. EST, Wednesday Nov 3)

These teams played recently and the Kings won on the road. Enough time has passed to not make this a revenge situation and we see Sacramento playing well here in front of the home crowd. They had a real tough road trip recently, and this is a good spot for them to get on the right track and get their first home win of the season against an overmatched opponent. 

3-Unit Play #501 Take Portland -4.5 over Cleveland (7 p.m. EST, Wednesday Nov 3)

Portland hasn’t had a great start to the season and they are winless on the road, but this is a good spot for them to change that. They have had a very tough schedule to start the season. This is by far their easiest game of the season so far, and we think this line is more than fair. This is Cleveland’s first game home after a long road trip, and those first games back can be tricky for the home team. We see Portland winning by 7+ here. 

2-Unit Play #503 Take Boston -6.5 over Orlando (7 p.m. EST, Wednesday Nov 3)

Boston has had a very tough schedule and they have had some OT games and they are better than their record might indicate. They are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Bulls where they were in command most of the game. We think this is a good spot for them to bounce back and get on the winning track. Orlando is a bad team and they have covered only two games despite some generous lines from the oddsmakers. 

These teams met on Sunday, in the same building, and the Rockets lost by 10. Normally the oddsmakers would make the odds less attractive for the losing team in a revenge spot like this, but this is the Lakers we are talking about, and they always get shaded by the oddsmakers. The Rockets should bring their best effort tonight against a familiar foe, and we think they can keep this game close.

The Bucks have had a slow start to the season. They are 3-4 and have lost three straight. This is a get right game for them against the sorry Pistons, and the line is right with them laying a fair number on the road. Milwaukee is 11-2-1 ATS in the last 14 meetings, and they normally dominate the Pistons. Detroit is working a lot of things out with their rebuild right now, and Milwaukee should dominate here and hold the Pistons to a real low score.

There is no way the Clippers should be laying double digits to any team in the NBA right now. This team has looked all out of sorts to start the season, and Paul George has been pretty much the only positive on this team thus far. Could this be a get right game for the home team? Maybe. We just don’t see a blowout here and think the Clippers would be happy with a 6-8 point win.

Just love the way the Hornets are playing this season and this team is 5-2 ATS and coming off a home blowout of Portland. Sometimes it all boils down to confidence in the NBA, and the Hornets are playing with a lot of it right now. The Hornets have the No. 1 offense at this point in the NBA, and the Cavs have one of the worst. We don’t see their defense slowing down the Charlotte attack, and this spread seems short to us.

Just think that this is too many points for the Lakers to be laying over anyone at this point of the season. They have covered only two times this season, and one of those was an OT cover as they were giving points in San Antonio and barely covered in OT. Their only double digit win was last time out against Cleveland, where they won by 12 at home. They will get Houston’s best shot tonight, and Houston is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 visits to Staples Center.

Sacramento have been road warriors this season at 3-0 ATS and SU. In fact, stretching back to last season they are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 road games. The Mavs have been overrated by the oddsmakers and have covered only one game thus far this season. They are far from midseason form and are coming off an uninspired effort vs. Denver where they lost by 30+. Sacramento has a long history of success in this series as they are 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings in Dallas and 21-6-1 ATS in the last 28 meetings overall.

Both teams played last night, but the Pacers are at home here and they have an easier B2B in our opinion. This is also a revenge spot for the home team as they were run out of the building on Wednesday. Toronto has been getting by on defense, but they didn’t play well in that regard on Friday and we don’t expect a better effort here on a back-to-back as energy will be in short supply.

We think that this sets up as a nice revenge spot for Boston. These teams played Wednesday, and the Celtics suffered a nine-point loss at home. We think revenge is an overrated handicapping aspect for the NBA, but it does come into play when the teams recently played each other. And that is the case here. And even better for Boston, they have had two says off while the Wizards played a back-to-back on Thursday, so this is their third game in four nights.

We like to back a good team after a bad (embarrassing) loss, and this is the case tonight for the Clippers, who played one of their worst games with the current core of players. This team has gotten off to a slow start, but they are better than this and they should give maximum effort tonight after a blowout vs. the Cavs. The Clippers normally bounce back well and they are 5-0 ATS after an ATS loss.

Charlotte is one of the best surprises of the new season, and this team certainly looks like a playoff team this season. They are 4-1 ATS on the year and they should be 5-0 ATS but they went to OT with Boston as an underdog and lost in the extra frame. The Hornets have some major offensive firepower this season and they stand at No. 1 in the league offensively. We see this one as another close game and we think the underdog has a chance for the outright win.

Even though their records don’t show it, the Spurs have played as well as the Mavs to open the season. We are seeing progress already from San Antonio this season. They have had a very tough schedule to start off but they have been competitive, and we expect them to be competitive tonight in this regional rivalry. The Mavs wins have come against Houston and Toronto, so we don’t think they should be laying this many points this soon. The Mavs haven’t covered in their last five home games.

1-Unit Play #548 Take LA Clippers -8 over Cleveland (10:30 p.m. EST, Wednesday Oct 27)

This Clippers team has been inconsistent to start off with but we see more games like the blowout against Portland than the rout vs. Memphis in their future. They are on a bit of high alert after losing their first two games, and this season it is all about the regular season and getting a good seed with the hopes of Kawhi returning at some point for a playoff run. They should be able to get a double-digit win against an overmatched opponent that is fat and happy after two consecutive wins. 

2-Unit Play #540 Take Oklahoma City +6 over LA Lakers (8 p.m. EST, Wednesday Oct 27)

It’s early in the season so back-to-backs normally don’t matter that much. It shouldn’t be much of an issue tonight for OKC, who is young and is at home for both ends of the B2B. For the Lakers, however, this team is old. They are already one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA every season as the oddsmakers shade their lines on a regular basis. But this team is also old and they aren’t built for a rugged schedule. They played OT last night and this will be their third game in four nights. And the Thunder will be gunning for them as every team does every time they play the Lakers. 

4-Unit Play #533 Take Indiana -1 over Toronto (7:30 p.m. EST, Wednesday Oct 27)

We love the Pacers with this short line on Wednesday. Some books even have the Pacers getting a point. The Pacers are 1-3 but they have had a real tough schedule to start off the season. They have looked much better at 1-3 than the Raptors at 1-3. Toronto caught Boston on an off night, but otherwise they have looked horrible and their offense is completely inept to start the season, averaging only round 100 PPG. We had this line at Pacers -4.5, so we love the value here tonight. 

2-Unit Play #538 Take Boston -4.5 over Washington (7:30 p.m. EST, Wednesday Oct 27)

After a slow start to the season, the Celtics have won and covered their last two games. This team enters the season underrated because of some poor results last season, especially at the betting window, but this team is very talented on the court and they have been one of the best betting teams for years. The Wizards have had a light schedule thus far, but we don’t think they are as good as they were last season. We think this line is short and there is value in the favorite. 

We liked what we saw from the Clippers in their season opener, a loss at GSW. But they played well and had a chance to win at the end. We think this is a probable Top 4 seed in the West even without Kawhi. This is a very talented team. And they are a bit underrated right now. They don’t want to start off the season 0-2 and they are solidly the better team in this matchup, so we expect them to take care of business in the home opener tonight.

We always state that revenge is an overrated handicapping factor in the NBA. However, it does come into play when the teams have recently played each other, and that is the case here as these teams played Wednesday in their season opener, a six-point Pistons win. Detroit hung in there all game and barely covered, and we think this will be a close game again. This is the Pistons second game of the season, while the Bulls come in on a back-to-back.

Spoiler alert! We will be betting Boston a lot this season. This team has been one of the most dependable betting teams in the NBA for many years before taking a step back last season in what was a very strange season for them. But they reshuffled the administration decks and we expect a much stronger effort from them this season. Toronto really looked bad in their first game and they managed only 83 points against Washington. They face a much stronger defense tonight.

The Warriors were very impressive on Opening Night as they beat the Lakers handily on the road, and now they face the other NBA title contender from the city of Los Angeles, and this time in their home opener. The Clippers have had their number lately, but we expect this one to go the other way. Kawhi Leonard is out, of course, until March at the earliest. So they will have to make due without him, and it might take some time for this team to get on the same page. Their depth will take a hit tonight as Batum and Ibaka are out tonight, as well as some role players. This game is a divisional and regional rivalry, and the crowd should be pumped tonight. We just see the Warriors winning this one comfortably as we see them being really good this year and they have a more stable team right now while LAC is a work in progress with rotations and roster and such.

We see the Bulls as being much improved this season, and the Pistons are still a major work in progress. Chicago is now on a different tier in the Eastern Conference and they are a playoff team in our eyes. We think this opening line is short as we had this one handicapped at 7.5, so getting some value on the other side of the NBA key number of 7 shows us the oddsmakers are a bit behind on this team. We see the Bulls getting a comfortable win tonight.

Much has been made about Kyrie Irving and his vaccine status. But this Nets team is probably still the best in the East without him as long as they stay healthy. They should be extra motivated in this one because of the revenge factor from the playoffs last season and also because they will see the Bucks getting their rings and that will provide extra incentive that the Bucks won’t have on the court. We think the wrong team is favored here.

10 Unit Play. Take #511 Phoenix Suns over Milwaukee Bucks (9:05p.m., Tuesday, July 19 ABC) Just do not believe Phoenix will go this entire series without winning (or at least covering) one road game. Phoenix could not stop Milwaukee at all during the second and third quarters on Saturday and still had the ball with a chance to win it late in that game. Phoenix is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games as a road underdog. Milwaukee is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games played on Tuesday. Despite losing the last three games, the Sunday are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games between Phoenix and Milwaukee.

10 Unit Play. Take #510 Phoenix Suns over Milwaukee Bucks (9:10p.m., Saturday, July 17 ABC) Homecourt has been the play in all 4 games thus far and look for that to continue on Saturday night in the desert. Role players tend to play better at home and expect the Suns to bounce back in a big way on Saturday. Phoenix gave away the game on Wednesday and I see them jumping out early and holding the lead tonight. Milwaukee is 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games as an underdog. Phoenix is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against Milwaukee.

3 Unit Play. Take #507 Phoenix over Milwaukee (9p.m., Wednesday, July 14 ABC) The Suns had an off-shooting night and game 3 quickly got out of hand. But expect them to bounce back in a big way especially Devon Booker, who sat the entire fourth quarter of game 3. The Suns have won Game 4 in each of the 3 previous rounds, and I feel they will take this game down to the wire with a good chance to win straight-up. Phoenix is 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. Milwaukee is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games.

10 Unit Play. Take #505 Phoenix Suns over Milwaukee Bucks (8:05p.m., Sunday, July 11 ABC) We have used the Suns in both games thus far and won easily. Things will be different in Milwaukee, but I just do not feel the Bucks should be favored by this many points. Milwaukee is still struggling from the arc, and you just cannot win games in this day and age without strong three-point shooting. Phoenix is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Suns are also 5-0 ATS in the last 5 games against the Bucks.

10 Unit Play. Take #504 Phoenix Suns over Milwaukee Bucks (9:05p.m., Thursday, July 8 ESPN) The Suns dominated Game 1 of the NBA Finals and one never got the impression in that game that Milwaukee was going to cover the spread let alone win the game. The Bucks just have not been shooting it well from the arc on a consistent basis and for them to beat Phoenix they must make shots from the three-point line. Milwaukee is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games against Phoenix in the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix is 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games overall.

This is a strange NBA Finals for sure. Milwaukee belongs here, but not sure about the Suns. Phoenix was a team that we thought would flame out in the postseason after a brilliant regular season. They were lacking playoff experience. Teams need to take their lumps with some postseason heartbreak to eventually get to this point. But here we are. The Suns were benefited by a bunch of injuries to key players in the Western Conference Playoffs. They had one of the easier paths to the championship we can remember. But they did earn their postseason experience. They have gotten here by being the healthiest team in the playoffs. They gained a lot of confidence in the postseason, and we think that will be on display here.

We have some major injuries on both sides here but the Bucks have the more complete roster, and the more experienced one. We think they will take the Next Man Up strategy and run with it here to a comfortable win. Even if Young plays for the Hawks, we just don’t see him being effective as he will be rushed back too soon. We have seen it time and time again where they rush a player back and he hinders the team more than he helps. Regardless, we think the Bucks will circle the wagons here and take the win and move one step closer to the Finals.

We think this line is too big, bottom line. The Bucks have always disappointed in the postseason with the current core. We don’t think they should be this big of a favorite. The Hawks are playing their best basketball of this season here in the playoffs, and it sure looks like this team is built for the postseason. They were one of the most impressive teams down the stretch of the regular season, and they haven’t missed a beat here when the games have meant more. We expect a close game here and all the pressure is on the home team.

The Clippers looked exhausted for Game 1 and they still had a chance to cover on the last possession. They had a super quick turnaround from their Game 7 against Utah until Game 1 at Phoenix. Now they have had a little more rest, and this is basically almost a must win for them tonight as they don’t want to go down 2-0 AGAIN in a series and have that hole to climb out of. We think they will do a better job of containing Booker and that this will be a close game where the underdog has a chance for the outright win.

The Suns had too much time off here. We think that, and the fact that Chris Paul is out for this game with Covid, has thwarted the Suns momentum. The Clippers have all the momentum here and are coming off one of the best second-half performances in playoff history. This team is really clicking on all cylinders, and they have shown they can play at an elite level even with Kawhi out of the lineup. Plus, they have some hope for Kawhi to be back at some point as he was seen at Game 6 against Utah without a brace and walking without a limp. That has led some to speculate that he could be back at some point in this series. These Clippers are more battle tested than the Suns in this postseason as Phoenix had a very easy path with the injured Lakers and the hobbled Nuggets. The Clippers had a tougher path and they have been playing better with each passing game after the first couple games in Dallas. They are getting contributions from throughout the roster, and Paul George has stepped up into the Top Dog role with Kawhi out. We just see the Suns having some problems getting into the flow of the game without Paul and with a week off from their last game. The Clippers won and covered in two of three meetings this season, and longer term they have covered in 14 of the last 19 meetings. We think they have a great chance to win outright here.

Just think home court makes all the difference here and the stars will shine on Saturday in this elimination Game 7. The NBA is all about the stars, and the Nets will have two on the court and the Bucks with one. And with Brooklyn being at home we think the crowd will drive them to a win here.

We have been pretty heavy on the Hawks in this series with solid results, but we think it’s time to go the other way here. This looks like a seven-game series to us. And we think the Sixers will take care of business tonight. We expect them to lock down on defense, and we don’t see them blowing a big lead like they did in Game 5. Even experienced teams evolve, and the Sixers learned a big lesson last time out as they took their foot off the gas after accumulating a big lead. Won’t happen again as the Sixers win this one comfortably.  

It was announced this AM that Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely with an ankle injury. This is a major blow to the Clippers as they had seized all the momentum in this series and were looking in good shape to possibly steal a rare road win in Utah tonight. But we think they still have a chance. Paul George has broken out of his slump, and if he plays hero ball tonight, he can definitely have the Clips in a position to win this one. LA has its deepest team in franchise history, and they have experience playing without Kawhi. Just don’t see the Clips getting blown out here.

The Hawks were one of the best teams in the NBA down the stretch, and they are being underrated by the oddsmakers once again here. Not many expected them to be in this series, but here we are with things tied up and this is now a three-game series and the Hawks have a real chance to make the conference finals. Philly always seems to disappoint in the postseason, and we think the Hawks will give them all they can handle tonight.

Great momentum for Milwaukee heading into Game 5 here with the series tied up. The Nets will likely be without two of their Big 3, and that is a problem with the way the Bucks have played the last two games of this series. They have all the momentum here, and the Nets have to figure out something quickly if they expect to win this one tonight. We don’t see it happening, and we think the Bucks go for the jugular this evening. Yes, the Nets have experience with playing without members of the Big 3 as they have done all season. And they have some role players that have the ability to step up. But we just don’t see where the points are going to come from for the Nets here tonight. They are really struggling offensively and have failed to reach the century mark in the last two games. The Bucks have the capability to score here, and we just don’t see the Nets being able to match that. Milwaukee has a strong betting history here in Brooklyn as they are 16-5-1 ATS in the last 22 meetings here. This Bucks team gets a mulligan from us for last season in the Bubble as they had some off-court issues going on, and a win tonight and putting the Nets on the verge of elimination would go a long way to put that failure in the rearview mirror.

We loved what we saw from the Clippers in Game 3, and we think that positive momentum will carry over here in Game 4. The Clippers have been in this situation before in a must-win game, and they have had success in this situation already in the playoffs. In Game 3 the stars for LA did what they were supposed to do, and the role players stepped up big time. Mitchell for Utah is banged up for this game. He might not be able to perform at his best. Utah benefitted from some great shooting in Games 1 and 2. They have cooled off, however, and that kind of shooting is unsustainable likely throughout the series. Also, the Clippers have been great in the favorite role as they are 5-1 ATS in their last six games as a favorite. Utah hasn’t done great as an underdog as they are 0-5 ATS in their last five in this situation. This has the look of a series that could possibly go the distance, and we see the Clippers evening things up tonight with a comfortable win.

If Denver was going to make a big stand in this series, Game 3 was the place to do it. But they didn’t. At all. They got blown out. Again. Now the Nuggets are toast. And they know it. It’s virtually impossible to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Playoffs. And Phoenix is playing some of their best basketball of the season right now, and that’s saying a lot since they had a great regular season. But not only are they playing great, but they match up extremely well with Denver and this series looks like a total mismatch. Denver showed a lot of heart in their postseason comebacks last season, but this is a different season, and they just matched up with the wrong team in the second round.

The Bucks haven’t really played a good game in this series yet they are still in it, especially with a win here on Sunday. If they lose, they are on the brink of elimination with the series headed back to Brooklyn. We think they will go all out here and could possibly play their best game of the series. All the games in this series have gone under the posted number, and Game 3 went under by a lot as the total reached only 169. This game will probably be higher scoring with two of the best offenses in the league, but we think the oddsmakers should have made a much larger adjustment on the total.

We expect a close, low-scoring game here. Both teams need to bring their A Game defensively in what is the most important game in the series. The Clippers are done if they lose this one. The Jazz don’t want the Clippers to get back in this series and they saw what happened in Dallas when LA went down 2-0 in that series. The Clippers aren’t playing with a lot of confidence right now. PG can’t find his shot. They have to get it done with defense. But we think this is too many points as we think this will be a close game. We think the Clippers could squeak by in this one and then have a much better performance in Game 4 once the confidence is back.

Denver looks totally outclassed in this series. Phoenix looks like they have barely broken a sweat and they have rolled in the first two games. This one looks like it could very likely be a sweep. We were unsure of the Suns in this postseason because of lack of experience, but Chris Paul has been playing lights out and this team seems dialed in and is playing great team basketball. We think they go for the jugular tonight and essentially put this series out of reach with a win and a 3-0 lead. We had the Suns as 3-point favorites here, and there is great value in the much better team getting points here tonight. We see the Suns putting up a big offensive number tonight, and the Nuggets won’t be able to keep up.

The Hawks have homecourt advantage now in this series and it’s time to go to work in Game 3 and protect that advantage. There aren’t many teams playing as well as the Hawks down the stretch of the regular season and the start of the postseason, and they have been beating the oddsmakers number on a regular basis. We had them as a small favorite here and expect them to win a close game here at home. Philly hasn’t covered in six tries here in Atlanta, and this team always finds a way to disappoint in the postseason.

The Nuggets were blown out in Game 1. But they have done a pretty good job of bouncing back from a bad loss in these playoffs and we expect a much more competitive game in Game 2. The Nuggets have covered in seven of the last 10 meetings in this arena and 14 of the last 20 meetings overall. We just don’t trust Phoenix that much in this postseason and think the floor will fall out from under them at some point. Denver will draw on their playoff experience tonight.

It’s rust vs. momentum here. We will go with momentum tonight. The Jazz didn’t play for almost a week while the Clippers closed out Dallas in Game 7 on Sunday. But LA didn’t look tired, and they are playing some excellent basketball. When this team is playing well, they could be the most talented team in the NBA, and we like them getting points tonight in what we feel is a coin flip game as to who wins. The long break has killed the Utah momentum while the Clippers have fresh momentum. We think the Clips will lock down on the defensive end here and that the Jazz may start the game a bit rusty.

This Atlanta team is on a 12-2 run and we feel they are being disrespected with this number. This team has quietly been one of the best teams in the playoffs at 5-1 both SU and ATS. They are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games. This team has all the momentum and we think this game will be competitive no matter who wins or loses. We had this line handicapped at 3, so we think there is quite a bit of value and the Sixers look like a very public play tonight.

We wanted to wait to see what went down in Game 1 before we made a move on the side in this series, and this one turned out exactly as we wanted to go with the Bucks in Game 2. Brooklyn won Game 1 and that gives the Bucks even more motivation here, and James Harden went down with an injury, which increases the Bucks chances to pull even in this series. The Bucks played a pretty lousy game in  Game 1. This team doesn’t often have two bad games in a row. They are a more stable team than the Nets, who threw together a super team on the fly. We just don’t see the same chemistry for Brooklyn, and that is crucial in such a pivotal playoff game. We expect the Bucks to even this series up tonight with a much improved effort compared to Game 1.

The NBA playoffs is all about stars and although the Mavs have one of the best in the business, the Clippers have two difference-makers on the court tonight. The road team has won every game in this series, and we think that trend will continue tonight. There hasn’t been much intrigue in the postseason thus far and you know the NBA wants a Game 7, so the Clippers might get the benefit of the doubt on some calls tonight. Regardless, we think the Clippers will step up with their excellent defense and do everything they can to slow down Doncic and make the rest of the team beat them.

The Lakers were absolutely humiliated in their last game. With a proud team like LA, that isn’t going to cut it. We expect a spirited performance tonight from the home team. AD might be out here or seriously limited. But they still have LeBron. And they still have one of the best defenses in the NBA. We expect them to play D like their life depends on it tonight, and their playoff life basically does. They have shown they can win games on the defensive side, and we expect that to happen tonight. We just can’t get behind the Suns too much in this postseason because the lack of experience.

Embiid is likely out here and the Wizards have a lot of momentum after a very nice win in Game 4. We think that momentum will carry over here. While Doc Rivers has a championship pedigree, he hasn’t done much recently, and he is starting to become more known for letting lesser teams stick around in playoff series. Washington has nothing to lose here and all the pressure is on Philly, and we think this will be a close game.

LeBron is one of the greatest of all time but he is getting older and can no longer hold the weight of the entire team on his back. That’s why Anthony Davis has been such a good compliment to him. But this team looked lost against the Suns once Davis went out, and it looks like Chris Paul is getting over his injury as he played great last time out. The Lakers are always the darlings of the oddsmakers and bettors, so you normally get an extra point or two when betting against them, and we think that’s the case here as we had this line at 7.5.

This looks like a 7-game series to us, and it’s Denver’s turn tonight. They had an ugly loss last time out, but they have had extra time off and they should come back raring to go on their home court tonight. Denver will ramp up the defensive intensity tonight with the extra energy provided by extra rest, and the Blazers have been inconsistent on defense and we think this one could be a lopsided matchup.

Just think this is too many points. The Nets have looked great for the most part in this series. But this is the most points Boston has gotten as an underdog all season. Brooklyn has been inconsistent when laying big points and they were one of the worst bets in the league when laying five or more this season. The Celtics are a very proud team with a lot of tradition, and while they probably won’t win this game we think they will go down fighting and keep this one within double digits.

We think the Grizzlies have a great chance to win this one and even the series up. It should at least be a close game. Memphis has nothing to lose and they are playing with house money right now. All the pressure is on Utah here. Last game the Jazz got off to a hot start and outscored the Grizzlies 34-22 in the first quarter. The Grizzlies pretty much played even with them the rest of the way after that slow start. Of course they won Game 1 and they haven’t embarrassed themselves at any point in this series. Even though they lost by 10 last time out, they have covered their last four at home after losing by double digits. They know this is their last best chance to stay in this series, and we expect to see a spirited effort tonight. Plus, the refs should dish out some home cooking, especially since there are a lack of games coming up as many of the series in the East have been lopsided.

Luka Doncic is questionable for this game. We have no doubt he will play. His listing on the injury report is probably mind games by Dallas. But we also do think he is ailing a bit and will be well under 100 percent in this game. But regardless, we think the Clippers have turned the tide here. If they win here then they are once again heavy favorites in this series. Dallas has enjoyed some great performances in this series and hit a lot of lucky shots. But LA is a much stronger all around team and they showed they are motivated in Game 3 and we expect to see the same type of performance here.

Boston played great in Game 3. Tatum put the team on his back and scored 50 with a legendary effort. That’s doubtful to happen again, and the Nets should bounce back and comfortably win this one against an outmatched Boston squad. This Game 3 was typical of Boston all season as they will look like they are back on track and then fall on their faces. And it was typical of Brooklyn, a team that has been inconsistent. But we think that loss was a wake up call. And with the other top seeds in the East taking care of business quickly, there will be urgency for the Nets to make sure Boston doesn’t win another game and hang around as the competition will get much tougher in the coming rounds.

Kudos to Memphis for winning Game 1. They caught Utah off guard and they got a great win. But Utah showed in Game 2 why they are the top seed as they dropped 141 points in a blowout. Sometimes good teams need a kick in the butt to get going, and it looks like that loss motivated Utah in a big way. That positive momentum should continue here. And Memphis would not even be a playoff team under the normal playoff format. This is a team on the way up but not there yet, while Utah is a true championship contender. And we think they get the job done again tonight.

We like to envision how a series will play out beforehand and bet accordingly, and we see this series going a long way or maybe even to Game 7 as we think these teams are pretty evenly matched. Portland played well last game but Denver played better, and we think the Blazers will be motivated here and even the series up. They had covered five in a row in this series before the last two losses. We think the early start time benefits the home team as they are in a more comfortable setting and should be able to handle the change better since these games have all been at night.

Miami put up a fight in Game 1 but the last two games have been blowouts. Will Miami play with some pride here? Maybe. But they are outmatched in this series and we expect the Bucks to finish this one off today. They have shown that last year was a fluke and that they are a legit contender. There is urgency to finish this one off and then wait for their next opponent. They are playing extremely well right now. We think this price is right and we expect a comfortable 7+-point win.

Better luck next year, Boston. The Celtics looked cooked and this series hasn’t even been competitive. Brooklyn is healthy and playing well, and Boston is banged up and looks lost. Everything the Nets have been working towards to be in good shape for the postseason seems to be coming to fruition, and they looked poised to end this series in a sweep. This should be another double-digit win. There is some urgency to end this series quickly because the competition for Brooklyn gets much more serious as they move on.

We think the Lakers will win this series but we are surprised how big this line is. The Lakers are one of the most public teams in the NBA and their lines are often inflated. That sure looks like the case tonight as we had this one handicapped at 4. So we see nice value here on the underdog in what should be a close game. The Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last six after a cover, so they normally follow up a great game with an average one.

We were hyped on the Bucks entering the postseason but also kind of apprehensive because of the fact that they fell on their face last postseason. Was that the Bubble or is this team a postseason underperformer? Well, Game 2 gave us a lot of confidence, and we think there’s a great chance this series ends up as a sweep. This team has unfinished business, and they looked focused and determined thus far in this series and Miami is just outmatched.

We think these two teams are closer in ability than the oddsmakers do. The Wizards hung with Utah in Game 1. It was only the third quarter where the Sixers got a bit of separation, but the Wizards covered and we think they keep this one close once again on Wednesday. Washington was one of the best ATS teams in the second half of the season. They have covered six straight as a dog and are 7-0-1 ATS coming off a loss. They have also covered in four of the last five meetings.

The Clippers are probably feeling some pressure after losing Game 1 in an upset. This team has had the ability to bounce back well in the past, and they did this quite a bit in the postseason last year. A loss here would be a big problem for the organization and we just don’t see this team disappointing again as they are just on another tier talent wise than the Mavs and they have all the ingredients of a championship contender. We expect a low scoring game and possible double digit win by the home team.

The Suns won Game 1 but we are going to back the Lakers again here in Game 2 for all the same reasons, the most important being the Suns inexperience in the postseason. The Lakers aren’t sweating the Game 1 loss and they have been here before. We think there is a lot of pressure on the Suns here and we don’t see them handling the adversity when they have a great chance to go up 2-0. This one should be all LA.

For most of the later part of the season we have been planning to fade the Suns in the postseason. This team has all the look of a regular season wonder but a postseason failure. They don’t have a lot of postseason experience. Chris Paul has a career of postseason disappointments. This team needs some experience before they are a true title threat. Unfortunately, they drew the Lakers in the first round. The Lakers almost never have betting value because they are one of the most public teams in the NBA. There’s no doubt the Suns are scared here. The Lakers are healthy and streaking. We think this line is more than fair for Game 1 and we actually had the Lakers as a slight favorite, so we love the value here for Game 1.

The Wizards are no normal No. 8 seed. This team has been one of the stronger teams in the entire NBA down the stretch after a horrible start to the season. We think they can hang with Philly in this series. The Sixers have seen their share of disappointment in the postseason during The Process era. Even though they are the top seed, we would put the Bucks and even the Nets in front of them as a possible NBA Finals representative from the East. The Wizards are just playing very good team basketball right now, and we feel this is a very public line. It doesn’t hurt that Washington has covered in five of the last seven meetings.

Brooklyn is hot entering the postseason, but they won five straight against a pretty easy schedule. We just don’t think this team has what it takes to win a championship this season. This team has been a very bad bet most of the season, especially when laying big points. They have dealt with so many injuries and roster changes this season that this new team hasn’t had the chance to build chemistry. Boston has been a big disappointment this season. But this is a whole new season, and you can throw out the previous struggles. They played one of their best games in a long time in the play-in game against a Washington team that had been playing extremely well. We expect a competitive game here.