Sports Picks & Predictions

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

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

Denver has had some success against the Warriors. Golden State has only one cover in the last five meetings (one push). Denver has even won two of those meetings straight up. We had Golden State last night at the Kings and we were very lucky to get the cover. The Warriors did not play that well in the game, and Sacramento more or less imploded at the end of the game more than the Warriors taking control and dominating. This team looks tired and Coach Steve Kerr admitted as much after the game last night and said his team is physically and mentally exhausted and they are limping towards the All-Star Break. Well, Denver is not a good place to play a back-to-back in that mental and physical state as the high altitude can be tough even on fresh teams. Denver was off last night, they have been home for the better part of two weeks and they will be motivated to play the Warriors as teams are on a nightly basis. They have been playing very well and nearly beat the Spurs in San Antonio two games ago and they scored a momentum-building win over OKC on Thursday here at home. We think this will be a close game and it would not surprise us if Denver pulled off the straight up win.

A motivated Warriors team is a good one to bet on and this team should be uber-motivated tonight. They had an off game when these teams met last week, in the Bay Area no less, and the Kings pulled the shocking upset. Then the Warriors went out and played their worst game of the season last time out in losing by 30 in Utah. Coach Steve Kerr ripped his team after the game and we are sure they will respond tonight. In these dog days of the NBA season even the best teams can have a lapse but it makes sense to think that they will put their best effort forward here tonight.

The Pelicans were off last night. The Thunder played in the high altitude of Denver and had all sorts of drama with a last-second shot that caused them to lose the game that maybe shouldn’t have counted as well as Russell Westbrook shoving a fan that came on the court after the game. No word yet on whether a suspension will be coming, but of course if that happens that can only help our pick here. This Thunder team is 10-21 ATS when being favored by four or more points this season and this team is just awful as a favorite. The Pelicans have lost two straight but they are the more rested team and we expect them to be boosted by the trade for Mirotic, who should be available to play here tonight.

The Hornets have a strong recent betting history in this series at home as they have covered in all of the last six meetings. We think revenge is an overrated handicapping aspect but it does come into play when teams have recently met, and that is the case here as Indiana scored a big win at home over the Hornets on Monday. But the Pacers are much better at home (18-10) than they are on the road (11-13) and the Hornets are much better at home as well (they are a horrible 7-15 in road games). This is a lone road game for Indiana sandwiched between two homestands and we think this is a bad spot for the visitors tonight.

The Spurs are 22-4 at home this season. Getting points with them at home? We will bite. Houston is the better team right now but they have some key players questionable here for this one and we think that the Spurs can win this game. They got blown out in Houston last month and they will play much better here at home. They may be without Leonard but he has been out most of the season and they have still played very well at home. It’s the system here in San Antonio, not just one player, and we expect the Spurs to notch another home win here tonight.

The Bucks have been playing well but they have had a pretty easy overall schedule and we think they are in deep tonight. Minnesota has had a very tough and road-heavy schedule lately but we think they will start to play better back here at home. There is a lot of attention on this city right now since the Super Bowl is in town this weekend and the home team will not want to embarrass themselves and we think they give extra effort here tonight and in Saturday’s game vs. New Orleans.

The Grizzlies have covered seven of their last nine games and they are getting too many points once again here on Thursday. Blake Griffin should be joining the Pistons tonight in his first game on the court for Detroit but he is not going to fit in seamlessly right away and it will be a work in progress with him to mesh with his teammates and the Pistons gave away some of their good players to the Clippers in that trade so they way be worse for the wear until he starts to gel with the team. This Detroit team got a big win last time out vs. the Cavs, but that team is flawed but otherwise the Pistons have lost eight of their last nine and this team should not be favored by this many points until we can see that Griffin is the solution to their problems.

The Bulls seem to be in full tank mode again as they have lost four straight. Two of their last three losses were by double-digits, and we think this could be another 10+ point win tonight for the home team. The Blazers come in on the second end of a back-to-back after winning at the Clippers Tuesday but this team has traditionally been good on the second end of these back-to-backs and they are playing very well right now. They have won six of their last seven and they are covering lines too. We think they are underrated again in this spot and we expect them to score a comfortable win.

Boston isn’t in top form right now and they are laying too many points tonight in this one. This is the first game back home after a tough four-game road trip for Boston and often these first games back home don’t go as well as planned for the home team as players have other business to attend to and their minds might not be fully in the game. They have had a very busy schedule lately, too, so they are probably tired. The Knicks are on the second of a back-to-back but they had three nights off before the Brooklyn win last night so they should be fine here.

We think the Hornets are a talented team that has underachieved but the Hawks are flat out bad. We think this is a great chance for Charlotte to get a rare road win. These teams met on Friday in Charlotte and the Hornets cruised to an 11-point win. That was their fifth cover in the last six meetings. We think revenge is an overrated handicapping factor and the Hawks are just not good enough to get revenge and if they were hungry for revenge they would be mad at most of the league. We expect another easy win for the Hornets here.

The Clippers traded away Blake Griffin last night and things will also get worse for this team before they get better. This move came as a surprise for almost everyone and the rest of the Clippers players have to be scratching their heads and wondering if they are getting shipped out of town themselves. Even Coach Doc Rivers name has been mentioned to get canned. This does not set up well for them to host Portland tonight. The Blazers are hot, having won five of six, and they are playing with confidence. They will want to take advantage of their rival when in a state of flux. The new additions from the Pistons will likely not be available tonight for the home team and we think they will be a bit shell-shocked and we expect them to lose bad here and to regroup after this game.

Denver has lost 10 straight games in San Antonio and they have a good chance to get that monkey off their back last night as this Spurs team is just not the same with Leonard out of the lineup. These teams played earlier this month with Leonard in the lineup and the Spurs won by 30+ but with Leonard out and the Nuggets surely anxious to put that embarrassment behind them we expect a much better effort from the Nuggets tonight.  

The Pistons have lost eight straight and they are for sure in panic mode after giving up a lot of their movable assets to trade for Blake Griffin from the Clippers. He won’t be available tonight and things will probably get worse here before they get better. The Pistons gave up two of their better players for Griffin so they will be shorthanded tonight. And this is also a big distraction since it happened the night before they play a Cleveland team that is also desperate for wins. These teams played a couple nights ago and Cleveland scored a blowout win at home and we expect the same result here tonight as this has the makings of a double-digit win for the road team that has suddenly been playing a lot better the last two games.

The Nets have failed to cover in their last two games, but this is still the No. 2 ATS team in the league. We had them last time out getting a big number at Minnesota and even though they were injured they played well in the second half after going down huge early. They are more healthy tonight and we think that they are getting too many points here. Brooklyn is 16-9 ATS away from home and 6-3 ATS away against sub-.500 teams. We think that this is definitely a game the Nets can win straight out.

John Wall is out for an extended period but we think that the team will step up tonight in his absence. The Wizards have revenge for the game five nights ago in OKC where the Thunder scored a nine-point win. The total went way over in that one and that should be the case tonight even without Wall. The Wizards have a knack for getting up to play top competition and with the revenge factor we expect a much better game from them. The over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings. We expect a close game here and it should be very high scoring.

Denver has one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA and they are catching the Celtics in a good spot on the last game of their tough four-game road trip and coming off their very tough game against the Warriors. Boston has lost five of their last six games and they have not been in good form. Denver has won three straight, all at home, and we thought that this line should be about 3.5 but of course Boston is the more public team so the bookies have to keep this number low since they know the public will bet the Cs here.

The Heat are the much stronger team in this matchup and we think they are laying too small of a number tonight. Miami has covered in six of the last eight meetings and they should have no problems here as the Mavs have not been playing well, having lost six of their last seven games. They are also at a severe rest disadvantage. While both teams were off Sunday, this will be the third game in four nights for Dallas and we think they are in a tough position tonight against a team that has dominated them the past few years.

Brooklyn is one of the top NBA teams in the league this season against the spread. They have been especially good as an underdog. This team is 16-5 ATS this season when they are getting six or more points as an underdog. That is the type of team that you can trust when getting double digits because you know they will play hard most nights and that they are underestimated by the bookies. The Nets got blown out last night at Milwaukee but this team is 6-3 ATS on the second end of a back-to-back. The Wolves could be without Jimmy Butler tonight as he is listed as questionable but even if he does play he’s probably not going to be anywhere near 100%. Brooklyn is 16-8 ATS on the road this season and 9-4 ATS on the road against winning teams. They already beat the Wolves earlier this month in Brooklyn and we think they will keep this game close tonight.

Both teams are banged up but the Spurs have compiled a 20-3 record at home and we think that they will win this one handily tonight. This team is back on track with blowout wins in their last two games and despite their injuries that have good coaching in place and a great system and we think that they should be favored by a few more here against a Sixers team that has been very average on the road this season.

The Clippers have been streaky. They won six straight and now they have dropped three in a row. But they have a good chance tonight against a banged-up Grizzlies squad. Memphis is going to have a thin rotation tonight no matter what as they have a lot of key players questionable and the Clippers are relatively healthy coming into this game off rest. Memphis’ defense hasn’t been great lately and the Clippers have been very good offensively and we don’t see the Grizzlies slowing them down tonight as we expect LA to win big here.

When the Lakers win a few games they become overvalued and that is the case here tonight as LA enters having won seven of their last nine games. However, this team has played a home-heavy schedule during that time but we don’t think this squad is that good. They are only 6-15 on the road this season and they have lost two straight away from Staples Center. The Bulls have been strong after a slow start and they are one of the best ATS teams in the league. We feel they will score a comfortable victory tonight at home.

We have been going against the Cavs quite a bit this season with good success but we think that this is a game they will actually care about and play their best. These teams have already played three times this season and the Pacers have won all three games. The Cavs need to step up here and we expect them to play their best game in awhile to avoid the sweep. Cleveland has played a really tough schedule lately but things get a bit easier starting here and we think they come out with a big game tonight just like the Cavs we have been used to. Cleveland should win this one by double digits.

Denver has covered in five of the last six meetings. New York is on the second to last game of a seven-game road trip and they have to be ready to head home and the tough altitude of Denver is not the best place to play when you are in this state of mind and fatigued from life on the road. The Knicks are a very poor road team at 6-18 on the season and Denver is one of the better home teams in the league. The road continues to be a struggle for the Knicks tonight and we think this game could be a blowout.

The Wizards have been slumping but this team normally lowers itself to the level of competition but on the flip side they have been great in this spot they are in tonight as they are 7-2 ATS when on the road against above-.500 teams. They are normally their best when playing top competition. OKC, on the other hand, is just 4-9 ATS at home against winning teams. We like to back strong teams off a bad loss and the Wizards certainly qualify here after a listless effort in Dallas last time out saw them run out of the building in a 23-point blowout. These guys will play better tonight. OKC has won five straight but at Cleveland was the only quality win there and the Cavs are just a mess right now. We expect a close game and might throw a couple bucks on the Wizards moneyline here.

The Suns are playing hard on a nightly basis and they have covered three straight games. We think that this matchup will be competitive as well here on Wednesday. The Pacers are in a bad spot tonight. This lone home game comes after a long road trip. The first game home after a long trip is always tough for the home squad as sometimes players have their minds elsewhere as they have personal business to attend to and this scheduling spot is particularly quirky as the Pacers are coming off their big win over the Spurs and they head back on the road next time out to play at Cleveland and we think their minds will be elsewhere against this Western Conference bottom feeder.

We expect a close, low-scoring game here and we have to go with the underdog in this contest, which we think is basically a coin flip. The Pistons are in a freefall as they have lost five straight and this team is not playing well after a strong start. Utah hasn’t been good on the road but this team is getting healthy and we think their road results will start to even out. The Jazz won and covered in both meetings last season, and both were low scoring. We expect those trends to continue, and in fact the under has cashed in five straight meetings between these clubs.

We would lean Charlotte in this game anyways, but New Orleans is in a real bad spot here after their 2-OT barnburner last time out at Chicago. All the starters played massive minutes in that one and even though the Pelicans had the night off on Tuesday we expect heavy legs for the visiting team tonight. In fact, the Pelicans have played in three OT games in the last week and that is a lot of extra work during the grueling NBA season. Both teams are playing well lately. But the Hornets are 10-4 ATS as a small favorite this season and this is the type of game where they normally cash a ticket for backers.

Boston hasn’t been playing well and has lost their last three, all at home. But we like to take a good team after an embarrassing loss with the thought that they will play harder in their next game and this Celtics team certainly qualifies after an eight-point home loss to the Magic as double-digit favorites last time out. The Lakers have been playing better but this team has played a pretty soft schedule lately. The Celtics not only want to get back on track but this is a rivalry game from the heyday of the NBA and we have no doubt win or lose that Boston puts forth a strong effort tonight here on the road.

Brooklyn is the No. 2 ATS team in the NBA this season and this team continues to get very generous numbers from the bookies. They don’t win a lot of games but they play hard on a nightly basis and this team has some talent despite the lack of big names. This team is 19-7 ATS as a dog of four or more points and they are 8-4 ATS on the road against above-.500 teams. They are 15-7 ATS on the road this season. OKC has won four straight but the only legitimate opponent was the Cavs, and that team is a mess right now. Not sure if this Thunder team can be trusted yet, and we think getting double digits with Brooklyn is too good to pass up.

These teams have similar records but the Magic have had lots of injury issues and the Kings just flat out stink. Sacramento is in full tank mode right now and they are going to be resting regulars on a regular basis now and that is to ensure they get a high pick in the 2018 draft. They have lost eight straight and four of those games were by double digits. They also come in on a back-to-back while the Magic should be well rested as they have played just one game the last four nights and they had Monday off. Orlando has covered in five straight games and those included straight up wins against Boston and Minnesota and a one-point loss at Cleveland.

The Clippers have been getting a lot of buzz and press lately with their winning streak that vaulted them into the playoff discussion and included wins over the Rockets and Warriors. They also beat some bad teams during that winning streak and we think that Golden State and Houston had bad nights more than the Clippers dominating them. They came back to earth last time out in a blowout loss at Utah and now this Clippers team faces an even stronger club in the T-Wolves. The Clips have put in a real blue collar effort lately but tonight the talent on the court will shine through and we think the Wolves win this comfortably.

Denver has been a little shaky at home lately but you can’t argue with their 16-6 home record and this team has one of the better home-court advantages in the NBA with the high altitude. We like to back a good team after a bad loss and this Nuggets team lost to the Suns at home last time out and that pretty much guarantees that at least these guys will work harder tonight win or lose. The Blazers have lost three straight road games and Denver already blew the Blazers out of the building, in Portland no less, in the last meeting. We think they will match up well tonight.

Philly is much improved this season but this squad is still a mediocre road team and we think that they are laying too many points tonight. We had the Sixers handicapped as one-point favorites in this one and we think this is a game that the home team should win. The Grizzlies have won nine straight meetings in this series. Even though Philly is better this year and Memphis is down, that is still a long stretch of domination and we think the trend could continue tonight. The Grizzlies have won four straight at home and this team is playing well right now.

The Bucks have dropped four of five and they have not been playing well but they have had a very tough schedule and we were surprised this line was so low as we had this one at 7.5 and we think there is nice value here on the other side of the key NBA number of 7. Even with the Greek Freak out of the lineup this Bucks team is still much better than the Suns and they have covered in four of the last five meetings between these teams. We think that this game has a good chance to be a blowout and we like the home team tonight.

The Jazz are getting healthy again and we think that this is a team on the upswing. This team hasn’t been good on the road this season but they have won two of their last three on the road and this is a very winnable game for them tonight. They are playing with a lot of confidence right now after blowing out the Clippers last time out and ending their long winning streak and we think they use that positive momentum to notch a very comfortable win over one of the worst teams in the NBA here in Atlanta. Utah has blown out the Hawks in the last two meetings and that could happen again here tonight.

This Pacers road trip, which started off promising with wins at Phoenix and Utah, has quickly turned into a nightmare with double-digit losses in the last two games at Portland and LA Lakers. This will be their third game in four nights and then they have two nights off before they play Phoenix at home on Wednesday so we think that this is a spot where they may mail it in. Even if they don’t we think this game will be all Spurs tonight. The Spurs have played six of their last seven on the road and this team just isn’t good away from home this season but now they are back home tonight where they are 19-2 on the season and have one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA. They are 15-5-1 ATS here so not only do they win but they normally do it with authority. After dropping two of three on this most recent road trip the Spurs will be anxious to get back to their winning ways. And against a fatigued and road-weary Pacers team tonight that should be the perfect recipe for success.

The Raptors come in having won two straight while the Wolves have dropped two consecutive games. That means we are getting a nice line here tonight with the home team. We had this line handicapped at 5.5 so there is value here. Minnesota has covered in three of the last four meetings and we think this squad matches up well with the Raptors. Toronto has covered in only two of their last seven games so the oddsmakers obviously have this team a tad overrated right now. We think that the Wolves get back on the winning track in a big way tonight.

The Clippers have won six straight but only a couple of those wins were of the quality variety and we think this team’s bubble will burst eventually. And we think that will be the case tonight. The Jazz are coming in on a back-to-back after losing to the Knicks at home last night. But this team is young and they are 7-2 ATS in back-to-backs this season so we think that they will be fine here. Utah has Rudy Gobert back and he is their best player and this team was not the same without him. But they have covered in six of the last nine meetings in this series and we like the home team laying the small number here tonight.

Cleveland is dead last in the NBA in ATS rankings and once again they are being lined as if they are playing well. They aren’t. They are playing their worst basketball of the season right now and we had this game lined as a ‘pick’em’ so there is value here with the points. Cleveland has covered only one of their last 13 games. They barely squeaked by Orlando last time out in a game where oddsmakers expected a blowout. The bookies have it wrong with this team and we will continue to take advantage of bad lines.

The Knicks have a better record than Utah yet they are getting this many points? We’ll bite. The Jazz should not be laying this many points to any team right now as they have been bad for the last month+.  You can’t find a much stronger trend of domination in head-to-head matchups in the NBA as the Knicks are 22-4 ATS in the last 26 meetings between these teams. And since they play only twice a year, that trend stretches back for many years. We think the story will be the same tonight as we think this will be a close, hard-fought game. This one has a pretty low total and points could be hard to come by for both teams, and that makes the points with the underdog all the more valuable.

The Pacers are coming in on a back-to-back after a poor showing in Portland last night but they have a much better chance tonight against a banged-up LA Lakers squad. The Lakers have not won this season with rookie Lonzo Ball out of the lineup and that will be the case this evening. This team is already thin but with some key players likely missing this game that puts them in a real bad position tonight. The Pacers have won three of four despite the loss last night and we expect them to get back on the winning track tonight.

The Pistons were the feel-good story of the early NBA season but this team has come back to Earth and they are now just a game above .500 on the season. They have lost three straight entering this matchup. The Wizards have lost two straight, but we think this is the much better overall team and we thought they should be favored by around 3 in this game. We like to back a good team after an embarrassing loss and that is the case for the Wizards here as they were blown out in Charlotte last time out and we think they put in a much better effort here. They have won and covered in four of the last five meetings in this series.

The Nets are one of the best ATS teams in the NBA this season and they are getting healthy with D’Angelo Russell expected to return to the lineup tonight. They have lost six of seven against a very tough schedule and they will go all out to win this game tonight. The Heat have been playing extremely well. This team has been playing over its head, in our opinion, and they will come back to earth tonight. The Nets are 8-4 ATS at home against teams with a winning record and we might throw a few bucks on the moneyline here as well as we think the home team could very well win this one.

When the Spurs are getting this many points you have to pay attention. San Antonio has been lousy on the road for the most part but we think they are getting too many points tonight. There is no reason to think that this won’t be a close game. San Antonio has won four straight in this series and they have covered in seven of the last 10 meetings. Toronto has lost two of three so they aren’t in top form right now and we expect a hard-fought game on both sides tonight and we don’t see the Spurs getting run out of the building.

Portland’s defense has pretty much fallen apart and they have allowed 106+ in eight of their last nine games. During that stretch their games have gone over eight times. They have allowed 119 or more in three of their last four games. Of course the Blazers have lost three of four because you aren’t going to win a lot of games giving up that many points. We think the Pacers will put up a big number on offense tonight and we think that they have a great chance to win this game straight out. They are playing a more complete game right now and they have quietly won three straight and five of their last six.

Both teams are coming off a bad loss and will want to get back on track here. Houston is the better team, however, and even without James Harden they should be able to win this one comfortably. Minnesota lost last time out in Orlando and that is a much worse loss than the Rockets loss to the surging Clippers. Houston has had one more night off than the Magic to put that game behind them and we think they come out strong in this marquee matchup on Thursday. Remember, Minnesota is a mediocre 11-11 on the road this season.

This is a fade of the Clippers more than anything. They played their biggest game of the season on Monday as the Rockets and former teammate Chris Paul came to town and to say there were fireworks in that game would be an understatement. There were scuffles, skirmishes, a war of words, a Blake Griffin ejection and a visit to the Clippers lockeroom by Rockets players looking for a fight. The Clippers won that one and they have now won five straight. However, two of those wins were against the Kings and one against Atlanta, so there weren’t a lot of quality wins there, and the Rockets and Warriors had off nights when they played them. Even though the Nuggets are on a back-to-back here we think the big distractions that came from the Clippers last game will wear on them here.

The Kings have lost eight of nine and this team is just not playing well right now. Utah has been very lousy on the road but if this team wants to make a playoff push they need to start winning games like this, and we think they are the much better team in this matchup tonight. Utah has had an incredibly tough schedule lately littered with playoff-type teams and we think they will take advantage of this weak opponent to try and turn things around. They have a couple winnable home games coming up and this could be the start of an upswing for the Jazz.

Revenge is one of the more overrated handicapping aspects of the NBA, in our opinion, but we do think it comes into play when the teams have recently met and that is the case tonight as these teams played on Sunday and the Bucks got blown out in South Beach. That was an 18-point win for the Heat, which was no doubt embarrassing for a Bucks team that is supposed to be a force in the East this season. Milwaukee is a much better team at home and they caught the Heat during a surge in performance but now that Miami’s long winning streak ended in Chicago we expect more road woes for the visitors tonight.

Brooklyn is the No. 2 ATS team in the league so you always have to look at them when getting points at home. And that is the case tonight as the Spurs come to town. San Antonio is not a good road team this season at 10-14 on the year, yet the bookies keep posting big chalk lines in their road games since they know the public will bet on them, especially against a lousy team like Brooklyn. However, the Nets play hard nearly every night. They are 8-3 ATS at home against winning teams and this squad normally gets hyped to play the best of the best when they come to town.

The Wizards just completed a five-game homestand and they didn’t look very good in going 2-3 with their wins over Brooklyn (in OT) and Orlando. They have failed to cover the spread in any of their last six games. The Hornets are in better form right now with covers in four of their last six, and they are coming off an impressive blowout win in Detroit on Monday. Charlotte has won and covered the last two meetings at home in this series and we think they are a bit undervalued tonight.

Denver has slipped a bit at home lately but this team is still 15-5 at home this season and this is still one of the better home teams in the NBA with a great built-in home-court advantage. The Mavs have covered in only two of their last seven visits here and we like that this spread comes in under the key NBA number of 7 for the home squad. The last game for the Nuggets didn’t turn out well as they lost by 30+ in San Antonio. But we like to back a playoff-type team like Denver after a bad loss like that as they will want to put that game in the rearview mirror, and there isn’t a better way to do that than to beat up on a weak team at home where they have played so well this season.

The Timberwolves have won five straight but all those games were at home and they were against mostly teams that are struggling right now. This is the first road game in what will be seven of nine on the road. Minnesota is just 11-10 on the road this season so they are pretty average away from home. Orlando is not a very good team but this team has dealt with a lot of injuries this season and this team is finally getting more healthy. They have covered in three of the last four meetings, including one this season where they played the Wolves real tough in Minnesota. They lost that game by only six. Orlando has covered three of four overall and this team, now healthy, is being underestimated by the oddsmakers. They have had a real tough schedule lately so they aren’t going to be intimidated by the Wolves here at home. Orlando has covered in eight of the last 10 meetings and we think this is too many points tonight as we expect a close game.

The Sacramento Kings have been in a freefall lately and this team looks to be in full tank mode right now. They have lost their last four games by an average of 12 points and they didn’t even put up a fight last time out in a 21-point loss at the LA Clippers in a game where they did not play any defense. The results for the Thunder haven’t been great lately. They have been on the road a lot lately and they have played some tough opponents. This team hasn’t had a stretch yet this season where they played consistently good basketball. But after losing three of their last four this is a “get right” game for them and we have no doubt that they will take advantage of this lesser opponent to get back on track. OKC has been good at blowing out bad teams this season and they are 3-1 ATS when laying 11 or more points. Sacramento won the first meeting this season but we don’t think the Thunder will let that happen again and we think this one will be blowout city tonight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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