My 8* REVENGE SLAM-DUNK is on the Denver Nuggets at 9:00 EST. Denver is 45-28 after losing three of its last four. It's coming off a 129-119 loss to Chicago here at home as a 2.5-point favorite. With upcoming home games against Utah, Minnesota, and San Antonio though, there's no reason to hit the panic button if you're a Nuggets fan. Denver has a prime opportunity to bounce back here against the Bucks, as it also plays with the added incentive of "revenge" following a 121-112 loss in Milwaukee in late February. The Bucks are now 2-3 in their last five following a 108-106 setback at Phoenix on Monday. With a night off before games at home vs. the Knicks and Hawks, another letdown appears imminent to me for Milwaukee in this difficult position. I'm expecting Denver to play like the more desperate team here, and that will be more than enough to cover the spread. Lay the points, Nuggets roll! 

My 8* SLAM-DUNK WINNER is on the Houston Rockets at 8:00 EST. Houston is 46-26 and No. 1 in the Southwest, but its looking to rebound here following a 116-111 loss to Denver here on Sunday. With a three-game road trip up next for Houston, with stops at Phoenix and the Lakers, tonight's contest takes on added importance for the home side. Atlanta is off three straight victories and after this it has games at Miami and Milwaukee. The Rockets beat the Hawks 100-96 in Atlanta back in late January and I expect an even bigger lop-sided final outcome here in favor of Houston now that it's at home. Atlanta is just 16-18 on the road, while the Rockets are 26-11 at home. I think the conditions are completely correct for a home-side blowout. Lay the points, Rockets roll!

My 8* SLAM-DUNK is on the Denver Nuggets at 9:00 EST. Denver is now 45-27 after last night's 116-111 win at Houston to cap a 2-2 road trip. This is the start of five straight at home for the Nuggets, and they play with the added incentive of "revenge" here following a 129-121 loss at Chicago at the end of January. This is the finale of a six-game road trip for the Bulls and after back-to-back victories as an underdog, including an epic 146-115 win at the Lakers as 10.5-point dogs most recently, would anyone fault the visiting side for having a small mental letdown here? Especially with a few nights off before a rematch with the Lakers on Thursday. I believe the conditions are correct not only for a Denver win, but also a comfortable cover as well. Lay the points, Nuggets roll!

My 8* SLAM-DUNK WINNER is on the Milwaukee Bucks at 10:30 EST. I had a play on the Lakers last night and they went on to win by a score of 120-108 over the Nuggets. After three straight victories, with having played just last night, and with a much more "winnable" game here on Saturday vs. the Bulls, this one sets up as a letdown spot for the home side, that continues to rest injured starters. LeBron James and Luka Doncic are both listed as questionable for this one. The Bucks are looking to stop a two-game slide here after falling 121-105 at home to the Thunder, before a 104-93 setback at Golden state to kick off this road trip. LA just finished playing a back-to-back on the 16th-17th vs. Phoenix and San Antonio. This is its fourth game in five days. Look for the much hungrier visiting side to pull away for the comfortable win and cover. Bucks roll!

My 8* SLAM-DUNK is on the Lakers at 10:00 EST. Denver has been trading wins/losses over its last seven games, and off a 114-105 upset win as a 12.5-point underdog, I think this pattern will continue here against the Lakers. Nikola Jokic did not play in that last game and the Nuggets still won. Regardless, I still like the home side in this matchup for a couple of different key situational reasons. Denver has two more tough road games after this at Portland and Houston and could be caught looking and planning for those contests. The Lakers also play with the added incentive of revenge following a 131-126 loss at Denver on March 14th. LA is back on track after back-to-back victories and I expect that positive momentum to continue here at home in this revenge spot. Lakers roll!

My 10* Western Conference GAME OF THE WEEK is on the LA Lakers at 10:30 EST. I had LA last night, and I believe it'll find a way to not only win tonight, but to do so in blowout fashion, going on to cover this larger spread easily in my opinion. LA had dropped four in a row previous, so it can't "look past" its lowly opponent this evening. This is a very winnable game for the home side, especially with much more difficult upcoming contests here vs. Denver and Milwaukee on back-to-back nights. The Lakers play with the added incentive of "revenge" as well following a 126-102 loss here to the Spurs back in mid-January. San Antonio has been trading wins/losses over its last four games, and off a 119-115 home victory over the Pelicans, I expect this pattern/trend to continue. The Spurs are only 10-21 on the road this year and everything points to a letdown here for the visiting side in my opinion. And that's why I'm laying the points with confidence, Lakers roll!

My 8* TOTAL SLAM-DUNK is on the Grizzlies at 8:00 EST. Cleveland has not lost a game in over a month. The Cavaliers are 55-10 and most recently beat Brooklyn by a score of 109-104. But it's Memphis that plays with revenge here following a 129-123 loss at Cleveland on February 23rd. The Grizz covered with the 6-point spread, but now here at home and playing with revenge, I believe Memphis has a legitimate shot at winning this one outright. The Grizzlies are 42-24 and they enter having won four in a row following a 122-115 victory here over Utah last time out. Cleveland returns home to take on Orlando next, and I believe it could also be caught looking ahead to that Eastern Conference matchup. Either way, there are overwhelming factors here working in favor of Memphis in my opinion. Grab the points because the Grizzlies roll!

My 8* SLAM-DUNK play is on the LA Lakers at 7:30 EST. Both teams come in struggling, but with a tough game at Denver tomorrow night, the Lakers will focus on snapping this two-game slide. They beat the Bucks 128-124 in OT here last March. The Bucks have been playing terribly of late as they've lost three straight. That includes a heartbreaking 115-114 setback at division rival Indiana last time out. And with the Pacers coming to Milwaukee next on Sunday, would anyone fault the home side getting caught looking past their non-conference opponent in this one?! Either way, I believe that LA is in a better position to bounce back after a small stretch of poor play and while I do feel that an outright victory is possible, my official call is to grab as many points as you can with LA.

My 8* SLAM-DUNK is on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 EST. Because I envision this game being decided by whichever team has its hands on the ball last, I'm going to grab the points in this one. The Thunder had won seven in a row before their most recent 140-127 loss to the Nuggets. They beat the Celtics 105-92 at home back in January. They have a game in Detroit after this. After losing two in a row to close out February, the Celtics enter having won five in a row. Jason Tatum and the home side are on the road for two straight after this, in Miami and Brooklyn, respectively. A great test for the Thunder here. A great regular season record won't mean anything if they go out in the first round. They lost to the Bucks in the Play-In Tournament, but they've already beaten the Celtics once this year. I believe they can do it again, but the official call for this pick is to grab as many points as you can with the Thunder.

My 8* SLAM-DUNK WINNER is on the Indiana Pacers at 7:30 EST. Milwaukee is 36-27 this season, but it's only 14-16 on the road. The Bucks come to town off two straight poor home losses, falling 111-109 to the Magic, before a 112-100 setback to the Cavs. With a home game against the Lakers up next, Milwaukee is going to get caught looking ahead and the revenge-minded Pacers will take advantage. Indiana lost 120-112 at home to the Bucks back in December. The Pacers have lost three straight after last night's listless 121-103 loss at Chicago. Now back at home and with it's back against the wall, I like the 35-28 Pacers to stop the bleeding here. That said, my official call is to grab as many points as you can with Indiana.

My 8* SLAM-DUNK WINNER is on the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 EST. Washington is just 6-23 on the road this year. After winning 125-122 at home over Utah, the Wizards beat the Raptors here 118-117 on Saturday. With a back-to-back set at Detroit starting tomorrow night though, the visitors could easily be caught "looking ahead" here and come in distracted. The Raptors are 14-20 at home. They had won three straight before the setback to the Wizards. The Raptors won't be in the Playoffs, but they've been playing better of late. They have a chance to string a couple wins together as well with the wounded 76ers coming to town next. Look for Toronto to respond here, and for the Wizards to take a predictable step back after the back-to-back victories. Lay the points, Raptors roll!

My 8* SLAM-DUNK WINNER is on the Boston Celtics at 8:30 EST. LA has been the talk of the league since the Luka Doncic trade. LA is now 40-21, while Boston is 45-18. LA routed Boston 117-96 as a 6.5-point dog back in January, and now it's payback time for the Celtics, in my estimation. Could this be a possible NBA Finals preview?! Very possibly, is the answer with Doncic on the Lakers now. I can't see either team "looking past" this moment, but the home floor advantage will prove to be key here for the Celtics in my opinion. Boston is 21-11 at home this year, while LA is just 15-14 on the road. Look for the revenge-minded home side to keep the foot on the gas from start to finish and for Boston to roll to not only a win, but a comfortable ATS cover as well. 

My 8* SLAM-DUNK WINNER is on the LA Clippers at 10:30 EST. The LA Clippers are 33-29 and third in the Pacific after snapping a three-game slide with a 123-115 win over a red-hot Pistons side here on Wednesday and in my opinion, I believe they'll carry that momentum over into this contest. Despite the recent slide, looking ahead at LA's schedule sees a favorable one for the Clippers, with games vs. the Kings, Pelicans, Heat, Hawks and Hornets after tonight's matchup with the Knicks. New York is 40-22 and second in the Atlantic, but it's coming in with zero momentum after back-to-back losses, including a difficult 113-109 OT loss at the Lakers here last night. The Knicks led for most of the game and then fell apart down the stretch. With two nights off before a game at Sacramento, I believe New York could struggle with fatigue and focus this evening. All of these factors combine to make LA the correct call in my opinion. Lay the points with confidence, Clippers roll!

My SLAM DUNK WINNER on Wednesday March 5th at 9:30 EST is on the Memphis Grizzlies. It's a big West Coast matchup. Oklahoma City is 50-12 overall, including 23-7 on the road, while Memphis is 38-23 overall and 22-9 at home. Shai and the Thunder are in the proverbial driver's seat right now, as he's currently a -550 favorite to win the MVP. Despite that though, we still really like the hungry underdog home side here. Oklahoma City has won six of seven games since the All-Star Break. It's off the 137-128 win over Houston. After this it has three straight at home vs a red hot Portland side and two straight against the Nuggets. Situational cappers would point to this as being a very possible "trap" game for the visitors (as they enter on the extended winning run on the road, combined with the upcoming difficult home stand.) The potential for the visitors to get caught looking ahead is very real. Memphis does not have that luxury. It can't look past anyone as it is now desperate to snap a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 132-130 to the Hawks. Memphis also plays with the added incentive of "revenge" as well after falling 125-112 to the Thunder about a month ago. Grab the points and watch the Grizz roll to AT LEAST the solid ATS cover.

My UNDERDOG BLOWOUT WINNER in on the Charlotte Hornets at 7:00 EST. Golden State has been playing well since the Jimmy Butler trade, but off a 126-119 loss at Philadelphia, a setback that snapped a five-game winning streak, and with a much more high-profile contest at the Knicks on Tuesday, I believe the Warriors are going to have a bit of a mental letdown here. It's a perfect "spot" bet for Hornets backers! Charlotte also plays with the added incentive of "revenge" following a 128-92 loss at Golden State in late February. The Hornets have lost six straight and while I'm not calling for that streak to end today, I do feel that this spread is now a bit too large for Golden State to cover considering the other situational factors its facing. I think the revenge-minded home side will be able to keep this one competitive enough to comfortably cover with this larger spread. 

My Pacific Division Game of the Month is on the LA Clippers at 9:30 EST. LA is just 1-4 since the break. It lost here 106-102 to the Lakers just two nights ago, but I like the Clippers to finally bounce back with a solid victory tonight, and to avenge the most recent loss. This is the fourth and final meeting between the clubs this regular season, and the Lakers currently own a 2-1 lead. But I like Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to respond. The Lakers have won five straight, but I'm finally anticipating a letdown here vs. the desperate Clippers. The Lakers have the Pelicans and Knicks coming to town next, but I think the "hungrier" revenge-minded Clippers are the correct call in this situation. In fact, they've now qualified as my top Pacific Division side for March. Lay the points, Clippers roll.

At 7:10pm ET, my Ground and Pound selection is on the Indiana Pacers. The Raptors played at home last night. They fought hard and lost by 10 at home. They will feel the effects of that battle with Boston tonight. The last 3x that the Raptors played their 2nd game in 2 days, they allowed 131, 138 and 132 points. Each was a lopsided loss. The Raptors aren't the same team that beat the Pacers twice earlier in the season and Poeltl's questionable status doesn't help. They also aren't the same team when playing away from Toronto, as evidenced by their 5-21 road record. The Pacers, 16-9 at home, had yesterday off. They will pound the Raptors into submission. Lay the points.

At 8:10pm ET, my NBA Slam Dunk Club selection is on Houston. Home court advantage will provide the Rockets with the edge they need on Tuesday at the Toyota Center. The Bucks are 19-9 at home but only 12-15 on the road. The Rockets are solid (17-12) on the road and they're even better (18-9) at home. Fred VanVleet has been out for the Rockets but he returned to practice Monday. Still questionable, he will provide a big boost for the Rockets, if he can go. Even if he doesn't, this is a hard-working team which doesn't take nights off. They lost last game but that was on the road and it was their 2nd game in 2 nights. After a rough patch, they've won 3 of 5 and all the victories came by 6 or more. The home team has won 6 straight in the series. Lay the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my Atlantic Division Game Of the Year is on the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are in need to a big win. A game against the short-handed Nets is being handed to them on a silver platter. They simply need to play up to their potential and they can blow this Brooklyn team out. The break came at an opportune time. The 76ers lost at Brooklyn 10 days ago. They hammered the Nets in this season's game at Philadelphia though. Maxey said this: "You have to have some urgency out there. You know that every game is going to be important for us." Maxey and the 76ers play with urgency and give us a glimpse of how good they can really be! Lay the points.

At 10:40pm ET, my NBA Western Conference Game Of The Year is on the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers catch the Grizzlies off a road win at Phoenix last night. It looked like it might be easy but that wasn't the case in the end. Memphis led by as many as 19 but allowed Phoenix to cut the margin to three, with 2:34 left. Even off 3 straight road wins, the Grizzlies are 15-11 on the road. They haven't won 4 road games in a row all season. The last time they played a road game, after playing the previous day, the Grizzlies lost by 8 at Golden State. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard has increased his playing time past the 30-minute mark in back-to-back games. Tonight, they'll add Bogdan Bogdanovic to the mix. They are off a 20-point win and are playing with plenty of rest. The Clippers are also 6-2 their last 8 games against the Grizzlies. Lay the points.

At 9:10pm ET, my NBA Ground and Pound selection is on the Denver Nuggets. The Trail Blazers had a remarkable run recently but it is now over. They came back down to earth with a 16-point loss at Minnesota on Saturday. Tonight, facing a red hot opponent and playing at a very tough venue, will bring a 2nd straight blowout loss. Before a loss at Portland in December, Denver had defeated the Trail Blazers 7 straight times. Currently, the Nuggets are on a 6-game winning streak and the last 4 of those wins all came by 12 or more points. Lay the points.

At 2:10pm Et, my NBA Game Of the Week is on Houston. The Rockets have gone through a rare rough patch. A home game against Toronto is just what they need to get rolling again. The Raptors are only 4-20 on the road. They fight hard at times but are fully in rebuilding mode. They aren't going to be able to match Houston's intensity. They are off 3 straight losses and the last 2 of them came by 12 and 31 points. The Rockets won by 29 the last time they hosted Toronto. Lay the points and look for another blowout.

At 8:10pm ET, my #1 Northwest Div. Game Of the Month is on Minnesota. This will be the fourth and final meeting between the teams during the regular season. The home team won all 3 games. The game at Minnesota resulted in a 25 point win for the Timberwolves. The Trail Blazers have been on quite the run but it will come to an end tonight. Lay the points.

At 10:10pm Et, my NBA Revenge Game Of the Week is on Phoenix. It didn't really surprise me that the Trail Blazers took Saturday's game. Phoenix was coming off a big win over GSW the night before. The Trail Blazers were playing well and playing with double-revenge. Tonight will be a different story. The Suns will now be the team playing with revenge and both teams are now on equal footing, when it comes to rest. Phoenix got pounded on Saturday and that won't sit well with the team, especially when former-Sun Ayton was a big part of Portland's win. We will see an entirely different Suns team this time. The Suns are 5-0 straight-up and 4-1 versus the spread, the past 5 times that they were off a loss. They won by 10, 8, 7, 24 and by 25. The Suns are healthy and tonight they will have their revenge. Lay the points.

At 3:10pm ET, my Central Division Game Of the Month is on Chicago. The Bulls have been playing without LaVine recently and they're playing with the knowledge that changes are likely before the deadline. That didn't stop them from winning big last game and it won't prevent them from cashing for us this afternoon. The Bulls shot 50.6 percent from the field last game and they had assists on 34 of their 45 field goals. The Bulls own the Pistons. They've won 18 of the past 20 meetings. Their last 2 visits to Detroit resulted in double-digit victories. The Pistons are 3-6 versus the spread their last 9 as favorites, 1-4 ATS their last 5 as favorites in the -3 to -7 range. Grab the points.

At 9:30pm Et, my Thursday Slam Dunk Club is on Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies have a score to settle with the Houston Rockets. The Grizzlies have only lost 16 times this season but 3 of those losses have come at the hands of the Rockets. The Grizzlies are 19-5 at home and they haven't lost a home game since January 9th. The team that beat them that day? You guessed right, it was the Rockets. There is no way they want to let Houston complete the 4-game series sweep. The Grizzlies are off their worst loss of the season on Monday. They've had the past 2 days off to think about it and they're absolutely going to be bringing it from the get-go tonight. The Grizzlies score 123.3 points per game, the most in the entire NBA. The Rockets average 113.89. The Grizzlies will push the pace and the Rockets will be no match for them tonight. Lay the points.

At 7:10pm ET, my NBA Eastern Conference Game Of The Month is on Charlotte. It looks like they won't have LaMelo Ball but that won't prevent the Hornets from taking down the Nets on Wednesday. The Hornets have won 4 of 7. The Nets have lost 7 straight. Even without Ball, the Hornets are still the healthier team. The Nets are dealing with numerous injuries, including Cameron Johnson. That will make Hornet fans happy as it was Johnson who led the Nets with 34 points in defeating Charlotte by 1 point earlier in the season. The Nets are also missing Cam Thomas (and several others) and he still leads the team in scoring. Between Johnson and Thomas, they average 44.1 points per game. No other Brooklyn player averages more than 13.2 points. The Hornets acquired forward Josh Okogie a couple of weeks ago. A big addition, he had 19 points last game. Josh Green said this of his new teammate: "The energy he has brought from us, offensive rebounds to defensive rebounds, pushing the pace, it's been amazing. He's great to play with." Charlotte won by 11 the last time that it hosted Brooklyn. Lay the points.

At 7:30pm Et, my NBA Non. Conference Game Of The Week is on Philadelphia. The Lakers are in a difficult scheduling spot tonight. They battled Charlotte right down to the end last night, Davis and James both playing more than 36 minutes. (Reaves and Christie also played 37 and 39 minutes.) Tonight will be their 2nd road game in 2 nights, their 3rd game in the past 4. The Lakers are 7-13 versus the spread the past 20 times that they played 2 games in 2 days. The last time they played 2 road games in 2 days, they lost by 29. The 76ers still have injury issues but they are well rested and they are also off consecutive victories. They won by 12 at Chicago in their last game and they defeated a really good Cleveland team in their last home game. Grab the points with the rested home underdog.

At 7:40pm Et, my Eastern Conference Annihilator is on Miami. Wrong team favored here, in my estimation. The Magic won their last game but are still only 2-7 their last 9 games. They are 15-9 at home but only 9-14 on the road. Their last 3 road games have all resulted in blowout losses. The Heat allowed just 97 points in winning their last game. They build on that with a big win over Orlando on Monday! Play on Miami.

At 2:10pm ET, my Early Riser is on San Antonio. The Pacers are listed as the home team but the Spurs are going to have the crowd on their side. The game is the first of 2 that the Spurs and Pacers will play in Paris. Keep in mind that this was where Victor Wembanyama played when he started his pro career in the French league. Also, the Spurs had other connections (Tony Parker, Boris Diaw) to France in the past. Wembanyama, who led France to the gold medal game in the Olympics here, says he thinks about playing in Paris again, all the time. “The way I approach this trip is my way of giving back a little to the French public, trying to please many people who will never have the chance to go to the United States. It’s really important to me." The Spurs star is a special player and he's very likely going to have a monster game. His teammates also know how important this is to him and will give us a complete team effort. Grab the points.

At 10:10pm ET, my Wednesday Wipeout is on Sacramento. The Kings dismantled the Warriors the last time that these teams met. The 129-99 wipeout was their 4th straight win in the series. With the way the teams are currently playing, we can expect another blowout on Wednesday. The Kings are a perfect 6-0 at home since Christie took over the head-coaching duties. Off a 23-point win last game, they're 9-1 their last 10 games overall. The Warriors are off a 40 point loss in their last game. They are missing Green and Kuminga. They''ve got some winnable home games coming up but before they get to them, they will get blown out by the Kings one more time. Lay the points.

At 7:40pm Et, my NBA Super Smash is on the Miami Heat. The Heat have worked out their issues. They snapped their losing streak with a 21 point win over the Spurs. Six Miami players scored 12 or more point.s Now they host a Portland team which they know they can handle and which is just 5-16 on the road. The Heat hammered the Blazers by 21 when they met 10 days ago. The last time that they played at Miami, the Heat won by 60! They're 5-1 the past 6 meetings (3-0 last 3) and all 5 wins came by double-digits. The Trailblazers have followed up each of their 2025 victories by losing their next game. The Heat will win this one big. Lay the points.

At 3:10pm ET, my MLK Day Super Smash is on the New York Knicks. The Hawks have won the first 2 games of this 3-game road trip. The Knicks will cool them off this afternoon! The Hawks defeated the Knicks in November and again in December. Playing with double-revenge and also having lost consecutive home games, New York isn't going to let it happen a 3rd time! The Knicks have been in a win/loss pattern of L,W,L,W,L,W,L. Each loss has been followed by a victory. Off a loss to Minnesota, the pattern will continue and the Knicks will bounce back with a big win. Lay the points.

At 8:10pm ET, my Slam Dunk selection is on Milwaukee. The Raptors have shown that they can beat just about anybody at Toronto. They defeated the Celtics there last game and the Warriors before that. Winning on the road is an entirely different ballgame. The Raptors are a terrible 1-18 away from Toronto. That's the worst road record in basketball. The Bucks have won by 24 and 14 points the last 2 meetings. Each of their past 3 wins over the Raptors has come by at least 14. The Bucks have won 2 in a row and 5 of 6. Their last win came by 29 and this will be another smash-job. Lay the points.

At 10:00pm ET, my Western Conference Game Of the Month is on Sacramento. Strong situational advantage for the Sacramento Kings in this game. They catch the Rockets off a 128-108 win at Denver. The Kings will dictate the pace and control this game. Lay the points.

At 10:10pm ET, my NBA Underdog Game Of the Month is on the Miami Heat. Off a loss against the Clippers, the Heat are going to really go all out to avoid going winless in their 2 games at Los Angeles. Though they tend to struggle against the Clippers, the Heat have a recent habit of beating the Lakers. They hammered the Lakers by 41 points at Miami in December. They also swept the Lakers last season. They were 5-point underdogs here and won by 14. As a matter of fact, the Heat are 7-2 their last 9 games against the Lakers and the 2 losses each only came by 3 points. The Lakers have lost 3 straight and were outscored 37-13 in the fourth quarter of their last game. Grab the points.

At 8:10pm ET, my Wednesday Wipeout is on New Orleans. The wrong team is favored at New Orleans tonight. These are 2 teams going in opposite directions. The Pelicans have Zion Williamson back and are playing some of their best basketball of the season. The Mavericks are still missing Doncic and others and are struggling. It's uncertain whether Irving will play in this backend of 2 games in 2 nights. The Pelicans haven't forgotten that the Mavericks manhandled them at Dallas. Doncic led the way for Dallas and Zion didn't play for New Orleans. Things will be much different tonight! Grab the points.

At 10:10 PM ET, my NBA Non-Conference Game Of The Week is on Portland. Fans of the Trail Blazers will be anticipating a victory tonight. The Trail Blazers, 2-0 against the Nets last season, can climb back to .500 at home with a win tonight. They haven't been favored by this much all season but the Trail Blazers are 7-2 straight up and 6-3 versus the spread the past 9 times that they were favored by greater than 5 points. The Nets have lost 5 straight and 8 of 9. The inspired Trail Blazers will be too much for them. Lay the points.

At 7:10pm ET, my Road Warrior selection is on Minnesota. The Timberwolves are a much better team with matchup advantages all over the floor. They are off a loss on Saturday and will provide a maximum effort tonight. The Wizards are a bad team and they're in a difficult spot. They played last night and are now playing their 5th game in the past 7 days. They don't have the depth or the talent to overcome that type of schedule. The Timberwolves won by 11 here last season. At the time, Washington was playing with 2 days rest. With no rest at all, this will be an even bigger blowout. Lay the points.

At 8:10pm Et, my Slam Dunk Club selection is on the Brooklyn Nets. Utah favored? Say it ain't so! If it seems unfamiliar to see the Jazz favored, its because it hasn't happened since last March. The Jazz haven't been favored a single time all season. That's largely because they're terrible at home. They have a 2-14 record here. The Nets are a far more competitive 8-13 on the road. The Nets have had this game circled since the Jazz defeated them at Brooklyn just before Christmas. The last time that the Jazz were favored was last March and they lost outright. They are 3-5 versus the spread their last 8, as a favorite. After the December loss, the Nets have still won 4 of the last 6 h2h meetings. This is their chance at a victory with another potentially winnable game on deck. They will get it done. Grab the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my Revenge Game Of the Month is on New York. The Knicks recently lost by 10 points at Oklahoma City. Tonight, the teams will square off at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks want to show that they can hang with the top teams and this is their chance to do so. The Knicks are stronger at home than they are on the road. The Thunder are tough no matter where they play but they aren't quite as good on the road. Four of their 6 loses have been away from home and one of those came at Cleveland in their last game. At the same time that the Thunder were losing to the Cavaliers, the Knicks were regaining their swagger by trouncing the Raptors. Revenge will be theirs. Play on New York.

At 7:40pm ET, my Road Warrior is on Milwaukee. The Bucks got a little fat and happy over Christmas and New Year's. They are just 1-4 their last 5 games. The losses have really been inexcusable and they will correct that tonight. Getting on the road will be a good thing after consecutive stinkers at home. The Bucks beat the Pacers by 8 last time they played a road game. Reality has set in for Toronto fans that their team is in for a very long season. The Raptors are 1-9 their last 10 and 8-27 on the year. The Bucks beat the Raptors by 14 earlier this season. The Bucks also beat the Raptors by 16 the last time they visited Toronto. They will get back on track with another big win on Monday. Lay the points with Milwaukee.

At 8:10pm Et, my Slam Dunk Club selection is on Milwaukee. The Trail Blazers are visiting Milwaukee at the wrong time. The Bucks are off an upset loss to the Nets and have dropped 3 of their past 4. They can't afford to lose another home game to another weak team. They've got 3 of their next 4 on the road and need to win at home. The Trail Blazers have a 3-14 record on the road, so that shouldn't be a problem. Three of Portland's last 4 losses have been my more than 20 points. This will be another blowout. Lay the points.

At 10:10pm ET, my January NBA Game Of the Month is on Sacramento. The coaching change was just what Sacramento needed. This is what I stated prior to Sacramento's win over Dallas: "The Kings have lost a lot of close games and have been a disappointment so far overall. They were a playoff team last year though and have a talented roster. They finally fired coach Mike Brown and are going to extremely determined to snap their losing streak and get new interim coach Doug Christie a victory. It will help that the Mavericks are short-handed. Most importantly, Doncic is out. Also, Naji Marshall is out and Lively is questionable. The Kings will take advantage and close out their final game of 2024 with a big win." The Kings did close out 2024 with that big win and now its all systems go to start 2025. The Kings beat the 76ers by 12 points the last meeting and that snapped a lengthy losing streak in the series. Fox had 23 points and Sabonis had a triple-double. The 76ers have had 3 straight big games (37, 32, 27 points) from Embiid and they won all 3 games but he's been listed as out for tonight's game. Lay the points.

At 3:10pm ET, my Afternoon Annihilator is on the Boston Celtics. The Celtics took the Raptors lightly the last time the teams played here. Boston won but needed Overtime to do so. The Celtics will have. learned their lesson from that near upset. Coming off a loss to the Pacers, Boston is going to be ready to run the Raptors right out of TD Garden. The Celtics last 4 victories have come by 37, 25, 14 and 24 points. The Raptors have lost 10 straight and their last 2 losses each came by 29 points. This game won't be close. Lay the points.

At 10:10pm ET, my Slam Dunk Club selection is on Sacramento. The Kings have lost a lot of close games and have been a disappointment so far overall. They were a playoff team last year though and have a talented roster. They finally fired coach Mike Brown and are going to extremely determined to snap their losing streak and get new interim coach Doug Christie a victory. It will help that the Mavericks are short-handed. Most importantly, Doncic is out. Also, Naji Marshall is out and Lively is questionable. The Kings will take advantage and close out their final game of 2024 with a big win. Lay the points.

At 8:10pm ET, my Show-Time selection is on the Minnesota Timberwolves. These teams have split a pair of meetings this season. In both cases, the winning team won by at least 10 points. Both those games were at San Antonio. The Spurs are a solid 11-7 in their home games. They are just 5-8 on the road though. They've lost each of their last 3 visits to Minnesota by at least 8 points. The Timberwolves have won 2 in a row and are off a momentum-building comeback win at Houston. They outscored the Rockets 23-8 to close the game and will carry the momentum into tonight's game. Lay the points.

At 9:10 PM ET, my Non-Conference Game Of the Month is on Denver. Getting points is a bonus as I expect the Nuggets to win this game outright. The Cavaliers are really strong at home this season but they can be beaten on the road. They've lost at Miami, Boston and Atlanta and they haven't played many Western Conference road games yet. As a matter of fact, Cleveland's only road game against a Western Conference team was at New Orleans. The Pelicans are 5-26 this season, worst in the West. Now they play on the road in altitude against one of the best in the west. The Nuggets play with revenge from a loss at Cleveland. They also lost at Cleveland last season and they responded by blowing the Cavaliers out in the 2nd game. Grab the points.

At 2:40pm ET, my NBA Game Of The Week is on Minnesota. This game means a lot to the Timberwolves. They've lost 3 straight games and they were defeated by Dallas, at home, earlier this season. Perhaps even more importantly, the Wolves were knocked out of the playoffs by the Mavericks last season. For all these reasons, we're going to see a very motivated Minnesota team on Wednesday afternoon. The last game between these teams here was decided by only 5, a Minnesota win last May. Since the Wolves blew out the Mavericks on January 31, 2024, 6 of the 7 meetings have been decided by single digits. This will be another close one and the Wolves have a strong chance at the outright win. Grab the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my NBA Eastern Conference Game Of the Month is on Miami. Both these teams are currently struggling. For the Nets, that was expected. They're 11-17 record may actually be better than many would have thought. The Heat are in a different situation. They're 13-13 record is well short of where they would have liked to have been. They squandered their last game which prompted coach Spoelstra to say: "These are tough ass lessons to complete a game. This is the modern NBA right now. A 20-point lead is not what it was a decade ago and you have to finish all the way through." The Heat are going to want to snap their 3-game losing streak before Christmas and a game against Brooklyn is the perfect remedy for what ails them. The Heat score more points than the Nets and they also allow fewer points. Spoelstra will make sure they keep their foot on the gas. Lay the points.

At 10:10pm ET, my Pacific Division Game Of The Month is on Sacramento. I won with the Lakers last game when they upset the Grizzlies. Here's what I said: "We can't rely on Lebron as it seems he's likely to miss tonight again. Even if that is the case, we can rely on the Lakers to "get physical" and up their game. Two meetings this season and both have gone the way of the home team. When they're playing at Memphis, the Grizzlies are very difficult to beat. They're not the same team on the road as they're only 6-5. There's a lot of negativity surrounding the Lakers but they are still 8-3 at home. They've only played 1 home game in December and they won it. The value is with the home underdog." The Lakers rewarded us that game improving to 9-3. The problem for them is that they're now on the road. Their road record is just 5-9. The Kings lost their last game by 1 to Denver but they had won their previous 3. The Nugget game didn't go their way but they've been playing better recently. The Kings lost at LA in October but they are 8-2 their last 10 against the Lakers and 2-0 the past 2 meetings at Golden 1 Center. Teams meet again Saturday. Kings will take this one. Lay the points.

At 8:30pm ET, my NBA Game Of The Week is on Milwaukee. The Thunder have been playing great all season. The Bucks took some time to get going but they are also now playing great basketball. They're every bit as talented and capable as the Thunder. They've won 3 straight and 8 of 10. We're getting a good handful of points though as the markets still haven't caught up with the fact that the Bucks are back. This tournament has brought out the best in them and now they're ready to go out and win it. Grab the points.

At 9:40 PM ET, my NBA Show-time selection is on the LA Lakers. We can't rely on Lebron as it seems he's likely to miss tonight again. Even if that is the case, we can rely on the Lakers to "get physical" and up their game. Two meetings this season and both have gone the way of the home team. When they're playing at Memphis, the Grizzlies are very difficult to beat. They're not the same team on the road as they're only 6-5. There's a lot of negativity surrounding the Lakers but they are still 8-3 at home. They've only played 1 home game in December and they won it. The value is with the home underdog. Grab the points.

At 9:10 ET, my Revenge Game Of the Week is on Denver. The Nuggets lost twice to the Clippers, once on October 26th and then again on December 1st. It's not happening a 3rd time! The Nuggets won their last game by 30 points. Nikola Jokic scored 48 points with 14 rebounds and eight assists. When he's playing like that, the Nuggets are close to unstoppable. The Clippers lost their last 2 games by 39 combined points, each loss coming by double-figures. They may have upset the Nuggets here once but they are still only 5-5 on the road. Looking to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month, Jokic and the Nuggets will have their revenge. Lay the points.

At 8:10 ET, my NBA Underdog Game Of the Month is on Charlotte. The Hornets snapped a lengthy losing streak in their last game. The win over Indiana, which proved the Hornets can win without LaMelo Ball, combined with some extra rest to recover has them feeling good coming into Friday's action. They'll still be without Ball but at least for tonight's game but now they have the confidence to know they don't always need him. After losing to Charlotte, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said: "I think the Hornets were trying harder." The Bulls are dealing with injury issues of their own and they're off consecutive losses. With stars Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vučević all candidates to get moved before the February 6th trade deadline, the Bulls hunger may not fully be there. They know changes are likely coming. One one league figure with knowledge of the Bulls' thinking recently said: "The fact they were willing to move DeMar and Caruso this past offseason, they're willing to move anybody now." The Hornets are coming to play! Grab the points.

At 8:10 PM ET, my Western Conference Game Of the Month is on the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams have had the time off but the Kings were hot and would have preferred to keep playing. The break came at a better time for New Orleans. Just as the Pelicans were starting to get healthy, they've endured some more injuries. This is a team which is used to that though. They've still got outstanding guards and they're going to be coming to play tonight. They always get up for the Kings. Coach Willie Green has had the Pelicans really working during the off time for due to the NBA Cup. Green said this: "It's almost like a training camp for us. It's great for us in the sense that we got a day off to fill our cup, rest, recover. We had two high-level, detailed practices. It allows you to take a step back and look at some of our concepts that we're doing well and areas that we can improve in and try to pick some of those to go work on the floor and work on." New Orleans has beaten Sacramento 6 straight times. Grab the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my Atlantic Division Game Of The Month is on the NY Knicks. New York was 4-0 against the Raptors last season and the Knicks will be too much for their hosts again tonight. The Knicks are off a loss last game and they are 5-0 straight up after their last 5 defeats. They won those 5 games by an average of more than 13 points each. Three of last season's 4 wins (against the Raptors) by the Knicks were by double-digits. That includes both the games at Toronto. The Knicks won their last visit here by 44 points, outscoring the Raptors by 9 or more in every single quarter! This will be another blowout. Lay the points.

At 7:10pm ET, my Revenge Game Of The Month is on New Orleans. OKC pounded the Pelicans 106-88 a few weeks back. At the time, New Orleans was very short-handed. As a matter of fact, they were missing 4 starters and another 2 rotation players. The Pelicans are healthier now and they're looking for some payback. Guards CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray missed the first game but both are now back. New Orleans received a big boost Thursday when leading scorer Brandon Ingram returned from a five-game absence. He was joined by Herbert Jones, the team's best perimeter defender, who returned from an 18-game absence. With those important players back, the Pelicans are a different team. They snapped their losing streak last game and that gives them some important positive momentum. Grab the points.

At 10:10 PM ET, my NBA Ground and Pound selection is on Minnesota. The Warriors are off a hard-fought win over Houston last night. The Rockets make you work. Curry and Green had the night off and are probably going to play tonight. Neither is 100% perfect though, nor is Wiggins. The rest of the Warriors who played last night will be in a 3 games in 4 days situation. Kerr said this about Wiggins (who is dealing with a sore ankle) after last night's game: "I don't even know if he should have played. But he knew Steph and Draymond were out and he knew how important this game was and he gutted it out. Ironman. He's been that ever since he's been here." Even when healthy, GSW doesn't match up well against Minnesota. The Timberwolves swept the Warriors last season and have defeated them 5 of the past 6. Minnesota is starting to play well and comes in rested. They will beat the Warriors for a 5th straight time.

At 9:10pm ET, my NBA Game Of the Week is on Denver. Nuggets coach Mike Malone wasn't happy with his team's effort in Monday's bad home loss to New York. Malone said this: "I need Nikola Jokic. I need Jamal Murray. I need guys that have been here, in that starting lineup, to be vocal. Regardless of who's in who's out, who do we want to be as a team? So yeah, leadership would be great, toughness would be great, physicality would be great, playing like you actually care would be great." The Nuggets will be much better tonight and they will take it out on their hosts. The Jazz would already be over-matched but things are even worse due to them coming off a hard-fought in-season tournament game to the Spurs last night. They lost by 11 and 17 points in the 2 instances when they played 2 games in 2 days so far this season. The Nuggets are 3-0 their last 3 versus Utah and those wins came by 26, 16 and 21 points. Utah fans are in for another long night. Lay the points.

At 10:10pm ET, my Pacific Division Game Of The Month is on Phoenix. The Suns really rely on their "Big 3." When all 3 of their stars are playing, or even when 2 of them are, they're one of the best teams in the NBA. But when 2 or more of them are hurt, they struggle. Recently both Beal and Durant have been out. The Suns are 1-6 in the games without Durant and they're 0-5 since Beal went down. Thankfully for Suns fans, they are both expected back tonight! They've had a nice break between games which allowed them to practice and get ready. Beal said this at yesterday's practice: "I definitely feel a lot better. I'm thankful we had the schedule we had so we had some rest days, Kev and I." Off b2b losses, the Lakers are now 7-2 at home. They're only 3-4 on the road. The home teams is already 2-0 in the season series. Lay the points with the Suns at Footprint Center.

At 7:40pm ET, my NBA GROUND AND POUND BLOWOUT is on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are playing much better basketball now than they were earlier in the season. Off a 16-point victory on Wednesday, they are 4-1 their last 5 games. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Wednesday's victory. The Pacers are going the other way. Off a 17-point loss on Wednesday, they are now 1-4 their last 5 games. Milwaukee's Brook Lopez said: "We know the team that we are. We've known the team that we are all season long, we just had to prove it by winning games. It's gotten better and better. Obviously, the last few, we're happy with winning, they were close ones but we put in a lot of work, we're doing great." Compare that to Indiana's Rick Carlisle: "We're not playing well. That's obvious. Our connectedness is not where it needs to be. Our collective spirit is not where it needs to be." The Bucks still aren't happy with their record and won't be complacent. Lay the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my Slam Dunk selection is on Minnesota. The Timberwolves are a much stronger team than Toronto. They are hopeful of contending for the title and the Raptors are hopeful of contending for a lottery pick. Even if they were healthy, the Raptors would be severely outgunned by Minnesota. They are far from having good health though. They managed a win last game but that was their only victory in weeks. The Wolves have won 2 straight. They rallied from a 16 point deficit last game and will ride the momentum all way to Canada. Minnesota's last 2 wins in the series came by 11 and 48 points. Tonight's margin of victory should fall in between those numbers. Lay the points.

At 8:10 ET, my Slam Dunk selection is on Denver. The Nuggets have been without Jokic the past couple of games as he's out for personal reasons. He's questionable for tonight. Even if Jokic cannot go again, the Nuggets are going to play their best tonight. The Grizzlies just beat them badly a couple of days ago and coach Mike Malone will make sure his team gives a much better effort. Malone said: "We were able to cut that 24-point lead to 11 when we became more aggressive, when we became more physical, and that allowed us to kind of get back in the game. We need to not wait until the fourth quarter and a 24-point deficit to do that. That's got to be our M.O. from the beginning of the game." The Grizzlies have injury issues of their own. The Nuggets started the season with 2 straight losses and then won on the road in their next game. Off 2 straight losses, they will upset the Grizzlies in their own building tonight. Grab the points.

AT 9:10pm ET, my NBA Game Of The Week is on the LA Clippers. The Clippers have had some hard road games lately. Getting home to face Utah is just what they need. The Clippers have won their last 3 games here. They had yesterday off. The Jazz are off a difficult game at Sacramento last night. That's going to take a lot out of them tonight. Unequipped to effectively handle a back-to-back situation, they lost by 17 when playing 2 games in 2 days earlier. The Clippers have taken 2 of the past 3 meetings and both wins came by 14 or more. This will be another blowout. Lay the points.

At 8:10 ET, my NBA Eastern Conference Game Of The Month is on Milwaukee. Both teams are really struggling. The Raptors don't really care. The Bucks absolutely want to get things turned around. Check out the difference in what the 2 coaches are saying. Milwaukee's Doc Rivers: "We gotta get out of this hole that we created. We created it. All of us, me, them, together. I have no doubt that we will. We have to play ourselves out of this hole." Compare that to Toronto's Darko Rajakovic: "It's hard to make any conclusions after 10-11 games. We still have guys dealing with injuries. We are really investing in developing the young players that we have." The Bucks are a much better team and you can tell by the coach's comments that they want this game a lot more. The Bucks have been playing some good teams. They will take this opportunity of facing a bad team and make the most of it. Lay the points.

At 9:40pm ET, my NBA Non-Conf. Game Of the Month is on the LA Lakers. The Raptors fought really hard here last night against the Clippers. They ended up losing 105-103. That difficult defeat will set them up to get blown out by the Lakers tonight. They are missing important players and their absences will be noticed more than ever. LA had yesterday off. The Lakers are off a double-figure win over Philadelphia. Including a 6-point win at Toronto to start this month, they have beaten the Raptors 4x in a row. The Raptors are going to be gassed and the Lakers 5th straight win in the series won't even be close. Lay the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my NBA Game Of the Month is on the Dallas Mavericks. Off 6 straight wins, the Suns are hot. That streak started with a win over the Mavericks. A slightly deeper dive into the Suns hot streak reveals that 5 of those 6 games, including the one against Dallas, were at home. Their only road game in the winning streak was at LA, versus the Clippers. That lone road game was a favorable setup for the Suns, as they had the previous 2 nights off and they were catching the Clippers playing the second game of a back-to-back. The Suns have also been barely beating teams on their win streak. The last 5 wins all came by 6 or less. The Mavericks may have been a little inconsistent but they are off a big win, their 4th in 6 games, and they are one of the best teams in the NBA. Unlike the Clippers, the last team Phoenix faced on the road, the Mavericks are rested. The Mavericks play with revenge. They won by 10 the last time they hosted the Suns and they will put an end to their winning streak tonight. Play on Dallas.

At 8:10pm ET, my Super Slam Dunk is on Milwaukee. The Bucks will take this opportunity to get right against one of the worst teams in the league. Giannis is questionable but the Bucks have had some time off and he should be fine. Milwaukee continues to miss Middleton. Utah has its own injury problems and lacks the depth to deal with them. With an 0-2 home record, the Bucks are going to be 100% serious about getting that first win at the Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee plays on the road against New York after this and then has to face Boston. This is a game they can't afford to take for granted. Utah's last 3 losses came by 26, 18 and 17 points. Bucks will win big.

At 9:10pm ET, my NBA Northwest Div. Game Of the Week is on the Denver Nuggets. With an undefeated record, OKC is off to a great start. The Thunder thrashed the Nuggets 102-87 a couple of weeks back. The Nuggets hadn't really gotten their game going yet as that was their first game of the season. They lost their next one to the Clippers. Since then, Denver is playing much better. The Nuggets haven't been blowing teams away but they have been winning. They're 4-1 since that loss to the Clippers and the only loss was by 3 points, on the road, against a good Minnesota team. The Thunder caught the Nuggets flat-footed the first time but since then they've been rather fortunate with their schedule. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Denver, none of OKC's other opponents currently have a winning record. They're all either 3-5 or 3-4. They'll find a much better Denver team waiting for them and will suffer their first loss on Wednesday.

AT 9:00pm ET, my NBA Non-Conference Game Of the Week is on Minnesota. The Timberwolves are going to be too difficult a matchup for Charlotte tonight. One of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves will be in a bad mood from having lost to San Antonio. With the possible exception of Gobert, the Timberwolves are mostly healthy. Though this will be their 3rd game in 4 days, they didn't play Sunday and they will have Tuesday and Wednesday off. There will be no looking past the Hornets. Charlotte, which also plays its 3rd game in 4 days, is dealing with some injuries. The Hornets will have a chance for a win Wednesday, when they host Detroit but tonight will result in a 3rd straight double-digit defeat. Lay the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my NBA selection is on the Dallas Mavericks. The Magic aren't the same team without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero. He averages 29 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists. They lost by 11 their first game without Banchero and they will struggle again tonight. Coach Mosley: "It sucks. there's no other way to put it. It sucks for him considering the way in which he started this year, the way in which he was playing, and carrying us in so many ways." The Mavericks have won 8 of the past 10 meetings. Off their first home loss of the season, they will respond with a big win and cover over the short-handed Magic tonight. Lay the points.

At 10:40pm ET, my Slam Dunk Club play is on the LA Clippers. The Thunder have a 5-0 record, the only remaining undefeated team in the Western Conference. This is not an easy scheduling situation for them though as they will be playing their 2nd road game in 2 nights. The Clippers have gotten into the habit of playing close games. All 5 of their games were decided by 8 point or less. Their 3 losses came by a combined 10 points, an average of just over 3 per game. They were right in all of those and could have won any/each of them. They are rested and playing on their home floor. The Clippers are 9-1 their last 10 as a host of the Thunder and the only loss came by only 1. Grab the points.

At 9:40pm ET, my NBA Northwest Div. Game Of The Year is on Minnesota. This is a playoff rematch. In a back and forth series, the Timberwolves rallied from a 20-point deficit to win Game 7 98-90. The Nuggets may want some payback for that but the Wolves are going to want it every bit as much. They just lost to Dallas, also a playoff rematch, and can't afford to drop 2 straight at home. Even though they lost to the Mavericks, Minnesota has been better than Denver this season, the way that I see it. The Nuggets got crushed by OKC when they faced them to start the season. They then lost a home game against the short-handed Clippers. They have since responded to win consecutive games. But those wins were both against rebuilding teams from the Eastern Conference and the Nuggets needed to go to Overtime in both. The Wolves handled one of those teams, Toronto, with relative ease and have a road win against a good Sacramento team. The Nuggets get another couple of easier games after this but they will struggle against a really good Minnesota team tonight. Lay the points.

At 7:10pm ET, my Revenge Game Of The Month is on Atlanta. The Hawks are already dealing with injuries to some players. Such has been life in Atlanta. They've still got enough to beat the Wizards though. Washington is rebuilding this season but the Wizards just beat the Hawks, at Atlanta. Out for revenge, this is a game that the Hawks need. Trae Young only made 2 of 15 field goals and shot 2 of 10 from 3-point range in Monday's game. The Hawks still only lost by 2. You know that Young will be much better tonight. Jalen Johnson was super on Monday for Atlanta and he can build off his big game. The Hawks can overcome the absence of players like Bogdanovic and Hunter but the Wizards will have more trouble playing without Kuzma. They wouldn't have won Monday's game without him and they won't have him tonight. Atlanta gets its revenge. Lay the points.

At 7:10 ET, my NBA Non-Conf. GOM is on Atlanta. This is too many points for the Thunder to be laying in this spot. OKC played yesterday and Atlanta comes in fresh. The Hawks might not have covered but they've won each of their first 2 games. Over the last 2 seasons, these teams have faced each other 4 times. All 4 of those games were decided by single-digits, each team winning twice. The Hawks have taken 5 of the last 7 meetings. With OKC playing 2 games in 2 days, this will be another tightly contested fight. Grab the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my Slam Dunk Club is on the New York Knicks. Forget what you saw on opening night, the Knicks are going to be really good this year. That opening night embarrassment against the Celtics will light a fire under them for Friday's game. The Pacers had a much easier opening game and were a bit fortunate to come away with the cover. Of course, this is also a playoff rematch which saw Indiana take down the Knicks in 7 games. New York was injured for that Game 7 and Indiana played a great game. That's still fresh in the memories of the Knicks and their fans and they will get some payback on Friday night, at MSG. Lay the points.

At 7:40pm ET, my Eastern Conf. GOW is on Atlanta. The Nets may have fleeced the Knicks by trading Mikal Bridges for five first-round picks (time will tell) but its not going to make them any better right now. Bridges had 38 points in the last meeting between the Nets and Hawks and he had 32 points the last game at Atlanta. That can't be replaced. They are a very young team. They lack talent and are going to have a really bad record this season. Even last year, they were 12-29 on the road and this team isn't as good. The Hawks are going to be better in Quin Snyder's second season and they know it needs to start with a big win over the Nets tonight. Lay the points.

The Celtics won the 2 games here at Boston by an average of 12.5 points. They have beaten Dallas 4x in a row here. All 4 victories came by 7 or more and they came by an average of more than 16. The Celtics responded to each previous playoff loss with a blowout victory in their next game. They are 16-4 the last 20 times that they were off a loss and the wins have come by an average of 12.7 points. This will be another big victory. Play on Boston.

At 8:00 ET, my NBA Playoff GOY is on the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics made it look easy in Game 1. They led the entire way and won by a wide margin. Things will be a lot more difficult in Game 2. We've already seen Boston lose Game 2 against Miami and Cleveland. In both cases, the Celtics won big in Game 1.

The Mavericks are still 34-17 versus the spread on the road. They are 15-8 ATS off a loss by 10 or more, 32-19 ATS in that situation the past 3 years. They are also 9-4 ATS after scoring 100 or less, 33-17 ATS their last 50 tries in that situation. The Celtics are only 3-6 versus the spread when leading in a playoff series. This game will be close! Play on Dallas.

At 8:35pm ET, my Western Conf. Finals Game Of The Year is on Dallas. The Mavericks don't want to drag this thing out. The Celtics are already waiting for them and the longer this series goes, the harder the Finals are likely to become. Games have been very close in this series. Getting this many points in a game where Dallas has an excellent chance of winning outright is offering us great line value!

The Mavericks have only lost 2 games over the last 3 weeks and both losses came by 5 or less. They are 14-3 versus the spread their last 17 tries, when off an upset loss. Doncic and Irving both took the blame for the Mavericks' loss in Game 4. It was the first time that both of them shot less than 35% in the playoffs and they still lost by only 5. Both superstars are determined to improve tonight. Irving is still 14-1 in close out games. Play on Dallas.

At 8:00pm ET, my Conference Finals Game Of The Year is on the Boston Celtics. The Pacers have really given it their all. They nearly won Game 1, only to get blown out in Game 2. They also nearly won Game 3. It was a rather heroic effort, as the Pacers were playing without Haliburton. They shot amazingly well and had a large lead. Just like Game 1, it was not meant to be. Boston stormed back and handed them a very disappointing loss. The series is now 0-3. In other words, it's over. There's no coming back from a 3-0 deficit. Not in this series.

To a certain degree, the pressure is off the Pacers. They may shoot the ball well again. It's going to be hard to match the intensity of the Celtics for a full 4 quarters though. Boston doesn't want to extend this series. The Celtics are experienced and know that the time to go for the throat and finish this series is right now. Just like the Game 1 loss was difficult to bounce back from for the Pacers, the bitter Game 3 result will be the same. The Celtics are 31-12 (straight up) as away favorties and they've won those games by an average of 9 points. They will win by at least that many today! Play on Boston.

At 8:30pm ET, my Top Of The Ticket selection is on the Dallas Mavericks. The Timberwolves are playing great. You've got to give them credit. Actually, everyone is. They're the talk of the town. Dallas isn't getting nearly as much recognition. Yet, the Mavericks are also playing extremely well. Minnesota beating Denver was impressive but so was Dallas defeating OKC. That will all change with a win tonight, but it is my opinion that the Mavericks are flying under the radar a little bit at the moment.

Anderson may be the player of the moment but the dynamic due of Doncic and Irving is not to be taken lightly. Doncic will benefit from the extended break and come in refreshed. The always ultra-talented Irving is playing unselfish basketball and has bought into playing defense. The Mavericks are 31-16 versus the spread on the road. The Wolves are 3-7 versus the spread after allowing 90 points or less. Play on Dallas.

At 8:00 pm ET, my NBA Showtime play is on the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have treated me well. They're going to be exhausted from their 7-game war against the Knicks though and the Celtics are going to show them no mercy. With the Game 7 win, Indiana is still 22-25 on the road. Did you know that the Pacers are also a horrible 18-31-1 (36.7%) their last 50 tries against the spread, when they were off an ATS victory?

Indiana will be dealing with fatigue but the Celtics are going to be refreshed and ready to go. Boston is 4-1 versus the spread when playing with 3 or more days rest. The Celtics four home playoff wins have come by 20, 34, 25 and 15 points. This will be another double-figure destruction. Play on Boston.

The Knicks have a 3-2 lead. I've successfully played on both teams in the series and I had the Knicks on Tuesday. The Pacers are a different beast on their home floor and they will make sure they get a chance to play a Game 7.

The Pacers are 3-0 straight up and versus the spread after scoring 100 or less. The Pacers are also 14-5 straight up and versus the spread after a loss of 10 or more points. Homecourt has been the difference in the series. The Pacers won by 32 last game here. They won't let their fans see them eliminated tonight. Lay the points!

This hasn't been a typical series. Minnesota won the first 2 games at Denver. Easy wins, both of them. Then, the Nuggets won the next 2 at Minnesota. The defending champions made it 3 straight with a win in Game 5, at Denver. The Timberwolves can't be too pleased. They were up 2-0 and heading home. Now, they're down 3-2. Tonight, they will regroup and force a Game 7.

The Nuggets are only 8-16 versus the spread their last 24 tries, after winning 3 straight games. They are also 1-3 ATS the past 4 times that they were leading in a series. The Timberwolves are 13-7 versus the spread their last 20 tries, after 3 or more consecutive losses. They are also 10-1 straight up their past 11 tries, after a loss of 10 or more points. Bring on Game 7!

Unlike tonight's Western Conference series in Denver, homecourt has meant everything in the Pacers/Knicks series. The Pacers are off consecutive victories at Indiana. Before those games, the Knicks had won back-to-back games on their home floor. The series is shifting back to New York for this one and that will swing advantage back in favor of the Knicks.

New York is 31-15 at home. Indiana is 22-25 on the road. Did you know that the Pacers are also a horrible 17-30-1 (36.2%) against the spread when they were off an ATS victory? The Knicks are 23-12 (65.7%) ATS off a SU loss. Lay the small number!

These games have going the way of the home team. That trend will continue this afternoon. The line is lower than it was for Game 3. In that game, the Pacers were being asked to lay -7 points. Now, they have the confidence to know that they can win and they are also laying a smaller number.

The Pacers outscore teams by an average of 124.9 to 115.7 when they are home favorites. Haliburton is worse for wear but so is Brunson. Also, the Knicks are still without Anunoby, Randle, Robinson and Bogdanovic. Pacers pull away and win this one big!

I'm going to lay the short number with the Mavericks this afternoon. The Thunder made it look easy in Round 1 and then again in Game 1 of this series. They got a reality check in Game 2 though and now they're in unfamiliar territory. They haven't been tied in a playoff series in years. Dallas is 5-1 versus the spread in that situation the last few years, 2-0 already in these playoffs.

The Thunder are 6-9 versus the spread off an upset loss. The last time that they played here they lost by 35 points. The Mavericks will seize control of the series, at least for now. Let's go Dallas!

After last night's win by the Knicks, most are fully anticipating a Boston vs. New York Eastern Conference Final. That may well come to pass. But there's still a long way to go. Indiana was right there in both its games and could have won either of them. Cleveland was not as the Cavaliers got blown out in Game 1. Thats still only 1 game though and the Cavaliers were off a hard 7-game series versus the Magic against a rested Boston team. Now the teams play with the same amount of rest.

Boston slipped up in the second game of its first round series against Miami. It can happen again. This Cleveland team is better than many still realize. Maybe not good enough to win this series but absolutely good enough to give Boston a real battle tonight.

Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Facing a team like Boston, I think it's good to be able to play them and see them, and then play them again because you're not used to the speed, the spacing, the shooting -- all those things -- until you get up against them. Especially coming from the series that we just came from (against Orlando) that was more of a half-court slugfest. ... We'll learn from it and we'll be better on Thursday."

Donovan Mitchell said: "They came out here and did what they were supposed to do. Now we have to find a way to steal Game 2." Grab the points!

Anthony Edwards is a very impressive player. He was the best player on the floor in Game 1. Jokic, the best player in the world, is going to have something to say about that in Game 2. The Nuggets are 6-2 versus the spread their last 8 tries, revenging a home loss.

This is unusual territory for the world champions as they are used to getting a lead in each series. The Nuggets haven't lost 2 in a row since March. They are 4-0 straight up the past 4 tries, off a loss. The average margin of victory in those games was 19.5 points. They'll respond with a double-figure blowout!

Give me all those points with the Los Angeles Clippers! Down 3-2 in the series, the Clippers are in a must win situation. When previously trailing in the series, they responded with an outright 116-111 road win in Game 4. Though its perhaps not quite as close as the NY/Philly series, most of these games have also been extremely close. Including that 5-point win by the Clippers in Game 4, we've see 3 of the 5 games in this series decided by 5 points or less.

Bear in mind that LA is 27-16 on the road and that Dallas is 26-17 at home. The Mavericks only outscore teams by an average of 3.6 points here. The Clippers have come back from down 3-2 to the Mavericks before and still believe that they can do it again. Harden will be better than he was in Game 5 and they will keep this one close the whole way. An outright upset is entirely possible. Grab the points!

The Bucks prolonged the inevitable in Game 5 but this series ends tonight. Milwaukee hasn't been quite right all season. The mid-season coaching change didn't exactly fix things. No matter who suits up tonight, the Bucks are far from healthy. The Pacers have been strong all season. They are ready to take the next step.

The Bucks are 5-11 versus the spread the last 16 times that they were off an upset win as an underdogs. The Pacers are 13-5 versus the spread off an upset loss as a favorite. The Pacers are also 26-13 ATS versus teams which 116+ points/game.

Haliburton said: "We've just got to understand that they're a team that's on the brink of their season being done ... we've just got to be better top to bottom." Knowing that they want nothing to do with a Game 7, the Pacers will be better from top to bottom and they will blow the Bucks out of the building!

I backed Miami in Game 1 and Boston in Game 2. In Game 3, I played the total. Tonight, I'm back on the underdog Heat. The Celtics are only 7-10 versus the spread their last 17 tries after allowing 100 points or less.

The Heat are 10-3-1 versus the spread revenging a home loss vs opponent. The Heat are also 4-1 ATS their last 5 when trailing in a playoff series. The Heat have a lot of heart and have won 10 of 16 games outright, off a loss of 10 or more. Nobody else believes in them but the Heat still believe that they can win this series. will fight until the bitter end and have a real shot at the outright upset. Grab the points!

It was a gutsy performance by Embiid and the 76ers to get back in the series with a big win last game. Doing it again will be much harder. Embiid still is far from healthy. The Knicks are 10-6 versus the spread after a loss of 10 points or more, 12 of those were outright victories.

On the season, the Knicks were 22-10 straight up and 21-11 versus the spread, when off a loss. This NY team rarely plays consecutive bad games. You saw what happened in the 2nd game at MSG. It was a wild final 30 seconds of a game decided on the final play. This 2nd game at Philadelphia may also be decided at the buzzer. Grab the points!

The Timberwolves are up 2-0 and that doesn't surprise me. They had a great season and are better than a lot of people still realize. Winning on the road against a desperate and loaded Phoenix team is going to be a lot harder! Minnesota isn't as good defensively on the road. Winning at Phoenix is never easy for them.

The Suns are 6-0 both straight up and versus the spread the past 6 meetings here. All 6 of those victories came by 7 or more points. The Suns are also 5-2 straight up and versus the spread after scoring 100 or fewer points. They will not be held back again. Suns win big!

In game 1, I mentioned that the Celtics played well with 3 or more days rest. Both teams are equal in the rest department for Game 2 though. Miami has thrived when playing with 2 days rest in between games. The Heat outscore teams 114.4-107.8 when playing with 2 days off, winning 9 of 12 games outright.

The Heat are now 7-4 versus the spread their last 11 first round playoff games. They are 3-1 ATS when trailing in a playoff series. The Celtics are 7-9-2 ATS after allowing 100 points or less and 5-8 ATS after playing 3 consecutive home games. Grab the big points with the visitors!

Home teams were 4-0 both straight up and versus the spread yesterday. All 4 wins were by double-figures and this will be another blowout win for the home team. This isn't a fair fight. The Heat are a well-coached, playoff-tested team. The problem is that they're missing their heart and soul in Jimmy Butler (and others) and they're up against a superior opponent.

The Celtics outscore teams by more than 15 points per game here. They are 7-3 ATS and 8-2 straight up their last 10 tries in the first round of the playoffs. They are also 10-6-1 ATS their last 17 tries, when playing with 3 or more days rest. They won the regular season meeting by 18 here and this will be another blowout. Lay the points!

The Suns soundly beat the Timberwolves to close out the regular season. When it really matters, on April 20th, we will see a much different result. The Suns are 9-17 versus the spread after a win by 10 points or more.

The Timberwolves are a perfect 10-0 their last 10 tries, both straight up and against the spread, when playing with revenge from a home loss. Minnesota is also 9-4 ATS And 11-3 SU after an upset loss. Minnesota allows the fewest points in the entire NBA. The Wolves were 30-11 at home and only allowed 103.7 points a game here. Lay the small number!

They may have ended the year on a down note but the Hawks have a very dangerous team. They're still not completely healthy but they've got Trae Young back. The Bulls are only 9-14 versus the spread as home favorites. They lost 12 of those 23 games outright. One of those 12 outright losses came against Atlanta on the first day of this month.

I feel a lot better," Young said. "I'm just trying to make sure I can play at least close to my minutes that I played in the regular season in the play-in game." With Young complemented by players like Murray and Bogdanovic, the Hawks have the weapons. The Bulls are missing a number of players themselves. They will struggle against an Atlanta team with more recent postseason experience.