Sports Picks & Predictions

Toronto is playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now. They seem to have their eyes set on the No. 1 seed in the east and home-court advantage and they have not been letting up. Their only loss in the last nine games was in OT vs. the Bucks, another streaking team. The Magic are in a freefall. They have lost six straight. This team looks to be in full tank mode with a strong draft ahead. Toronto has taken care of business against bad teams as they are 7-0 ATS in their last seven against a team with a winning percentage below .400 and they are 21-10 ATS (10-6 on the road) against teams with a losing record.

Denver has won and covered both of the last two meetings in this series here at home. Denver is coming off a loss to Houston but they have won eight of their last nine games overall and this team is playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. They were down big against Houston but they came back and made it a game late in the fourth. We were very impressed by that comeback against one of the best teams in the NBA. The Clippers have been playing well but this team is overrated by the oddsmakers here in this situation.

The Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Sacramento. The Wolves didn’t miss a beat after losing Jimmy Butler in their decimation of the Bulls last time out. They seem motivated, and should be able to beat a bad team here. This team is tanking and we doubt they will put forth the effort here that the Wolves will. Minnesota has put up lots of points lately on bad teams and we think they will be able to score enough to cover the spread with ease.

We think this is one of those lines that the bookies have intentionally set low to attract Pelicans money. But New Orleans is just 1-8 ATS in their last nine home games against teams with a losing road record and we think this is a spot where the Suns will keep this one close and cover the line. This is a back-to-back for the Pelicans and their third game in four nights, and both of their previous games went to OT. This is a tired team tonight that is ripe for an upset, and one that doesn’t play well against lousy teams at home.

The Grizzlies are in the midst of a 9-game losing streak but we think they are getting too many points tonight. They still have a very solid defense, and so does Boston, so with what could possibly be a low-scoring game the points are all the more valuable here. Boston is just 1-5 ATS when laying nine or more points this season. They have also covered in 14 of the last 18 meetings in Boston. We think they can keep this one within double digits, and we expect them to play hard tonight after a couple embarrassing losses in their last two games.

Detroit was hot right after the Blake Griffin trade but then things have fallen apart lately and now this team has covered in only one of their last 10 games. But we think this is too many points and the Pistons are a decent team. They should be able to keep this one close. The Pistons are 13-2 ATS as a dog of five or more points this season, and that is a very strong trend. They are also 5-1 in the last six meetings in Toronto. We expect the Pistons to put up a fight here and we think that this will be a close game.

Denver has quietly won seven of eight and this team is playing as well as any team in the league right now. Their offense has been even better than that of the Rockets lately. They will be amped to play Houston tonight and they have one of the better home-court advantages in the NBA. Also, Eric Gordon will miss this game for Houston and he is a key contributor. The Rockets are the better team but the oddsmakers have them overvalued here.

We just think that this line is too short. The Sixers are coming in on the second half of a back-to-back after winning vs. Orlando last night. Both teams will be playing their third in four nights but at least the Wizards had the night off last night. Both teams have been playing well, but the Sixers have had a pretty easy schedule, and it has been home-heavy. The home team has been strong in this series and we see that being the case again here on Sunday.

We had this line handicapped at 7 so there is some nice value here for Sunday’s marquee matchup. The Spurs have won the last three meetings between these teams so the Cavs will want to get some revenge here. Two of those games were in San Antonio and the loss in Cleveland was in OT. But the Spurs are kind of a mess on the road this season at 13-19 and the Cavs are playing their best basketball overall of the season right now. We see this as a comfortable win for the home squad.

These teams have been on an over streak against each other but this is the highest total these teams have faced in many meetings. We think this one is a bit too high as we had this one handicapped at 201. These are two of the best defensive teams in the NBA and Utah has been extremely strong on the defensive end. With both teams on the second end of a back-to-back we think that there may be some sloppy offensive play.

The Clippers have been playing very well lately. In fact, they have won 7 of 10. The 2017-18 Golden State Warriors are probably the best version this team has had, but at the same time they have gotten smarter and they don’t care about the regular season that much. They definitely don’t care about these Clippers anymore now that Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are gone and this rivalry is no more. We don’t see the Warriors expending major effort here like they did with the Clips of the past and the blue collar Clippers should be able to keep this one within double digits.

We will go against the Hornets as a big favorite tonight. They have not done well in this role as they are 3-7 ATS when laying six or more points. This is a below average team and they just don’t blow opponents out on a regular basis. The Nets are not a tanking candidate in the second half as they don’t own their first-round pick and this has been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA all season. In fact, they are the only team in the Top 5 for ATS results that has a losing record, so this is a team that could hold betting value all season long.

We think the Magic are a team to watch after the All-Star Break as long as they can stay healthy. This team is getting some key players back tonight who have been out with injury for awhile, and this team when healthy has some nice young talent. We had this line handicapped at -6.5 and we think that there is great value here. The Knicks season is in shambles now that Porzingis is done for the year and this is a team that should be faded in spots as they are a likely Tanking candidate. Orlando has won and covered the last two meetings and we think that trend continues tonight.

Denver has been playing well, but they have had a home-heavy schedule. However, this team is just 8-19 on the road this season. This is kind of an awkward scheduling spot for them after beating the Spurs at home last time out and now they have to travel on the road to face a good Milwaukee team before the all-star break starts tomorrow. We think this is a real letdown spot for them tonight. The Bucks have won five of six and are playing well, and we think they will have much more incentive here at home tonight.

Sometimes NBA handicapping is all about motivation. You have to find teams that are going to play hard on any given night. We think the Suns fall into that category tonight. They got treated like a D-League team last time out in Golden State as Warriors coach Steve Kerr had his players coaching during the game. He wasn’t going to try this experiment against the Spurs or the Rockets, but he did it against the Suns because that game was a sure win no matter what. This had to be embarrassing for the Suns players and coaches, and we think they will come out with some fire tonight against a line that was already inflated.

New Orleans has won and covered three of the last four meetings. This will be the Pelicans last game before the All-Star Break and the Lakers play on Thursday before the break so the Pelicans have the advantage that they can leave it all on the court as they will get rest afterwards while the Lakers have a real tough schedule to close out the first half of the season as they have to play at Minnesota on Thursday. The Pelicans enter with confidence after winning two straight on the road, including a road blowout win at a Pistons team that has been playing well.

The Nets have dropped six straight games and they will want to get back on the winning track to avoid entering the all-star break on a big losing streak. They have a very winnable game tonight against an Indiana team that is much better at home than on the road. Despite their recent struggles the Nets are the No. 3 ATS team in the NBA and they are the only team in the Top 5 with a losing record. That shows that they play hard most nights. They really have been in a funk lately but we think they will go all out to get back on the winning track tonight.

The Hawks have won three of five games, and they are coming off a confidence-building win at home against Detroit last time out. Besides their blowout loss at Cleveland this team has been playing hard every night and we think they will keep this one close against a Bucks team that has become overrated by the oddsmakers. The Bucks have struggled to cover numbers against bad teams at home as they are 3-7 ATS at home against sub-.500 teams this season. This is the first game back home for the Bucks after an extended road trip and those situations can often be tricky for the home team.

The Raptors are playing as well as anyone lately with five straight wins and covers, but the oddsmakers have simply made this line too high tonight against the Heat. Miami has covered two straight and three of four in this series and we think that they match up well tonight in this game. These games have been very low scoring with five straight meetings falling under the posted total, and we believe that will be the case again here Tuesday night and the points become all the more valuable for the underdog in a low-scoring game. Miami hasn’t won many games lately but they have been competing every night and we think that their defense shows up big time tonight to keep this one close in a low-scoring affair.

The Raptors are playing as well as anyone lately with five straight wins and covers, but the oddsmakers have simply made this line too high tonight against the Heat. Miami has covered two straight and three of four in this series and we think that they match up well tonight in this game. These games have been very low scoring with five straight meetings falling under the posted total, and we believe that will be the case again here Tuesday night and the points become all the more valuable for the underdog in a low-scoring game. Miami hasn’t won many games lately but they have been competing every night and we think that their defense shows up big time tonight to keep this one close in a low-scoring affair.

The Spurs are 13-16 on the road this season. That is very un-Spurs like. This team will be without Aldridge tonight as he will join Leonard on the bench. Utah has won nine straight, and this is their longest winning streak in decades. They are playing as well as any team in the league right now. They have a great defense and their offense is finally coming around as they have been putting up some big numbers on the offensive end. The Spurs have lost three of four, including a nine-point loss to these same Jazz at home, and we feel like this team is ready for the All-Star Break while Utah wants to keep the streak alive.

Brooklyn has been one of the best ATS teams in the league this season but lately this team hasn’t been playing well and they have dropped six of their last nine games ATS. You get the feeling that this is a team that is ready for the All-Star Break. The Clippers, on the other hand, are playing without expectations after trading away Blake Griffin and they are playing loose and free, and this team has some real talent. And they work hard almost every night. They are on the cusp of the playoff race in the West and they will be the team playing with more purpose tonight.

The Sixers have been money at home and the Knicks haven’t been able to cover any lines lately but this pick for New York is just a simple case of line value. This line should be no more than 8.5 points but this number has been inflated because the Knicks are a team that no one wants to bet on right now since Porzingis went down and they have not played well without him. The Sixers are 0-3 ATS this season when laying eight or more points and we think that they will win this game but that it will be much closer than the oddsmakers expect.

Three of the last four meetings between these teams went under the posted total, and the one game that didn’t was an overtime game where the total would have gone under at the end of regulation. And that number, for their game in November, was only in the low 190s. Both of these teams are in the Top 10 defensively for points allowed. The jazz have really gotten back to their defensive ways since they have become healthy and they have allowed 94 and 88 points in their last two games, which both went under by a bunch of points. Portland has been back and forth defensively this season but at times they have looked like one of the best defensive teams in the league, and they look to be getting back to that defensive style of play as they have been real good on that front lately, and three of their last four games have gone under the posted total as a result. We expect a strong defensive game from both teams and as long as this one doesn’t go to overtime, as we expect a close game, we think that this under bet will be an easy cash.

The Bulls come in on the second end of a back-to-back while the Wizards had the night off on Friday. Chicago played a very emotional game vs. some of their old players on Minnesota and they scored an unlikely win on Friday. Watching that game you saw the Bulls give it everything they had in the second half. We doubt they have much left in the tank here. Before that win the Bulls had lost seven straight. They had covered only once during that losing streak. They are 3-5-1 ATS on the second end of a back-to-back this season. They have also covered in only 3 of the last 13 meetings between these clubs in Chicago. The Wizards have played well despite missing John Wall and even though they have lost two straight entering this game they are still the much better team here in this matchup. We see the Wizards getting back on track in a big way tonight against a fatigued Bulls team who got its glory last night and is probably content to sleepwalk through this game.

Utah is healthy right now and they are playing extremely well. They have won seven straight, and the last four have come on the road. They have covered in seven of their last nine games so this team is overachieving against oddsmaker expectations right now. They are back home after a four-game road trip and this team has one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA, and the house should be rocking on Friday night. Charlotte is playing their fourth and final game of a four-game road trip tonight and they come in on a back-to-back after playing in overtime last night in Portland. A road back-to-back is already tough but it makes it even harder when they played an extra five-minute frame, especially when they lost in OT. Charlotte is 3-5-1 ATS in the second half of a back-to-back. The Hornets are 8-17 on the road this season and 8-13-4 ATS, so they don’t often cover in these situations despite getting some hefty numbers as a road underdog. They are 5-16 ATS as an underdog of seven or fewer points this season. We see the Jazz playing very well tonight against a fatigued Hornets team and we expect this to be a very comfortable win for the home club.

These teams completed the blockbuster trade of the NBA season that sent Blake Griffin to the Pistons. That put the Clippers in a position of being competitive but made the Pistons a contender in the east, and they have responded with five straight wins. Sometimes all you need is some confidence in the NBA to have success and Detroit has been playing with a lot more confidence, and Griffin seems to have fit in well with his new team so far. LA really screwed Griffin over in this trade after telling him he would retire with the team when they signed him to a mega-deal in the offseason, and we think he will give extra effort here against his old team in the final meeting of the season. His teammates seem to like him as well and we think they will give extra effort here also. The Clippers have surpassed expectations this season. They are fighting for a playoff spot. But this team has some overrated wins this season. Their wins over the Rockets and Warriors are quality, but we think those teams didn’t play well on those nights. And otherwise LA has wins over mostly pretty lousy teams otherwise. We thought that this spread would be closer to 7 and we think there is nice value here. Detroit has won and covered both of the last two meetings.

The Wizards have been hot since John Wall went down with injury. No matter what anyone says, this team is not better without their leader and best player. They came back to Earth last game out with a blowout loss at Philly and we expect them to lose this one as well. We actually handicapped the Celtics as three-point favorites in this game so there is very nice betting value here for Thursday night. The Celtics have been one of the best bets in the NBA as an underdog this season as they are 11-2 ATS when getting points this season. They have the much better team on the court tonight, especially with Wall sidelined. They are also 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings between these teams. We always like to take a good team off an embarrassing loss since these professionals don’t like to get humiliated like this and normally give a much better effort in their next game, and that is certainly the case for the Celtics tonight as they are coming off a 20-point blowout loss at Toronto. Before that, however, they had won four straight. The Wizards are not a good team when laying points as they are 6-18 ATS this season when laying fewer than nine points.

These teams haven’t played a game that ended up over 200 points in years. Utah has played in some high-scoring games lately and that is why we are getting a high total here but we think this number should be around 195. These are two of the best defensive teams in the league. We don’t see the Grizzlies allowing the Jazz to go crazy on the offensive end tonight. The Grizzlies have really been struggling on the offensive end and they scored only 82 and 86, respectively, in their last two games. And the last game was against Atlanta, and they will face a much better defense tonight. The under is 25-8 in the last 33 meetings in Memphis and 5-2 in the last seven meetings overall. We see this as a low-scoring defensive battle that should come in well under 200 tonight.

Brooklyn hasn’t been in top form as they have failed to cover in five of their last six games, but even with that slide they are still the No. 2 ATS team in the league, and we think that this is a good spot for them to play a close game and get the cover tonight. Houston is coming off big road wins at San Antonio and Cleveland, and we don’t see them getting too amped to play Brooklyn here and this is a letdown spot for the visiting team. The Nets have been great in the underdog role this season as they are 17-6 ATS when getting six or more points. They are also 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings in this series. This team gets hyped to play the best teams in the league, especially at home, and we think they put up a strong effort tonight in keeping this close.

The Clippers have won three of four and as a result the bookies have posted too high of a number here for this game on Monday. This team is now without Blake Griffin and although they have played well at points this season now this squad is missing its best player. We think the Mavs match up well here tonight and we expect a very close, hard-fought game. The Mavs destroyed the Clippers in Dallas the last time these teams met by 25+ and we think they could challenge for the win here. The Mavs have a couple nights off after this game and we think they will give an A+ effort here.

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.

Miami hasn’t allowed a team to reach the century mark in five games. They played Houston and Cleveland during that span, and those are two of the best offensive teams in the NBA. They haven’t scored more than 95 on offense in any of those games. It’s safe to say that this team is on a hot under streak. They are playing at the slowest pace in the NBA this season. Philly’s defense hasn’t been great lately but they are decent overall and we don’t see the Heat having a breakout night on offense against them. And the Sixers aren’t good enough on offense to have a breakout night against this strong defense. We think this will be a close game and that both teams will really step up the defense in the fourth quarter and we think that overtime is the only thing that can cause this game to go over the total.

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.

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.

We think that this number is about four points too high. The Wolves have gone under in two straight games and they played very strong defense in their recent game against Brooklyn. They have had some high scores lately but that has caused the bookies to post too high of a number for this matchup. Toronto has held four of their last six opponents under the century mark and all of those games have gone under. We think both teams will tighten up the defense here and we expect a lower-scoring game than this number would indicate.

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.

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 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.

These are two of the stronger under teams in the NBA this season, and once again these squads are facing a total that is too high. The last three meetings in this series have all gone under the posted total, and none got even close to 200. The Pistons have been playing pretty good defense overall but they gave up 122 last time out in a loss to Washington so they are likely to tighten things up on the defensive end tonight against a worse offensive team. Brooklyn has been hit or miss offensively but they have put up some real low scores lately, including only 80 when these teams met a couple weeks ago.

Portland was one of the best defensive teams in the NBA earlier in the season but this team has fallen off a cliff defensively and the over is 8-2 in their last 10 games. We think this is another total that is too short tonight. The Blazers have allowed 106 or more in six of their last seven games and they allowed 110 or more in five of those contests. They have also been better on offense since Damian Lillard rejoined the lineup. Dallas hasn’t been very good defensively, either, and they have been steadily improving on the offensive end. We think this total is about four points too short tonight and we expect a lot of offense tonight.

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.

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.

These teams played Thursday and the total reached 236. While we don’t think there will be that many points scored in this one, we do have a lot of leeway as today’s total is well under that combined total from Thursday. The Clippers should be able to name their score today. These teams have played twice recently and the Clippers have scored 120+ in both, and both have gone over the posted total. The Clippers have been playing very well on the offensive end lately and Lou Williams has been playing at an all-star level offensively and he even poured in 50 points by himself the other night against the Warriors. LA has gone over in 10 of their last 11 games and the oddsmakers have not made a big enough adjustment here. Also, DeAndre Jordan is the Clippers best defensive player and he is unlikely to play here and the Clippers will miss him more on the defensive end than on offense. Also, since these teams are playing a home-and-home the Kings should be more competitive here in the second act and they did manage to score 115 on Thursday and we don’t see them having a big dropoff from that number 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.