We are banking on the third time being the charm for Portland as it looks to stay alive in this series and avoid going down 3-0. The Blazers have been dominated in the first two games of this series, losing by 24 and 17 points and while we were on the wrong side both times, a return home will definitely help them. Portland is 33-11 at home including wins in nine of their last 12 games and it is catching points which is a rarity as it is 2-0 ATS as a home underdog this season. The Spurs are playing their best basketball of the playoffs right now as in addition to the two blowout wins over the Blazers, they dominated Dallas in the final game of their opening series, winning by 23 points. All of those games were at home and while San Antonio is a very solid road team, it is just 10-12 ATS on the highway against winning teams. Additionally, it is 0-4 ATS in its last four road games, losing three of those games outright. Portland has now gone six straight games without a cover and that is playing into this number as well which adds contrarian value to it. The Blazers have covered 10 of the last 13 meetings at home against the Spurs and they get back into the series with a must win tonight. 10* (724) Portland Trailblazers

We played on Portland on Tuesday and it was clearly a horrible call but that won't stop us from betting on them again tonight. The bounce angle has worked pretty well this season after a few years of it going the other way because the linesmakers caught on and have shaded the line the other way but in the case tonight, we are actually getting a better number. That is due to the overall dominance that San Antonio put forth in Game One but this is not that big of an advantage matchup for the Spurs as that game indicates. Portland never led in Game One and trailed by 26 at halftime so it was over early but I expect a much better effort tonight. The Blazers rushed their plays and didn't allow them to develop and that was likely a sign of nerves which was surprising considering they went to Houston in Game One of the opening round and played great. Additionally, they gave up 13 offensive rebounds and way too many second-chance points to a team that places relatively low emphasis on both areas offensively as we mentioned in the Game One analysis. Despite the easy win, the Spurs are just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall while going 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a win. The Blazers are still respectable on the road, going 6-2 ATS in their last eight games on the highway. It will be far from surprising to see Portland tie this series up but at the very least, stay within this big number tonight. 10* (715) Portland Trailblazers

Oklahoma City could not have played a worse game to open this series as they trailed by as many as 29 points and was pretty much done from the start after allowing 39 first quarter points. The Thunder committed 18 turnovers leading to 23 Los Angeles points which certainly is not going to get things done and consequentially, they suffered their worst home playoff loss in six seasons since relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City. It was the second straight home loss to the Clippers after going down by eight points back in February and we will see a huge effort on Wednesday to avoid going down 2-0 in this series and putting their backs squarely against the wall. Credit has to go out to the Clippers for dominating on the road as they had won just one of their previous four road games coming in and are now just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. While it was a great performance, Los Angeles was just 17-30 from the free throw line and while it may be considered an aberration, fouling DeAndre Jordan is a definite option going forward as he is shooting a putrid 42.8 percent from the stripe this season. Oklahoma City is 17-9 this season after a loss and the Thunder are 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 games following a double-digit loss at home while the Clippers are 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight games following a win of more than 10 points. Look for the Thunder to return the favor on Wednesday and square up this series. 10* (712) Oklahoma City Thunder

The Spurs won for us on Sunday as they easily took care of Dallas in Game Seven which ended up being a tougher than expected series. Now they have a quick turnaround against the Blazers which finished off their series against Houston in six games and ended last Friday so they have a big edge in time off. Additionally, that last second win in Game Six would have been tough to get over from had Portland had to play shortly thereafter so it will not be in a letdown spot. While the Spurs owned the best record in the NBA, Portland actually matches up well as the advantages that Houston had against the Blazers, they now have against San Antonio. San Antonio does not draw many fouls nor do they focus on offensive rebounds. If the Blazers want to keep the tempo high they should be able to push more easily against the Spurs than they did against the Rockets. San Antonio proved vulnerable at times against a Dallas team with similar offensive and defensive efficiency numbers as Portland, failing to achieve peak play until a dominant performance in the final game. We saw the Spurs barely hold on against Dallas in Game One while Portland was able to win in Houston in Game One and it can use that confidence here. The Blazers have played well the last couple years against the Spurs and they come in riding a 6-1 ATS run in their last seven road games while the Spurs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against winning teams. 10* (707) Portland Trailblazers

By now, everybody knows that the Nets dominated Miami during the regular season as they won all four meetings against Miami. Were they the better team or were they simply fortunate? It is definitely the latter in my opinion as they were able to come up with huge plays in crunch-time which equaled three one-point wins and one double-overtime victory. Obviously all of those games could have gone the other way and Miami will be out to prove that is the case as this is a statement game for the Heat. And because of those regular season losses, they will have full attention here. Miami is coming off a sweep against Charlotte which was no surprise and the extra time off is a big benefit here considering that Brooklyn was taken to the brink as it needed a one point win on the road in Game Seven on Sunday to clinch the series. With the short turnaround, the Nets flew directly from Toronto to Miami so they are at a severe disadvantage because of that. The Heat's seven-day break between playoff series was spent conditioning and battling against one another as if it were preseason-training camp. Last season, the Heat had a long break after sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks and then lost to the Chicago Bulls in Game One of the second round and they will be using that as motivation here. Look for Miami to come out strong, set the tone and eventually pull away for the easy win in the series opener. 10* (706) Miami Heat

Washington has had three extra days off in preparation for this series and while that could help the defense, I think the offense will benefit more as they should be highly energized against a likely tired Pacers defense. The Wizards went under in their final game against the Bulls but prior to that, they had gone over in six straight games. The Pacers meanwhile stayed under in their final two games against Atlanta as they really picked up the defensive intensity and going back, five of the last six games stayed under. As mentioned, the Pacers could be tired playing with just one day of rest and that will hurt the defense more than anything else. While we are getting a good number based on recent games, this total has a lot of value included in it and part of that is due to the regular season series. All three games stayed under the total and by a lot for that matter but at the same time, the lowest over/under in those three games was 185.5 so you can see the big drop here. Both teams went over in their first round series openers which makes since as it was a feeling out the opposition for both sides and I expect the same to happen here. As mentioned, the over is 6-1 in the last seven Wizards games and the over is 5-2 in the seven games Washington played following three or more days rest while the over is 5-2 in the last seven Pacers home games. 10* Over (701) Washington Wizards/(702) Indiana Pacers

This is going to be a very popular public play but I am not too concerned with that here as we are getting some decent value in my opinion despite the home team advantages which could make this line bigger. The Spurs have been at the disadvantage in this series at the betting window however as the Mavericks have covered each of the six games in the role of underdog, obviously winning three of those outright. This may come as a surprise to many after the Spurs had won the previous nine meetings in this series but here we are back in San Antonio for the deciding game. We played on the Spurs in Game Six and things were looking good entering the fourth quarter after they outscored Dallas by 11 points in the third period but the defense fell apart in the final 12 minutes as San Antonio allowed 37 points and gave up a pivotal 14-2 run that put the Mavericks in front for good. While the fourth quarter defense was bad, head coach Gregg Popovich said the first quarter defense was worse and arguably. Overall, the Spurs allowed 71 points on 56.3-percent shooting in two quarters in a close-out playoff game and that is something Popovich will certainly fix. San Antonio is 18-4 following a loss this season and while it has been laying a goose egg in the cover department of late, this is the time the Spurs show why they are the best team in the NBA still. 10* (550) San Antonio Spurs

Facing elimination, Brooklyn came out strong in Game Six as it never trailed, built a 26-point lead and held off a late rally to extend this series. Now the teams travel back to Toronto for Game Seven on Sunday and while the home court has not been totally dominating, I think it plays a big role in this deciding game. If for nothing else, we are seeing some exceptional value as the -2.5 lines that are available are the lowest we have seen this series and are half of what Toronto opened at in Game One. What has exactly changed to make this line this much shorter than the opener? There is a lot of talk about experience and the Nets certainly have more of it but I feel that is completely offset by Toronto playing this game at home as we saw what experience and a home floor can do with the Nets on Friday. The x-factor here is Kyle Lowry. He, along with DeMar DeRozan, have accounted for nearly 50 percent of their offense in this series but Lowry was just 4-16 for 11 points on Friday so it will be important for him to bounce back. We could also use a poor game from Deron Williams as he has scored 24, 22 and 23 points in the Nets' three victories in this series, while averaging just 12.7 ppg in their three losses. The Nets are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games following a win while Toronto is 18-6-2 ATS in its last 26 games following a loss. Neither franchise has won a Game Seven in the NBA Playoffs but that changes for Toronto on Sunday. 10* (546) Toronto Raptors

We won with Oklahoma City in Game six as the Thunder rolled to a 20-point win in a game that was never close from the start. That sets up Game Seven back home for Oklahoma City and even though it has a big home court edge, I expect this game to be a lot closer that the last. Let's not forget that the previous four games all went into overtime so for the most part, this has been a tightly contested series. Memphis was out of sorts on defense and its offense was arguably worse as it shot just 37.3 percent from the floor including 21.4 percent from long range on 3-14 shooting. Not helping matters was going just 19-28 from the free throw line while the Thunder took advantage of their own free throws by going 23-25 from the charity stripe. While we mentioned in the Game Six analysis that Oklahoma City has been awesome this season following a loss but Memphis has been even better as it is 25-9 straight up after a defeat so taking the points with the Grizzlies here is just gravy. They are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games after a loss while going 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a double-digit loss and one of those instances was in this series after Memphis lost Game One by 14 points only to come back and win Game Two in overtime. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a win of more than 10 points. Winning here is no easy task but Memphis has done it twice in this series so we won't see an intimidated team come Saturday. 10* (541) Memphis Grizzlies

We are going against the trends here and banking on the Spurs putting together a dominating performance for the first time in this series. Coming into the playoffs, San Antonio had won eight straight meetings against the Mavericks and the majority of those were not close but now San Antonio is barely getting by. Down 2-1, the Spurs have fought back with two straight wins but they were close enough where Dallas was able to cover both and it has now covered all five games in this series. Going back, the Mavericks are 6-0 ATS in their last six games while the Spurs are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games. Those records I feel are playing into this number as the last time these two teams met in Dallas, San Antonio was favored by 4.5 points and now it has dropped a point and a half since then. This is the spot where a top seed comes to play and while Dallas seems to have nothing left in tank, the Spurs look like they are just now getting comfortable and ready to send a knockout blow. They have found the way to beat Dallas with their solid pick-and-roll offense and it was in fine form in Game Five as the Spurs outscored Dallas 54-28 in the paint and on the night, San Antonio had five different players score over 15 points. Despite the cover struggles in this series, the Spurs have covered seven of the last 10 meetings in Dallas and going back, the Mavericks are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games. 10* (533) San Antonio Spurs

This has been an incredible series. After Oklahoma City won the first game by 14 points, the last four games have been especially close, so close that they all went into overtime which is a new record for consecutive overtime games in a playoff series. For the Thunder to advance, they have to win here and then win back home which has been no easy feat as the Grizzlies have won the last two games played in Oklahoma City. Slow starts have killed the Thunder as they have had to rally numerous times just to force the extra session including Game Five where they had to rally from a 20-point deficit and the biggest lead they had the entire game was just one point. The offense has had trouble against the Memphis defense as the Thunder are shooting just 39.7 percent from the floor and while Kevin Durant is averaging 28.5 ppg in the series, his offensive efficiency has been horrid. They need to have better ball distribution which I mentioned on Saturday when we took the Thunder and it worked as Reggie Jackson came though by scoring 32 points and they need another effort from someone other than Durant or Russell Westbrook. Oklahoma City has won two of the four games played in Memphis this season and with their backs squarely against the wall, the Thunder are forced to make it one more. They are 16-9 this season following a loss while going 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are 4-10-2 ATS in their last 16 games following a win. Oklahoma City pulls away to love another day. 10* (525) Oklahoma City Thunder

We won with the Wizards/Bulls under last night and we are playing this one for a lot of the same reasons and it is considered even more of a contrarian play. This has quietly been one of the best playoff series as three of the four games have gone into overtime and that certainly has not helped the under. All four games of this series have gone over the total and going back to the regular season and last year, 11 straight meetings have surpassed the total. The over/under has stayed pretty consistent though as the linesmakers know they cannot set this one very much higher as it is at a very high number already. We played the under in Game Three and that obviously did not come through but it is based on the contrarian aspect as well as what was stated in the other analysis. These were two of the highest scoring teams in the NBA during the regular season and while it has carried over, the shooting has been average. Portland has shot 46.4 percent from the floor while Houston has shot 43.8 percent from the floor in the first four games so it has been about pace, and overtime, and as long as the shooting percentages remain poor, this definitely has a chance of busting the over streak. With Houston trailing 3-1 in this series and now playing back home in a must win situation, this is the game where the defensive effort is picked up. When breaking down by quarter, the magic number is 54 which is the average per quarter to hit the total and through the first four games, the under is 8-6-2 for quarters that have stayed below the 54-point plateau so there have been more lower scoring periods than higher scoring ones which is the ultimate goal. 10* Under (519) Portland Trailblazers/(520) Houston Rockets

With all of the controversy surrounding their owner, the Clippers came out flat in Game Four, fell behind by as many as 24 points and now have to head home in search of their old winning ways. The good news is that two of the last three games are at home where Los Angeles is 35-8 on the season and while this isn't considered a true must win game just yet, it is as close as you can get. We played on Golden St. in Game Four with the thinking that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would bounce back from a poor shooting game in the previous contest and that proved correct as they went a combined 10-22 from long range and as a team, Golden St. shot 55.4 percent from the floor. While the Warriors may have the momentum now, the Clippers will put the distractions aside and come out with a big effort in Game Five. Los Angeles has been one of the best bounceback teams in the NBA this year as it is 20-6 straight up and 19-7 ATS following a loss which includes going 7-1 following a double-digit loss, winning those games by an average of 14.7 ppg. Meanwhile, the Warriors are 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 games following a win of more than 10 points. 10* (512) Los Angeles Clippers

In what was expected to be a low scoring series, the first four games between Washington and Chicago have all gone over the total. We have seen the over/under steadily rise from the opening game and while we are getting roughly the same number as in Game Four, it is still on the value side and we are able to get a number a little bit higher. The key here is the Chicago defense which has not looked like the typical Chicago defense as it has allowed at least 97 points in each game, although one of those did go into overtime. The Bulls allowed 91.8 ppg during the regular season which was the fewest in the league and their 43 percent shooting allowed was second best. They have allowed Washington to shoot 44.7 percent which isn't bad but the first two games as home were not good. The good thing is that Chicago has gotten progressively better in each game and we will see a big bounceback at home after allowing the Wizards to shoot 48.7 percent in those first two games in Chicago. The Bulls have gone under the total in 20 of 32 games when they are favored at home and while Washington has been more of an over team throughout the season, I fully expect the home team to dictate the pace and clamp down on defense to keep this series alive. 10* Under (507) Washington Wizards/(508) Chicago Bulls

As bad as Indiana has looked at times in this series, it is in good position as it has regained the home court advantage following the victory in Atlanta on Saturday. The Pacers have looked horrible in two of the four games and while they didn't look as bad in Game Four, it was far from a strong effort. Back home, I expect the Pacers make a statement and seize control of this series as this is the perfect opportunity to reestablish themselves as the top team in the Eastern Conference. Lose tonight and they'll go back to Atlanta, where the Pacers have won only three times since December 2006, facing elimination. It has been more than a month since the Pacers starters have strung together consecutive wins and for a top seed, that is certainly a troublesome statement but once they have forced upon themselves with erratic play. The fact of the matter is that Indiana is 36-7 at home despite some recent struggles and while covering has been few and far between, the last game here resulted in a Pacers runaway and we are actually getting a better number this time around. While the Hawks are the only team in the league to win at Indiana twice this season, they are 13 games under .500 on the road and if they are not hitting from long range, which did not happen in the last game here, they have no chance and expect to see the lockdown Indiana defense to again do a great job on the perimeter. 10* (504) Indiana Pacers

The Clippers nearly blew an 18-point lead in Game Three but were able to hold on and pullout the two-point win on Thursday. Los Angeles now has the series lead at 2-1 which makes this a must win for the Warriors and I expect them to get it done. They were able to stay within reach in Game Three despite Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson going a combined 5-19 from long range and the duo tends to respond following poor efforts in their last game. It was a disappointing loss for Golden St. which took over home court after winning one game in Los Angeles but it can again seize control of home court with a win here. The home team had won seven straight in this series prior to the playoffs and going back, the host is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings while the Clippers have covered just once in the last six meetings in Golden St. As mentioned in Thursday's analysis, the Warriors are a rare home underdog and they are now 2-0-1 ATS on the season in this role. They have been solid underdogs all season, going 9-3 ATS as underdogs of fewer than six points and following a loss, Golden St. is 23-9 on the year. 10* (756) Golden St. Warriors

You will hear me talk about the bounce angle, or the zig zag, during the NBA playoffs and while it relates a lot to sides, it has become a lot more powerful with totals as we can catch some excellent value along the way. I feel that is the case here for Game Three between Houston and Portland as we are seeing the total inch up from the first two contests. This is a move we often see as when games go over or under, the next game will take that into account to avoid the public bet of a reoccurrence. And the reoccurrence here is going to have the public all over the over once again. Not only have the first two games of this series gone over but going back to the regular season, all six meeting have surpassed the number. Going back even further, the last nine meetings have gone over the total so you know where the public will be lined up on Friday. These were two of the highest scoring teams in the NBA during the regular season and while it has carried over, the shooting has been average. Portland has shot 45.3 percent from the floor while Houston has shot 42.1 percent from the floor in the first two games so it has been about pace and as long as the shooting percentages remain poor, we should be fine. Going even further contrarian, Portland has gone over the total in five straight games going back to the regular season so that adds some more value. Look for the over streak to be broken on Friday. 10* Under (743) Houston Rockets/(744) Portland Trailblazers

Many may question the mindset of Golden St. after it suffered a 40-point loss to the Clippers in Game Two. I think the Warriors will be just fine as they achieved their goal of splitting the first two games in Los Angeles after winning Game One which brought the home court edge to Golden St. so coming out flat in Game Two was not out of the question. The linesmakers have made an adjustment in the venue switch in my opinion as the Clippers were favored by eight points at home and are now the road favorites here and I feel it is too much of an overadjustment. Golden St. had a rough stretch in the middle of the season at home that concluded in February with a 16-point loss against Charlotte but since then, it has gotten some of its swagger back as it has gone 13-5 over its last 18 games at home which isn't out of this world but it dwarfs its 9-8 home stretch just prior to that. The Clippers have been no slouches on the road after an average start as they are 9-3 in their last 12 games on the highway and while that includes going 4-1-1 ATS as road favorites, they were favorites against non-playoff teams only. The Warriors have been a great bounceback team coming off poor efforts. They are 22-8-1 ATS in their last 31 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game while going 12-2-2 ATS in their last 16 games following a loss of more than 10 points including a 6-1-21 ATS record this season. The home team won all four meetings during the regular season and this is just the third time Golden St. has been a home underdog all season, going 1-0-1 ATS the first two times. 10* (738) Golden St. Warriors

You will hear me talk about the bounce angle, or the zig zag, during the NBA playoffs and while it relates a lot to sides, it has become a lot more powerful with totals as we can catch some excellent value along the way. Dallas and San Antonio square off tonight for Game Two and the Mavericks still have to be hurting from blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead as the Spurs went on a 14-0 run to take the opener. That game stayed well below the total, by 28 points to be exact, and because of that we are catching a great number in Game Two. The first game total closed at 203 and for tonight, we are seeing a lot of 198 totals out there so we can use the bounce angle to our advantage. This is a move we often see as when games go over or under, the next game will take that into account to avoid the public bet of a recurrence. While this is a purely situational theory, the matchup is on our side as well. Three of the four regular season meetings went over the total and the one game that did stay under, enough points were scored to surpass what we are given tonight. These are two of the highest scoring teams in the NBA and during the regular season, the Spurs and Mavericks ranked second and fourth in shooting percentage respectively and that was not on display in Game One but we should see a significant improvement tonight. Rest is key as Dallas is 8-0 to the over in its last eight games playing with two days rest while the Spurs are 7-2 to the over in their last nine games playing with two days rest. 10* Over (729) Dallas Mavericks/(730) San Antonio Spurs

The Pacers were one of five higher seeds to lose the first game of their series and so far the Clippers bounced back to win Game Two, and handily, with the four remaining teams still to play. Those five teams are already in a hole as they have lost home court advantage and losing the second game would be a disaster for the rest of them including Indiana which has really fallen on some hard times, Getting booed on their home floor cannot have felt very good and if there is any character left for this team, we will see it tonight. We are actually laying a shorter price than we did in Game One and with Atlanta having now covered six straight games, this one fall right into our wheelhouse. Indiana was outscored by eight points at the free throw line in Game One, which was the difference in the final score, and this was similar to the Memphis/Oklahoma City game where the Grizzlies were outscored by 10 points from the line in the opener but made that up in the second game. I expect a similar result here and that is only one factor that the Pacers should turn around tonight. The Hawks are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game and while the Pacers ATS run has been dismal, I expect a big rebound on Tuesday night. 10* (722) Indiana Pacers

Oklahoma City rolled in Game One of this series on Saturday as it won by 14 points but look for Memphis to play a much better game tonight. The Grizzlies never led, trailed by as many as 25 points and shot just 36.3 percent from the floor. The big difference however was at the free throw line as Memphis was just 18-31 while the Thunder went 28-32 from the charity stripe. The Grizzlies came into this series riding a five-game winning streak and they were one of the best teams in the league after a slow start as they went 35-13 over their last 48 games of the regular season and bouncing back from losses was the key. After a five-game losing streak in mid-December, Memphis won 16 of its last 18 games following a loss covering 13 of those games. This included a 6-1 ATS mark as underdogs with six of those being outright wins. This sets up similar to last season, in two different instances. Memphis lost Game One against the Clippers by 11 points but played much better in Game Two, losing by just a bucket before going on to win the next four games. In the second round against Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies lost the first game and then went on to win four straight. Memphis has covered four of its last five games following a double-digit loss and that run continues tonight. 10* (717) Memphis Grizzlies

Chicago got a pretty favorable draw in the postseason and it came about by losing its final regular season game of the season at Charlotte. The Bulls dropped to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference which means a series against Washington instead of Brooklyn and possible date with Indiana instead of Miami and both of those are much favorable matchups. Chicago is a dangerous team with its stifling defense and even though Washington won the regular season series 2-1, the majority of the Wizards players have no playoff experience. Washington was definitely a pleasant surprise this season but it finished only six games over .500 and even worse, it went 4-11 against other playoff teams since the All-Star break. Conversely, the Bulls have been one of the best team in the league even without superstar Derrick Rose. The Bulls, after their 12-18 start, finished 36-16, the best record in the Eastern Conference over that period. While many teams would fear playing Indiana or Miami, it is those teams that should fear playing the Bulls. The last thing Chicago wants is to give the home floor to Washington so it has to get out of town with a sweep which I fully expect. The Bulls are 14-4-1 ATS in their last 19 games following a loss while the Wizards are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a winning home record. Chicago won 22 of its 30 games when favored at home and with a substantial postseason experience edge, its gets out to a quick start in this series. 10* (714) Chicago Bulls

The Spurs have dominated the Mavericks the last two seasons, winning all eight regular season meetings while covering six of those including three of four this season. That is a big reason this is the biggest line Dallas has seen this season against San Antonio and by a big margin for that matter. The first two games in San Antonio, the Spurs were favored by 5.5 and 6.5 points and while one was a blowout, the Mavericks covered the other matchup. Dallas has been solid on the road with a 23-18 record and it has covered six of its last seven on the highway, winning six of those outright with the only loss coming by just a single point in the season finale at Memphis in overtime. The Spurs once again had a spectacular season but they went just 3-3 down the stretch not counting the regular season finale when they rested their starters. San Antonio has had home court advantage numerous times over the years but surprisingly, it has struggled to get out of the first two games with two wins especially when the Spurs enter the postseason not on a winning streak like it did in 2012 when it came into the playoffs on a 10-game winning streak. Dallas is 11-5 ATS this season as an underdog of four or more points while going a perfect 2-0 ATS when getting eight or more points. That included an outright win in Indiana and a narrow loss in Miami. Additionally, the Mavericks are 23-9 ATS in their last 32 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. 10* (709) Dallas Mavericks

With everyone down on Indiana, this is a statement game for the Pacers. They backed into the top seed as Miami pretty much gave up the number one seed by resting starters down the stretch but Indiana likely would have gotten the top seed anyway. We won with Indiana in its second to last game against the Thunder and that was a big win as it halted a 3-8 stretch and then a season ending win over Orlando provides them some much needed momentum heading into the postseason. One of those losses during that stretch came at home against Atlanta where the Pacers lost by 19 points and the game was not even that close as they never led and trailed by as many as 35 points. Now it is payback time. The Hawks finished strong as they went 6-2 over their last eight games and they have won three straight on the highway but this is now a whole different ballgame. Overall, Atlanta is 14-27 on the road which is the worst road record of all teams that are in the postseason and while it went 6-0 as a road favorite, it went just 8-26 as a road underdog. The Hawks are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while Indiana is a very solid 8-2 ATS as a favorite between 6 and 8.5 points. This is rematch of the first round series from a season ago in which the Pacers won 4-2 and that included a 17-point win in Game One and I expect more of the same this year in the opener. 10* (706) Indiana Pacers

Game One of any NBA Playoff series is important for the home team as a loss gives the home court edge to the opponent and we are getting a very good price with Toronto in this opening game. The Raptors won the Atlantic Division by four games over Brooklyn and locked down the number three seed in the Eastern Conference and they hope to take advantage of a Nets teams that struggled down the stretch of the regular season, losing four of their last five games. Toronto finished 26-15 at home which was just the fifth best home record in the Eastern Conference but after a 3-7 start, the Raptors went 23-8 down the stretch at home. Brooklyn went 16-25 on the road which is the second worst road record of all playoff teams and it wasn't exactly competitive down the stretch, going 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games and overall they won just seven of 23 games when listed as road underdogs. Even worst, Brooklyn is 2-8 ATS this season as an underdog of fewer than four points. The Raptors success can be attributed to not putting together big losing skids and they have won 12 of their last 14 games following a loss while going back, they are 17-4-1 ATS in their last 22 games following a loss. This has been a close series with each team winning two games including one each on the opponents home floor but the biggest blowout came here in the second meeting with the Raptors winning by 16 points. 10* (702) Toronto Raptors

This is one of the few games on the Wednesday card that involves two teams still playing for something and in this cased, it is playoff seeding. The Bulls are tied with the Raptors, which play the Knicks tonight, for third place in the Eastern Conference and while they are locked into a homecourt advantage in the first round no matter what, Charlotte arguably has a lot more to play for. The Bobcats will either finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and be matched against the Heat, or finish in sixth place and face the Raptors. Either a Wizards victory at Boston or a Bobcats loss to the Bulls locks the Bobcats matchup against the Heat. While a Washington victory is likely, Charlotte will not know the outcome until this game is done since that other game starts an hour later. Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford has expressed the importance of this game and not just winning but playing good as he has not liked the effort the last few games. Additionally, the Bobcats should be hungry as they have lost the first three meetings with Chicago and will be out to avoid the season series sweep. The Bobcats are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a winning road record while Chicago is just 3-6 ATS as an underdog of fewer than three points. 10* (522) Charlotte Bobcats