Sports Picks & Predictions

The Clippers have been inconsistent but they still have been a better bet this season than the Wolves, and we think they will want to bring their A Game tonight and leave nothing to chance after a pair of OT losses to Sacramento and Denver. The Wolves have covered in only one of the last seven meetings to LA and we think they are in for a tough game tonight.

The Heat are one of the worst ATS teams in the league and they have covered in only one of their last nine games and enter on a four-game losing streak. The Sixers had their five-game winning streak snapped vs. Boston even though they played well, and this looks like a great bounce back spot. Philly is one of the best ATS teams in the league, and they do their best work at home. We see them getting a comfortable win tonight, and a blowout isn’t out of the question.

Love the Thunder in this spot. The Suns will be shorthanded as Durant will likely be postponing his Suns debut. The Thunder are on a back-to-back here but they have been solid in these situations at 4-3 ATS on the season. In fact, this is one of the best ATS teams in the NBA on the year. They are 8-2 ATS on the season when getting around this many points. They normally bring their A Game on the road against top teams, where they are 25-9-1 ATS in their last 35 against a team with a winning home record.

Teams will want to get off to a strong start for the stretch run after the all-star break, and we think this is a game that the Sixers will want to take very seriously. These teams are somewhat close together record wise but we think the Sixers are the much stronger team, and they should take care of business with a comfortable win here in front of the home faithful. Philly is one of the best betting teams this season at 34-23 ATS, while the Grizzlies have a losing ATS mark. The Sixers are a dominant home team at 23-8, while Memphis does their best work at home as well but is 11-17 on the road. The Sixers won and covered four straight before the break, and we think that momentum will continue here after. The Grizzlies have covered only one of their last six road contests. They have covered in only one of their last six visits to Philly. They are 9-19 ATS in road games this season, while the Sixers have been dominant, at 21-10 ATS at home. Memphis is 3-7 ATS when in an underdog role this season, and we think they come up well short of the cover here tonight

Six straight meetings have gone under. We think both teams will lock down defensively and expect this one to finish at least five points under the total as we had this one handicapped under 220. The Suns have been trending to the under and we think their defense will hold the Clippers to a reasonable score tonight.

The Clippers have been an under team this season, especially at home, so the oddsmakers have to be sure not to set the totals too high. But they went too low here, in our opinion. Even without Curry on the court this team can score, and they are going to push the pace. They have gone over in five of their last six. Two of the last three meetings have gone over, and we see this one as being high scoring as well, and the Clippers offense should benefit from the pace here tonight.

Both teams have been playing well but we just don’t believe in the Thunder as a favorite although we love to take them when getting points. But they are laying too many here in what we think is pretty much a coin flip of a game. OKC is 2-5 ATS as a small favorite like this. We think this is a great chance for a rare road win by the Pelicans tonight.

We really like the Bulls to compete here tonight and think they have a decent chance for the outright win. The Cavs have to be exhausted on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights. The Bulls come in rested and have lost two straight. So they will likely bring their A Game tonight as they had won three straight before the current slide. Cleveland has had a pretty favorable schedule lately. They should be fat and happy here tonight and probably won’t have much urgency like the Bulls should have.

These teams played Sunday and the total went under by 21 points. The oddsmakers didn’t make enough of a downward adjustment on this total, in our opinion, and there is nice value here on the under. The under is 18-7 in the last 25 meetings in Philly. It is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings overall. While the offenses will likely make some adjustments from Sunday’s game, we have a lot of wiggle room here for the total even if the offenses play much better. But these are two very good defensive teams. Philly is No. 3 for defense, while the Knicks are right outside the Top 10. But the Knicks have held three of their last four opponents to 104 or less, including these Sixers, and they have stepped up the defense lately. Philly has gone under in four of five, and they have been excellent on the defensive side. We see this one as comfortably under the number.

The Bucks are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings against the Lakers in Los Angeles, As a small-market team they normally bring their A Game when playing under the bright lights in the big city, and we think that will be the case again tonight. LeBron broke the scoring record last time out and that is one of the biggest stories in the nation, and we think this could create a letdown spot for them. He is also listed as questionable tonight and his status will no doubt move this line, but we like the Bucks for a comfortable win whether he plays or not. The Bucks are in playoff form right now with eight straight wins, and the Lakers are still trying to figure things out.

The Suns have quietly been playing great basketball and they get their Big 3 back tonight as Booker is expected to join the roster. They face a Brooklyn team in flux after the trade of Kyrie Irving, and the Suns will be facing a depleted roster tonight that is on the second night of a back-to-back. We expect a double-digit win from the road team here.

The Clippers are quietly one of the hottest teams in the league. They have won seven of nine and their two losses were by one in Milwaukee (in a game they led at one point by 20+) and in Cleveland on the second of a B2B when they rested half the team. Tonight they face a very vulnerable Nets team that not only is missing Durant, but they have other key players on the way out of town and others coming in via the Dallas trade. The Nets will try their hardest but they just don’t have the firepower to stay competitive here tonight. LA has covered in seven of their last eight, and we think this team won’t overlook the Nets since they had lots of struggles before things came together for this recent positive run.

These are two strong defensive teams. The Knicks are coming not only off a back-to-back but after an OT game vs. the Clippers where they let a lead slip away. So this looks like a flat spot for them, and we don’t see them putting up a big point total here against the No. 6 defense. We think NY will have to rely on their D to keep them competitive here.

The Clippers at full strength, which they will likely be tonight, have been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA recently. They deserved the win last time out in Milwaukee and controlled most of that game but couldn’t hit any shots late and lost by one. That makes this game against a lesser opponent even more important. The Clippers have covered in six of their last seven games, with the only non cover coming in Cleveland in the game where a lot of key players sat out. With some of those types of games on the schedule, it makes full squad games like this more important, and we think they take care of business here tonight. The Clips have covered in seven of the last nine visits to MSG.

We like to back a good team after a bad and embarrassing loss as they normally bring their A Game in the next outing. That is the case for the Suns here. They were embarrassed at home by the Hawks last time out, 132-100. NBA players have a lot of pride and ego, and good teams don’t often fail to show up in consecutive games. And the Suns had been playing well as they had won six of seven entering that game. Boston has been winning, but they have covered only one of their last seven games as the oddsmakers are posting too high of spreads. They probably won’t be on their A Game against this out-of-conference foe. The Suns aren’t a big underdog often, but they are 5-2 ATS when getting five or more points. The Suns have also had great betting success here in Boston as they have covered in eight of the last 11 meetings. They have also covered in 10 of the last 14 meetings overall.

Both teams have been inconsistent on offense, and we think this is an inflated total tonight. Five of the last six for Dallas have gone under. Four of the last six for New Orleans have gone under. These teams played a high-scoring game last month but that the bookies have not adjusted the total from that matchup tells us a lot here.

The Warriors are 8-16 ATS on the road. Minnesota has won three of four and five of seven, and they are quietly playing great basketball right now. These teams have traded ATS covers for the last seven meetings, and it’s now the Timberwolves turn. We think they have a great chance for the outright win.

The Clippers offense has finally found its stride and the oddsmakers haven’t adjusted enough. We had this total handicapped in the low 230s, so there is insane value on this total tonight. The Clippers had a dud of an offensive game last time out, but half the team was scratched before the game and they played the Cavs, one of the best defensive teams in the league. But prior to that outing, the Clips had scored 120 or more in four of their previous five games. They have gone over in six of their last eight games, and we see the pace and scoring here being fluid and see a competitive game where both teams get their share of the total.

The Suns have won five of six. They are getting healthier and trending upwards. We think this line is more than fair for the home team tonight. The Raptors normally don’t play up to expectations when a small dog like this as they are 4-7 ATS when a dog of under 2.5 points. They are only 2-7 ATS in the last nine meetings in Phoenix and 5-14 ATS in the last 19 meetings overall. Since these teams don’t meet often, that is a trend that goes back years. We expect the home team to pull away late in the game.

The Bucks are trending upward and have won four of five, including a big win over Indiana less than two weeks ago. The Bucks needed a rally as the Pacers played well in the first half. But Milwaukee ended up winning by double digits. We expect to see a more complete game from the Bucks here. They match up very well against the Pacers and have a strong history against them as they have covered in seven of the last nine meetings. Five of those games were double digit blowouts. The Pacers started off the season strong but now might not even make the play in. They have covered only two of their last 10 games.

The Clippers have won three straight, including a win over these Clippers in San Antonio, and they are playing better every game as they get healthy. The last time they played here in LA they won by more than 20, and we could see that type of result here with the Spurs coming in on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights.

OKC has had a couple days off and they should be well rested and ready to go here and are winners of five of their last six. This is one of the top ATS teams in the league the last couple seasons and they keep getting the job done. Atlanta is much better at home than on the road, and they are trending downward with two straight losses. OKC has covered 25 of the last 36 meetings.

Despite the Clippers struggles recently, they are the better team here, and they are almost worthy of a blind bet when playing the Lakers. They are 11-0 ATS when the Lakers are the HOME team. They are 37-17 ATS in the last 54 meetings, one of the strongest betting trends in the NBA long term. They are getting healthy and have been playing well, and the Lakers are not healthy at the moment and we expect a dominating performance.

Sacramento has won six of seven, but most of those wins came against sub par competition. They face one of the best in the west tonight, and we think the Grizzlies are quite a bit better than the Kings. The Grizzlies started this road trip with consecutive losses to the Lakers and Suns, by a combined three points. So they will really be focused on getting a win here and this team doesn’t want to drop three straight. They can do it against a team they have had a lot of success against. They have covered in all four of their recent trips to Sacramento and are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings overall.

Boston is missing Tatum for this one, so their offense will definitely take a hit. Toronto has been trending to the over, so we think we are getting an inflated number here. But four of the last five meetings have gone under the posted number, and we see a defensive battle here this afternoon.

This is an opponent that the Clippers normally play well against. They are 4-1 ATS in the last five visits to San Antonio and 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings. LA has been playing horribly. They have been dealing with more injuries, a problem that has to this point derailed their season. But it looks like the Big 2 will be playing tonight, and this team is desperate for a win. They have lost many games lately, but they have had a tough schedule littered with playoff teams. Their last easy opponent was vs. Houston, and they won by 21. We think we could see s similar result here as if the Clippers don’t get a convincing win here then it might be time for heads to roll in LA. We think they bring their A Game tonight.

We have seen that the Suns aren’t a great team at full strength, but with the two best guys of their Big 3 missing and some other injuries, this team has been in a free fall lately. The Nets are without Kevin Durant, and they have lost three straight. But Kyrie Irving should be back tonight, and the Nets have a much better roster taking the court tonight, and this should be a nice spot to get back on the winning track.

OKC is playing excellent basketball right now. They went 3-1 on their recent four-game road trip, with wins at Philly and Brooklyn. They have home blowouts vs. Dallas and Boston in their last eight games. Indiana is going the other direction as they have lost four straight and they have covered in only one of their last five, showing they have been overvalued by the oddsmakers recently. We think that is the case again tonight.

This one has a strong history of the under, with 10 of the last 12 meetings going under the posted number. These are two Top 10 defenses, and the offenses are towards the bottom of the league. Both teams are coming in on a back-to-back, where the teams are a combined 8-3 to the under on the second end of a B2B. We expect a low scoring game here.

The Knicks are coming in on a back-to-back, but they have a winning record ATS in these situations, so we aren’t really worried about that aspect too much. They barely broke a sweat in a blowout at Detroit yesterday. The Knicks are playing their best basketball of the season. They have won seven of eight and covered in six of those contests. The oddsmakers are punishing them too much here for the B2B. Toronto is 5-13 on the road this season and this will be another tough situation for them to get the win. They hosted the Knicks earlier in the month and lost by four. This one should see a larger margin of victory.

The Magic have been solid as a big underdog, with a 16-10-1 ATS record when getting five or more points. This team has cooled off since their big win streak but they have still been covering, as they enter on a two-game cover streak and they have covered in three of four overall. They catch a Nuggets team that is a little banged up now, though Jokic should return tonight. But this game is sandwiched between important conference games against the Clippers and Blazers, so if there were to be a game they would take less seriously, it would probably be this matchup against the Magic, who we think can keep this one within single digits.

Note: there will likely be line movement in this game because of MVP favorite Jokic and his injury status. He is questionable with a wrist injury. We like the Clippers for a comfortable win whether he plays or not. We think Revenge is an overrated NBA handicapping angle. That is unless the teams played recently. And the Clippers no doubt remember that game last week in Denver where they got spanked, 122-91. The Nuggets have won six of seven, but they have been enjoying some home cooking lately. All those wins were at home, but they are just 2-4 in their last six road contests. Even though George is out tonight for the Clippers, this team is very deep with talent, but they just have not had consistent rotations. But they looked real good last time out in a double-digit home win vs. the Mavs, and wins and losses have come in bunches for this team. But they need to start stacking some wins together after the lackluster start to the season, and we expect them to bring their A Game tonight and for Kawhi to lead the way to a win and cover.

Oklahoma City was one of the best ATS teams last season, and they are doing it again as they are the No. 1 betting team this season at 25-16 ATS. This is the perfect betting team as they play hard almost every night yet keep it close more often than getting the outright win. They have covered in four of their last five games, and we expect them to keep this close tonight. OKC does most of their ATS damage as a big dog as they are 18-7 ATS when getting three or more points. If this line goes up to double digits, they are a perfect 5-0 ATS in those scenarios. While teams like the Lakers and Warriors get the best shot from other teams even when they aren’t high in the standings, OKC is a team they often overlook and we don’t see the Sixers bringing their A Game tonight. OKC has covered in four of the last five meetings in Philly.

The tanking Rockets are in a freefall right now and have covered only one of their last seven games despite very generous lines from the oddsmakers. The Kings have been inconsistent but they are coming in off a confidence-boosting blowout of a better Orlando team. We think they can ride that momentum to a double digit win here. The Kings have covered in four of the last five meetings.

For Dallas, Luka Doncic is questionable for this matchup. If he plays, the line will move. But we like the Clippers to win this one by a comfortable margin despite the line movement. Paul George is out for LA but Kawhi should play. Tonight., we have to plug our noses and take the Clippers, who are on a 6-game losing streak. This is the worst losing streak in years. This team has been inconsistent. But this just has the feeling of a Must Win game, and we think LA will respond to the pressure tonight. It’s not like they have lost to scrubs, as all the losses were to playoff type teams. They played their best game of the bunch last time out vs. the Hawks, who eventually rallied for the win. But LA has covered in five of the last seven meetings, and this is a good familiar foe with which to halt the losing streak.

Two teams on winning streaks as the Bulls have won three straight and the Celtics have won two straight. But Boston has not been covering many lines as they have been overvalued by oddsmakers and they haven’t been playing at their top level. They have covered only one of their last four games. Chicago covered in all three of their recent wins. We expect a hard fought game here. The Bulls typically bring their A Game when playing Boston. They are 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings and they have covered four straight in Boston. We were planning to take the Bulls here and thought the line would be closer to 6, so there is excellent value here tonight.

We took the Celtics for a big play last time out against the Mavs after their embarrassing loss to the Thunder and they destroyed Dallas by nearly 30. Now we are going to back Dallas with the same philosophy, backing a good team after an embarrassing loss. They didn’t show up in that game, and they will no doubt produce a better effort here win or lose. They come in rested, while the Pelicans are on a B2B after a game they probably wanted more in Brooklyn last night that was hard fought but ended up a loss. New Orleans is not a very deep team, and they are missing two of their Big Three and we think their lineup will be lacking here in the B2B. Dallas has been an awful ATS team this season, but that can turn around. We think they have a great chance for a blowout here.

The Clippers look to have hit rock bottom last night with a 30+-point loss in Denver. Now they are on a back-to-back against a surging Timberwolves team that has won two straight. We don’t know what roster moves Ty Lue will do tonight, as Kawhi and/or George may site the second end of the B2B. But if they both do play, that is probably a sign of pure desperation. Both were ineffective last night. In fact, no starter scored in double digits.

The Mavs have won seven in a row, while the Celtics have been blown out in two straight and lost to OKC by 30+ last time out. Yet the Celtics are still favored here on the road. That tells us a lot. We always like to take a good team after an embarrassing loss. The Celtics certainly fit the bill here as they are arguably the best team in the NBA. And that loss is certainly embarrassing, but it’s also forgivable. During the long grind of the NBA season, teams just don’t always show up to play. But after a real poor effort, we expect the Celtics to bring their A Game tonight in Dallas. The Celtics have covered in 12 of 17 meetings here and they are the much better team. We think they show it tonight.

The Suns offense is really struggling right now. They have scored 104 or fewer points in four of their last six games and put up only 83 last time out vs. the Knicks. Things won’t get any easier for them tonight against the Cavs, the No. 1 defensive team for points allowed this season. The Suns are a pretty good defensive team also, so they will have to rely on that facet of the game to stay competitive here and Cleveland probably isn’t going to light up the scoreboard tonight. The under is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings in Cleveland, and we expect another low scoring game here tonight.

This is the perfect revenge spot for the Bucks, who lost to Washington here on this same floor in a blowout Sunday. Antetokounmpo and Holiday, the Bucks two best players this season, missed that game but both should be back here. Milwaukee has lost five of six, so there should be a sense of urgency here tonight. Four of those losses were on the road, and three were to the other top teams in the east, so it’s not like they have been beaten by a bunch of bad teams. This looks like a good spot for a blowout win and revenge.

The Clippers finished out their road trip with two losses and they need a win here. We think they will get it against a Heat team that is banged up right now. The Clippers will have close to a full roster tonight and are one of the deepest teams in the league. The Heat are 1-7 ATS in the last eight meetings, and Miami has been one of the worst teams for bettors this season at 13-22-2 ATS.

Utah has not been playing great on the road and is 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. The Kings shine has worn off since the start of the season as this team has been inconsistent. But they are healthy here and this line is more than fair. This homestand hasn’t been the best, but they head on the road after the new year so we think this game is a priority to get a win and salvage the homestand. Utah hasn’t looked very good the last couple games and even lost to the Spurs. They are 7-13 on the road and we think they are in for another tough game tonight.

Boston has been the best team in the NBA to start the season, but now that the Clippers are healthy, they have possibly the strongest roster in the league. They should have most of the squad playing tonight, and this is just too many points. The Celtics were in a big slump but have won three straight, but wins over Minnesota and Houston don’t really move the needle. Just don’t think this club is in top form right now. The Clippers always seem to play well in Boston, where they are 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings, and we think they bring their A Game tonight.

The Clippers played last night so enter on a back-to-back but the starters played limited minutes and Kawhi was out, but he should play here and should bring his best against his former team. The Clips are the much better team and a deep club and they should be fine here. That the bench came back last night from a huge deficit in Detroit showed the depth of this Clippers team.

Both teams have struggled and we think this will be a lower-scoring, hard fought game. Boston is the more complete club right now and in slightly better form, and we see them putting together a strong showing in front of the home crowd today. The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings, and both clubs will want a strong defensive showing under the bright lights today.

Atlanta has covered only two of their last nine games. Yet here they are laying another big number. They are 4-11 when laying more than three points. The Pistons are 12-3-3 when getting 7.5 or more. They have also covered in seven of the last 10 meetings. We expect a very competitive game here.

Brandon Ingram has been out for the Pels but now the main member of the Big 3, Zion Williamson, will join him as he has been placed in Health and Safety protocols. We have no doubt players will step up in his absence, but we don’t think they will cover this big number. The Pels haven’t been playing great even with Zion in the lineup as they have lost four straight both SU and ATS heading into this matchup. And now they have to face the Spurs without their two best players. San Antonio was looking like the worst team in the NBA for awhile as they lost nine straight and didn’t cover in any of them. But they have been playing a lot better recently. They come in with confidence after a blowout win at Houston. They have won four of six and covered in all those wins as an underdog. They have covered in all seven of their most recent visits to New Orleans, and they have one of the best coaches in the league that probably devised a nice gameplan here with two days off to maximize the chance of being competitive here.

The Clippers should have nearly a full squad tonight and at full strength this team should start to play better offensively. They should put up a big total on a Charlotte defense that is among the worst in the league. Charlotte is getting key players back recently and we think they will push the pace here. These teams played earlier this month and that was the Clippers highest scoring game of the month. They could do even better tonight with a more dangerous roster.

The Knicks have gone under the total in eight of nine and this team is playing the best defense in the league recently. During this streak, they have held four opponents under the century mark, and two finished in the 80s. With Curry out, the Warriors of course aren’t as potent offensively. They are a banged up team right now and we think they have a poor night. The Knicks have covered seven straight games and we expect another great defensive effort tonight.

Don’t get us wrong, the Magic are playing great basketball right now and their recent six-game winning streak has been impressive. Especially the last two games, a sweep of the best team in basketball, the Boston Celtics, in Boston. The streak also included a home win against these same Hawks. Atlanta is a much better home team (9-5) than road team (6-10). And this game was recent so this is a revenge spot for the Hawks. We have to remember that Orlando is only 11-20, so this current win streak includes more than half of their wins. They are Fat and Happy after the sweep of Boston. They are coming in on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights while the Hawks have had two days off. Orlando has covered only one of the last five visits to Atlanta and they are 2-7-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall. Expect Orlando to play strong in the first half and then wilt down the stretch.

These teams played here Friday and Orlando won their fifth straight in an eight-point win. Boston will probably play a lot better here. But we think this line is still too large for a Magic team that is playing with tons of confidence right now.

Paul George is questionable here but Kawhi looks to play. We think there is a good chance both play. Regardless, this looks like a blowout. The Clippers rested everybody last time vs. Phoenix so they took a mulligan in that one. But they had won the previous three games and looked like the team we all expected coming into the season. This team doesn’t have a lot of room for error after a slow start. They are 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings with Washington in LA.

Sacramento has had somewhat of a tough road trip as they have dropped three of five. But this will be their easiest matchup on this road swing, so we think they bring their A Game here. The Kings have one of the best offenses in the league, and Detroit has one of the worst defenses. While the Kings defense isn’t going to win many accolades, they are better than Detroit, and the Detroit offense is one of the lowest ranked in the NBA. Sacramento normally plays well against bad teams. They are 6-1 ATS in their last seven against losing teams. They are 7-1 ATS in their last eight on the road against teams with a losing home record. We think this is a great chance for a double digit win.

Love the line value here as we had the Rockets as a slight favorite. Miami is the second worst betting team in the NBA at 9-19-1 ATS. They are just barely better than the worst betting team, Dallas. They are coming in on a back-to-back here after OKC took them to the brink last night. They won but didn’t cover, and we don’t see them playing a better game than they did last night. The Rockets have been playing well and have won three of four. They are 15-12 ATS on the season, meaning they are surpassing oddsmakers expectations on a regular basis. The Rockets have covered six straight at home, and we think they have a great chance to win outright.

Atlanta is banged up and this team stinks on the road. The Magic have two more wins at home than the Hawks have on the road. We had this game handicapped at PK and think the home team has a great chance to win outright. They have won three straight and covered four straight and are in much better form at the moment.

The Pelicans have won seven straight and are playing as well as any team in the NBA right now. Utah has lost two straight and three of four, and the shine has come off their hot start a bit. New Orleans has a better offense and a much better defense, and they should dominate this game on both sides. This team looks very headstrong this season and we don’t think they will have a letdown after a pair of big wins over the Suns.

We were on the Spurs for their last two wins, as we saw a slight upswing for them after losing nine games SU and ATS. Now they are fat and happy after two wins over Houston and Miami, two struggling teams, but now they are probably going to revert to their tanking ways and they face a true championship contender in Cleveland. Mitchell is questionable here. But we think the Cavs win by double digits whether he plays or not. This team plays excellent team basketball and the sum is greater than the individual parts. The Spurs are a struggling offensive team and the Cavs posses the No. 1 defense. San Antonio gives up more than 120 PPG, so we don’t think the Cavs will have any problem scoring enough to get this one over the posted number. Cleveland has covered in five of six meetings and four straight in San Antonio.

Six of the last nine for the Kings have gone under the posted number. The oddsmakers have just adjusted these totals too high on a nightly basis. We think that is the case here again tonight. The Knicks have gone under in five straight, so they are trending the right way here as well. Eleven of the last 14 meetings have gone under the total.

To say this road trip has been rough for the Clippers would be an understatement. They have lost two straight, against the Magic in OT and then at the Heat. This is a long season, but this seems like a very crucial game for the struggling Clippers. We never know who will start for LA as their two stars are never a sure thing to make it on the court. But it’s very likely the Big Two should play here. Even if one of them doesn’t, this line will likely swing, but we won’t be deterred if it does. We think this is a great chance for a double digit win even if PG or Kawhi sit. Washington is coming in on a back-to-back. They are banged up as well. They haven’t been playing well, either. But the biggest thing is that we expect the Clippers to play with a sense of urgency here as a loss or another bad game might be the time to hit the panic button. We don’t think that will be needed, however, as we expect a comfortable win and we think the stock will be rising in the coming weeks for LA. Oh yeah, and they have covered in five of the last six meetings, so they normally play well against this opponent.

The Pistons were a sexy pick to be an improved team this season and possibly sneak into the play in tourney. They got off to a slow start and had some major injuries to deal with. But this team has been getting healthier and playing better. They have been a particularly good bet when getting big points, and they are 7-2 ATS when getting double digit points on the spread. These teams played recently in Detroit and Memphis won by 10. We just don’t see them replicating a double digit win in two games so close together.

Make no mistake, the Spurs have been playing some of the worst basketball in the NBA and have been making an art out of tanking. But this looks like a very winnable game for them and they are going to get a win and cover at a certain point. We think tonight is the night. This team shot out of the gate with some great performances and was once one of the better bets in the league. Then some injuries hit and they fell off the cliff. But we think the value has swung the other way now and they should be a favorite here. Houston has only one more win than the Spurs. They are 3-12 away from home. They are 3-7-1 in the last 11 meetings. The Spurs have had extended rest coming into this one and should get a couple of their injured soldiers back for this game, and we expect a rare win from the home team tonight.

Miami is one of the worst ATS teams in the NBA at 8-15-1 ATS. They were one of the best last season but they have not lived up to oddsmaker expectations so far this season. Miami enters this one on a back-to-back, while Detroit had the night off Monday. Detroit has struggled to start the season and has dealt with many injuries, but they are starting to get players back. They have been a very strong bet when getting more than seven points, and they have also covered in all of the last four meetings.

The Thunder were on an over tear, but their offense has come back to earth a bit while the bookies have overadjusted their totals on a nightly basis. Two of their last three have gone under, and we think that is the way this one will go as well. Minnesota is 13-9 to the under this season. The Thunder have been having some scoring lapses lately and their best player is banged up as well. Also, the last five meetings in Minnesota have all gone under the posted number.

The Jazz got off to a hot start but have cooled off big time and are now looking more like the team we expected to see entering the season. They also have some key injuries that are holding them back. They got a win last time out but that was their first in six games. Utah has excelled in the underdog role for betting purposes, but they are just 2-6 ATS as a favorite this season. Indiana is one of the best ATS teams in the league, and they quietly get the job done night in and night out. They are 8-3 ATS when getting more than three points as a dog. They are also 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Utah and 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings overall.

Dallas is a very poor road team at 1-7 on the season. They have failed to cover in five straight on the road. Detroit is 8-3-2 ATS as an underdog of 7.5 or more, and they have served bettors well as a big underdog. Dallas is 2-11-1 ATS as a favorite of three or more points. At 5-14-1 ATS, this is the absolute worst ATS team in the league, cashing less than 27 percent of their games for bettors. Detroit’s only ATS loss in their last six games was last time out in a 30-point home loss to the Knicks. They will want to put in a much better effort in front of the home fans here. This is another inflated line for Dallas and this is an easy call to go against them.

The Thunder offense has fallen off the cliff the last couple games, failing to score more than 105 in consecutive games, Looks like this team is trending to the under after being a hot over team for awhile. Besides the last game against the Lakers, which was a barnburner, the Spurs have had offensive issues and scored under the century mark in three of their last five games. The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings and we see this one going well under the number here.

The Suns are rolling lately but they have played a very easy schedule. This Kings team is very underrated right now and they have been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA this season. They didn’t play well in their recent three-game road trip so they will want to bring their A Game tonight against a Western Conference rival back at home. The Kings have covered in four of the last five meetings, and we think that trend continues here on Monday.

The Pacers are one of the best ATS teams this season and this team is quietly getting the job done and staying off the radar for public bettors. They are 12-6 ATS on the season, including a 5-2 ATS road mark. They are deserving favorites here. The Clippers will be without their stars again here. And although this team is one of the deepest in the league, it’s still a work in progress and the Clippers haven’t been able to string together much consistent play. Indiana is coming in off an impressive blowout over the Nets and we think they play with a lot of confidence here in LA.

The Lakers are a bad team and not a championship contender. But they have won four of five and are playing decently well right now. The same can’t be said for the Spurs, who started strong but have since fallen off a cliff. They have lost seven straight and covered only one of those contests. They seem to have fully embraced the tanking strategy, and we don’t see them putting up much of a fight here. The Lakers have covered in five of the last seven trips to San Antonio.

Minnesota has won five straight and they are playing with a lot of confidence right now. They are playing the best they have so far this season. Charlotte is just not a good team right now and will likely be missing a couple top players here. We think this game has blowout potential and the Wolves should win by double digits. Minnesota does well on the road against bad teams (8-2 ATS run) and we expect a dominant performance here. We have stayed away from the Wolves a lot this season because of a slow start but it looks like this team is figuring things out and the Wolves seem like a good Buy Low option right now for bettors.

The Thunder have now gone over in seven straight and the oddsmakers can’t set a total high enough for this team right now. They are pushing the pace at one of the highest rates in the NBA and they just rely on scoring to be competitive more than defense. Denver hasn’t been playing great offensively but they have faced some strong defensive teams. This is a chance for them to open up the offense a bit and we think they have a monster night offensively as they have historically played well here. We are expecting another OKC track meet here as this should be a competitive game with both teams getting their share to put this one well over the posted number.

After a 5-game skid, the Cavs are swinging back in the other direction and have now won two straight. This team has been streaky lately but this looks like an excellent spot for them to continue their win streak against a Hawks team that plays better at home. The Hawks have dropped three of four ATS, and they got throttled by Boston on their recent homestand. The Cavs normally step up big at home in these marquee game type situations. Atlanta hasn’t had much luck here in Cleveland as they have covered in only one of their last six meetings. We see that trend continuing here on Monday.

The Kings are the top ATS team in the league at 11-3 ATS. With all the big stories in the NBA this season, this team is flying under the radar. The Pistons are coming off a string of big games against big-name teams, and this matchup won’t move the needle for them as much as recent games against the Clippers, Lakers and Celtics. Sacramento is the No. 1 offense in the NBA and averaging more than 12 PPG more than the Pistons.

OKC’s offense is humming, and they have gone over in five straight games and scored more than 120 in each of those. Actually, they have scored over 130 in three of those (one OT game) and over 140 in a non-OT game. Memphis has a middle of the pack defense, and we don’t see them slowing the Thunder down tonight. And Memphis has an exceptional offense as well that can work without key players as they will again be without Bane tonight, but this team has shown in the past that they can perform at a high level with top players out. And we are confident that Memphis will be more than happy to run with OKC tonight. The over is 5-1 in the last six meetings. The last meeting saw 240+ points scored, and we think we will see the same type of game tonight.

Sacramento is 10-3 ATS on the season and playing their best basketball of the season at the moment. This is starting to look an awful lot like a playoff team. They have won four straight: Golden State, Cleveland and Brooklyn were included in that bunch. They are coming off a 30+ point win over the Nets. They have the No. 2 offense in the NBA this season and are facing the league’s worst defense. We just think the Kings will be able to outscore the Spurs tonight. They have put up 120 or more in four straight and 153 against the Nets. They have also covered in 9 of 13 meetings and 4 of 5 in Sacramento.

The Mavs played a grudge match last night against the rival Clippers, who they have meet in the playoff quite a bit. That was no doubt a big game for them. Now they enter this one on a B2B and face a Texas rival. When two Texas teams play, we always try and look for a reason to take the underdog as they normally don’t want to get rolled over on. And this seems like a letdown spot for Dallas here after that big game last night.

This Pelicans team has been inconsistent but they have played a road-heavy schedule this season so far and we think they will excel here at home against the Grizzlies. We think New Orleans has a higher ceiling this season. And the Grizzlies have been overrated on the road, where they have failed to cover in five straight games.

Cleveland is the better team right now and they have had one of the best starts to the season of any team. They enter, however, having lost two straight. Those were both close games, and the Cavs didn’t embarrass themselves. But they will be amped to get back on the winning track against the defending champs. Not only is Golden State playing mediocre basketball and bad defense, but they are getting their opponents’ best shot every night. Everyone wants to take down the champs, and we are sure Cleveland will bring their A Game here.

The Hawks are normally very good at home and are coming off a loss to the Jazz here, and we don’t see them losing two straight at home. They have covered 10 of 14 against Philly in Atlanta, and we expect that trend to continue here on Thursday. Take the Hawks with confidence on Thursday.

The Bucks suffered their first loss of the season last time out at Atlanta. It was a blowout and an embarrassing loss. But this is a great bounce back spot for what has been the best team in the NBA. After a hot start, OKC has come back to earth a bit and has lost three straight SU and ATS. They are pretty much a one-man team with SGA leading the way, but the Bucks have the defensive pieces to slow him down. Both meetings last year were blowouts, and we expect more of the same here.

Golden State is off to a tough start to the season, and we think this will be a close game. Sacramento is 3-1 ATS on the road this season, where they normally get generous odds from the bookies. And that certainly looks like the case tonight. Sacramento has won and covered three of four, and they are playing well at the moment.

To say the Clippers got off to a slow start was an understatement. This team looked like one of the worst in the NBA and Kawhi Leonard has been sidelines again. But this team has won three straight and they are starting to play well together. Utah has been playing incredible basketball to start the season, but we don’t see this is a playoff team. The Clippers have some of the best depth in the NBA this season and we think they will take this game very seriously because of the slow start.

The Kings have been a strong underdog team on the season at 5-2 for the under. Sacramento has been playing solid defense the last couple games, and we think that will continue here on Saturday. Orlando has been playing in some high scoring games, so that has caused the oddsmakers to overinflate this total. We had this one handicapped at 220, so we think there is nice value here. We don’t see either team putting up a big point total here.

These teams have a long history for the under as they have played to the under in five of seven overall and 10 of 14 in the last 14 in Orlando. The Magic are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA thus far. They have been pretty solid defensively as they are in the upper half of the league for points allowed. We think they will be competitive in this game, and that won’t come from the offense so we think they will slow Golden State down. The Warriors haven’t been putting up crazy point totals lately. We don’t think they will here. Orlando has been averaging only 106 PPG on offense. We don’t see them getting too much over that tonight.

These teams are a combined 10-5 on the under this season. They met on Monday and the total wound up at 188, and that is a crazy total in the modern day NBA. That is the fourth game in five games that the Clippers have scored under the century mark. We don’t think the oddsmakers have adjusted this one enough.

Washington has been playing excellent defense, and we think this number is too high on Sunday. Boston has been in some high scoring games, but we think that this will be more of a defensive battle, at least in the current day NBA. Eight of the last 10 meetings have gone under the posted number. Both teams were off on Saturday, so we think there will be plenty of energy on the defensive end today.

Charlotte has been a decent bet this season so far at 3-2 ATS. They are coming in on a back-to-back and off a blowout loss at Orlando, but we think they were looking ahead to this game against the defending champs. Golden State has faced some heavy hitters in Miami and Phoenix the last two games, so we don’t think they will be too excited about a trip to Charlotte. The Hornets have won four of six meetings outright and we think they will put up a fight today.

These teams played here on Wednesday and Atlanta scored a five-point win. The Pistons are underrated and this is a possible play in tourney team. We don’t think they will play worse than Wednesday, and they were in that game all the way with a chance to win at the end. We think there’s a great chance they play even better as it’s tough to beat a team consecutive games like this.

Memphis is 4-0 against the total this season. Their offense has been humming, and we expect them to put up a big number here. Sacramento is well rested and will run with the Grizzlies for sure. Both teams are way down the list of defensive teams so far. All three meetings last season went over the posted number. Memphis scored 124 or more in all three games. We think this game will be competitive so we believe that Sacramento will get their points as well. We just don’t see a lot of defense being played here, and the offenses should be on full display. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.

Detroit is off to a slow start, but this team is not a bottom feeder this season. We think they are a contender for the play in tourney and a team in the rise. This is just too many points as a home dog. Detroit has played three of four on the road, but their one home game was a solid win, and we think they will be primed for a big performance tonight. The Hawks rarely play well here and are 0-4 ATS in their last four visits and 2-6 ATS in their last eight meetings overall. The Hawks are 1-2 ATS despite playing all three at home against a weak schedule.

These teams have combined to go 5-1 on the under this season. OKC has only had one breakout game on offense and it’s unlikely they will tonight against one of the best defenses in the league and without their starting point guard. The Clippers will miss Paul George and his scoring. We think there is a real possibility the Clippers hold the Thunder to around the century mark, which would make this an easy cash.

These are supposed to be two tanking teams, but here they sit at 5-1 ATS on the season. But Utah has shown the ability to win games and not just cover, and they are 3-0 on the season and have looked very impressive. They have the No. 1 offense in the NBA thus far through three games. They are on a back-to-back here, but we don’t see that bothering this young team. We see another high scoring affair here and expect the Jazz to pull away in the fourth quarter.

Both teams are 2-0 SU and ATS, but one team is a championship contender and one team is playing over its head. We think this will be a high scoring game but we think this is where Utah comes back to earth a bit. New Orleans has looked very good to start the season. These teams normally play a high scoring game, and we expect the same here tonight but New Orleans wins by double digits. They might get 130+ on their own.

This is one of those matchups we look forward to each season as it’s pretty much easy money to take the Clippers… and you can pretty much bet them blindly. This is a one-sided rivalry because the Lakers are the Clippers biggest rival but the Lakers have more traditional rivals. So the Clippers always give it everything they have, especially since they are considered second tier in their city. When healthy, the Clippers probably have the strongest roster in the NBA, and they have a healthy roster to start the season. The Lakers look like they might have another long season, and this team will normally be overrated because they are the biggest public betting team in the NBA. We think the Clips will want to come out strong on opening night.

We don’t take many double digit favorites in the NBA, but we think this one is warranted. Minnesota has just crushed OKC in recent meetings. Like CRUSHED. Like all three games were decided by 30 or more. OKC was one of the best ATS teams in the league last season. We used them a lot. We will probably use them a lot midseason once this young team starts to gel. And they have a great leader in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. At some point, he will get the best out of this roster. But this team is much different than the one that covered so many games last season and there are going to be some growing pains. Minnesota has their best team in years and a legit contender. We think OKC runs into a buzzsaw here in the season opener.

The Sixers seem very solid heading into the new season and we think this team is in a great place and primed for a strong start and a possible championship run. Boston not only has the hangover from losing in the finals, but they had a turbulent offseason to say the last with their coach being suspended for the season and losing offseason acquisition Gallinari for the season with an injury. And we forget that this team started very slow last season before turning it on around the holidays, and we think a repeat could be in the cards. Philly has covered in seven of the last eight meetings. Their non-cover during that span? The 135-87 beatdown in February. We have no doubt the Sixers remember that game and they will want to play their best here against a team they normally exceed expectations against.

We are surprised that the Warriors have a chance to close things out tonight as we really liked the Celtics to win this series. They are not out of it yet, however, and we expect them to take care of business tonight at home. The spread normally hasn’t come into play too much in this postseason, and we don’t think it will come into play tonight as the team that wins normally does so by a large margin.

This series has worked out for the Zig Zag Theory to perfection, with each team trading wins/covers and the total going the opposite way each game. We still think Boston is the better team and we think they have a great chance for the outright win here. Curry went off in Game 4 after the Celtics had been in control most of the way through. But we expect a focused group tonight and we think they break the stalemate tonight with a chance to go back to Boston to close things out in Game 6.

The Warriors had some injury concerns with Steph Curry but it looks like he is good to go for Game 4. But we are not sure he will be 100% effective. If this was the regular season, he would probably take some time off to properly heal. And there is always the chance of reaggravating the injury as the Celtics are one of the most physical teams in the league. But even with Curry at full strength, we like the Celtics here. We think they are the superior team, and the hungrier one. The Warriors have a decent supporting cast for their stars, but the team goes cold too often unlike the best championship teams from Golden State. And then there are Draymond Green’s antics. He is a great defender but he is just not helping the team a lot in this series. With the Big Game 3 win, the Celtics have their eyes on the prize and we don’t see them blowing home court advantage here. We think they get another comfortable win tonight.