This is a 10* on HOUSTON

Houston needed every bit of James Harden’s 49 points on Friday to overcome a terrible defensive effort in what ended up being a 153-149 overtime win over Dallas. The Rockets trailed by double digits entering the 4th Quarter, but were then able to hold the Mavericks to just 30 points over the final 17 minutes. The fact Houston played so poorly on the defensive end and had to overcome a late deficit should not bias you here though. While they’re facing Milwaukee, the Bucks won’t have guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton, so there is a depth issue. The Bucks looked good against Boston Friday, winning 119-112, though Giannis Antetounkmpo probably should have gotten ejected. Also the Bucks raced to a 17-2 lead out of the game, which was the difference in the game. Houston won’t shoot as poorly as the Celtics did (40.7%) and an offensive team like this getting points is a great opportunity. Play on HOUSTON

AAA

This is a 10* on OKC

The Jazz have already played once, a 106-104 come from behind win over the Pelicans. That preserved their status as the West’s 4th place team for the meantime but a lot can change over the next seven games as they are part of a five-team mess separated by just 3.5 games. Also in that group is Oklahoma City, who has not played yet. The Thunder are 2-0 ATS vs. the Jazz this year, part of an overall 39-24-1 mark at the betting window that is the league’s best. Most impressive of all is that the Thunder are 23-8 ATS on the road. Utah winning that game Thursday night should not make you forget that they trailed by as much as 16 points or that they are without second leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic, whose 41.4% three-point shooting will sorely be missed. 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

AAA

This is a 10* on MEMPHIS

Perhaps no team in the entire NBA has defied expectations more than Memphis Grizzlies have. Projected to win only 27 games this season, they’ve already surpassed that number (they’ve won 32 games) and seem poised to make the playoffs as the 8-seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies aren’t favored very often, but be sure to take them when they are. Not only do they boast a 14-4 straight up record in the chalk role, they are also 13-5 against the spread. Tonight they host an Orlando team that is 7-1 ATS its last eight games and off a big upset win in Houston. But considering that was only the sixth time the Magic won as an underdog this year, we will gladly lay the short number in this game. Tonight marks the Magic’s 4th road game in the past 7 nights. Play on MEMPHIS

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Toronto won last night in Sacramento 118-113. Playing in the second night of a back to back should not prevent them from being able to win again tonight. The Raptors have won three straight on this road trip, previously winning in Phoenix and Golden State. It’ll be a tougher test tonight in Utah as the Jazz have won five in a row, the last four all coming on the road. But our view is that the better team is getting points and that’s something we can’t look past. Earlier in the year, they crushed the Jazz by 20. They led that game by 40 at halftime! While it was in Toronto, the Raptors are a strong 22-9 in their road games. Utah has been inconsistent this year, a point driven home by the fact this current 5-game run was preceded by a 4-game losing streak. They are just 5-11-1 ATS their past 17 games with only one cover as a favorite in the last eight tries. Play on TORONTO

AAA

This is a 10* on ORLANDO

Orlando has seen a recent surge in scoring, leading to their last 10 games all going Over the total. They just hung 132 points in a win at Minnesota Friday night and are now 6-1 ATS the last seven games. Tonight they are getting a generous number of points from a Houston team that’s moving in the WRONG direction. The Rockets were the hottest team in the league not long ago but have gone 0-3 straight up and against the spread in March. Two of those losses came to the Knicks and Hornets, teams far worse off than Magic right now. Despite giving up more points than usual lately, the Magic are still top five in the league in fewest points allowed for the season. They give up 107.2 per game. Orlando has covered its last five road games. Play on ORLANDO

AAA

This is a 10* on the WARRIORS

Steph Curry returns tonight to a Warriors team that is nothing like it’s been at any point in the last five seasons. The three-time NBA champs have the worst record in the league at 14-48. Golden State has won only five times in 2020, though two of those have come in the last three games. Perhaps motivated by the former MVP’s impending return, Curry’s teammates won in Denver two nights ago 116-110 as a 16-point underdog. Tonight, in a rematch of last year’s Finals, the Warriors face the Raptors. We expect this to be one of the high points of a lost season in Golden State. Yes, to expect Curry to play at an MVP-level right away would be foolish. But he doesn’t need to. The Warriors are still clear underdogs and only need to keep it close. Toronto has injuries as well with Fred Van Vleet and Serge Ibaka both expected not to play. Before beating Phoenix Tuesday, the Raptors had lost three straight and four of six. Play on GOLDEN STATE

AAA

This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

Brooklyn is off a huge win last night as they came back from a 17-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to upset Boston 129-120 in overtime. They were 6.5 point underdogs and led by Caris LeVert’s 51 points. Now they face a quick turnaround to host Memphis. Most will look at this as a bad spot for the Nets, but they are at home. The Grizzlies have a losing record away from home and while they are off 39-point road win, it was against Atlanta. They were actually an underdog in that game due to multiple players being injured. Those same players - Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson - are both out tonight as well. The Grizzlies were fortunate to get a very balanced offensive attack against Atlanta (9 players in double figures!) but can’t count on that every night. Nor can they count on every opponent shooting as poorly as Atlanta did (32.5%!).  Play on BROOKLYN

AAA

This is a 10* on UTAH

Give credit to Cleveland for playing better since the firing of former coach John Beilein. They’ve even posted home wins against the likes of Miami and Philadelphia. But those teams seem to be unique in how much they struggle on the road. Utah, who finally ended its losing streak (at four games) Friday, should have little difficulty coming in here and winning. The Cavs have lost two in a row, to New Orleans and Indiana. They still rate as one of the league’s worst teams. Utah winning its last game 129-119 over Washington should jumpstart a nice run for them as they fight for position in the Western Conference. They are the more rested team here and should put up another big total like they did vs. Washington. The Cavs are last in the league in defensive efficiency (Wizards are second to last). Donovan Mitchell has scored 30 or more in the last four games for Utah and should continue that streak in a big win tonight. Play on UTAH

AAA

This is a 10* on PHILADELPHIA

We all know about the Sixers’ struggles on the road. While the league’s preeminent home team (28-2 SU at home!), Philly is only 9-21 straight up in road games. That difference of -19 (home vs. road wins) is seven games more than the team with the second biggest split. Today they are at the Clippers, who have won three straight games by double digits. Two were at home and those margins of victory were 27 and 29 points. Despite all of this, we are grabbing the big number with the road dog. You’re not likely to get this many points with the Sixers in any game all season. Obviously that has to do with the fact Joel Embiid will miss the game with a shoulder injury. Ben Simmons is out too. But still this is too many points. The Clippers can have “off-nights” defensively and the Sixers have still won 6 out of their last 8 games. There’s been just one time all season that LA covered four in a row and it was back in December. Play on PHILADELPHIA

AAA

This is a 10* on UTAH

A long homestand typically provides a team an opportunity to start rolling, but in the case of the current one for the Utah Jazz, that certainly hasn’t been the case. The last four games have all ended with them on the “short end of the stick.” Adding insult to injury, they were favored in all four games. But tonight should be a reprieve with Washington paying a visit. The Wizards are off a win, but that was against a Nets team that is playing without Kyrie Irving. The two games before that, the Wizards got 50+ point games from Bradley Beal and still lost! On January 12th, the Jazz went to D.C. and won 127-116 as 6.5-point favorites. Winning by more at home shouldn’t prove too difficult. The Wizards are 7-21 SU on the road and it can’t be stressed enough just how bad they have been defensively. They are giving up an average of 123.5 points in road games, the highest such average in the league. Expect a big bounce back effort from the home team tonight. Play on UTAH

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

On Monday, Cleveland hosted a top 5 team in the East (Miami) whose play dips rather significantly on the road. Sure enough, the Cavs beat the Heat in overtime, 125-119 as a 6.5-point home underdog. It was a rather shocking come from behind effort as the Cavs trailed by 19 going into the fourth quarter. Of course, the Heat’s road woes are well documented. We bring this up because the team Cleveland hosts tonight sees an even more dramatic dropoff when they are on the road and that’s Philadelphia. The Sixers are a league-best 27-2 straight up at home. But their road record is 9-20. That is easily the biggest gap any team in the league has when it comes to home vs. road wins. So can Cleveland pull the same trick twice in a row? Not sure about them winning straight up tonight, but we do like the points as the 76ers are 1-9 ATS in road games where the total is 220 or higher. They are 4-8-1 ATS as a road favorite with six outright losses. Play on CLEVELAND

AAA

This is a 10* on INDIANA

Both of these teams just got their tails kicked in. For Charlotte, it was Saturday when they lost at home to Brooklyn by 29 points, a real “bad look” considering the Nets are now without Kyrie Irving. Still, in terms of margin, the loss wasn’t as bad as what Indiana suffered Sunday in Toronto as they went down 127-81. One of the teams will get to bounce back from the embarrassing defeat Monday and our money is on the Pacers as not only are they playing at home, they are also simply the much better basketball team at this juncture. Even with three consecutive upsets straddling the All-Star Break, the Hornets are still only 4-14 straight up their past 18 games and when they lose it’s generally by a wide margin. The Hornets’ record in games decided by 10 points or more is a lousy 4-24 straight up. They are also just 2-19 vs. teams that have winning records while going 5-14-2 against the spread.  Play on INDIANA

AAA

This is an 8* on PHILADELPHIA

The Sixers are back home Monday and you should know what that means. It’s a virtual guarantee that they’ll play better than they did Saturday night in Milwaukee when they lost 119-98. That loss dropped Philly to 9-20 in road games. They are 26-2 at home. Throw in the fact that they go from facing the league’s best team to (maybe) its worst and it should be a complete “reversal of fortune” here. While the Hawks are 2-0 since returning from the All Star Break, each of those wins came at home. They have only six road wins all year and only one in the last 30 days. Philadelphia is playing with revenge tonight as well. They lost in Atlanta last month. (They also won there early in the season). The Sixers are an impressive +10.0 points/game compared to their opponents here at home. They are 6-0 ATS in home games with a total of 220 or higher (total here is currently 229). Play on PHILADELPHIA

AAA

This is a 10* on PHILADELPHIA

We all know about how the Sixers perform on the road relative to how they do at home. On Thursday, they defeated the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 112-104. That improved their already league-best home record to 26-2 straight up. However, they’ve gone just 9-19 straight up on the road and tonight finds them playing in Milwaukee. Despite this seemingly “insurmountable” task the 76ers are facing, we like them to come through with the cash tonight on ABC. Impressive as they have been, the Bucks cannot possibly continue to win by these large margins. What’s interesting is that they have played only 17 games all season against teams that have winning records (fewest in the league). They are 10-7 straight up in those games and 7-10 against the spread. They’ve lost only 1 time all year to a team with a losing record. A couple of weeks ago Philly came here and lost by 11. We think they’ll do better this time as this game means more to them than it does to the Bucks. They did beat the Bucks earlier in the year (at home). Play on PHILADELPHIA

AAA

This is a 10* on UTAH

The Spurs were done a favor last night as Memphis lost, meaning San Antonio is now within 3.5 games of the 8th (and final) playoff spot out West. Utah has its eyes on a bigger prize as they went into the All Star Break 4th in the conference and on a 4-game win streak. The last three wins were against Houston, Dallas and Miami and the Jazz covered all three. This is a step down in class from those teams, all of which are solidly in the playoff mix. Two of the wins (Houston, Dallas) even came on the road. Speaking of the road, it has been unkind to San Antonio. The annual “Rodeo Road Trip” began on Feb 3rd and has seen the Spurs go 1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS with the only straight up win coming at Oklahoma City right before the break. Utah has a big edge defensively in this matchup as they give up only 104.1 points/game at home while SA allows 116.4 on the road. Utah is 20-5 at home while SA is 9-19 on the road. This is the Spurs first visit to Salt Lake City this season and the Jazz have revenge for losing as a five-point favorite in the Alamo last month. Play on UTAH

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analysis coming

This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

The Timberwolves laying this many points should tell you something and that “something” is that Charlotte is not good. While the Hornets did just win an ugly 87-76 game at Detroit two nights ago, that was preceded by five consecutive losses. Overall they’ve dropped 13 of 15 games and fallen near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. There are only three teams in the league that have been outscored by more points. Those are Cleveland, Atlanta and Golden State, who happen to have the three worst records in the league. So expect more losses to pile up for Charlotte in the coming weeks. In terms of laying this many points with the Timberwolves, who have lost 14 of their last 15 games, do not fret. They already won at Charlotte by 22 points earlier in the year. In the last home game, they hung 142 on the Clippers. If they can do that to a good team like the Clippers, they can certainly blowout the Hornets. Play on MINNESOTA

AAA

This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

The Chicago Bulls have not made the playoffs in several seasons. This year, the Eastern Conference is really lacking in depth so fans in the Windy City were hoping the drought would end. Unfortunately though, the Bulls are 16 games below .500 and have lost five in a row. Defense has been atrocious with them giving up 124 points/game during the current losing streak. Bad defense is something Washington knows all too well, but it was a poor offensive effort that cost them against Memphis on Monday night. They finished with only 99 points, the first time in a month they failed to break 100. The Wizards are normally a good offensive team (they average 115.5 points/game) so look for them to get back on track against this struggling Bulls team tonight. What happened against Memphis was they fell apart late, missing 18 of 22 shots in the fourth quarter as a double digit lead evaporated. Play on WASHINGTON

AAA

This is a 10* on INDIANA

Indiana comes into Monday on a five-game losing streak. Two of the losses came to a Toronto team that has won 14 in a row. The Pacers are lucky in that the East has no real depth, so they’re not in any real danger of falling further than where they’re at right now, which is 6th. The 7th place team (Brooklyn) is who they’ll face tonight and there’s a seven game gap between the teams even with the Pacers losing streak. The Nets also just lost in Toronto and it was by the same exact score (119-118) that Indiana lost by on Feb 5th. Both teams covered the spread in those losses and the Nets do come in riding a 3-game ATS win streak. But they’ve won only one time on the road going back to the start of 2020. To us, it’s just a question of whether or not the Pacers can cover the spread and we think they can as they already hold two double digit wins over Brooklyn this year and both of those were on the road. They didn’t have Victor Oladipo either. Now the Nets don’t have Kyrie Irving. The Nets are 1-8 ATS their last nine times as a road underdog. Play on INDIANA

AAA

This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

A .500 record in the NBA may not seem like much to “crow” about, but the Grizzlies (26-26) are plenty happy with it as right now they’d be the 8th and final playoff team out West. Not much was expected from Memphis this year. Certainly not a playoff berth. But led by Ja Morant, they’ve really transformed and are currently on a 7-2 SU/ATS run. They did lose Friday in Philadelphia though. Both losses in the last nine games were on the road and by double digits. Washington is another team we expected little from this year and they’ve been more in line with that projection, coming in at 18-32. But they upset Dallas on Friday, right here at home, for what was their third win in four games. All those games have been at home and they were a three-point dog when they beat the Mavs 119-118. What we find significant about the line here is that Memphis has only been a road favorite three times previous to this. While they may be 14 games below .500, the Wizards are only 2.5 games back of the final playoff spot in the East. So don’t look for them to pack it in anytime soon. They are 10-6 ATS as a home underdog, winning nine of those games straight up. They can score (115.6 points/game) and have won seven of nine home games overall. Play on WASHINGTON

AAA

This is a 10* on PORTLAND

After a four-game win streak that saw them upset Houston, the Lakers and Utah, Portland got severely humbled out in Denver Tuesday night. They lost 127-99 as a 4.5 point underdog. It was their worst defeat of the year, at least when it comes to margin. But now they return home for a big game against San Antonio. Both these teams are chasing the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Right now, the Blazers have a half game lead. San Antonio is on its annual “Rodeo Road Trip” and it hasn’t started well with losses to both the Clippers and Lakers. The Lakers got them by 27 on Tuesday so both teams are coming into this game off blowout losses. But it’s the Spurs third road game in four nights, putting them at a distinct disadvantage. The Spurs are 8-16 on the road. Damian Lillard has been on fire recently for Portland and should lead his team to an easy home victory tonight. Lay the points. Play on PORTLAND

AAA

This is a 10* on the CLIPPERS

Today is the beginning of the most challenging part of the season for the Miami Heat. From now until Feb 20th (which is the first game after the All-Star Break), they’ll be on the road. We all know what the Heat are capable of at home where they’ve gone 22-3 and just destroyed Philadelphia 137-106. But obviously the road has been far less kind as the Heat have played only .500 ball, going 12-12. The long road trip starts against one of the best teams in the league and the Clippers can be pretty rude hosts themselves. LA is 21-5 at home and this will be their final time playing here before breaking for All Star Weekend. When Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both play, the Clippers are pretty unbeatable. WIth those two both in the lineup tonight, the game being on national television and it being the last home game before the All Star Break, look for a really solid effort from the home side. The Heat are 0-3 this year after a game in which they scored 130 or more points. Play LA CLIPPERS

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

We’ve got two BAD teams facing off here, although the Knicks have surprisingly been playing better of late. They’ve gone 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games, which includes a 106-86 win here in Cleveland back on MLK Day. On Saturday, the Knicks shocked the Pacers, winning 92-87 as 11-point underdogs. The Cavs have been terrible, with just one win in their past 11 games, but we like them to get revenge against the Knicks tonight. It’s been a LONG time since the Cavs won a game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. You’d have to go back to before Christmas when they won three in a row. Since then, it’s been 10 straight losses here, including an embarrassing one to Golden State on Saturday where they were favored and lost 131-112. We expect an “all hands on deck” approach to this one from the home side as this is a game Cleveland “knows” it can win. The Knicks have won as an underdog eight times previous to the win at Indiana. Only twice have they followed that up by winning again. Play on CLEVELAND

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

How far the mighty have fallen! The Warriors and Cavaliers met four straight years in the NBA Finals (2015-18), but that seems like “ancient history” now as Golden State (who won three of those finals) have been besieged by injuries while Cleveland (won 2016 Finals) saw LeBron James leave them for a second time. The Cavs are still trying to find their way post-LeBron, but they actually have a better record than the Warriors this season (13-36 vs. 10-39), which is obviously something that nobody anticipated being the case. Since a four-game win streak from 12/20-12/27, Golden State has won just once (1/18 vs. Orlando). They have lost 15 of 16 overall and their last road win was December 6th in Chicago! It’s 10 straight losses on the road including a pair of double digit defeats to Boston and Philadelphia this week. Therefore, we relish the opportunity to lay such a short number here, even with a team like Cleveland. It’s not like the Cavaliers aren’t going to be motivated tonight. Since the 2016 Finals (when they came back to win after facing a 3-1 series deficit), they are just 2-13 vs. Golden State including nine losses in a row. Time for that streak to end. Play on CLEVELAND

AAA

This is a 10* on HOUSTON

This game is on ESPN. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing Luka Doncic as the Mavs superstar re-injured his ankle in practice Thursday. The same ankle was sprained earlier in the year causing Doncic to miss four games. He’s reportedly going to miss at least the next two. Both Dallas and Houston enter this game at 29-18, tied for 5th in the Western Conference. But with Doncic out, it’s pretty clear which team is going to be better and we’ll look to take full advantage. The Rockets have lost six of nine and just split four games on the road. They’re off a loss in Portland, 125-112 as a 5-point favorite. So look for them to come out highly motivated in their return home against a wounded rival. They are 6-2 ATS off a double digit loss this season. Dallas was just buried, at home, by Phoenix and that was with Doncic in the lineup. We faded the Mavs there as they lost for a third time in the last five games and gave up a season-high 133 points. Houston also has revenge here for a 14-point loss earlier in the year when Doncic went for 41 points. He won’t be there tonight so look for superstars James Harden and Russell Westbrook to carry the Rockets to a big victory. Play on HOUSTON

AAA

This is a 10* on DENVER

Bad spot here for Utah as they lost last night in San Antonio and now head to Denver where they’ll have to not only deal with the elevation but also a Nuggets team that sports the same 32-15 SU record. Denver, like Utah, lost its last game. But that was in Memphis. When playing at home, the Nuggets are 18-6 and holding teams to 103.9 points/game. Utah hasn’t had many back to backs this year (only four prior to this one). The last two games have seen the Jazz fall as favorites. Not only were they -5 at San Antonio, but they were -14.5 vs. Houston as the Rockets won that game without James Harden and Russell Westbrook. A third game in four nights, with no rest, is going to be too much to overcome here as Denver is every bit as motivated off their loss. While this is the first time facing the Jazz, he Nuggets record in division games this year is 6-0 (straight up). Play on DENVER

AAA

This is a 10* on NEW YORK

The Knicks 5-game ATS win streak came to an end last night in Charlotte as they lost to the Hornets by a score of 97-92. They blew a 13-point lead. We thought the game would end up being a lot higher scoring and the reason it wasn’t is NY couldn’t buy a basket. That was a stark contrast to their last time playing at home when they shot 53.3% in a 110-97 win over Brooklyn. The Grizzlies head to Madison Square Garden this evening looking to win a fourth straight game and for the 11th time in 13 games. Memphis also played yesterday as they beat Denver 104-96, thanks to some real sharp shooting. They finished the game at 56.1%, their third game in a row at above 52% (3-0 ATS). Don’t think they’ll be able to sustain that level of shooting. There’s also some pressure on Memphis here as a win would get them to .500, something they haven’t been this late in a season in several years. The Grizzlies have not fared well in non-conference games the last few seasons, going 20-56 straight up and 27-47 against the spread. This is a team that’s only been favored in 12 games all season! Play on NEW YORK

AAA

This is a 10* on PHOENIX

Dallas was a winner last night as they went into Oklahoma City and prevailed 107-97. That was no small feat as the Thunder came into the game on a 5-0 SU/ATS run. Here the Mavs get to play host to a Phoenix team that is like Dallas in the sense that each probably feels they should have a better won-loss record. Though they’ve lost three of the last four games, two of them were by five points or less. This is a quick 24-hour turnaround for the Mavericks and they just played three tough road games (Utah, Portland, OKC). Winning here by any kind of substantial margin seems like a difficult proposition. Phoenix is 10-11 straight up on the road and 13-8 against the spread. They’ve won at Boston and San Antonio already this month. Grab the points. Play on PHOENIX

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

The Cavs lost their seventh straight game Saturday night as a long season seemingly gets even longer. But it’s pretty crazy to think that Detroit has only five more wins on the year than Cleveland does. Seeing this number attached to the Pistons immediately caught our eye as there’s no real reason for them to be this big of a favorite. Earlier in the month, these Central Division foes played a couple of tight games - both decided by three points or less - with the road team going 2-0. The Pistons are off a couple of double digit losses here at home - to Memphis and Brooklyn - so again, not sure why anyone would want to lay this many points with them right now. The Pistons have lost six of their last nine overall and are just 9-15 straight up and against the spread on the road. They are 1-5 ATS L6 as a favorite including 0 for 4 when laying more than two points. They didn’t cover either game vs. the Cavs earlier in the month. Play on CLEVELAND

AAA

This is a 10* on SAN ANTONIO 

Toronto has won six straight games, pulling them into a tie with Miami for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. However, the Raptors did not cover last time out as we said they would not. We took the points with the Knicks and tonight is a far more daunting road trip into San Antonio. While the Spurs are not as strong as they’ve usually been for Greg Popovich, this is a team that has won outright each of the last three times it has been getting points. They did lose, as a favorite, Friday at home to Phoenix. That game saw us go against SA, making us winners on each of these team’s last game. The Spurs won in Toronto 105-104 back on January 12th as a 4.5-point underdog. The Raptors are a bit healthier now than they were back then, but not as well rested, so this pointspread doesn’t make much sense to us. Toronto was off three days rest when they hosted the Spurs two weeks ago. Now they’re playing a second road game in three days. The Spurs have covered the last five games vs. the Raptors. Play on SAN ANTONIO

AAA

This is a 10* on CLEVELAND

Since New Year’s Eve, Cleveland is just 2-11. Tonight at home, they hope the “third time will be the charm.” This week has seen them lose twice at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, to the Knicks and Wizards, teams that are well below .500. They were even favored (-2.5) against Washington Thursday, but lost 124-112 due to lack of defense. But tonight looks like a good time to take a flier on the Cavs. They are getting Chicago, who is fresh off a terrible showing last night at home vs. Sacramento. The Bulls lost that one 98-81 as it was the third time in the past five games they failed to score 100 points. The Bulls aren’t a great offensive team to begin with and shot just 39% last night. They had only 12 points in the fourth quarter vs. the Kings as they played for the first time without Lori Markkanen. For a Cleveland team that doesn’t win much, this is one of their more “winnable” games in some time and will be treated as such. Play on CLEVELAND

AAA

This is a 10* on PHOENIX

More than half of the games have already been played this NBA season and it very much looks like the top seven in the Western Conference have really solidified themselves. What order those seven teams finish in is still to be determined as is who is going to get the #8 spot. The Suns and Spurs are both contenders (for the #8 spot) and meet Friday in the Alamo. San Antonio, who hasn’t missed the playoffs since the late 1990’s, currently has the position after knocking off New Orleans in Zion Williamson’s debut Wednesday. Phoenix has the second longest active playoff drought in the league (2010) but has the feel of an improved team this year. Despite being eight games below .500, the Suns are very much a competitive team. They just faced the Spurs earlier in the week, at home, and lost by two points. So this is a revenge game and they are 18-9 ATS the L27 games in that situation. After losing by two to the Spurs Monday, it was a far worse showing vs. Indiana on Wednesday. But this is a team that’s gone 4-2 SU its last six on the road including an upset over Boston. While the Spurs are on a three-game win streak, all three wins have been by five points or less. Play on PHOENIX

AAA

This is an 8* on NEW YORK

Despite losing the Finals MVP (Kawhi Leonard) to the Clippers and a myriad of holdovers to various injuries, the Raptors have persevered into 2020 with the third best record in the Eastern Conference. They’re as healthy now as they’ve been all season and that’s resulted in a five-game win streak where they’ve averaged 124.2 points/game. But tonight’s game is far trickier than its looks with the Knicks having covered three straight. New York played both Philadelphia and the Lakers tough here at home, losing those games by only three and eight points. In between, they went to Cleveland and picked up a 20-point victory. This is a pretty decent number that Toronto is laying here. Though they’ve yet to drop a game as a road favorite this season (9-0 straight up), they just failed to cover in Atlanta as 8.5-point favorites (won by 5) and that’s the only time they’ve been asked to lay more in a road game than what they are laying for this one.  Play on NEW YORK

AAA

This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

From 12/28 to 1/13, the Lakers have won nine in a row. Now they’ve lost two of the last four games. They played last night, and won, but it was in unimpressive fashion beating the Knicks 100-92. That was on the heels of a humiliating 139-107 loss in Boston Monday. The road trip continues Thursday in Brooklyn where LA will be solidly favored. This is not only because the Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference but also because the Nets have been struggling badly. It’s four straight losses for the Nets and they’ve failed to cover every time. A 2-11 record since Christmas isn’t scaring anybody. But with Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert having returned to the lineup, the Nets can only be down for so long. This is a really bad spot for the Lakers, who are playing their third road game in four days. It’s been a brutal schedule of late for the Nets. However they have been off since Monday. By not covering last night, the Lakers are just 1-5 ATS their last six tries as road favorites. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is an 8* on NEW ORLEANS

This game was moved to 9:35 et so that it could be shown on ESPN. You may be wondering why that is considering it’s two teams with losing records.  Well, tonight will mark the debut of Zion Williamson for New Orleans. The top overall choice from last summer’s draft finally takes the court and it comes at a time when the Pelicans are playing their best basketball of the season. Since December 23rd, the team is 10-4 straight up and 12-1-1 ATS. They just won by 10 in Memphis, which is pretty significant seeing as the Grizzlies came in sporting the league’s longest active win streak at seven straight. The Pelicans scored 126 points and made 21 three-pointers. The Spurs don’t play great defense, so with Williamson in there and Jrue Holliday being back, look for the Pelicans to go off again. This will be a successful debut for the #1 draft pick. Play on NEW ORLEANS

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This is an 8* on PHOENIX

Indiana did not handle the second leg of a back to back well, losing by 30 at Utah on Monday. They had just beaten Denver the previous night 115-107 in a come from behind effort. The Denver-Utah doubleshot is one of the hardest in the league. But still, the Pacers losing by 30 in the second game was rather discouraging. This isn’t a great road team as the WL record is just 11-11 SU and they’ve been outscored. Phoenix, despite a 9-15 record at home, actually has a positive point differential in those games. The Suns have made the leap to respectability this year and are 13-7 ATS as underdogs. Since Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton have played together, the team is 6-5 straight up. They did lose by two to San Antonio on Monday, but shot well in the game and almost won after being down by 20. Phoenix is a much better team than you think and worthy of a play here. Play on PHOENIX

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This is an 8* on the CLIPPERS

A lot of teams are competing for “second best” (behind the Lakers) in the Western Conference. These are two of them. The Clippers currently have that second position with a 30-13 record. They’ve won three straight coming into this game. Dallas has won four straight and has a slightly better point differential. But the Mavericks are only 5th in the West, 2.5 games back of the Clippers. Earlier this season, they lost by 15 at home to the Clippers. Both teams have recently been hampered by key absences. Kristaps Porzingis could return tonight for the Mavs after missing the last 10 games. Paul George likely will not be back for the Clippers. But we’re still on LA. They are 6-0 ATS on Tuesday nights this season. But perhaps more pertinent is the fact Dallas is just 3-7-1 ATS its previous 11 home games. We believe that - with or without George - the Clippers are the better team here. Play on LA CLIPPERS

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This is a 10* on HOUSTON

This isn’t the first time that the Rockets have lost three in a row. But it does feel like a season low-point. Monday sees them hosting an Oklahoma City team that beat them on January 9th by 21 points. But that game was in Oklahoma City. While Houston has lost three in a row as favorites and two straight at home, we expect this is the spot where they get back on track. The Thunder are just 2-3 straight up and against the spread since beating the Rockets. This is a third game in four days for them. They’ve been a good bet as a road underdog, but the Thunder are statistically below average on the road. Expect a very motivated effort from the home side in this one. Play on HOUSTON

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This is a 10* on DENVER

Denver is second in the Western Conference with a 29-12 SU record. They’ve come out ahead in five of the last six games, including each of the last three. They continue to be a strong home team as their record here in the Mile High City is 17-5 and they hold opponents to 103.1 PPG. Indiana, like most of the teams in the Eastern Conference, are strong at home but only so-so on the road. The Pacers have won four straight overall, but any of the last three could have been a loss. Now Denver did need OT to get by Golden State Thursday. But that was a road game. This seems like an awfully low number for the Nuggets to be laying on their home floor. We realize there are injuries that they are dealing with, but they still scored 134 points against the Warriors even without Murray, Milsap and Harris. Milsap could be back in the lineup tonight. Denver won 126-114 at Indiana earlier this month and is a deep team. Indiana is 6-14-1 ATS its last 21 road games vs. teams who have a home win percentage of better than .600. Play on DENVER

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THis is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

The Bucks are just plain ridiculous. At 37-6 SU, they are ahead of last year’s pace when they ended up having the best record in the league. If you’re surprised by the size of tonight’s line, you shouldn’t be. Brooklyn may have Kyrie Irving back in the lineup, but that hasn’t mattered so far as they’ve lost games to Utah and Philadelphia. Those are two good teams. But guess what? There aren’t any better teams than Milwaukee. Plus, while Irving is back, the Nets have lost some key support. It looks like backup center DeAndre Jordan is going to have to sit this one out. They may have won by only five points Thursday night, but the Bucks led Boston by as much as 20. They have scored at least 122 points in four straight games. The last three times they’ve gone to Brooklyn, they’ve come out ahead and covered the spread. The Bucks are winning by 12.5 points per game, which is amazing and we see them winning by double digits tonight. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

We may have played against Washington two nights ago in Chicago, but here we like them getting the points against Toronto. It’s more points that they’re getting obviously and it comes at a time when the team is getting much healthier. In terms of making a run at the playoffs, it might be too late to save the season, but the Wizards are probably an undervalued team right now. As for Toronto, who has been dealing with its own set of injuries, they took care of business in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. It was a 130-121 win as a 1-pt underdog. But not since Christmas have the Raptors put together two straight  wins. This is probably their best shot to do so, but as mentioned earlier, it’s a very large number that they’ll be laying and it's to an opponent that averages 114.6 points/game. The Wizards led both at halftime and in the fourth quarter in Chicago. While they’ve gone 4-20 vs. Toronto going back seven seasons, they lost by just four here last month. The Raptors are 2-8 ATS in games with a total of 220 or more this season. Play on WASHINGTON  

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This is a 10* on CHICAGO

The door is open for the Bulls to make a playoff run, they simply won’t “walk through.” A dreadful stretch has seen them go 1-7 straight up and against the spread. Looking at their last four wins, two have been against Detroit, one against Atlanta (who has the worst record in the league) and the other against the team they are hosting tonight, Washington. The Wizards have their own set of issues. Due to injuries, they’ve had a pretty lousy last month or so. They’ve won just six times going all the way back to December 6th. By rule, somebody has to win this matchup and we believe it’ll be Chicago and they’ll do so pretty easily. Washington is the league’s worst defensive team and the fact they give up 121.6 points/game on the road makes them almost unplayable at this number. Chicago has covered five of the last seven times it has taken on an opponent that has a losing record. Tonight is only the second time the Wizards have played on the road since Christmas. They lost by 34 at Orlando last week. Play on CHICAGO

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This is a 10* on GOLDEN STATE

Everybody knows this is not the same Warriors team from the last half decade. But as recently as Christmas there were signs that they might be able to turn around what seemed to be a lost season. They won four in a row including an upset of Houston on Christmas Day. But since then it’s been all downhill with an eight-game losing streak. To be fair, they were underdogs in all eight games and getting double digits in five. So it’s not like the oddsmakers are expecting them to win. But they certainly could be more competitive. Tonight the Warriors are facing the team that started the losing streak, Dallas, who has gone only 3-5 its last eight games. Our view here is that while the Mavericks likely win, they aren’t going to cover the large spread on the road. A national TV game should be enough to inspire Golden State tonight and they obviously are already motivated enough to end this long losing streak. Dallas just hasn’t been playing very well of late, save for Saturday’s win against Philadelphia. But that was at home. The Mavs have scored at least 140 points in both wins against Golden State this year. That won’t happen again and it’s yet another reason to think the home dog comes out motivated. Dallas is 0-6 ATS their last six games off an ATS victory. They are 0-5 ATS off a SU win of more than 10 points. Play on GOLDEN STATE

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This is a 10* on MINNESOTA

Before running into the Lakers Sat night, Oklahoma City had been on quite the roll. They’d covered the number in eight straight games and had won 11 of their last 13 straight up. But the 125-110 loss to LA, a game where the Lakers played without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, was a terribly disappointing result. Our view is that the Thunder, after overachieving for much of the first half of the season, could now be in a position where we start to see them “give some back.” Tonight’s game marks only the 4th time they will have been a road favorite this season. It comes against a Timberwolves team coming off its worst loss of the season. It was by 30 to Houston and they gave up 139 points. But not only has Minnesota covered four straight times when off a loss, they have had OKC’s number in the past as well, covering the spread in eight of the last nine matchups. The lone non-cover was last month in Oklahoma City, so that’s more revenge for the Timberwolves. The fact the Thunder won that last meeting by a score of 139-127 was highly misleading. The game went to overtime after a missed free throw (by Minnesota) and subsequent technical foul for a player not having his jersey tucked in properly. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is a 10* on PHOENIX

Charlotte isn’t a good team. But the fact they’ve even won 15 games is a bit misleading. They have a bottom five point differential and have lost 9 of their last 11 games. Both wins were by just three points. They have eight wins by three points or less this season, which is by far the most in the league. If not for all of those, they’d certainly be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. So we’ll be looking to fade them Sunday night in Phoenix with our strongest NBA side bet of the week. The Suns may also have only 15 wins themselves, but they have been outscored by just 1.1 points/game. That’s actually tied for the 8th best differential in the Western Conference. After years of losing, the Suns are improved this year. They won at Charlotte last month, 109-104, as a four-point favorite. They should be favored by more here. Charlotte has not won on a Sunday all season (0-6 SU) and has gone 1-5 ATS in those games. This is Phoenix’s fifth straight game at home. They are coming off a 98-94 win against Orlando. Charlotte is playing its second road game in three nights. They lost by 17 at Utah Friday. Play on PHOENIX.

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This is an 8* on DALLAS

Compared to the Lakers, Dallas has a very similar point differential and net efficiency rating. However, they are lagging well behind in the standings. The Mavericks have fallen all the way down to 6th place in the West, seven games back of LA. It was a tough loss on Wednesday as they fell here at home, 107-106 to Denver. That makes tonight’s game even more important. The Mavs have caught a big break in that Anthony Davis is out (tailbone) and LeBron James hasn’t been feeling well. So it’s a game the Mavs really should win. The Lakers haven’t lost since Christmas, going 6-0 since, so you couldn’t fault them if they failed to match the sense of urgency Dallas has coming into tonight’s showdown. Key here is that the Mavericks were favored against Denver on Wednesday. They are a perfect 9-0 ATS this season when coming off a loss as a favorite! While just 2-3 straight up their last five games, all three losses by the Mavs have been by five points or less. They are better than their record and actually one of the top teams in the league. Play on DALLAS

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This is an 10* on BROOKLYN

The way things are going right now, this could end up being a 1st round playoff series. Miami has won 8 of its last 10 games to get to 27-10 on the year and that’s good enough for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn has spent much of this season in 7th place, but has recently fallen to 8th as they’ve lost seven in a row and even worse failed to cover all seven games. This despite Caris LeVert returning to the lineup after a lengthy absence. Kyrie (Irving) won’t be back for at least another week, so someone needs to step up for the Nets. They’ve been hit by some bad luck lately. Tuesday’s 111-103 loss to Oklahoma City went to overtime and dropped the Nets to 1-4 in OT games this season. We think them getting the Heat at home Friday night is a good spot. First off, Miami may be a league-best 17-1 at home. But they are just 10-9 on the road and have given up more points than they have scored. It was a three-point game when they came to Brooklyn on December 1st. The Heat are also off an upset win in Indiana. They’ve covered just once in five previous tries this year when off a win as an underdog. The Nets fortunes are due to change and the same is true for Miami. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is a 10* on DALLAS

Dallas comes into this game in sixth place in the Western Conference. But at 23-13 overall, they are only two games back of second place Denver, whom they host here. They'll do so without the services of Kristaps Porizingis, but Luka Doncic is here and he's coming off a 38-point, 11-rebound and 10-assist game Monday vs. Chicago. It was Doncic's 9th time scoring at least 30 while registering a triple double and the Mavericks won 118-110. Meanwhile, this is hardly the most ideal time for the Nuggets to face a matchup like this. It will be their fifth road game in a row and it's a trip that began all the way back on New Year's Eve. Denver has not been playing good defense of late, giving 120.8 points the last five games including 128 and 130 in two losses on this trip. Dallas has the most efficient offense in the NBA in terms of points per possession. This is the Mavs fourth straight game at home, so the situation totally favors them. We have them rated several points better than Denver so it looks like we're getting a real bargain with the pointspread. The Nuggets did win in Atlanta Monday, but have failed to cover off their five previous victories. Play on DALLAS

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This is a 10* on the LAKERS

The Lakers have won five in a row overall, the last four of which have been at home. On paper, this homestand seemed to set up very favorably for them with mostly games against teams with losing records. But while they've been winning, they have not been covering in the New Year. After jumping out to a 36-point lead against Phoenix, they won by only 10 as an 11-point favorite. It was a similar deal two nights later vs. New Orleans as they led by 20+ in the third quarter, but won by only 10 as 10.5-point favorites. Sunday vs. Detroit was a much different deal as they actually trailed going into the fourth quarter, which was good for us as we had the Pistons +14.5 (final score was 106-99). Tonight is a very similar matchup as the Lakers host the Knicks. But this is where we see LA covering the spread. The Knicks may be 4-1 ATS L5, but they are still a really bad team. We can easily establish that they'll lose here being that the last two years they are 1-16 straight up as a road underdog of at least 12.5 points. Only two of those games were this year. But they were just 4-11 ATS in the role the last two years. Lakers are 9-2-1 ATS vs. teams with a sub-.400 win percentage. Play on LA LAKERS

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This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

Brooklyn got Caris LeVert back in the lineup Saturday, but that failed to turn the tide as for a fifth consecutive game they came out on the losing end. This time it was at home to Toronto, who is a good team but also came in short-handed. The Nets got spanked 121-102 in a very disappointing result for them as they were actually favored.  But with LeVert back, this is going to be a better team and we see this line for Monday's game at Orlando getting a bit out of hand. These teams seem pretty even and the case could be made Brooklyn is better. Orlando lost its last game, at home, by 13. The Magic don't score enough (103.3 points/game) to give us any confidence in them laying points here. They've lost 9 of 14 themselves. Should be a close game where taking points is a must. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is a 10* on DETROIT

The Lakers have a bad habit of letting their opponents sneak through the back door in the 4th quarter. So as long as they're laying these high numbers, we're likely to be considering the other side. On New Year's Day, LA ended up not covering against Phoenix despite taking an early 30+ point lead. They led by 20+ going into the fourth quarter of Friday's game vs. New Orleans and didn't cover there either. It's just a 2-8 ATS record the last 10 games for the Purple & Gold and they are laying a big number here against Detroit as the Pistons played last night at Golden State. Even thought its back to back, we look for the Pistons to cover. They did win last night, 111-104, and while it's big jump in class going from facing the Warriors to the Lakers, it's a lot of points too. Detroit has had its share of ATS woes, covering just 2 of its last 10 games. But they are the ones getting double digits tonight, which makes it easier even though they are probably going to be without Blake Griffin. The Pistons are only being outscored by 2.8 points/game this year. Play on DETROIT

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This is a 10* on PORTLAND

After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season, Portland has greatly underachieved so far in the 2019-20 season. They are currently in ninth place and six games below .500 after ending 2019 on a four-game losing streak. They haven't covered the spread in any of the four games either. The most recent loss was at home to Phoenix, 122-116 as a four-point favorite. That game saw the Blazers blow a 19-point lead. So you know they're looking to come out and start the New Year strong. It's an ideal opponent to get on track as they face the Knicks. While NY has played better since the coaching change, winning its last two games and five of its last nine, they still are just 9-24 SU. The only team that scores less points per game is Orlando. The Knicks don't play much defense either as they are 27th in efficiency. One Blazer that will be very motivated to play well this evening is Carmelo Anthony, making his return to MSG. Play on PORTLAND 

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

Two of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference meet in Indiana to close out 2019. The Pacers host the Sixers in a battle of teams looking to rebound from back to back losses. Philadelphia's two losses both came on the road and were both one-point decisions. They lost 98-97 to Orlando and 117-116 to Miami. That drops their road record to 7-10 SU, a far cry from a 16-2 SU record in home games. Both Indiana losses were also on the road. They also lost by one down in Miami (113-112) but then got humiliated by New Orleans, 120-98, on Saturday. Good for the Pacers that they're at home tonight. If there's one commonality among these top Eastern Conference teams, it's that they're all really good at home, but so-so on the road. They're a collective 87-15 SU in home games with five of the losses belonging to Toronto. Indiana's record at home is 14-3 SU.  We view these teams as being pretty even. Therefore, the Pacers are a great value getting points at home. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on DETROIT

Without question, the last couple weeks have gone very differently for these two. Detroit is 1-6 SU and ATS its last seven games, the only win coming against a bad Washington team. Two nights ago in San Antonio they suffered another embarrassing setback, falling by 27 (136-109). Utah has won seven of eight (4-2-2 ATS) and is off an impressive win over the Clippers where they held Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a combined 12 of 44 shooting. But coming off a win where they were seven-point underdogs, we don't like the idea of the Jazz laying this big number even if they are facing a struggling opponent. They're 0-5 ATS this year after a double digit win. (Final score vs. Clippers was 120-107). They've not been especially great as a large favorite either. They're just 2-6 ATS when laying eight points or more. Detroit has only been outscored by 2.1 points/game this year. They should be motivated here. Play on DETROIT

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This is a 10* on MEMPHIS

We played against Christmas night and they lost outright to what most feel is a pretty bad New Orleans team. That was at home and they lost by 12 as a nine-point favorite. It's a pretty similar matchup for the Nuggets today vs. Memphis and we don't like them to cover this one either. The Grizzlies come in having just upset Oklahoma City. That was the day after Christmas and they won 110-97 as a six-point underdog. While Denver had won seven straight before losing to the Pelicans, that win streak required some come from behind efforts against less than stellar teams. Five of those wins came by a margin less less than this pointspread here. Despite being 13-4 SU at home, the Nuggets are just 6-9-2 ATS. Memphis actually doesn't have much dropoff on the road compared to their numbers at home. They've won six of the last 10 games overall straight up. Other than a dismal showing at home vs. San Antonio last week, they've been in every one of those games. Play on MEMPHIS

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This is an 8* on NEW ORLEANS

It's been a pretty ugly first two months of the season for New Orleans. Top draft choice Zion Williamson hasn't played a game and his teammates have managed to win only eight of 31 games. But there's been a glimmer of hope recently in that the Pelicans have won two of their last three games and the only loss was by four points. They've suffered just two double digit losses in the last seven games and one was to Milwaukee. So even though they are a decided underdog tonight in Denver, don't be scared to take the points. The Pelicans beat the Nuggets in the first game of the season, 122-107 as a four-point home dog. While Denver storms into Christmas on a seven-game win streak, they are just 3-3-1 ATS in those games and none of the spreads that they covered were as large as this one. When off three or more straight wins, the Nuggets are just 3-7 ATS this season. Play on NEW ORLEANS

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Boston and Toronto come into Christmas vying for that #2 spot in the Eastern Conference pecking order (behind Milwaukee of course). Right now, it belongs to Boston, who has won three in a row and seven of nine this month. Most of these wins have come at home, however. Toronto has been a difficult place to play for the Celtics as they are 0-4 SU and ATS here the last two seasons. Overall, it's been eight straight defeats in Canada. The Raptors are without Pascal Siakam right now, but they've been playing undermanned and thus undervalued much of the year. This is a team that's gone 13-3 at home. They haven't lost a game in regulation in two weeks, so we can't pass up the opportunity to take points with them. Play on TORONTO

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This is a 10* on NEW YORK

The Knicks being favored AND getting a ringing endorsement like this from us is a pretty rare occurrence. But the Wizards are in pretty rough shape here as they have numerous players injured and have lost 12 of their last 15 games. Defensively, Washington is as bad as they come. They've allowed 122.8 points/game those last 15 games as opponents are shooting better than 50% overall and 38% from three-point range. Yes, the Knicks have been blown out two straight games, but those were against Miami and Milwaukee. The Wizards are a team they should beat at home. NY has won its last three games vs. teams that are below .500 including a 143-120 triumph over Atlanta here at Madison Square Garden last week. They'd actually covered four straight games before running into the Heat and Bucks. The Wizards are 4-13 on the road. Play on NEW YORK

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This is a 10* on BOSTON

Often you'll find that in the NBA, oddsmakers fail to properly account for the massive discrepancy between the league's best and worst teams. Such is the case in this one. You may be hesitant to call Charlotte one of the league's worst, but the Hornets certainly have "the point differential to prove it" as they're getting outscored by an even six points per contest. That's sixth worst in the entire NBA. The Hornets lost by seven last night at home to Utah. Being in a back to back isn't ideal when traveling to Boston to face the Celtics, who are near the top of the league in point differential. The Celtics are 11-1 at home and did cover the only other time they were asked to lay this many points. That was against Cleveland two weeks ago. It was yet another blowout win at home Friday when the Celtics beat the Pistons 114-93 as a nine-point favorite. That was despite Kemba Walker scoring only two points on 0 of 6 shooting. Expect Walker to shoot a lot better against his former team on Sunday and this should be a blowout for one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

Brooklyn somehow escaped New Orleans with a win on Tuesday. By their own admission, they were "pretty bad offensively" against the Pelicans, but a strong defensive effort led them to a 108-101 win in overtime. Now beating a team that hadn't won a game in almost a month is no cause for celebration. But remember the Nets are shorthanded. Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert remain out with injuries and Kevin Durant is unlikely to play this year. Thankfully Spencer Dinwiddie has stepped up, averaging 24.3 points/game in Irving's absence. The Nets are 11-5 SU so far without Kyrie and are a solid seventh in the Eastern Conference. They are also playing great defense, holding the last five opponents to an 103-point average on 39% shooting.  Despite the injuries, we still see them as the better team compared to San Antonio, who has been a disaster at the betting window all season with a league-worst 6-18 ATS record. After playing a league-record four consecutive overtime games, the Spurs blew a 25-point lead on Tuesday and lost in Houston. This is a team running on fumes and we'll take the points here. Play on BROOKLYN

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This is a 10* on MIAMI

Philadelphia is getting a lot of respect here because they are undefeated at home. Their perfect 14-0 record at the Wells Fargo Center certainly should carry some weight as no other team in the NBA can claim to still be perfect at home. But Miami is a worth adversary and certainly capable of winning this game. It just so happens the 76ers are off their worst loss of the year. A severely depleted Brooklyn team beat them by 20 on Sunday. Now the Sixers didn't have Embiid, who should be returning tonight. But the Heat are a lot tougher than the Nets, even though they (Miami) just lost at Memphis two nights ago. Prior to that, the Heat hadn't lost to a team with a losing record all year. So they're in bounce back mode just like Philly is and taking the points seems to be the best option in this battle of top five Eastern Conference teams. The Heat are 3-1 ATS this year after giving up 115+ points in their last game. The Sixers didn't do well the only other time they were off a double digit loss, losing to Oklahoma City the next time out. Play on MIAMI

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This is a 10* on CHARLOTTE

Sacramento rolled to a 100-79 victory over Golden State in its last game. Because it was such an easy win (we had the Under), the Kings now find themselves favored by more than they should be tonight in Charlotte. While its true the Kings have now won four of five, three of those wins were by a total of six points. This is actually their fourth straight game being favored, but before blowing out the Warriors, they'd failed the previous two times and were 0-3 ATS L3 as chalk. The Kings were seven-point favorites over the Hornets at home back on October 30th and lost that game straight up, 118-111. Surprisingly, the Kings are 3-0 ATS as road favorites this year, but this should be closer to a pick 'em as we're getting value on Charlotte due them suffering a blowout loss at Indiana on Sunday. Play on CHARLOTTE

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This is a 10* on HOUSTON

This is a very bad spot for San Antonio, who has played a NBA record four straight overtime games. Three of those have resulted in wins. One, a double OT affair, saw them beat tonight's opponent. But it was not without controversy. That was the game where referees mistakenly disallowed a James Harden dunk, leading to a wild sequence of events where the Spurs ended up erasing a 22-point deficit. While the Rockets protest of that game was not upheld, they'll get their revenge tonight. Adding fuel to the fire is that they are off an upset loss the other night to Detroit. They shot just 40% in the loss and scored the fewest number of points in a game (107) in nearly a month. The Spurs are a league-worst 5-18 against the spread this year and that includes 0-8 if they scored 115 or more points in their last game. They are coming off a 121-119 win over Phoenix, which was played in Mexico City. That detour "south of the border" is another disadvantage the Spurs are facing and it's really difficult to see them playing well tonight. Play on HOUSTON

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Toronto is in its worst stretch of the season, having lost four of five games. They've gone 0-5 ATS and now face division foe Brooklyn, who is 8-2 ATS as an underdog. But with Kyrie Irving set to miss a 14th straight game, I don't see the Nets competing tonight. They just lost to Charlotte, as a 9.5-point favorite, Wednesday. That game saw them blow a 20-point lead. Caris LeVert has missed 15 straight games. Toronto is fully healthy, so the stretch of losing seems oddly timed. But also look at who they've lost to - Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and the Clippers. All of those are top teams. Brooklyn is below average and has lost eight straight times here in Toronto. After shooting poorly the last five games (below 40%), look for the Raptors to get it going offensively tonight. They average 116 points/game at home. Play on TORONTO

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

Winners of four straight, Boston has a 17-5 record. They've also covered the spread the last four games. But here's where we start adding caveats. The Celtics are 10-0 at home. That's where they've played the last three games. The road finds them at a less impressive 7-5. Tonight they're in Indiana to a face a Pacers team that's not to be taken lightly. Coming off a five-game road trip where every game was close (finished 3-2 SU/ATS), the Pacers returned home Monday to face the Clippers. They lost 110-99 as it was a poor shooting night. But the Pacers haven't lost two straight at home all year. They are 9-3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston is a shocking 11-0 ATS vs. teams with winning records this season. But a good number of those games were at home where they are undefeated. Before they won New York on December 1st, the Celtics had failed to cover three straight times as road favorites with two outright losses. Indiana will be taking this game quite seriously. Not that Boston won't. But the Pacers have a score to settle in the sense that they have lost seven in a row to the Celtics, including a four-game sweep in last year's playoffs. Time for some revenge! Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on OKC

Oklahoma City is in a back to back but this is too many points for Utah to be laying. They lost two All-Stars in the offseason, but the Thunder are hanging tough and a pretty average team. That may not sound like any kind of ringing endorsement, but most were thinking this team was going to finish well below .500. Truthfully, Utah hasn't been a whole lot better than OKC this season. They have. Both teams have outscored the opposition by < than 1 pt per game. The Thunder have won 4 of 5 did go into Portland last night and come away with a 108-96 win as 3.5-point dogs. The Jazz beat Memphis Saturday night, but have lost five of seven overall and both wins were against Memphis. It's been awhile since Utah beat a decent team. Just because the Thunder played last night doesn't mean they should be the big of an underdog. Play on OKLAHOMA CITY

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This is a 10* on DALLAS

The oddmakers have essentially been "asleep at the wheel" when it comes to the Mavericks team, which just surpassed the Lakers for the best point differential in the Western Conference. Following Saturday's 130-84 beatdown of New Orleans, the Mavs are outscoring teams by 10.3 points per game this season. Thus the oddsmakers probably couldn't make this number high enough for a home date with Sacramento. Dallas is 10-1 straight up and against the spread its last 11 games. Three wins, including yesterday's, have come by more than 40 points! Barring some kind of mental letdown, they should win tonight's home game with ease. The Kings have lost three games in a row, all of them to teams with losing records. This will be a third straight road game for them as well. They are just 3-9 on the road so far. Sacramento actually has the same ATS record as Dallas for the season. Both are 13-8. But the difference is that the Mavericks have seven more straight up wins. The Kings actually swept last year's season series, winning all three matchups. This is a different year. The Kings may be without both De'Aron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. They are in trouble here. Play on DALLAS.

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This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

No idea why this early season showdown isn't on ESPN. But we'll be watching as the Bucks bring a 13-game win streak into Friday. They lost just one time in November and that was in the second night of a back to back, by three points, at Utah. Ironically, that last defeat came one night after the Bucks beat the Clippers. It was 129-124 in LA as the Bucks were actually six-point road favorites. Paul George did not play in that game and neither did Kawhi Leonard. The presence of the two LA superstars is not something we feel is enough to stem the tide here in Milwaukee. The Clippers have been a dominant home team so far, going 13-1 straight up at Staples Center. But they are only 3-5 on the road (2-6 ATS). This will be among the toughest road games of the year, if not THE toughest.  The Bucks are 9-1 at home. But they're not just winning, they are consistently blowing teams out. Their average margin of victory here in Milwaukee is 15.1 points/game! Look for them to sweep this season series. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is an 8* on ORLANDO

Cleveland has been the gift that keeps on giving for Orlando. The Magic are already 2-0 against the Cavs this season with those wins have come by 9 and 12 points. For this third meeting, the Magic come in on a three-game win streak. This is the second time Orlando has been on a three-game win streak. The first ended with a 113-97 loss to Toronto. But there's a big difference in facing the NBA Champs and the pitiful Cavs. Cleveland has lost 10 of 11 and was just beaten by 27 here at home Tuesday night. That 27-point loss was to a Pistons team that had not won consecutive games all season. The Cavs were never really in the game and trailed by as many as 35 points.  While still under .500 for the year, the Magic have always done one thing well. That's play defense. The number of points they allow - 103.4 per game - is tops in the conference. More encouraging is the way they've increased their own scoring recently. The last two games have seen them post season-highs with 127 and 128 points.  Orlando may not have a good road record, but neither does Detroit and they just blew out the Cavs. Look for the Magic to win a season-best fourth straight game. Play on ORLANDO

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This is a 10* on TORONTO

Toronto is a team that continues to be underrated by the oddsmakers. Only the Bucks and Lakers have a better point differential on a per possession basis. Because they lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, it was thought the NBA Champs would take a step back this year. That hasn't been the case at all. The Raptors just suffered their first loss at home. It saw them go to overtime with Miami on Tuesday. Given the game went to OT, the fact they lost by 11 points is misleading. They went 0 for 9 from the field in OT, eight of those misses coming from three-point land. Toronto is healthier than its been in awhile with both Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry back. Lowry actually returned for the Heat game. In his absence, the team played remarkably well. They'd won seven in a row prior to Tuesday. Houston is also coming off an overtime loss here. Theirs was a 2OT affair. They blew a 22-point lead, which makes things even more painful. There was a controversial call where a James Harden dunk was disallowed and obviously that was the difference in a 135-133 final. The Rockets had their own long win streak last month (eight in a row), but have actually lost four of six since. They are 5-5 on the road. Toronto deserves more respect at home. Play on TORONTO

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This is a 10* on INDIANA

The Pacers deserve to be favorites here and we anticipate they will be by tipoff. They've won six of their last seven games and shot at least 50% from the field in their last five victories. Oklahoma City has actually performed a whole lot better than we thought they would. There was a mass talent exodus in the offseason with Paul George leaving for LA and Russell Westbrook going to Houston. Yet the Thunder are a somewhat respectable 8-11 SU on the year.  But they just swept a home and home from New Orleans, meaning they were 6-11. Both wins over the Pelicans were close as it was a five-point win in OKC and a three-point win in NO.  Since starting 0-3, Indiana has gone 13-4 with two of the four losses coming by three points or less. The other two were to Houston and Milwaukee, two of the league's better teams.  The big key here is that OKC is just 1-7 SU vs. teams that have winning records. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on BOSTON

Boston took a loss in Brooklyn Friday afternoon, a game in which they didn't even face former teammate Kyrie Irving. Maybe it was the early start, but the Celtics didn't come out sharp and fell behind by 14 points in the first quarter. They never really recovered.  It should be a much easier time against New York's other team, the Knicks, who have lost five straight to fall to 4-15. In those five straight losses, NY has scored no more than 104 points. They couldn't even hold a 16-point lead against Philadelphia Friday, losing here at home 101-95.  The Celtics remain one of the league's premier defensive teams as they are holding opponents to a 43.2 FG%. They have lost two games in a row just one time this season and those were road games vs. the Nuggets and Clippers. The only previous time they lost a game where they were favored to win, they came back and won the next one by 14 points. This is the third meeting already this season. The Knicks played the Celtics tough in Boston, losing by just two, but also lost at home to them by 23. This is a bottom five team with nothing going for it. Play accordingly. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

The Cavs aren't a good team. They've lost eight of nine and just got beat here at home by Orlando by 12 points. That doesn't bode well as Milwaukee comes to town Friday night. The Bucks are 15-3 and have won nine in a row. They look every bit as strong as they did last year when they won 60 games.  Not only have the Cavs lost eight of nine games, they've also gone 2-7 against the spread. They rank near the bottom of the league both offensively and defensively.  Milwaukee beat Cleveland by 17 earlier in the year with seven players scoring in double figures. This is an elite team (maybe the best in the league?) matched up against one of the five worst. Should be easy pickings. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

Denver is 12-3. They've won five games in a row and nine of their last 10. They were a double digit favorite in their last game and covered the spread (barely), beating a rising Suns team 116-104.  Washington is a young team with a 5-9 record. But the Wizards can score. They are averaging 119.1 points/game. Only Milwaukee scores more than that. The Wizards aren't great defensively and they did just drop a home game to Sacramento on Sunday. But they were favorites in that loss and got held to 106 points. Hitting their scoring average here would likely mean a very easy ATS win, given how many points they are getting. Before they lost to the Kings, Washington had covered five straight times. They won three of the five games, including two as underdogs. Denver's defense definitely presents a challenge. But the Wizards are 8-1 ATS as underdogs so far and 6-1 ATS on the road. Because the Nuggets play at the second slowest pace in the league, they aren't likely to break away in this one. Play on WASHINGTON

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This is an 8* on INDIANA

Memphis deserves some credit for keeping it close against the Lakers Saturday as they lost by only 1 points. But it was still a third straight loss at home. Playing at Indiana Monday looks to be a mismatch for a team with the third worst scoring differential in the league. Indiana has won two straight and six of eight. The only losses were to Houston and Milwaukee, who are two of the league's better teams. The Pacers seem to have settled in nicely as one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference, a place where we expected them to be coming into the season. Injuries haven't even really slowed the Pacers down. Victor Oladipo hasn't played at all this year. Malcolm Brogden is expected to return to the lineup tonight. Six Pacers were in double figures in the last game, a 111-106 win over Orlando. Memphis is giving up 117.8 points per game, which is a lot. Only three teams allow more. Indiana is allowing only 98.0 points over its last five games. Play on INDIANA

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This is a 10* on the CLIPPERS

This is a terrible spot for New Orleans. They lost in Utah last night and gave up 128 points despite the Jazz not having Rudy Gobert. Defensive woes are nothing new for the Pelicans. They’ve allowed an average of 119.6 points in all games this season. That’s the second most in the league. Tonight they are up against the Clippers, who have been a dominant home team thus far. LA is 10-1 at Staples Center after beating Houston here on Friday. The Clippers were upset out in New Orleans 10 days ago and so they’ll be looking to exact some revenge tonight. They have gone 6-3-1 ATS their last 10 revenge games. A big spread does not scare us as the Clippers are already winning by more than 10 points/game at home. An opponent that one of the worst defensive teams and played last night should make for easy prey. The Pelicans have been playing short-handed and the Clippers have the highest scoring bench in the entire NBA. New Orleans was down by as much as 20 last night. Play on LA CLIPPERS

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This is an 8* play on HOUSTON

Houston saw it's eight-game win streak come to an end Wednesday night in Denver. Notable is that they'd also covered the spread in all eight games. But the Nuggets were able to hold them to a season low 95 points and James Harden to just 27. The Clippers now have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard playing together. The first game with both on the court was a 107-104 win over Boston. The game went to overtime as LA won for the second time this week by three points or less. The Rockets will not be an underdog many times this season. Considering they are the highest scoring team in the league, it's worth taking them when they are. As we just mentioned, the Clippers two wins this week have both been close (total of 5 points). These teams already went against each other once this year. Houston won 102-93 at home. That was nine days ago. The big difference here is tonight's game being in LA. The Clippers are 9-1 at home, but only 1-4 on the road. Still we don't think they should be this big of favorites. The Clippers are only shooting 43.9% from the field here at Staples Center. Play on HOUSTON

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This is an 8* on SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio is a league worst 2-12-1 ATS. But at some point that record has to improve. With the team struggling, expect them to be an underdog on a pretty regular basis moving forward. That sounds pretty simplistic, but they've only been a dog four times so far. The Spurs are an underdog tonight in Philadelphia. The Sixers also haven't exactly been tearing it up for bettors as they are just 1-5 ATS their previous six games. Two nights ago, they beat the Knicks by only five points. They trailed in that game by as much as 17. Not only has San Antonio not been covering, they haven't been winning either. They bring a 7-game losing streak to the City of Brotherly Love. Most of the losses have been close though. This is the front end of a back to back for both teams. Philly is 1-5 ATS this year against teams that have losing records. San Antonio is more desperate and we should see the underdog role suit them well when it comes to ATS results. Play on SAN ANTONIO

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This is an 8* play on MIAMI

Miami has quietly been one of the better teams in the league this year. They are 10-3 while outscoring teams by 8.5 points per game. The only teams with a better point differential this year are the Lakers and Bucks. Winners of four in a row, the Heat rank 3rd in defensive efficiency. Chicago can't measure up to any of those numbers, although they did just win a game by 20 points. But it was against the Pistons, who have really been struggling of late. Miami also recently beat Detroit as part of its four-game run. The Heat have shot better than every other team in the league thus far, making 48.2% from the field. Don't expect the Bulls to play the same kind of defense here that they did vs. the Pistons. That was only the second time they've held an opponent under 100 points. Miami has won 8 of its last 10 and all eight wins have come by at least nine points. They are 9-2 ATS overall this season and 6-0 as a favorite! Play on MIAMI

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This is a 10* on SACRAMENTO

When these teams opened the season against one another, the Suns would prevail in one-sided fashion, 124-95 as a 1-point home favorite. That was the first of seven consecutive covers by Phoenix to start the year. But a lot has changed since then. The Suns are now just 2-3 SU and ATS since that 7-game ATS win streak. They lost last night at home to Boston, getting held to a season-low 85 points. At no point in the second half were they closer than nine points.  Another thing that has changed from the first time around is Sacramento's play. They started 0-5 SU and ATS but have gone 5-2 SU and 7-0 ATS in November. They just beat Boston on Sunday, 100-99. They did so without De'Aaron Fox or Marvin Bagley Jr. The Celtics had won 10 in a row going into that game and are now obviously 11-1 their last 12 after being the Suns yesterday. Two absences on the Phoenix side are huge here. Deandre Ayton, who was last year's top draft pick, is suspended. Ricky Rubio was a late scratch last night due to back spasms and the offense did not look the same without him running the show. With the Suns in a back to back, the situation is much better for the Kings tonight. Play on SACRAMENTO

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This is a 10* play on MILWAUKEE

With wins in seven of the last eight games, Milwaukee is definitely rolling right now. The just beat Indiana by 19 on the road Saturday night. That was their best defensive effort of the year, holding the Pacers to just 83 points. That was timely because their own point total of 102 happened to be a season-low. Scoring has not been an issue for the Bucks this year, however. They lead the league in points/game (118.8) thanks in large part to the same prolific three-point shooting we saw last year. The other good news is the Bucks are 7-3 ATS the last three seasons coming off a game in which they allowed 90 points or less. These teams just played on Thursday with the Bucks winning 124-115. The Bulls were our *10* Game of the Month that night and cashed as 11.5-point underdogs. But we're switching course tonight as it seems very unlikely that Chicago will score that many points again. They are shooting just 40.9% in home games so far. It's now two straight losses for the Bulls as they just fell to a Brooklyn team that didn't have Kyrie Irving or Caris LeVert. Despite those absences, the Bulls still gave up 117 points. That's a bad sign for tonight. Milwaukee has covered its last four games in Chicago. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* on PORTLAND

Portland is a small dog tonight in San Antonio. But it would appear as if the oddsmakers have failed to account for the fact that the Spurs are playing the second night of a back to back. This line would make sense were the home team rested. But they're not. The Blazers should be favored. Then there is the matter of what happened to the Spurs last night. Despite being up most of the game, they lost to Orlando 111-109. You just can't lose games where you have a 16-point lead ad shoot 50%. But the Spurs did just that. It was their 4th straight loss. For maybe the first time in Greg Popovich's tenure here, defense has become a major issue in San Antonio. The Spurs gave up 64 points to the Magic in the second half last night. They've allowed at least 112 points in five straight games.This is a revenge game for Portland, who lost 113-110 here in SA on October 28th. Both teams enjoyed a lead of 19 points in that game. The Blazers ended up covering as six-point underdogs. While the line isn't as high this time, that's irrelevant as the road team can clearly win outright here. Portland needs this one pretty badly as they've dropped six of seven. Carmelo Anthony won't be coming on board until Tuesday at the earliest. But the Blazers are well rested heading into Saturday (two days off) while the similarly struggling Spurs are not. Play on PORTLAND

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This is a 10* on UTAH

Utah fell behind by double digits against Brooklyn on Tuesday. While they were able to come back and win 119-114, they did not cover the 6.5-point spread. That was at home. Tonight the Jazz hit the road, but they are facing a weak opponent. Memphis is not a team you would expect to get out in front of the Jazz like Brooklyn was able to do. Thus, our automatic inclination here was to lay the points. While the Grizzlies have won two in a row, it's the first time that's been the case this year. In Wednesday's 119-117 win over Charlotte, they mounted their own comeback, rallying back from down 12 in the third quarter. But Memphis has not done well after allowing more than 115 points their previous game. They are just 1-5 ATS in this situation the last three seasons. Utah is one of the top defensive teams in the league and has won four games in a row. They are allowing just 99.5 points/game. Memphis allows 118.8 points/game, which is fifth most in the league right now. This is a sizable mismatch. Play on UTAH

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This is a 10* play on CHICAGO 

Already on a three-game ATS losing streak, it's going to be tough for the Bucks to cover large spreads like this one now that Kris Middleton is injured. Middleton will be out 3-4 weeks after suffering a thigh injury Sunday. This is a good chance to fade Milwaukee as they host the Bulls on TNT. Chicago is coming off a 120-102 win over the Knicks, their second 18+ point win in the last three games. Rookie Coby White had his best game as a pro, ending up with 27 points after making seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter. With Middleton out, the Bucks are going to need someone to pick up the slack. It would be unfair to expect more from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is already averaging 29.7 points, 14.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. This situation is not great for Milwaukee either. They are coming off four straight road games and will play three more away from home following this game. Laying such a big number makes the spot even trickier. Chicago has not been a double digit dog yet this season. They've only been a dog period four times. So the market respects this team a bit more than most realize. They've covered four of their last six games. Play on CHICAGO

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This is a 10* on UTAH

For a second time this year, Utah has won three in a row. They are 7-3 overall, which has them right near the top of the Western Conference. Tonight they go for a season-best four-game win streak when they host Brooklyn. We'll be laying the points. This is the second game of a back to back for the Jazz. Last night they went to Golden State and won 122-108. Winning at Golden State doesn't mean what it used to though, so we don't expect any kind of letdown. The Jazz won by 32 the only other time they played without rest this year. Brooklyn lost by 26 in Phoenix Sunday night. That snapped a two-game win streak. But they are still only 4-5 SU and 3-6 ATS. Massive edge for Utah defensively in this one. They lead the league allowing just 98.1 points/game. They've yet to allow more than 108 points. Brooklyn is next to last in points allowed per game at 121.7. They are 3-10 ATS after allowing 130 or more points in their last game (Phoenix scored 138). The Jazz are the only team in the West that has not lost a home game. They are 5-0 in Salt Lake City, winning by an average of 11.2 points. They are simply better than Brooklyn right now. Play on UTAH

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This is a 10* on SAN ANTONIO

Neither the Grizzlies nor the Spurs have been very good teams against the pointspread this year. Both come into Monday sporting 2-7 ATS records. But the difference is San Antonio has at least been winning some (5-4 straight up) while the Grizzlies have a matching 2-7 SU record. San Antonio did just get hit hard by Boston, giving up 135 points in a 20-point home loss. It was the third loss in the last four games for the Spurs, but the first time they'd been blown out all season. Traditionally, they have not been good off that kind of defeat. But they're facing a Memphis team that has been outscored by almost 28 points/game in its three road losses.  The Grizzlies just lost 138-122 to Dallas and that was at home. While it was the most points they've given up in a game this year, it was not the first time getting blown out. It was the 4th loss by 19 or more points so far and second in a row. The previous night in Orlando they lost 118-86. It's a big number to lay with a Spurs team that hasn't covered often. But Memphis might be the worst team in the league right now. Their last three opponents have averaged 125.7 points. They are averaging just 92.7 points/game themselves on the road. Play on SAN ANTONIO

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This is a 10* on HOUSTON

Houston started the year 0-6 ATS (while also going 3-3 SU in those games). They've now covered two straight, beating Memphis and Golden State. Tonight they face another weak opponent in Chicago. The Bulls did win their last game, however. They actually won by 20 on the road! But it was the first time Atlanta had to play a back to back this season. The Hawks, by their own admission, seemed ill-prepared for the game. Chicago took full advantage with its largest margin of victory to date. The Rockets figure to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference this year. Some atrocious defense hurt them the first couple weeks of the season, but they just held Memphis and Golden State to an average of 106 points. Chicago's ambitions of making the playoffs this year feel a little foolish on this end. They've been held under 100 points three times already and won't look as good here as they did in Atlanta Wednesday night. Off their first two wins, the Bulls lost by 24 and 13, both times at home. It's a little shocking that the Bulls have been underdogs in only three games so far. They lost all three. We think the market is simply too high on them. Play on HOUSTON

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This is a 10* play on SACRAMENTO

Just as soon as they got Trae Young back from injury, the Hawks lost John Collins to a 25-game suspension. The team looked absolutely putrid in a 20-point home loss to Chicago Wednesday night. So we'll be playing against them tonight. Wednesday was the first time all year Atlanta had to play back to back. Still that's no excuse for losing by 20 at home to the Bulls. Young really struggled, scoring just nine points. The team was 6 of 30 from behind the 3-point arc with Young missing all eight of his tries. Committing a season-high 24 turnovers didn't help either. This is not the first game where Sacramento has been a road favorite. We actually took them -1.5 at New York on Sunday, which was our Game of the Week. They won by 21. While they followed it up with a 4-point loss in Toronto, they covered as eight-point underdogs. So they're 3-0 ATS the L3 games having also beaten Utah, which is a solid win. The Kings are just 5-16 ATS their last 21 visits to Atlanta, but won convincingly here last season (by 31 points). It was their largest margin of victory all year. They are 3-1 SU and ATS the last two seasons versus the Hawks.  Against Toronto, the Kings tied a franchise record with 20 made three-pointers. They are the hotter of these two teams right now. Play on SACRAMENTO

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This is a 10* on BOSTON

Charlotte has certainly surprised some people by winning three in a row. They've covered the spread in four straight games. Only one of those games were they they favorite and how ironic is it that it was against Golden State? Tuesday night was a 122-120 overtime win over Indiana. There was a pretty obvious reason the Hornets were able to beat the Pacers. Free throws. While Charlotte went 28 of 42 from the line, Indiana was only 6 of 7. That kind of massive disparity doesn't come around too often. Without it, the Hornets would have lost Tuesday. The disparity certainly won't repeat itself tonight.Boston is humming along with five straight wins. The last one was in Cleveland, 119-113, a game with a similar spread to this one. The Celtics only loss this year came in the opener at Philadelphia. Since then, they've been playing very good defense, holding teams to 42.7% shooting. Tonight is a homecoming of sorts for Kemba Walker. The Hornets all-time leading scorer is now averaging 26 points/game for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown is expected back for Boston after he missed the last three games. It's surprising to see Charlotte winning three in a row. The streak stops here though. The past two seasons saw them go 5-9 SU/ATS when off three or more consecutive wins. Play on BOSTON

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This is a 10* on DALLAS

Orlando's struggles continued last night with a 102-94 loss in Oklahoma City. It was yet another game scoring less than 100 points. In fact, the Magic have yet to score 100 points in any game this year. No wonder they have a 2-5 SU record (1-5-1 ATS). It's unlikely they get the issues solved in the second night of a back to back, so fade them again.We faded the Magic last night too. We talked about the lack of scoring as they are last in the league in points scored and field goal percentage. It looked like they might be able to get to 100 last night, but a 15-point fourth quarter ultimately doomed them. They shot just 39% for the game, including 13% on three-point attempts. Dallas has looked far more impressive so far. They scored 131 in a blowout win at Cleveland Sunday. The time off between games is another obvious advantage the Mavs have coming into this one. Point guard Luka Doncic looks like the real deal. Orlando hasn't won here in "Big D" since 2011. It's seven straight losses by an average of 17.7 points/game. If you can't score 100 points, you won't win many games in this league. That's the sad reality for the Magic right now. Unless the Mavericks have some sort of severe defensive lapse, they should win comfortably against a team playing in the second night of a back to back. Play on DALLAS

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This is an 8* play on OKC

Orlando hasn't been very good against the spread thus far. They are just 1-4-1 ATS. Even more disturbing is the fact they have yet to score 100 points in a game. This is 2019, people! The Magic take the league's worst offense to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. This is a rebuilding year for the Thunder, but so far they've taken advantage of poor public perception to go 4-2 ATS. They have the same number of SU wins (2) as Orlando. This won't be the first time OKC has been favored either. The first is a game they'd like to forget as they lost outright here at home to the Wizards. But the next game saw them bounce back with a 120-92 win over Golden State (were -1.5), also at home. Orlando has lost both of its road games so far. They shot a horrendous 24.5% from three-point range in those games. They are averaging just 93.5 points/game overall. OKC won its last game, beating New Orleans 115-104 as a two-point favorite. That was despite being short-handed. Six players scored 10 or more points. Go ahead and lay this short number. Play on OKC.

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This is a 10* on HOUSTON

Houston had high expectations coming into the season. So it has to feel terribly disappointing to be only 3-3 through six games.  Last night was a humiliating 129-100 loss in Miami where they trailed 46-14 at the end of the first quarter. The Rockets are now 0-6 ATS on the young season.They're not about to go 0-82 ATS though and that's our mindset coming into Monday's game at Memphis. The Grizzlies aren't a good team. They're 1-4 with the only win coming in overtime, by a single point, on a buzzer beater.  Russell Westbrook is being given tonight off. But his absence is built into this line. It's a short number, one that we don't mind laying. The Rockets have been favored in every game this season. The Grizzlies have been underdogs in all of their games. Houston's problem lies on the defensive end as they are last in the league in points allowed. Good for them then that they are facing a Memphis team that is 2nd to last in offensive efficiency. The Rockets are 5-1 ATS the last six meetings with Memphis. Look for them to continue that mastery. Play on HOUSTON

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This is a 10* on SACRAMENTO

Two of the dregs of the league play Sunday in the Big Apple as the 1-5 Kings play the 1-5 Knicks. Besides matching records, something else the teams have in common is that they are both were involved in a close game Friday. But the difference is Sacramento won theirs won the NY lost. The Kings first win of the season was against Utah and at home. They won 102-101 on a last second putback. Obviously, after an 0-5 start, they'd take a win anyway they can get it. But even before beating the Jazz, which is an impressive win by the way, there were signs of improvement. The Kings played much better against Charlotte and Denver then they did in the first three games. The Knicks lost on a last second shot Friday, 104-102 to Boston. Their only win came in a game where they had to rally from an 18-point deficit and that was against the Bulls. So New York pretty easily could be 0-6 right now. We understand there may be some hesitation to lay points with Sacramento away from home. But this is a really short number. They also beat the Knicks twice last year. It was easily forgotten because of the 0-5 start, but the Kings were supposed to be fairly competitive this year. The Knicks are still one of the worst teams in the league. No matter the opponent, we're glad to bet that they'll lose on any given night. A loss is all we need here. Play on SACRAMENTO

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This is an 8* play on SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio has the odd juxtaposition of having won every game straight up, but having lost all of them against the spread. They are 3-0 SU/0-3 ATS, which isn't really something you see all that often, whether at the start of the year or at any point, really. So this is obviously the first time they've been an underdog this season and it comes against a Clippers team playing in the second game of a back to back. Kawhi Leonard was given last night off and the Clippers faded badly down the stretch, losing to the Jazz 110-96. Paul George has yet to play at all this season. Like the Spurs, the Clippers have also failed to cover three in a row. The team isn't going to continue shooting almost 40% from three-point land. The Spurs come into their first road game fully healthy and will be highly motivated to beat former teammate Leonard. In their last game, the Spurs caught Portland in the second game of a back to back and led that one by as much as 19 points. Play on SAN ANTONIO

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This is an 8* play on DENVER

While this seems like a bit of a "square" play, fact is the Kings aren't a very good team right now. They've opened with three straight losses and all of them have been by double digits. Getting blown out by Phoenix to start the season was a troubling sign. But even worse than that 29-point defeat was losing Marvin Bagley III, who is one of their top players. Bagley is expected to be out for at least a month. Something else that seems "out" in Sacramento is defense. They have let every opponent shoot 50% or better. Saturday night, they were buried in Utah, 113-81. Now they must face Denver, who is 2-0 and doing an excellent job defensively. Being 2-0 while barely shooting 40% overall is actually a good sign for a Nuggets team we know can score. Our guess is they find the offensive touch tonight. Another of Sacramento's key players, De'Aaron Fox is battling a hip injury as well. We just can't see this being a close game as the Nuggets are 6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS the last seven meetings. Play on DENVER 

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This is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

Both sides are coming off surprising results here. Cleveland won its home opener as a 5-point dog, beating undermanned Indiana 110-99. While that was going on, Milwaukee blew a 21-point lead at home to Miami and lost in overtime. Let's look for order to be restored on Monday. The Cavs are going to be one of the worst teams in the league this year. They scored only 85 points against Orlando in the first game, which was on the road. Indiana did not have leading scorer Victor Oladipo for the second game. The Bucks are the obvious choice to finish first in the East. They are going to be too much for Cleveland, provided they stop fouling and can make their usual number of threes. Houston and Miami were able to go to the free throw line a combined 75 times against Milwaukee. Cleveland is averaging just 22 foul shots per game and when they get there, they really aren't making them (65%). Milwaukee attempts over 50 three pointers per game and if they are making 15-20, the Cavs lack the firepower to keep up. Three different times last season, the Bucks beat the Cavs by double digits. The two games here at home were decided by a combined 38 points. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* play on NEW ORLEANS

This was supposed to be a spotlight game for the Pelicans #1 draft choice Zion Williamson, but he got hurt in the preseason so ESPN is going to have to find something else to talk about. In the first game without Williamson, the Pelicans took Toronto to overtime Wednesday. They ended up not covering (lost 130-122) as they were 7.5-point dogs, a brutal result for anyone who may have taken the points. As tough a loss as it was for the Pelicans and their backers, we're looking for them to take their frustrations out on Dallas in the home opener Friday. That first game showed the Pelicans still must be taken seriously even without their prized rookie. There were just too many turnovers, especially late in the second half and in overtime. Dallas got to play a cupcake in its season opener, Washington, but didn't cover as nine-point favorites. They won 108-100. So we're looking at both teams coming off 1-pt ATS losses. The game is in New Orleans where the Mavericks lost twice last year. The Pelicans got 57 points from their bench against Toronto, showing they are more than just Williamson. It being a short number, let's lay it! Play on NEW ORLEANS

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This is an 8* on Philly

Milwaukee comes into the year as the favorite to win the NBA’s Eastern Conference. As for the debate over “who’s #2?” it probably comes down to one of these teams.The 76ers host the Celtics to open the year and the winner will have made an early season statement in the Atlantic Division. We like the 76ers at home as they have more minutes returning from last season. Plus they nabbed Al Horford away from the Celtics. Horford joins Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as the stars in Philly. Embiid was not healthy in the playoffs and this is obviously a much better team when he is healthy. Remember that Philly took eventual champion Toronto to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston also lost in the semis, but there’s a lot of change here with Kemba Walker replacing Kyrie Irving, who was a failed experiment. Boston has covered the last five head to head meetings, but it’s time for that to change Wednesday as the Sixers should easily cover this short number at home. Play on PHILADELPHIA

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This is a 10* play on GOLDEN STATE

It's do or die time for the Warriors on Monday. They hope to accomplish what the Bruins did last in NHL; that's stay alive by winning on the road. Of course, they're task is a whole lot tougher than the Bruins as they trail in this series 3 games to 1. In the entire history of the NBA Finals, only one team has ever come back to win after trailing 3-1. Golden State knows this very well as it happened to them back in 2016 against Cleveland. The big news is that Kevin Durant has practiced and is listed as questionable for Game #5. Even if he doesn't end up playing, we're still taking the Warriors. They're too good to go down without a fight. Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney both returned for Game 4. Before the last two games, they'd never lost two in a row at home in the playoffs under Kerr. Their only three-game playoff losing streak under Kerr came in that 2016 Finals vs. LeBron and the Cavs. Could Toronto be too "amped up" for this? We look for this to be a big bounce back game offensively for Golden State with or without Durant. Play on GOLDEN STATE

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This is a 10* Play on GOLDEN STATE

Golden State's string of less than enthralling performances continued in Game #3 as they lost 123-109. The defeat of course comes with some major caveats, those being the absences of both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson (not to mention reserve Kevon Looney as well). The seriously short-handed Warriors ended up shooting just 39.6% from the field (a playoff low) and really had no answer for Toronto defensively, allowing them to shoot 52.4% from the field and make 17 three-pointers. We look for the Warriors to rebound in Game #4. Thompson will be back after missing a playoff game for the first time in his career. Toronto isn't going to shoot that well again as all five starters were in double figures as was reserve Fred Van Vleet. Remember that they shot just 37.2% in Game #2 after being right above 50% in Game #1. Steph Curry went for 47 points in Game #3, but won't need to match that production with Thompson back in the lineup. The Warriors are 13-5 ATS off their previous 18 ATS defeats and have dropped consecutive games in the playoffs just once, both coming in Houston. They have never dropped consecutive home playoff games under Kerr, so we will lay the points Friday. Play on GOLDEN STATE

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