Sports Picks & Predictions

We just think that this is too many points. The Suns have been playing some of their best basketball of the season this month, and they have covered more numbers than not in March. Utah is back home after a four-game road set, and these first games back can be tricky, especially against a lousy team like the Suns, as the home team players may be distracted by personal, off-court business. These teams played recently in what turned out to be a blowout Utah win, but the Suns hung in these most of the game until the fourth quarter. We think there’s a good chance to see a more complete game from them tonight since the teams have played recently.

The Spurs had their long winning streak snapped last time out vs. Miami. We predicted that loss after a win over the Warriors and with this game upcoming. We think the Spurs were probably looking ahead to this one. We think they will put their best foot forward. They are playing some of their best hoops so far this season right now, and I think all of the teams at the bottom of the playoff standings in the West want to keep winning to avoid the No. 8 seed and a dreaded matchup with Golden State in the first round.

Past Clippers teams would be scary to trust in situations like this. They had more talent than the current club for sure, but they didn’t play like a team and they would often underwhelm against bad teams on the road. But this current squad plays like a team, and they are one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season. They are also getting possibly the best coaching job from Doc Rivers in his career. This team is 12-7 ATS on the road against sub-.500 clubs. They have covered four straight in this series. They are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now and they seem to want to improve their playoff standing as the season winds down, so we don’t see them overlooking the Cavs tonight.

OKC has lost four straight and they need this game badly. These teams just played Wednesday in Toronto and the Raptors won in OT. It is extremely hard to win consecutive games over the same team like this, and it is pretty rare for one team to get the sweep. OKC is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings in Toronto.. Lowry is out here for the Raptors. This Toronto team seems like one that is content to ride out the rest of the regular season while the Thunder really need a win here, so the road team should have all the motivation tonight.

The Warriors have been one of the worst ATS teams all season. They just don’t give a crap about the regular season and their lines are always inflated. That certainly looks like the case tonight. After a rough patch the Warriors kind of flexed their muscles a bit and they have covered in three of the last four games. But we don’t think they will keep it up. They can give a subpar effort tonight and still win this game. Revenge doesn’t play a huge role in our NBA handicapping, but in certain situations we think it does come into play. And we have no doubt that the Pacers remember the 32-point beatdown they received at home to these Warriors earlier in the season. Every team wants to give Golden State their best shot, and we feel they will play strong defense tonight and give an all-out effort. Going to sprinkle 1 unit on the moneyline.

The Wizards won’t be making the playoffs. They would need a miracle for that to happen. But they are not mathematically eliminated, and we think they will play hard tonight. They have covered in three of the last four meetings in this series. They played a dud game last night as they went to OT at Chicago. But this team is a lot better at home and we don’t see them rolling over tonight. This looks like an inflated line, and we will take advantage of the extra points against a Denver team that is average on the road.

The Spurs are more secure in their playoff seeding right now and there is a lack of drama in the Western Conference playoff race. But Miami is in the No. 8 spot in the east and only 1.5 games secure in that spot. They need every win they can get, and the playoffs essentially start early for them if they want to keep this seeding. This is a sandwich game for the Spurs after their win over the Warriors last time out and with the Rockets on deck after this game. This looks like the perfect spot for a letdown game for the home team. Miami is one of the best betting teams on the road at 22-11 ATS this season. We think they will play some great defense tonight in a low-scoring affair. The only meeting this season, way back in November, saw the Heat win 95-88.

Boston matches up well here. They have covered in four straight meetings and in seven of the last eight. This line looks a little fishy as you would expect the Sixers to be favored by more points tonight and we think the sportsbooks are trying to get the public to load up on the home team here. But Boston has a strong history in this series and we think they will want to win this game coming off a loss last time out.

Philly has won all three meetings this season, but two have gone to overtime and one was decided by two points. In fact, all three Philly wins were by a combined six points for all three games. Charlotte matches up well here, and they will not want to get swept in the season series. The Hornets are 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, so this game is a must-win tonight, and we think this team will be focused on the task at hand. And Embiid is out of the lineup for the Sixers. This game is sandwiched between games against Milwaukee and Boston for the Sixers, and there’s no doubt they care more about those matchups than they do this one. Philly has been just average on the road this season, while the Hornets are very strong at home.

Golden State is one of the three worst ATS teams in the NBA this season. And they keep getting the benefit of the doubt of the oddsmakers. Every now and then they flex their collective muscle and play a playoff-type game, but mostly they are just going through the motions waiting for the playoffs while they get their best effort from opponents on a nightly basis. The Spurs have won eight straight and we think there’s a good chance they will keep that winni9ng streak going tonight.

Almost every game from here on out is a must win for Washington if they want to make the postseason. This team played pretty well at home, while the Jazz are just average on the road. Washington has covered in seven of their last eight games and they are playing well above their handicap from the oddsmakers lately. We expect a close game here and think the home team will put their best foot forward.

This is a bad spot for the Pistons and an inflated number also. They are coming in on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights. They also had one of their biggest games – and wins – of the season on Sunday with a home win over Toronto. They probably won’t be able to emotionally get up for this game like that one. And this is the start of a five-game road trip for the Pistons, and we just think they will get out of the gate slow here. Cleveland has won their last two home games. Going to sprinkle a little on the moneyline here as well.

We just think that when push comes to shove that the Bucks are a much stronger and deeper team than are the Sixers, and we think that if both teams flex their muscles on national tv here that the Bucks will come on top with a comfortable win. Milwaukee has covered in three of the last four meetings and in five of the last seven, and we think they will match up well again here today. Nice line value here, in our opinion.

We like this price for the underdog tonight for what we think is the better team. The Blazers have a shot to win this one outright. They were off on Friday and have played a light schedule lately while the Spurs enter on a back-to-back. The Spurs are 3-8 straight up in the second half of back-to-backs. The home team has been dominant in this series lately, but we think the Blazers flip the script tonight and we think they have a chance for the outright win.

The Spurs are 2-10 ATS when laying more than seven points this season. In the past you could trust this Spurs team to run up the score on clubs and they would try to give opponents the dagger when up big late. But this just isn’t the same team this year, and this team doesn’t have the same killer instinct. We think this line is a few points too high and we think the Spurs will do just enough to get the job done but we don’t expect them to win in a blowout.

This game is much more important for the Heat than it is for the Bucks. The Heat hold a 1.5-game lead for the final playoff spot in the east. They have won and covered in six of the last seven meetings between these clubs. This is the last game of a three-game road trip for the Bucks and they have Philly on deck at home on Sunday, and we think this may be a letdown spot for them Friday night.

This is a letdown spot for the Rockets after their big game against Golden State last time out. This line looks inflated by a couple points to us. The Suns are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now and this looks like a team that wants to enter the offseason with some momentum as opposed to some tanking teams out there. They have covered six of their last eight games overall, including an outright win over Golden State.

This is just too many points for the Pistons to be laying tonight. This team has gotten blown out the last two games, and they scored only 74 and 75 points in those contests. They failed to cover those games by almost 60 points! They are just not in good form right now. This is probably a good spot for them to bounce back, but we don’t see them winning by double digits. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS when getting nine or more points this season.

Charlotte hasn’t been playing well lately, but we think this is a very winnable game for them. Despite their similar records, we think the Hornets are the better team in this matchup. They are the more likely team to make the playoffs if either of these teams were to make it, and we think this is a must-win game for them in order to push themselves closer to that goal. They have won the last two matchups, and we think they match up well here.

The Mavs are flailing as the season wears on. At the trade deadline they made a bunch of moves with an eye towards the future, and they pretty much took a flier on this season. They have lost six straight and 11 of 12 entering this contest. Not only that, but their plane into Denver was delayed because of weather problems. And star rookie Doncic is dealing with an injured knee that he has been playing through and Mavs Coach Carlisle admits he has been playing the rookie too many minutes. We think there is a good chance he plays very limited minutes here in this one. Denver played great last time out in their big win over the Wolves, and we think that positive momentum will carry over here. Plus, Denver goes for the season sweep tonight, and the first two games were both decided by double digits. Bad matchup for Dallas here.

The Suns have been playing well lately and are coming off the biggest win of the season and probably the biggest win for the franchise in the last few years when they beat Golden State in the Bay Area on Sunday. The Warriors don’t care much about the regular season and they didn’t give full effort in that game. But we think Utah will give full effort tonight. They have lost three of their last four and are in desperate need of a win and some positive momentum. This is just the team to get a big win against. Utah has won the last five meetings all by double digits. The Suns are one of the worst ATS teams in the league, and this is a letdown spot for them after the big win at Golden State. This looks very much like a double-digit win by the road team to us.

Portland has covered six of the last eight meetings between these clubs. The Clippers have been playing very well lately, but they are in a tough spot tonight coming in on a back-to-back and after playing Doc Rivers old team in the Celtics last night. This is a tough task facing a Portland team that has had two nights off. After a big winning streak the Blazers have lost two of three, and they should enter this game angry and fired up against a fatigued team.

We thought the Celtics would turn the corner at some point and start playing better. They have, and they come into this one having won all three games on the current road trip, including that big win over the Warriors. We think the positive momentum will continue here against a Clippers team that will be overmatched out on the court. The Clippers have won four straight, but the only impressive win was against OKC, and they were on a tough back-to-back. We had this line handicapped at 5.5, so we think there is nice value here tonight.

The Jazz slipped up last time out in a poor performance in Memphis, and they have had two days off since to get back into a good state of mind as a team and we think they will be ready tonight. Utah has to remember when these teams met late last month in OKC and the Jazz lost by a point in OT. Revenge is an overrated handicapping aspect for NBA, but it does come into play when teams have recently met. And we think home cooking will get the Jazz over the hump tonight.

Detroit has won three of four in this series, and the one they didn’t win was last time out, and that was only a one-point loss in OT. Detroit is playing very well lately. They have won eight of nine and covered in seven of their last eight. Brooklyn has been playing well, but they haven’t been covering as the oddsmakers have overvalued this team, and they are 1-5 ATS in their last six. The Pistons have been more reliable lately, and we had this game handicapped as a pickem.

The Blazers have had a very tough schedule lately. They had a massive road trip and then returned home to play OKC to OT in a loss on Thursday. They have lost two straight heading into this game, so there will be no letdown situation tonight. The Suns have actually won three straight. They got a surprise win over the Bucks, but the other two wins were over trash teams. And the Suns are one of the worst ATS teams in the league this season despite getting very generous lines from the oddsmakers. We think this one will be a blowout tonight.

The Thunder had a much more important game last night, in Portland, and they prevailed in overtime. So not only are they on a tough back-to-back here, but they played an extra five minutes of hard basketball. The win last night was good, but this team hasn’t been playing well overall. The Clippers are underrated and one of the best ATS teams in the NBA this season, and they seem to be making a playoff push despite selling off some pieces at the trade deadline.

Chicago has covered in six of their last nine overall, and they are playing hard almost every night lately. The Pistons have been covering a lot as well, but it didn’t take long for this team to get overvalued, and this spread definitely looks out of whack for Friday. Detroit has covered in only one of their last five visits to Chicago, so they don’t play well here. We expect a competitive game here on Friday night.

The under has cashed in four of the last five meetings, and this is the highest total these teams have faced during that stretch. This game is on TNT, of course, and we are getting down to the playoff stretch drive of the regular season. We think this game will have a playoff atmosphere, and there will be a more intense level of defense and it won’t be a free-flowing offensive game. We think this total is about 5-6 points too high, and we also expect the Blazers to win this one comfortably as they are in better current form than the Thunder.

The Pacers haven’t been more than an eight-point underdog all season, and we just think this is too many points for the underdog. Milwaukee has been one of the best ATS teams all season, but their lines are starting to get inflated. The Pacers have been a good ATS club as well, but the public bettors haven’t caught on because since Oladipo went down there are no stars on this team. Yet the Pacers are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and this is a big game for them. We expect them to be very competitive tonight.

We were confident the Celtics would turn the corner at some point, and sometimes it just takes a confidence-building win to turn things around. They got that last night in Golden State in a 32-point road win, the worst loss for the Warriors at home in the Steve Kerr era. Boston can’t really afford to let up now, and we think the positive momentum from that win will carry over into tonight’s matchup. The Kings have been a great story this season and they have been money for bettors at home, but when both teams are playing their best game the Kings just can’t compete with the Celtics. We might be hesitant to back a team on a back-to-back after a big win like last night, but the Celtics didn’t seem to break a sweat and we don’t see them being in a letdown spot tonight. Plus, they are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings, and we think they can score a comfortable road win here in this matchup.

Boston has lost five of six and this team is slumping big time. But we think they play desperate tonight. Golden State always seems to bring out the best in this team, and Golden State has covered in only two of the last nine meetings (one push). Golden State has dropped four of their last seven games, so they are not in top form right now. This team is the worst ATS team in the NBA this season, and the bookies post too-high lines on a nightly basis for this squad. We thought this line should be closer to 5 points. If Boston can win this game then all is right in the world again and the pressure will be off for awhile. We think they put their best foot forward tonight. The Warriors probably don’t care about this game nearly as much as they don’t put much emphasis on the regular season anymore. But for Boston this game means a lot tonight.

The Clippers are building towards the future and they probably don’t even want to make the playoffs this season as they lose their draft pick in that scenario. The Lakers are desperately trying to finish strong and make the postseason, because once they make the playoffs anything can happen with LeBron in the lineup. They currently sit at No. 10 in the west, and there aren’t a lot of games left, so they need every one they can get. This is a very winnable game tonight, and we think the differing motivation will be the difference in this one.

It’s not often a team has a letdown spot after playing the Bulls, but that is the case here. On Friday yje Hawks and Bulls played the third-highest-scoring game in NBA history, and this made the headlines in the sports world (yeah, we were on the over in that game). Then they had a rematch last night in a game that was highly-contested almost like a playoff game. So not only did they play a lot of extra basketball on Friday, but they are playing their third game in four nights tonight. This team isn’t going anywhere, so it’s understandable if they take a breather here and we don’t expect to see their best effort tonight.

The Cavs have actually been playing some of their best basketball of the season recently as they have won three of their last five. They didn’t beat any marquee teams or anything, but Orlando doesn’t actually fit into that category either. This seems like a huge letdown spot for the Magic after their wins over Golden State and Indiana (they are on a back-to-back here after beating the Pacers last night), and they have Philly on deck. Cleveland is on a b2b as well but playing at home is a much more desired position. Just don’t like Orlando laying this big number on the road

This Pelicans team is not even very good with Anthony Davis in the lineup, but he is out tonight for rest and this team is awful without him. The Pelicans are playing a back-to-back in this one and they are 4-7 ATS and 2-9 SU in these situations this season, so they don’t play well in back-to-backs, where Davis normally sits out. Denver suffered a rare home loss last time out vs. Utah, and they will want to take out their frustrations on this team. They should roll here and we think this one has the potential of a 20-point blowout.

We think that this is a real tough spot on the schedule for Milwaukee. They are nearing the end of a long road trip, and they play the Suns next in the last game of a five-game trip. They are playing their third game in four nights and on a back-to-back after playing the Lakers last night. They needed to expend a lot of energy late in that game as it was closer than expected but they pulled out the win and cover. Now they face a much tougher test against a Jazz team that has won three straight and covered in five of six, and we think fatigue will set in tonight for Milwaukee.

This is a very important game for both teams that are fighting for the playoffs. But judging by the moves at the trade deadline, the Kings really want to make the postseason this year while the Clippers are building towards the future. The Kings have been one of the strongest bets in the NBA this season at home, and we think they will be the more motivated club tonight.

We are going to look hard at the home team whenever they are getting points against these Pelicans. You look up the word dysfunctional in the dictionary and there is a picture of the Pelicans. This team has all sorts of issues – and is not very good as a team – and they should not be laying this many points on the road to any team, even the Suns. This game is sandwiched between bigger games for New Orleans (Lakers and Nuggets), and we don’t see them giving max effort here. The Pelicans are 3-10 ATS on the road against sub-.500 clubs.

Toronto has covered in three of the last four meetings. We expect them to take this one comfortably. Portland has covered every game on this long road trip so far. And the bookies just can’t give them too many points tonight. But the bookies are giving them a bit too much credit right now as this is the toughest game by far on the road trip. And fatigue has to set in at some point. Toronto has been excellent lately and we expect them to take care of business tonight

Getting some reverse line movement overnight on this one with the line shrinking despite most of the bets on the home team. That is normally a good sign if you like the underdog. And we do tonight as we think this is a coin flip matchup, so getting the points is the only way to go here. The Nets have overachieved while the Hornets, like always, have underachieved. But on paper we think the Hornets are a bit stronger despite the records, and they should fight hard here.

Denver was off last night while the Jazz had to expend a lot of energy to rally to beat the Clippers in what was a very tough game for them despite the big line in that contest. Not only did they have to use a lot of energy in the comeback, but now they come in on a back-to-back and have to play in one of the toughest arenas in the NBA and at high altitude. Utah is 4-6 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back so they aren’t great in this situation anyways, and we always call back-to-backs in Denver a super back-to-back since it’s so tough to play there. We don’t see things going well for the road team tonight.

Always looking to fade the Sixers on the road. This team is very popular with bettors this season, but on the road they are just average. And there is sometimes value in going against them. We think that is the case tonight. The Thunder have covered in five of the last six meetings in OKC and in the last four meetings altogether. We think the Thunder are the more complete team, and they need to put their best foot forward after losing three of their last four against a pretty tough schedule.

We love this Bucks team but the Kings are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games and it looks like they are underrated once again by the oddsmakers. The Bucks have bigger road games upcoming and they probably won’t give max effort here. Sacramento has one of the best ATS records in the league at home, and we thought this line should be closer to -2 and we think this will be a very competitive game.

The Clippers have some talent still after the trade deadline but this team is tanking. It benefits them to make the lottery this season instead of the playoffs. LA has had a brutal schedule lately and they are playing their third game in four nights after a night off last night after their back-to-back. Now they face an underrated Utah team that has covered in five straight games. Utah had a couple recent tough losses to OKC and GSW on the road, so they will take this game very seriously and they are playing some very good basketball overall right now. Plus, they have covered in five straight meetings.

The Pacers are the best defensive team in the NBA. And since Oladipo went down they have been playing even better for the most part on that side of the ball. They have been playing better overall as if they have something to prove with the loss of their best player. Dallas gutted their team at the trade deadline in favor of the future and this is not the same team that was an ATS darling through most of the season. We think the Pacers take this one in a low-scoring game.

We were on the Celtics last night and they put forth another really bad effort in their worst loss of the season. That comes after a loss in Chicago. If they don’t play well tonight then things are really bad. We think they will bounce back here tonight. It should all start with defense. This total looks a tad high already, but with the two bad losses we think coach Stevens will have his team really give max effort on the defensive side of the ball. Boston has covered in three of the last four meetings and the under has hit in two of the last three.

Atlanta is a lousy team but they are not on the bottom tier and this team is pretty competitive compared to some of the NBA’s bottom feeders. The Timberwolves have not covered in the last three meetings in this series. Minnesota has been hot lately, but that has just made them overvalued. But the fact is that this team stinks on the road (9-21 record) and we think the Hawks could possibly pull off the upset tonight.

Toronto is the fourth-worst betting team in the NBA this season. That is because the oddsmakers post too-high lines for them on a nightly basis and they cooled down big time after their hot start to the season. We are many times looking for spots to go against them. We think that this is one of them. Boston sits No. 5 in the east as of Tuesday. This team, however, is talented, playoff tested, and well-coached. They are going to move up in the standings as we head to the postseason and in our minds are the team to beat once the playoffs get here. We like to take a good team off an embarrassing loss, and that is certainly the case with Boston after losing in Chicago last time out. They have had two nights off after that game so they should be rested and focused. The Celtics covered at the Bucks and at Philly in their last five games, and we think they will be focused tonight against another EC power.

10-Unit Play #565 Take Golden State -8.5 over Charlotte (7 p.m. EST, Mon. Feb 25)

The Warriors are one of the worst betting teams in the NBA this season and they have been particularly bad recently. This team is always overrated by the oddsmakers and they don’t give 100% every night just because the regular season isn’t that important to this team and they don’t have to give full effort to win since this team is so talented. We have made a lot of money going against this team this season. However, there will be certain spots where this team will be motivated, and we think this will be one of them. The Warriors have lost two of three and they are coming off a loss to the Rockets. They will probably take it out on poor Charlotte tonight as losing three of four would be an official slump so we think this team will flex its muscles a little here. If this team is really motivated they can beat the Hornets by 20, even on the road. This team has covered in only one of their last nine games. This is a rare GSW game where you don’t have to lay double digits, however, and we think this motivated squad will put their best foot forward tonight. 

Both teams played last night so no b-2-b advantage for either team. The Pacers are the better squad and they have been a covering machine since losing Oladipo for the season and this is still a very good team and they are underestimated by the oddsmakers. Last night the Pacers looked great in a comeback vs. New Orleans while the Wizards fell flat at Charlotte, both games we cashed on. Two teams going in different directions here tonight.

The Hornets are starting a homestand that will be very important to their playoff hopes. We think they start off with a strong win against a Wizards team that is going nowhere. The Hornets are on a three-game winning streak in this series at home. The home team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings. We think the Hornets are a much better team and they have all the motivation here on Friday.

New Orleans has been held to 90 or fewer points in two of their last three games before the break. Now they face the best defensive team in the NBA, and we just don’t see this one as being a shootout. The Pacers are really upping their defensive intensity since Oladipo went down, and of course their offense misses his scoring. But this is still a very good team in our eyes, and the oddsmakers keep punishing the Pacers too much for the loss of their best player as we think there is value in this line. And the Pacers covered five of seven before the break. The under is 22-8 in Pacers home games this season, one of the strongest betting trends in the NBA this season and one the oddsmakers haven’t adjusted to because no one is betting unders. But we have been making lots of profits off this trend!

Some teams feel they really will need to turn it on after the break. Golden State is not one of those teams, in our opinion. This team doesn’t care about the regular season, and they can give half effort and still win. In our opinion this is a Top 3 team in NBA history, But that doesn’t mean they are a good bet. They are the fourth-worst betting team this season. They have covered only one of their last seven overall. Sacramento has covered in three straight meetings and in six of the last eight, and we see this as another inflated line on Thursday.

Boston has been a big underachiever this season. But for some reason we still think this team is going to be the top dog in the East when all is said and done. We think at this point after the All-Star Break is when they will come on strong and get in playoff mode. If the Celtics were a stock we would buy right now. This is a very talented roster and the best coach in the NBA, and they will find a way to have success. We loved what we saw from this team before the break, and we think they will compete with a chance to win this one tonight.

We think after the All-Star break that the best teams in the East will really start to flex their muscles. Philly is rested and even though Embiid is out here this team still has a stacked lineup. They are rested so there should be no problems with the rotation, and this Sixers team is almost unbeatable at home. We think the bookies are penalizing this team too much for Embiid with this line, and we think this one has a decent chance to be a double-digit win.

These are two of the worst teams in the NBA. But we think the Suns have a brighter future with some talented youngsters, and we think they are a team that will want to have a strong finish to the season and build momentum for next season while the Cavs are tanking and their future just isn’t as bright. We think the Suns are a slightly better team and we think this line is more than fair as we had them at -2.5 and we think they will get the road win here.

Sometimes handicapping the NBA means looking into psychology more than numbers crunching. And we don’t think the Warriors head is in the game now. This team has been one of the worst bets in the NBA over the course of the last couple seasons. Their lines are always inflated because of public betting. They only care about the postseason because the one season they wanted the regular-season wins record is the year they lost the finals. All they care about is heading into the postseason with a good state of mind and healthy. They have streaks where they flex their muscles, and they have come off one like that, but they have now failed to cover in four of their last five. This team is one to fade until at least after the all-star break.

The Celtics have received a lot of bad press lately because they have struggled on the court and the Sixers did well at the Trade Deadline so they have gotten some good press. That has skewed the line in this game. We think this number should be around 4, and the Celtics should be very motivated here in this matchup. Boston has won and covered in six of the last seven meetings in this series, and they come in with two days rest after that very embarrassing loss to the Clippers where they blew a big lead. We think that they put their best foot forward here tonight.

The Spurs have lost four straight and they haven’t looked good doing it. But they have played all four games on the road and they have played an incredibly tough schedule, with their last three games against the Jazz, Blazers and Warriors. But this is a “get right” game for them and the Grizzlies are a bad team. They have won three of four, but those came against some pretty lousy opponents. San Antonio needs to stop the bleeding, and they have no choice but to give their best effort here tonight.

The Suns put together a competitive game every few games or so, and last time out they played well in a cover vs. the Warriors. Now they are in a letdown spot against a Kings team that won’t get the Suns too excited like the defending champs did. Despite some very generous lines from the oddsmakers, this team has covered only three of their last nine games. And despite generous numbers from the bookies all season, this team is in the Bottom 5 ATS teams this season. The Kings are playing well and have won four of five. They are proving they belong in the playoff picture when former Kings teams would have started folding by now. They have played exceptionally well at home, where they have won and covered in seven of their last eight overall, and that slate included some very solid teams. Sacramento is the third-best ATS team this season. And they are a very impressive 7-1 at home against sub-.500 clubs. They are 14-4 ATS overall against bad teams, and they normally take care of business against bad clubs, especially at home, where they have covered nine of 10 overall.

We think that this line is a couple points too short tonight. Atlanta has played much better than expected this season but the Hornets are a much better ballclub, and they should be able to win this one comfortably. The Hornets come in off two straight losses, to much better teams, so they won’t take this game for granted tonight. They have covered in five of the last seven matchups in this series, so they match up well here. Atlanta is 2-8 ATS at home against teams that have a sub-.500 record, so they normally underwhelm in situations like this. The Hornets are just a game up in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and they need to win games like this to keep their playoff standing. This is the easiest game of their current four-game road trip. This team isn’t very good on the road. But they know they need to beat bad opponents like this on the road, and we think they will put their best foot forward tonight.

We normally don’t like laying this many points. But we think this situation warrants it. The Pacers have been fine without Oladipo and they actually seem to be playing better. At least the offense has been on point. They have scored 136 and 116 in their last two games. They have won four straight and covered in three of four. This team seems intent to show they are still a strong team despite the loss of their best player, and they have an opponent tonight that they can easily blow out. Cleveland is coming in on a back-to-back and we just don’t think they can keep up on the scoreboard with the Pacers if they continue to score the basketball like this.

The Mavs have traded a bunch of starters over the trade deadline. This team will be fine in the short term and probably really good by next year. But in the very short term this team is in for some rough patches. They have to fit these new players in the lineup and tinker around with rotations. The Bucks are a bad team to try these experiments out on. The Bucks have won 11 of their last 12 games and they are playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. And this team is not only winning but also covering lines. They are 8-3-1 ATS during this current surge. They put up 148 points last time out against the Wizards, and an offense can’t be running much better than this one is right now. Dallas has been one of the best betting teams this season and they have been covering a lot of lines lately also. But the trade deadline changed the makeup of this team and it might take a few games to figure things out. And Doncic is questionable tonight for Dallas. If he is not at 100% that hurts this team a lot. We think there’s a great chance for a double-digit win here for the road team.

The Clippers are a team we have used plenty this season and they have been one of the better ATS teams in the league. But with the trade deadline moves this team made it’s clear they are tanking on this season now. They sent Harris, their best player, and a couple glue guys, to the Sixers for mostly draft picks. Management sent a clear message to the players that this is a lost season, and what was one of the deepest benches in the NBA has been gutted a bit. The Clips are in the midst of a long road trip and we just don’t see the players rising up to play hard in this one. They needed big comebacks to beat Detroit and Charlotte recently and they should have never been in that big of a hole to begin with. They played a real lackluster game on Sunday in Toronto. Indiana seems to be adapting well to life after Oladipo and they have won three straight entering this game. They played one of their best games of the season last time out vs. the Lakers, and we think they come into this game very confident and we see this as a potential double-digit win for the home team.

The Mavs are by far the best betting team this season at 32-19-1, and they don’t really move the needle with the general betting public due to the lack of big names on the roster. But this team has been easy to trust this season, and we will back them again here Wednesday. These teams played last month in Charlotte and the Mavs recorded one of the biggest blowouts on the NBA season, and we know they match up well in this contest. Dallas comes into this one with three nights rest and the Hornets played last night so they enter on a back-to-back. They looked awful in the second half in giving back a big lead to the Clippers, and we think they will have a hangover effect here. Dallas is 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven and the oddsmakers just keep posting value lines with this team. We will take advantage again tonight.

Miami has been playing very strong defense lately, and we think they will slow the game down here. And with a lower-scoring game, that makes the points more valuable with the underdog. This is the first game of a long road trip for the Heat, and we think they do their best to get off to a strong start on the trip. The Heat haven’t been playing as well as they are capable of, but as they have dropped down in the playoff picture they know they need to have a solid road trip. We think they put their best foot forward tonight with a strong defensive effort.

Toronto is the better team in this matchup and we think they are getting too many points tonight. We had this game as a pick, and we think the road team has a great chance for the outright win. We think revenge is an overrated NBA handicapping angle, but we also have no doubt the Raptors remember the beatdown they suffered here in December. They also lost to Boston last time they played, so this game is important for EC supremacy. We think the better team will rise to the challenge tonight.

We had the Clips last time out as a big dog in Toronto on Sunday and they lost big on the second end of a back-to-back. That turned out to be a bad spot for them. But this team is playing well overall and we think they bounce back tonight. They are a much better overall team that the Hornets, and they have won and covered five of the last seven meetings in this series. We expect a strong effort from the visitors tonight.

The Pacers have covered just one of their last seven games overall. This team really missed Oladipo, who was the heart and soul of this club. The Lakers are trending up with LeBron back and this is the time for this team to make a playoff push. Plus, the Pacers are on a back-to-back here while the Lakers have had two nights off since their matchup with the Warriors. At this point in the season that extra rest is crucial.

The Suns have a long losing streak going, so they will want to end that and they should be focused. This game comes after big games for Houston as they played at Denver and at Utah in their last two matchups. They gave a lot in those games, and we think this will be a letdown spot. They can beat the Suns without giving full effort, and this line looks shaded to us as the bookies added a couple points to this number. Bettors just don’t want to take the Suns these days. But Phoenix is getting healthy and they have a nice young core. We think they keep this one close.

Detroit has covered in three of the last four meetings, and we like the dog again here tonight. Detroit has just as many wins at home as the Nuggets do on the road. Denver is the better team, but they don’t play as well on the road as they do at home. We feel this is a public line tonight and we think the home team has a great chance to challenge for the straight up win.

The Clippers are being punished too much for the back-to-back here. We think that they can handle it. This team is 5-4 ATS on the second end of a back-to-back, so they are better than average in this situation. This squad is all about team basketball and they normally put in a full team effort. They sure did on Saturday as they mounted a huge comeback at Detroit. That just shows that this team never gives up. They don’t have any household names on the roster, but there is a lot of talent here. These players play unselfishly and they seem to like playing together and are well coached. We think they will keep this one close on Sunday. The Raptors have been awful when laying big points. They are 7-12 ATS this season when laying nine or more points. They have been overrated by the oddsmakers all season and are one of the worst betting teams in the NBA after their hot start. This team came back down to earth a bit but the oddsmakers never adjusted. The Clippers haven’t been big dogs like this often, but they are 2-0 ATS this season when getting 8 or more points. Toronto has failed to cover in three straight games and in six of their last nine. Besides that head-scratcher vs. Atlanta the Clippers have been playing very well. And in the tough Western Conference they need every game badly. Not sure they can win this outright, but we expect a close game here and this is too many points!

Philly had their biggest win of the year last time out, beating the Warriors in the Bay Area. But that makes this a big letdown spot, and the Kings are a very underrated team. The Sixers are a very mediocre team on the road this season. This is the classic sandwich game for the Sixers as it comes between the Warriors matchup and their next matchup as they host Toronto in a big EC matchup. We don’t see them giving their best effort tonight. Sacramento has won and covered both of the last two matchups, and we see the same result tonight.

The Hawks have not covered in six straight meetings in this series (one push). The Suns are getting healthy and they have more upside than the Hawks as they have a nice young core that is building to the future while the Hawks are more at the start of their rebuild. Phoenix has played a brutal schedule lately but we think they will put their best foot forward tonight in a very winnable game. Lay the points here on Saturday night.

These teams met in LA about two weeks ago and the Warriors delivered a beatdown by almost 20 points. LeBron was out, of course, in that one, but the Lakers shot 50% from the floor and could not even come close to Golden State, who is in top form right now. LeBron is back, but he is still integrating himself into the lineup and he is not 100% healthy by his own admission. The Warriors have been playing flawless basketball lately, but they hit a speedbump last time in a home loss to Philly. We will give them a mulligan on that one and we expect to come out fired up in that one. Judging by the last time these teams met, the Lakers bring out the best in the Warriors kind of like the Clippers used to when Paul and Griffin were on the team. And even if they are up big they will still play hard and keep trying to run up the score. All signs point to a blowout in this one.

Charlotte, like many teams in the NBA, is much better at home than on the road. They have played a road-heavy schedule lately, and the results have been predictable, so bettor confidence is down with this team. But they are home tonight where they are 17-8 and have a winning ATS record as well (Memphis is 8-18 SU and 10-16 ATS on the road). This team won in Memphis about a week ago by 11, and we think there is a great chance this one is a double-digit win again tonight. We always say revenge is an overrated factor in NBA handicapping. Memphis has a ton of issues now and their best two players, and anyone on the roster really, could be on the way out of town any day now. They aren’t foaming at the mouth for revenge against the Hornets, and that is just one of many losses for this team recently. We think the Hornets will be extra motivated after getting beat down in Boston last time out.

The Spurs won last time out, but that game was at home against the Suns and they needed a buzzer beater to get the win. After the game Coach Pop ripped the team a new one in his presser. With some coaches in the league that might not be a big deal. But with Pop and how well respected he is we think the players will respond tonight. He criticized the team’s lack of defense, and we think they will step in up in that area tonight. The Under is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings in San Antonio.

We had the Mavs last night at the Knicks, and they scored a rare road win and scored us a winning ticket. But now this team is on a back-to-back, and the fact is that they have only five wins on the road after last night. They are also 1-7 in back-to-backs this season, so this team is no good without rest. The Pistons have their issues, but they are well rested here. And this is also a revenge spot since these teams played on Friday in a hard-fought game on both sides where the Pistons lost by 5. We think they get payback tonight.

We expect playoff intensity in this game, and we think it will be a defensive battle. Five straight meetings have gone under the posted total, and we think this number is too high as well. We think that the Jazz will try and control the pace here and we see both teams locking down on defense, especially in the fourth quarter if the game is close. But in the end we think this total is about 4-5 points too high and we think the home team pulls away late to win this one.

The Kings have won and covered three of the last four meetings. The Kings are the much better team here, and we think that this line is short. Sacramento has cooled off after a very hot start to the season. But this team plays in the much tougher Western Conference, and they face tough opponents night in and night out. They are coming off a tough road trip that had mixed results, but we expect them to take care of business tonight in this very winnable home game. Great chance for a double-digit win tonight.

The Pelicans gave everything they had last night in a win at Houston, and we think they left it all on the court last night. We think their tank will be empty tonight and expect the Nuggets to roll to a double-digit win. This team circled the wagons last night with a depleted roster and the Anthony Davis trade rumors. We don’t see any way they can replicate that effort here tonight. New Orleans is 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS in the second half of a back-to-back, and we think that trend continues tonight as the fresh Nuggets roll.

Dallas has been really bad on the road. They have only four wins away from home. However, this team toils in the Western Conference where many road games are much tougher than this one. But New York has the same amount of wins at home that the Mavs have on the road. Dallas is the much superior team and we expect them to win this game convincingly. The Knicks are just 8-13 ATS at home despite very generous lines from the oddsmakers, and Dallas, despite their poor road record, covers half their games on the road.

This Cleveland team is bad, but there is no reason that the Wizards should be laying this many points on the road. This is flat out too many points for a Washington team, while playing better since Wall went down with injury, is just not very good. The Wizards are just 4-9 ATS on the road against sub-.500 teams this season. They normally play down to their level of competition. We expect a close game here.

The Magic are a more competitive team than most people think. They are facing a very public line tonight. The Magic have actually covered in six of the last four matchups between these teams. They won three of the last four outright, and the one loss was in OT. Orlando has covered three of their last four overall so they are playing above oddsmakers current expectations. We think they come to play tonight with a chance to win this one outright.

We are surprised by this line as we expected a number in the 8-9 range. Nice value here as well. The Clippers are being punished too much for this back-to-back and they are 5-3 ATS in the second of a back-to-back this season. They will be fine with no rest. This is a very well-rounded team and they play great team basketball, so if one player is having a down night there will likely be someone else to step up. The Clips are trending upwards as they have won and covered three straight and four of five. The Hawks haven’t bee covering many games despite very generous numbers from the bookies. The Clips can’t afford to overlook a game like this so we think they put their best foot forward and take care of business tonight.

The Thunder are playing very well right now and are on a four-game winning streak entering this game. We expect them to extend that tonight, and we had the Thunder as a slight favorite in this game. We think the wrong team is favored here. OKC has had two nights off heading into this one, and that extra day of rest is crucial here at this juncture of the season. The Bucks enter on a winning streak of their own, but they have had a very easy schedule lately. This is by far the toughest game during this current streak. OKC is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings, and we just think this line is a very public line since the Bucks are oddsmaker darlings this season. We think OKC has a good chance to win this one comfortably.

Oladipo suffered a bad injury lately and is out for the season. We expect his team to step up in his absence. This has been a strong team environment all season. The loss of their best player hurts for sure, but this team is still strong, and we should get some value lines with them in the near future. Memphis has all sorts of problems right now, mainly as two of their three best players could be on their way out of town. Indiana is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and we expect them to hold Memphis to a real low score tonight.

The Clippers have struggled lately against a tough schedule and this team is now on the verge of being out of the playoff picture. But this team is trending back upwards and they have been one of the better bets in the NBA most of the season. They have won and covered two of three, and they can’t afford to overlook this Bulls team tonight. Past versions of the Clippers might do just that, but this team seems better suited to win these types of games despite lacking the overall talent of the Clippers with the Big 3 on the roster.

Brooklyn has been playing well and this team has made us some nice profits this season. But they are great in the underdog role but now the public is catching on and they are nearly a double-digit favorite here. We just don’t think they are ready to lay that many points as this is still a mediocre team. And while the Nets are the more talented team by far, this is a big regional rivalry so there’s a good chance the Knicks will put their best foot forward and be competitive.

The Cavs are one of the worst teams in the NBA but this line is just ridiculous and we have to take a stab at the underdog here. The Heat have lost six of their last nine and enter on a two-game slide. Just no way they should be favored on the road by this much against any NBA team. We are pretty sure most NBA players are aware of the spreads for their games, and if the Cavs have any pride they will take that as a big disrespect and play hard in a very winnable game.

It is becoming evident that the Wizards are a better team without John Wall. The last couple years when he has been out for extended periods they played better basketball, and that has been the case again this year. They have played really well on this homestand, winning four of five, with the only loss coming to Toronto in overtime. They were blow out early in the season on the road against the Warriors, and every team wants to play well against the defending champs at least once, so we think they give a much better effort here. The Warriors have really been rolling lately, and they have been covering some spreads, which is something they have struggled to do the last couple seasons with inflated spreads. This has been one of the worst betting teams in the NBA the last couple seasons. And the lines are quick to get big again, which is the case tonight, since public bettors will take the Warriors no matter the number. This team has won eight straight entering this game. But they don’t care about streaks whatsoever. They are just treating this as another game. They are probably due for a letdown game, and with the Celtics coming up next in the marquee game on Saturday, this team could be caught looking ahead to the next game.

Denver has been the better team this season. But on paper Utah is just as good, and they are at home here. We just think that this number is short tonight and that there is nice value here. Utah had won six straight before losing last time out against Portland, but they are playing better now after a slow start to the season. This is the point of the season when top playoff contenders that started slow start to play better, and we think this number has value tonight.

These are two of the worst teams in the NBA, but the Bulls are much worse than the Hawks. Atlanta has more wins on the road than the Bulls have at home. The Hawks have been pretty competitive lately as they have wins vs. OKC and at Philly. We had the Hawks listed as a slight favorite in this matchup and we think they have a great chance to win this game. The Bulls are coming off a rare win over the Cavs, but this team has been awful lately and the Hawks have at least been playing with pride on a more regular basis.

The Hornets don’t win much on the road, but they have a great chance to win this one tonight. Gasol and Conley, the Grizzlies best two players, are on the trade market. This team is heading into a massive rebuild and the team just doesn’t have a lot of motivation to play well. They have lost six straight heading into this game, and they covered only one of those games despite some very generous lines. The Hornets come into this one having won three of their last four games, and they have won and covered in all of the last three meetings.

Brooklyn has covered in five straight meetings between these teams, winning four of those games outright. This team is playing with a lot of confidence right now as they have won and covered in four straight games. This team has some very nice talent and they are one of the nicer surprises in the NBA this season, yet they remain under the betting radar for most gamblers. Sometimes teams like this do well as an underdog but fail for bettors as a favorite, but this team is 8-4 ATS as a favorite this season and we think they get the job done again tonight.

Portland has a strong history in this series, they are in fine form right now, and they are one of the better betting teams in the NBA this season. This seems like too many points in a game where the Blazers can threaten for the straight up win. Portland has won six of the last seven meetings between these teams. The one where they didn’t was earlier this month in a two-point loss at home. Portland enters on a three-game winning streak and they have covered six of their last seven overall. They are playing very confident basketball right now and unless they just have an off night we just don’t see any way this won’t be a close game. These teams match up well. Both teams are coming in on a back-to-back but the Thunder had to travel from NY compared to Utah for Portland and that is a much easier travel schedule. We think there are a lot of factors that point to the road team tonight, and this also seems like an inflated spread.

We just think that this is too many points for the Mavs to be getting here on the holiday. Both teams are amongst the top betting teams ATS this season, but this line is just too large. This is one of the biggest numbers the Mavs have faced this season, and they are a perfect 2-0 ATS when getting double digit points. You have to go all the way back to 2014 as to when the Bucks covered a game in this series, and Dallas is 8-1-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

We think the Hornets are way overrated coming into this game. This team has low morale after a bad road trip. The Suns played very well last time out and gave Toronto all they could handle. Phoenix did very well ATS a few weeks ago as they had a nice streak and with Booker back they could have value against the betting line. This looks like too many points tonight.

New Orleans has been pretty inconsistent and we think the Blazers are more trustworthy tonight than the Pelicans are. Portland has lost two of three but this team has been flawless at home lately and we expect them to take care of business tonight. New Orleans is coming off their big game against the Warriors where they collapsed late, and we think there will be some lingering issues from that game. The future is uncertain for this Pelicans club, and they don’t give max effort every night, especially on the road where they are 6-18 SU on the season. We expect the Blazers to come out and win this one comfortably by 6-7 points.