Sports Picks & Predictions

The Rockets haven’t covered in six games. This team is dealing with a bunch of injuries, and they don’t have any firepower tonight. The Sixers are coming off a game where they were beaten pretty good by the Jazz, and we think they will come out with their A Game here tonight. This one looks like a blowout. The Rockets have failed to cover in all but one game in the last eight meetings. We see Houston getting a real low team point total in this game, and we think this should be a very easy win for the home team.

If you follow our picks, you know we love to bet against the Lakers and rarely take them. But we think there is some value tonight. LA is coming off a bad loss to the Nuggets, one of their worst games of the year. They don’t want a repeat performance. A loss here would be bad as the Wolves are one of the worst teams in the West. LeBron will likely play here even though Davis is out for the foreseeable future. But this team has a lot more depth this season, and we think they will play a great team game tonight against an overmatched opponent.

The Grizzlies are trending upwards and they are the better team here. We had this line handicapped at 3, so we think there is some nice value here. The Grizzlies have won two of their last three, both by blowouts, and they hung tough with the Lakers too. This is coming off a long losing streak. This team is better than that, though, and we think we will start to see some more positive results, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t win this one tonight against an inferior team.

Boston has been a disappointment so far this season. But this team will turn things around at some point, and tonight could be that night as a win here could be a springboard to better results as this team is getting healthy. They are coming off two bad losses, to Detroit and Washington, so they will be very focused on this one, because of the losing streak and the strength of opponent. Boston usually gets up for the big games. Denver is coming off their big blowout win over the Lakers, and we think this could be a letdown spot.

The Clippers will likely be without the services of their Big Two tonight, definitely Paul George and likely Kawhi. But we like the depth on this team and they will play well tonight here at home. This team won’t fall apart without their main players, and the Heat are 4-8 on the road this season, so it’s not like they are a huge threat to win this game. LAC is 4-0 ATS in their last four back to backs and this team seems to take almost every game seriously this season so we think they will come to play tonight.

We can’t argue that the Jazz look like the best team in the NBA right now. They are just demolishing opponents on a nightly basis. This spread is just too much to us though. Philly is going to come to play and they won’t be intimidated. This team is 4-1 ATS in their last five against teams with a winning percentage above .600, so they get up for big games. They have covered in all of the last six meetings in this series. We think this is an inflated line for what should be a close game.

Top end teams in the west will always get up to play the Lakers. But the Nuggets have a lot of extra motivation here on Sunday. Not only did LA dump them from the playoff last season, but the Lakers just crushed Denver in LA less than two weeks ago. Denver played well in the first half but then were totally embarrassed in the second half as they were outscored 68-35. That one had to sting and we are sure Denver will put together more of a complete game here at home. They have double revenge in this one while this is just another game for the Lakers, who get their best shot from teams every night. The Lakers are having about the best start of a season any fan could ask for at 21-6. But look at their ATS record: 13-14. This team is overrated by the oddsmakers and their lines are shaded in every game. We have Denver favored in this one. This is probably one of the Lakers toughest regular season matchups.

Both teams have enjoyed a better than expected season so far, but we had the Hornets as a small favorite in this game and think the wrong team is favored. The Spurs have been solid on the road but we think they are in a tough situation here Sunday against a Charlotte team that is playing well right now and is very under the radar. These teams are pretty evenly matched but the homr court advantage will be the difference in this one. The Spurs have covered only one of the last five meetings here, and we see Charlotte pulling away in the fourth.

Just think the Jazz are underappreciated and that they will use this game to show the NBA how good they are. The Bucks are only 7-7 on the road this season, and this is one of their toughest road games of the year. Strangely, this is the first time the Bucks have been underdogs all season. But last season this team ended on an 0-4 run as an underdog, so when they are catching points there is usually a reason. We expect a big game at home from Utah tonight.

This is a great spot for the Clippers tonight. They will be without Paul George, but they are healthy otherwise and now have Pat Beverly back. This is an elite team that will take the floor tonight. The Clippers lost two in a row before getting back on track last time out at Minnesota, and we don’t think they will overlook this game as a result, not to mention the Bulls played them tough last time these teams met, in LA, in January. But the Clippers have been playing well on the road where are 10-4 on the season. They are also 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings here in Chicago. Kawhi Leonard is playing MVP level right now and the Bulls don’t have anyone that can slow him down. This one looks a lot like a double-digit win by the road team to us.

We just think this line has been inflated a bit. The Magic played the Blazers last time out and were getting only six, and we were on Portland in that game, and we think they are better than the Warriors. The Magic actually hung in that game but Portland got the slim cover. Golden State is still a work in progress and they have a big game against Durant and the Nets coming up next, so they may be distracted. Orlando has covered in 11 of the last 16 meetings in the Bay Area.

The Lakers are winning but not playing championship basketball right now. It was inevitable. They finished up the 2019-20 season what seemed like a month ago, and they were one of the teams that was against starting the new NBA season in December. But the Lakers came out of the gates strong and showed their Bubble championship was no fluke. But they have covered only two of their last eight games. They went to OT in their last two games, at home, against Detroit and this Thunder squad. They have been winning but haven’t looked great doing it, all while being overvalued by the oddsmakers like they always are. OKC led that game, on Monday, most of the way through. We think them keeping it close will motivate them to do better tonight, and it’s hard to beat the same team twice back to back even when one is one of the best teams in the NBA and one is one of the worst. But the Thunder, lacking talent, play good team basketball. They have a winning ATS record this season. Also, Anthony Davis is questionable again for tonight with an achillies injury. OKC has also covered four straight here in LA against the Lakers.

The Magic have covered in only one of their last six games. This team is just not playing well, and despite getting some favorable lines from the oddsmakers, they are still playing well below expectations. They face a tough test tonight in Portland. The Blazers have been up and down this season, but they have won two of three and covered in four of their last six. They are coming off a long road trip which saw them notch a win in Philly, so that is the type of win that can start things going in the right direction. Neither team has been good defensively, but the Blazers have one of the best offenses in the league, while Orlando has one of the worst, and that should be the difference tonight.

The Wizards offense is really struggling right now and we don’t see them having a breakout game here. That was one thing that Washington could count on this season, but they have scored 103 or less in three straight games, with their last two contests coming in under the century mark. Just some ugly basketball coming out of DC right now and we don’t see things getting too much better tonight even though these defenses are both bad. But with a total so high, even a short cold streak by either team will probably cause this one to go under. The under is 6-1 in the Wizards last seven road games.

The Celtics just aren’t playing well right now. They have dealt with injuries and a lack of cohesiveness, and could be considered a disappointment thus far even though they are playing above .500 ball. But the Clippers are playing like a championship contender and playing with a chip on their shoulder, and they have both a defense and an offense in the Top 6 in the league. They have both been taking care of business against lesser opponents and getting up for big time opponents, and we think they will bring their A Game tonight back home after the road trip.

These teams played last time out and the Wizards won outright as a big dog without Russell Westbrook. He will be back tonight and this team should take care of business once again or at least keep this one close. The Wizards match up well here. The Heat have won one of their last eight games. So why are they favored by this much? Washington has a bad reputation with bettors and they have started off the season slow with Covid issues and getting a new star into the mix. But this is too many points for what should be another close game.

The Nets are one of the best home teams in the NBA at 10-4 on the season. We had this line at 7 even without Harden if he doesn’t suit up, but if he does this line will rise so bet early. Both teams have been off a couple nights. The Nets are coming off their big win over the Clippers that was one of the best performances of the year in the NBA. Thankfully, they have had some extra time off after that win to settle in and we think they will be primed and ready against one of their biggest rivals from the east. Toronto has won two straight, but both came against Orlando, and this team is just not in good form right now.

This is a revenge game for the Nuggets, who lost in the Conference Finals to these Lakers last year. The Nuggets have won six of seven games, and this will be their first game of Feb so they are extremely well rested and have had plenty of time to focus on this game, which is probably their biggest of the season so far. The Lakers have covered in just one of their last five games. This team is always overvalued by the oddsmakers. Even in seasons where they are great SU, they often have a negative ATS record. We feel they are overvalued here as all the motivation lies with the Nuggets, while this is just another game for LA. And the Lakers are back home after a long road trip, which can often be a tricky situation for players who have personal business to attend to and could be distracted from the game.

This is a letdown spot for the Clippers after their epic game against the Nets last night. Not to mention they have Boston on deck next, so they may be distracted here and not giving 100%. Cleveland is playing much better basketball this season and they have been playing Top 10 defense. We just feel the Clips won’t bring the energy tonight and the Cavs will play strong defense and we think this will be a close game. The under is 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Cleveland and the Clips are 5-13 ATS in the last 18 meetings here.

These teams played last month and put up a huge total, and we see that happening again tonight. The Wizards are playing on a back-to-back and they have the worst defense in the league. They probably won’t put any extra energy into defense. Miami has no business laying this many points. They have lost six of seven straight up and they have failed to cover in five straight games. We think this will be a close, high-scoring game.

Dallas hasn’t been kind to us lately, but they have to win a game sometime, don’t they? They have had a real tough schedule lately but this is their easiest matchup in a bit. Atlanta is a team on the rise but they are still learning and not quite there yet. They will try to fend off a desperate Dallas team that has high expectations but has recently sent their season into the toilet. They need a win here very badly and we think they do enough to get it and cover this small line.

Going to take another shot on Detroit getting points as they are one of the best underdog teams at 10-3-1 when getting five or more points. They got an extra night of rest as their game was postponed last night right before tipoff because of Covid protocol. But there are no lingering effects from that cancellation, and this team is pretty healthy. We see the road team putting up a fight here and the Jazz have this one sandwiched between a bunch of key WC games, so they will probably overlook this opponent a bit.

Despite their records, the Celtics are the better team in this matchup, and we think they will be ultra motivated after two straight losses. The C’s have not lived up to potential so far this season, but this team has dealt with a lot of injuries. This is kinda a rivalry, though, and a team the Celtics always get up for playing as they are 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings in Golden State. They are 8-3-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings. This number looks more than fair for us for the road team tonight.

The Clippers are just getting to where they want to be. Last season they had chemistry issues and their main guys didn’t have an appropriate time to build together. Now the Nets are in that same situation, while the Clippers are playing their best basketball of the Kawhi era. The Clippers are playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now, and they are covering too with a 7-2 ATS record in their last nine. This is probably a game they have had circled for awhile. The Nets are a darned good team, but they are still working out issues, and we think the better team will take care of business tonight.

Going to take a shot on Dallas here. We have been on them the last three games and they are not playing well lately. But this team is just in a slump, and they will start to be desperate for a win. It’s early in the season, so no game is a must win, but this team needs a win to get out of the funk they are in. This is a nice revenge spot since these teams played on Saturday. But Dallas has almost a full roster tonight and they should win this one to get the monkey off their back.

Any loss to the Timberwolves is embarrassing this season. Now that the Cavs are playing better basketball they are on a different level than teams like the Wolves and they lost yesterday to Minnesota. They should be embarrassed and ready to bring their A Game tonight. Tonight they are at home. Minnesota has just one road win this season. Minnesota has won back to back games only once this season, way back in December at the start of the season. They have been among the worst teams in the NBA since, and we think revenge will be in order tonight.

We can’t overstate how big this game is for the Mavs. They got off to a slow start, in part because of injuries, but they are getting healthy again and they just got spanked in consecutive games in Utah. This team is much better than they have been playing. It’s still early in the season, but this is almost a must win game to keep the season from falling apart and help team morale. We believe this team will get back on the right track, and we think that will start here vs. Phoenix.

The Lakers started the season better than we expected after winning the NBA Finals what seems like last week. But they have hit the wall lately, with consecutive losses, a legit one at Philly and then a concerning blowout at Detroit. Things don’t get easier tonight as they face one of their biggest rivals as the road trip drags on. Anthony Davis is questionable here, but even if he does play we think the Celtics have a great chance here. They always get up for the Lakers, when they come to town, and they are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.

These teams played Wednesday and the Jazz made it look easy in a 12-point win. Despite heavy action on the suddenly in-vouge Jazz, this line has remained the same that it was on Wednesday, and that tells us that the bookies want action on the Jazz here. We will side with the sportsbooks. Dallas has gotten off to a slow start but this team is finally getting healthy. And they aren’t too far off from the Jazz as far as top teams in the West. They will bring their A Game tonight as they need this win to get back on the right track.

The Clippers played a wild game on Thursday where their bench (starters now with three normal starters out) erupted in the third quarter with a huge offensive output. The total still stayed under the opening number. Just don’t see them doing well offensively on a back-to-back. The Clippers have been playing great defense lately and we see that continuing tonight, but the Magic have the upper hand as they are rested. We see the Magic pulling away late in a low-scoring game.

We think this is a good spot for the home favorite. The Wizards have hit rock bottom pretty much and there is nowhere to go but up, and we think this is a good Buy Low team right now. This team has been a mess this season with new additions and subtractions and then getting hit by Covid and a bunch of games cancelled. But they have a couple games under their belts now. They are starting to get healthy again. This is their first home game since Jan 11. This is a bad spot for the Hawks after facing a murderer’s row of opponents – Nets, Clippers and Bucks – and they have the Lakers on deck next. So if there was a game they would give less than full effort, this is it.

The Pacers have been playing well, winning three of their last four, while the Hornets have lost six of seven after starting off the season playing well. These teams played last time out and the Pacers won easy, and normally we would go the other way with these quick turnarounds. But we just think Indiana matches up so well here. They have covered in all of the last four meetings, and they are in much better form right now.

Detroit has been an incredible underdog play this season when getting five or more points as they are 9-3 in these situations so far. They played a very bad game yesterday in that loss to Cleveland, but they were probably looking ahead to this matchup. Both teams are coming in on a back-to-back, and the Lakers lost a nailbiter to the Sixers. The Pistons have covered in six of the last eight meetings, and we think that trend will continue tonight.

The Mavs have been road warriors, cashing six of their last seven road games against the spread. This team has not played to expectations this season yet, but they have excuses. They have had their roster decimated but they should be as healthy as we have seen in a long time. Utah is playing the best basketball in the NBA right now. But they come in on a back-to-back after a crazy comeback last night against the Knicks. They expended so much energy in that comeback, and we don’t know how much they will have left in the tank here. We could see the Mavs pulling away late in the game when the Jazz run out of gas.

The Kings are 1-4 on the road this season. They are in for a tough task tonight to get their second road win. The Magic are off to a slow start. But this is a better ballclub than they have played so far. And they are better than the Kings. They have showed promise lately. They have won two of their last four, but they were very competitive in all those games, losing to the Pacers on the road in OT and losing to Charlotte by 3 in the first game of a back-to-back against them where they won by 9 the following night. The Kings have won one of their last five, against the Knicks, and they have covered in only two of their last 10 despite some very favorable lines from the oddsmakers. The Magic are 4-1 ATS in their last five as a home favorite and we think they are undervalued here tonight.

Utah has been playing as well as anybody in the league lately, but we think the oddsmakers have overpriced them here. The Knicks are much improved this season and they have the No. 1 defense in the NBA for points allowed. They have covered in four of their last five games, so they are playing beyond the oddsmakers expectations right now but they aren’t on the radar of casual bettors. For Utah this is a bad spot. They are coming off a win against Golden State and have two matchups against Dallas upcoming. So they won’t be focused on an out of conference team that is not a playoff contender. They don’t need to give full effort here and probably won’t, and they can still win. But that Knicks defense should keep the score respectable and keep them within double digits.  

Always a good thing for a struggling team when Minnesota rolls into town. The Warriors are coming off two straight losses and this looks like a good get right game for them. At 4-11 the Wolves are one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. They are coming off a rare win and rare offensive explosion last time out against the Pelicans. They scored 120 on that game, but they had failed to reach the Century Mark in four of their last five games. In today’s NBA that’s really bad. We don’t see them replicating their output from that last game tonight, and we think the Warriors can get their points and that this one can still go under in a likely blowout.

The Cavs are a .500 ballclub this season. That is impressive considering what we have seen from this team in recent years, and we think they can keep it up. They should be primed for this game with LeBron James coming back to town. They played yesterday but the starters played limited minutes in a blowout vs. Boston, and we think Cleveland was looking ahead to this game with that dismal performance. We thought the Lakers might get out to a slow start this season but they have been great. But when they play well, the oddsmakers start to overvalue them, and we think that is the case here, especially with a game vs. Philly on deck next that the Lakers will probably be taking more seriously than this one as that next game is a potential NBA Finals preview.

These teams played Friday and OKC was one missed free throw at the end of the game of covering. We expect them to get the cover tonight. The Clips have been playing as well as any team in the NBA. But we just don’t see them blowing out the Thunder in consecutive matchups. OKC was down big in that last game and fought hard to make it respectable. LA goes on the road after this and we think they will be distracted here and just don’t see them bringing their A Game today. We think OKC keeps this within double digits.

These teams played last night and the Nuggets won in overtime. We see this one going the other way as it’s hard to beat a team twice in the same building in consecutive nights. The Suns have been one of the best ATS teams since the restart of last NBA season, and we think they find a way to get the job done tonight. We think both teams will be fatigued in this one and they will also make defensive adjustments, so we expect a much more low scoring game than last night.

Utah is playing the best basketball in the NBA right now, and it’s not even close for second. They have won and covered in seven straight, and this team looks like it is playing with a chip on its shoulder. That chip should still be there tonight after they were embarrassed on live TV Thursday by the TNT crew. Utah always seems to have the Warriors’ number as they have covered in eight of the last 10 meetings. Golden State is better this year, but they are inconsistent, and they were spanked by the Knicks last time out so they are not in great form.

Atlanta was hot to start the season but then came back down to Earth a bit but now they have an easier part of their schedule and they are heating up again with two straight wins. They covered in both games. One of those wins was against this same Minnesota team, one of the worst squads in the NBA this season. Revenge won’t be a factor because the teams played a game since that matchup already, and everyone is beating the Wolves these days, so they aren’t focusing on one loss.

Cleveland played probably their game of the season last time out in an OT win against Brooklyn. They are probably satisfied with that result, and we just don’t see them putting in the same effort. They are not as deep as the Nets, and that will hurt them in this game after playing all the extra minutes Wednesday. Brooklyn will be very motivated here, and we think this could be a double-digit blowout.

These teams played last time out, and the result was a Utah blowout. The final score was not even indicative of how one-sided that game was. Normally we would go for the zig zag theory in this game since it’s hard to beat a team twice in two consecutive games. But Utah has just been so dominating lately and is quietly playing some of the best hoops in the league, and we think they will be able to cover again as the oddsmakers didn’t make a big enough adjustment to this line.

Both teams are playing well but we think the motivation lies with the home team here. The Lakers are defending champs and they don’t have anything to prove. This is a marquee national TV game but just another matchup for them. After flaming out in the postseason last season, the Bucks have a lot to prove and they will want to show they are one of the best teams in the NBA. Plus, the bookies always shade the lines for the Lakers, and we think that is the case here as we had this line handicapped at 3.5. Milwaukee has covered in five of the last six meetings.

These teams played Friday and the Clippers scored 138 in a blowout. Sacramento is the worst defensive team in the NBA, allowing 124 points per game. The Clippers already showed they can excel over this defense, and their offense in general is humming like a well-oiled machine right now. They have scored 129 or more in three of their last four games. Just don’t see any way the Kings will slow them down tonight. We think the Clippers can pick their score tonight and they should very likely score in the area of 130 again. And the Kings should play better offensively than they did on Friday, but we think this will be another blowout as the Clippers are very focused right now and playing probably the best basketball in the league recently.

Utah is quietly playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. They have won five straight and covered in all of those games. Four of those five were on the road. We think they are undervalued again tonight, especially under the key number of 7 for NBA betting. New Orleans has lost four of five and they didn’t cover in any of those losses. One of these teams is trying to figure things out, while one is in midseason form, and the number is more than fair here for the favorite.

Even with the troubles this Houston team has gone through so far this season, this is still a better team than the Bulls, and we think the Rockets have their best chance for success this season by getting rid of Harden as he was holding the team back. Of course they will miss his talent, but this is still a capable team, and we think they are underrated by the oddsmakers right now. We think this will be a close game but that Houston will pull away in the fourth quarter.

We think the wrong team is favored here. We had the Blazers as a slight favorite in this matchup, and we expect them to win a close one. The points are just the icing on the cake here. Both teams are dealing with some injury issues, but we think the Blazers will be fine. They are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in this series, and we think they match up well again here in this game.

Atlanta was hot to start off the season and their hot start culminated with a win over Brooklyn on New Year’s Day. But then things went downhill, and they have lost six of their last seven. But they have had a pretty difficult schedule, and we think this is a Get Right game for them and one they should use to turn the momentum around. We think there’s a great chance for a double digit win here by the home team.

The Pacers are a perfect 4-0 ATS as an underdog this season. We see them playing another competitive game tonight. We have been on the Clippers a lot this season, with mixed results. This team can look like one of the best in the league one night, like they did last time out in a blowout at Sacramento, and then the next game they can look bad (like the major blowout vs. Dallas). Indiana is 6-1 ATS in their last seven meetings in LA, and we think this will be a very close game tonight.

Going to ride the hot team here as the Jazz have won four straight and covered in all those games. This team has notoriously gotten off to slow starts in recent years, but this year is different and they seen very focused and determined. The Nuggets are 4-8 ATS to start the season, so this team has been a bit overrated at the beginning of the season. The Jazz are 6-2 this season away from home and have been very good in this role. We think with both teams bringing their A Game that the Jazz are the better team.

The Hawks have not lost five of their last six. They were blown out in Utah last night, and they looked tired in that loss. Just don’t know how they will rise up against another Western Conference playoff contender tonight and play a better game. They will actually play better since they can’t do much worse than last night, but this spread is more than fair and we think the rested Blazers will be able to cruise to a comfortable win.

We had Houston when these teams played on Thursday and the Rockets won outright. We normally would go the other way when the home team loses like this in the first game but we just think this line is out of whack. The Spurs are now 0-3 ATS this season as a favorite of three or more, and this team just isn’t good enough to be laying big points. The Rockets got rid of their team cancer in Harden that was holding them back. This team lost a lot of talent when he left town, but now they can focus on maximizing the talent they do have on the team and they are underrated a bit by the oddsmakers now.

The Clippers haven’t been covering many lines lately, but we think this number is more than fair. This is a team that LA typically dominates, and they are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings. They are well rested and playing well, and we think there is a very good chance for a double-digit win here tonight. Sacramento has been horrible defensively, and a team like LA can take advantage of that. And with extra rest the Clips will have the energy to play shut down defense.

Going with the hot team here. Utah has won three straight, all by double digits, and that includes a road win over the Bucks. After a hot start, the Hawks have lost four of five. That includes losses to the Knicks, Cavs and back-to-back losses against Charlotte. This team is just not playing well right now, and they are in a real tough spot on the road against one of the best teams in the West.

Toronto has had a tough start to the season. But they have had a really difficult schedule, and we think they have bottomed out. We know this team can play a lot better, and we think we will start to see some more positive results from this squad. They lost by a point each in their last two games. They have covered two of their last three, however, and this team has shown flashes lately. They have been playing better defense for sure, and we think that will continue tonight against a Hornets team that lacks offensive punch. They scored 93 last time out in a loss to Dallas, and we think we could see another real poor offensive effort tonight.

Just think this spread is an overreaction to a few things. First, the Rockets are in a state of disarray after the Harden trade and his comments blasting the team after losing twice to the Lakers. And those two losses to the World Champs hurt bettors confidence in this team. There hasn’t been much positive news out of this club all season. But we think this line is inflated. This is the most points the Spurs have laid all season. They are 0-2 ATS as a favorite of more than 3 points this season. This is not a good team, either. And we think the Rockets players will come out and play hard after Harden said they basically suck on his way out of town.

These teams played Sunday and the Lakers won in a blowout. Houston has been very inconsistent this season, but we doubt they will play so lousy in two games in a row in their home court to the world champs. If there were any game where the Rockets would bring extra effort, we think this is it. Before that Lakers loss the Rockets blew out Orlando, a pretty decent team, and we think they have the ability to keep this one competitive tonight.

These teams played Thursday and the Cavs won outright. Now they are at home and we think they have a good chance to win again. This would normally be a revenge spot for the losing team, but both squads played a game since then, so that eliminates the revenge aspect in our eyes. Cleveland has been playing strong team basketball and are overachieving here early in the season, and this is a very winnable game for them.

Washington could be without Beal and Westbrook tonight, and they were underachieving even with their two stars on the court. Now they face one of the best teams in the NBA since the restart earlier this year, and we like that the Suns are under the key number of 7 here at our deadline. Without their key guys the Wizards are a very inexperienced team that could fall flat tonight.

We always like to back the Clippers after a loss. This team has a penchant for bouncing back from losses that stretches back to last season. They have covered after every loss this season, usually with a strong performance. This team has a clean injury sheet, and we think they will step up the defensive intensity here against a shorthanded Bulls team that has played six of their last seven on the road and is probably ready to get back home. This looks like a blowout to us.

Love the Hawks in this spot after the Ball Game in New Orleans last night. Some overhyped players played a big game and this is a letdown spot for Hornets. Atlanta has been inconsistent but this ia a very solid team, and we had this line at 7, so very nice value on Saturday.

Looks like Russell Westbrook will be good to go after a dislocated finger and we think this will be a close game. The Wizards haven’t had much success in the W/L department, but they have been covering half of their lines, and this team is undervalued by the oddsmakers right now. This game is sandwiched between two games with Miami for Boston, so there could be a letdown here tonight.

Durant is out here but we think the Nets are a solid team without him and they have a great chance for the win here against a Sixers team that is on a back-to-back tonight. The Sixers have been hot to start off the season, but this team has had a manageable schedule and on this B2B we think they will be in a bad spot and likely lose to a Nets team that is still quality without their star.

The Bulls are coming in on a back-to-back and they had a big win over Portland on the road where they were down big but came back to win. They expended a lot of energy in that game, and we don’t think they will have a lot left in the tank to be competitive here tonight. The Kings started off the season with a 3-1 record but have lost three straight. The last game was against the Warriors, where they were embarrassed in a blowout loss. This seems like a get right game for them against a fatigued opponent, and we think there’s a great chance for a double-digit win by the home team tonight.

The Rockets are 2-3 ATS on the season while the Pacers are 5-2 ATS. Indiana is quietly getting the job done while the Rockets are kind of a mess right now. Sacramento is the only team Houston has beaten this season. This line just seems like a very public line and the Rockets are the Name team here, and we had this line handicapped at 5, so we think there is very nice value with the short favorite.

This isn’t your father’s Spurs team. This team has been getting worse every year for the last few years, and we think this might be a bottom out season where they don’t even sniff a playoff spot. This team is really struggling right now with four straight losses. They are in tough tonight against a Clippers team that might be the most motivated in the NBA here at the start of the season. They look like the second of third best team in the NBA this season and look even better than last year’s squad that flamed out in The Bubble. We think there’s a great chance for a double digit win here.

Curry is going to have to carry this team for awhile as was evidenced by their best game of the season last night as he set a career high for scoring. But on a back-to-back tonight we think he will cool off a bit and Sacramento is an underrated team They have some impressive wins to start the season, but they are coming off B2B losses vs. Houston and they will be motivated tonight. And they will be the more rested team and should coast to a comfortable win tonight.

Cleveland has been playing well to start the season, but they are facing a team tonight that doesn’t get a lot of respect from the oddsmakers, and this line is too low in our opinion. Orlando has an identical 4-2 record than that of the Cavs and are also 4-2 ATS. This team is a playoff contender though, and we can’t say that about Cleveland. After beating Atlanta SU last time, this looks like a letdown spot for a Cavs team that won’t be as motivated by their opponent. Orlando is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.

These teams played Friday, and Portland came out with a blowout victory. There are a lot of teams facing each other in consecutive games, and the team that lost the last time normally gives a better effort the next game. We think this one will be more competitive. The Blazers probably won’t come with as much intensity after the easy win, and the Warriors will probably come with much better effort and intensity.

During the Bubble restart of last NBA season, the Clippers were great at bouncing back after a loss or bad game, and that trend has followed here into this new season as they played well in the game after that Dallas loss. Now they come in off a loss again, and they face a Suns team that has been really good since the restart and the new season. But there’s a reason LA is favored here as they are the better team and probably much better when the teams are playing their A Games, which we think LA will bring tonight after a loss where they played well but the shots just didn’t drop.

The Celtics are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games in Detroit. One of those losses was last time out as the Celtics had an off game and lost to Detroit in a low-scoring game. The Celtics have been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA for years, and they are easy to trust. Especially coming off a loss in a rematch against one of the lesser teams in the NBA. We think this is a great chance for a double-digit win by the road team.

This is a rematch from the first game of the season, which was not long ago, so revenge could be a factor here. The Knicks are improved this season. They beat Milwaukee recently in a blowout win. They have won two of three and they held tough with Toronto last time out until the fourth quarter. This team need to be more consistent, but we think this is too many points tonight. The Knicks are playing with more confidence this season, and we think they will be a live dog when getting massive points in certain spots.

The Blazers haven’t been dominant to start the season, but this team is much improved from last year. And we can’t forget this team made the West Finals two years ago. They are hungry and we think they are the much better team here in this matchup. They have had a super tough schedule do far, and this is arguably their easiest game of the season so far. The Warriors have won two straight against inferior competition. But we think this team still has a lot to work on. We think they will get better later in the season, but for right now are a team to fade while they work out their kinks.  

It’s hard to justify when a team lost by so many points like they did to Dallas, but this Clippers team is playing as good of basketball as any team in the NBA. They have had one of the toughest schedules in the NBA to start off the season, but they have won their games very comfortably. They have covered all their games except of course that Dallas loss. Utah is on a back-to-back here and they didn’t play well against the Suns last night. This team has covered only one game so far, and the Jazz are notorious for their slow starts. LA is playing with a chip on their shoulders and they look to prove all the doubters wrong that criticized them after last season’s flameout. We think they take care of business again tonight.

The Raptors are winless on the season at 0-3. However, this is a championship contender team that has been one of the best ATS teams in the league the last couple years and this looks like a Get Right game for them. The Raptors have started off the season with games against three straight playoff contenders, and two of those games have been on the road, not in their new home base. The Knicks are a better team this year but this squad still has a long way to go, and they should face up against a very motivated Toronto team tonight. This very much has the look of a double-digit blowout game. The Knicks are 0-7 ATS in the last seven meetings away from the Garden and 2-8 ATS overall in the last 10 meetings.

The Bucks got their revenge over the Heat last night in a complete and utter blowout by almost 50 points. But now it’s time for the Heat to get some revenge from that horrible loss. The Bucks jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter and were up by 30+ at halftime, and it was garbage time from there on out. But this NBA season is unique and we will see these types of back-to-backs often, and it is hard to beat a team two nights in a row, especially at their own place. The Heat have one of the NBA’s best coaches, and he should be able to make adjustments for his team to be more competitive. Milwaukee set an NBA record for made 3-pointers, and they isn’t going to happen two nights in a row. Miami is a proud team that was just in the NBA Finals, and we think they will bring their A Game here after that embarrassing result. The Bucks aren’t in midseason form right now as they just lost to the Knicks by 20. Jimmy Butler could conceivably be back here for Miami, so that would aid their chances for an outright win. The Bucks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 visits to Miami.

We like to back a good team coming off a bad loss, and that is the case here with the Clippers tonight. They suffered one of the worst losses in franchise history last time out against the Mavs. They just didn’t come to play and it had to be embarrassing for the players. This team will come out well prepared tonight. They have had probably the toughest schedule in the league to start off the season and are at 2-1 against it, and they won’t overlook the Wolves after that effort against Dallas.

Both teams have had a rough start, but the Warriors are the better team and Detroit is coming in on a back-to-back. The Warriors have had a much tougher schedule to start the season. We think they will take advantage of this weaker opponent on a B2B and take care of business tonight with a comfortable win. Only one of these teams is a legit playoff contender, and that’s not the Pistons.

One of the best bets and the strongest trends in the NBA since we began handicapping almost 20 years ago is the Blazers ATS against the Lakers. They have covered 21 of the last 19 meetings in LA, and no matter the strength of the teams, they always bring their A Game when playing the Lakers. The Lakers are on a B2B, Anthony Davis is banged up, and this team is always overrated by the oddsmakers. We think the Blazers can win this one outright.

The Nets are coming in on a back-to-back and are being punished too much for the fact by the oddsmakers. They lost to Charlotte last night, and we think this could be the best team in the NBA and they aren’t going to lose many games this season, so we think they will bounce back nicely here. This is early in the season, so B2B’s don’t really matter that much, and we expect Brooklyn to bring some nice energy in a potential double-digit win.

2-0 team against an 0-2 team, but this line is simply too big. Detroit will come to play tonight to give themselves the best chance to avoid going 0-3. This isn’t a good team. But we are not convinced that the Hawks are good, either, as they have beat up on two mediocre teams to start the season. We had this line handicapped at 7.5, so we think there is some nice value here as we expect the Pistons to put up a fight and keep this one within double digits.

Another situation where these teams played the night before. And we think the better team (Suns), who lost last night, will play better and get the win. It’s telling that the odds have not changed much even though Sacramento won last night. It’s hard to beat a team twice in two nights, especially when that losing team is the better squad.

We are going to see some strange scheduling stuff in the NBA this season, and here we are. These teams played here yesterday. The Magic won, but we just don’t see that happening twice in a row on the Wizards home court. Washington is a team we are high on to start the season, and we don’t see them playing two bad games consecutively against the same team. And now we are getting points instead od laying them.

Morris is out. Kawhi has to be hurting after getting crushed in the head Christmas night by his own teammate, and he was laying in a bloody mess on the court. He had some stiches and will probably go here, but he can’t be feeling great. But mainly this is a revenge scenario from the playoffs. Dallas played a real lousy game last time out in a blowout loss to the Lakers, but and adding to the revenge against the Clips we think they come out and play with more motivation today.

Houston is missing six players for this game and traveled with nine for this matchup, one more than the minimum number under Covid protocols. James Harden will play, but he is probably the most unhappy player in the NBA right now with trade demands and this team is just filled with drama and distractions right now. All that is built into this inflated line. But we think the Blazers are much improved this season. And they are coming off a really embarrassing loss to Utah, so they will be focused here tonight in a game they can easily win by double digits.

Both teams had unexpected results in their first game. The Spurs aren’t a playoff team, in our eyes. Toronto is a championship contender. We had this line handicapped at Raps -5, so we think there is nice value here. After a blowout loss in their first game, a team with the pedigree of Toronto will no doubt come to play here as they don’t want to open the season 0-2. This is a long season, but no team with championship aspirations wants a poor start like that.

We went big on the Wizards in their first game at Philly and they lost but covered. The game was a lot closer than the final score indicated, and Washington led much of the way. We think this team is underrated by the oddsmakers to start the season, so that result was great for us to keep the value on this team. Westbrook is the perfect fit here, and this team has underrated young talent. We think they are motivated for a strong start to the season, and we think they bring their A Game tonight.

The Clippers sure came out Game 1 of the season and looked like they had a chip on their shoulder. We think that will continue here against the team that knocked them out of the postseason. The Clippers can come up with any excuse they want, but we just don’t think the Bubble was the right place for them mentally last season. While the depth for this team suffered in the offseason, they are still one of the best teams in the NBA and better than the Nuggets despite last season’s series result. This game just seems more important for the Clippers and we think they come to play tonight.

LeBron is hobbled but said he would likely play here. With or without him, we like the Mavs here to keep this one close with a chance for the outright win. As if they wouldn’t take this game seriously anyways against the defending champs, they lost their first game so they don’t want to fall to 0-2. We don’t think that prospect is as important to the Lakers, one of the teams that didn’t want the new NBA season to start in December. This team probably won’t be the No. 1 seed this season and they probably don’t need it. We don’t see them getting real serious for about 6-8 weeks. They are normally overvalued by the oddsmakers anyways, but we see them as a team to fade for sure until we see them consistently kicking it up into the midseason gear.

Brooklyn looked like the NBA’s best team on Opening Night and we expect big things from them this season. They seem to want to get off to a fast start. And we think they will bring their A Game tonight against a Celtics team that will miss Kemba Walker. Boston is still plenty good with the team they will bring to the court, and they showed that against the Bucks. We just don’t see them winning two straight against two better EC teams, and the Nets should be very motivated for a big game here.

The Jazz are another team that starts slow almost every season. We don’t see why that won’t be the case again. Portland is a little under the radar this season. They made some nice offseason moves and are relatively healthy to enter the season. Remember, this is a team that reached the WCF two years ago, and they have one of their better teams in years this season. We had this line at Blazers -4, so we think there is some good value here. Utah is hard to trust early in the season until they show otherwise.

The Celtics open the season not in a great place after a disappointing season and now they lost Hayward in the offseason and Kemba Walker is injured. The Bucks flamed out in the postseason also, but they had an excuse with some off the court issues causing a big distraction. We think they are still one of the NBA title favorites and we think they will want to start off the season with a big win over a rival. They got better in the offseason and we just don’t see how the Celtics can match up tonight against what should be a very motivated Bucks team.

The Wizards are under the radar coming into this season. We think they are going to be pretty good and a solid ATS team to start the season. Russell Westbrook is a great addition to this team and he pairs with Beal extremely well. This team has some nice young talent, and Westbrook’s presence will help them develop and he will take a lot of pressure off Beal, who had a great season last year and should be even better with the pressure off him to carry the team this year. This team will be putting up some crazy numbers on offense and should be able to win a lot of shootouts. Watch out if they can play any defense. Philly got off to a slow start last season and we think that could be the case this season with a new coach and still a strange mix of players that has never figured the formula for success to match their talent.

Everyone is down on the Clippers. They did lose some depth but this team didn’t lose enough to warrant such a drop on confidence from the masses. This squad didn’t get to play together much during the season because of injuries and that lack of cohesion showed in the postseason, and the strange atmosphere of the Bubble didn’t help matters. In our minds the Clips are still the clear No. 2 squad in the west and a legit contender. The Lakers just finished their title run what seemed like yesterday and they will probably take some time to get into championship form. We expect a sluggish start from the champs this season. The Clippers seem to have more to prove here and more motivation tonight.

The Lakers sometimes need a wake up call, and they got it Sunday when they were pretty much blown out by the Heat in Game 3. They haven’t lost much in this postseason, but when they have they have bounced back strong in their next game. We see them playing much better on Tuesday, and the oddsmakers have adjusted this number and the Lakers are now more attractive on the spread. Miami is a plucky team and they have had a great postseason for the ages. But when it comes down to pure talent and superstar power, the Lakers have a huge edge. And if they play up to their potential, which they did not do in Game 3, there is no reason they should not win this one by double digits.

Unlike the previous series for these two teams, the over has been the play here in this series, and four of the five games have gone over the posted total. The one that didn’t was only one point under. But the bookies have not adjusted this totals number much. These are two defensive teams, so that’s understandable. And the playoff normally focus on defense. But even with some lapses in scoring, these teams have been pretty good offensively.. They both shot well in Game 5, and Boston had their breakout game of the series on offense with 121 points in the win. We think they can match that effort here today as we think the momentum has switched sides, and this total looks about five points too low.

The Nuggets have had a great run. They came back from big deficits against the Jazz and Clippers to win those series. But we think they don’t have another rally in them. Both of their series before this went to Game 7. This team has played a lot of basketball, and we think that this might be a real ugly game for them. The Lakers want to end this while the Celtics/Heat series is still going to give themselves some extra time to rest, and we expect them to go all out tonight while they have the Nuggets on the ropes. They don’t want Denver winning this one and getting confidence for another 3-1 comeback. We think they play lockdown defense and shut down a Denver offense that should be running on fumes here. We think this is a great chance for a double-digit Lakers win, and we are getting the best line of the series for the favorites.

We have not given up on Boston yet and think they have a good chance to extend this series to Game 7, where anything can happen in that situation. The Celtics didn’t play well in Game 4, but they were still in a position to win or at least force OT at the end of the game. This team seems to have the fortitude to dig deep for a must-win tonight, and they have one of the best coaches in the league that will be giving it his all as well. We see them playing a great game on both sides of the ball tonight to extend the series to Game 6.