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.

The Kings have long been in the shadow of the Warriors but they will have a great chance to step out from them on Tuesday night. Golden State knocked them out of the playoffs last season, Curry getting 50 in Game 7. Now it's Sacramento's turn.

The Kings aren't the same team that lost to the Warriors last year. They are older and wiser and they have had a taste of the playoffs. Last year, was their first time there in 16 years. They are also better defensively than last year's team.

Kings guard Davion Mitchell said: "It’s exciting. We get to get a little payback for last year ... We’re playing a home game and it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be physical, but I think we’re ready for it. I think the whole year, we’ve prepared ourselves for it, playing physical on both ends of the floor, and I think we’ll be ready." Last 3 meetings were all decided by 1. Kings will win outright. Grab the points.

This is the biggest game of the season for Orlando. The Magic have their sights set on a top 6 position which would mean avoiding the play-in round. A win over the Bucks gets them there.

"We control our destiny in this situation," said Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley, "so the way in which we have to play, the focus we have to have, and the attention to detail in how we start games and how we finish games is going to be very important."

"We just need one win and we're good," Magic forward Franz Wagner said. "One more game and we have to focus on that one and get a win."

The Bucks are still without Giannis Antetokounmpo and have lost 7 of their last 10 games. A win gets them the #2 seed but they don't seem overly concerned about it.

"You're going to play somebody good in the playoffs no matter what. There is no easy path. We learned that in the past before -- winning it and also losing it.

The Magic are 25-11 versus the spread, when favored. They've had a great season and they will finish it strong. Lay the points!

This is a lot of points to be giving a desperate home underdog. The Kings are playing with 0 days rest but the last time that they did that, they lost by only 1 point at Boston. This is a Sacramento team which badly needs to get on track before its too late. They will fight with everything they've got. The Suns are 8-9 in division games, the Kings are 10-6.

The Kings are 9-4 versus the spread after allowing 130 points or more. The Suns are 9-16-1 versus the spread off a win by 10 points or more. The Suns are also 8-20 ATS versus good offensive teams - scoring 116+ points/game. The Kings are 17-10 ATS as underdogs. Grab the points! **Pacific Div. GOM**

The Houston Rockets can't afford any losses. The Rockets are four games behind the Warriors with only five remaining in the regular season. That obviously doesn't give them much of a chance. They have fought all year though and they are going to continue to battle until the bitter end.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka: "Just finishing on the right step, on the right foot and playing the right way."

Dallas isn't entirely healthy and wants to make sure it it for the playoffs. Doncic missed the Mavericks last game and is questionable. So is Kleber. Those guys would play if this was a playoff game but they may not for this one. Rookie sensation Lively is out. Green remains out.

The Rockets are 7-3 versus the spread after 3 or more consecutive losses. Grab the points! **Southwest GOY**

The 76ers were minus their big guns last month at Memphis. Embiid was out but Maxey was also absent. The Grizzlies might argue that they have been dealing with missing players all season. They've done well, all things considered. But they do remain extremely short-handed and now the 76ers are healthier. Memphis will have no answer for a Philly team hell-bent on revenge and now being led by their stars.

The 76ers are 56-40-1 versus the spread their last 97 tries in the revenge role. They are 28-19 ATS when laying points this season. The Grizzlies are only 4-8 versus the spread when playing 2 games in 2 days. Their tired legs won't be ready for what the 76ers will throw at them. Lay the points!

The Rockets have many factors in their favor tonight. They are playing with Double-Revenge with the Warriors having won both of this season's previous meetings. Golden State has been strong on the road this season but the Rockets are even better at home. The Warriors need wins but the Rockets need them even more!

The Warriors play at Dallas tomorrow night. Its a really big game and a rematch from Tuesday. If there is a game to look ahead to, its a game against Luca Doncic and the Mavericks! The Rockets have been underestimated all year. They are 13-7 versus the spread as home underdogs and they won 11 of those game outright. They are 12-3 ATS against Pacific Division teams and they will have their revenge on Thursday night!

In case you haven't been paying attention, the Trail Blazers are terrible right now. They have lost 9 straight. The last loss came by 60 points! The Trail Blazers are 1-6 versus the spread against Southeast division opponents.

The Magic thrive as favorites. They are 24-7 versus the spread in the role of the favorite. As a home favorite of more than 12 points, they are 2-0 ATS. This Magic team makes short work of weaklings. They are 24-5-2 ATS against losing teams, 14-3 ATS their last 17. That level consistency comes from quality coaching. They don't let down. They beat Memphis by 30 last game and this will be another cakewalk!

Who needs Trae Young? The Atlanta Hawks are playing their best basketball of the season. They have won 4 in a row and 2 of those wins came against Boston! The Hawks are 20-17 at home and the Bucks are 17-20 on the road. The Bucks are off a loss and they are missing Lillard. And we still get points with Atlanta!

The Hawks are 10-5 versus the spread their last tries against a team with a winning record. The Bucks are 8-19 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. The Bucks scored only 100 last game and Atlanta has scored 120 or more in 4 straight. The Bucks are 2-4 versus the spread after scoring 100 or less. Grab the points!

It's important to put the schedule to work for you. This is the 4th and final game of a 4-game homestand for the Heat. They play their next game at Washington and then they have 2 more difficult games at home, followed by 3 on the road. They are already 1-2 in the first 3 games. They are also 6-1-1 versus the spread in 8 tries, after playing their previous 3 games at home. If you add it all up, the Heat absolutely need to take advantage of this easier opponent. Its the largest pointspread which they've been asked to cover all season and there is a good reason for that.

The Trail Blazers, 1-5 versus the spread against Southeast Division teams, are really bad. They are 19-54 on the season. The Heat have had 2 days off and the Washington game isn't until Sunday. They won by 10 at Portland and this will be an even bigger "cakewalk!"

If you pay attention to how teams fare in certain situations, you'll understand why this the case of the wrong team being favored. Both teams are off a victory last night. That works in favor of Dallas. The Mavericks are 8-3 versus the spread their last 11 tries, when playing with 0 days rest. The Kings are only 4-8 ATS when doing so.

The Kings played great defense last night. The problem is that they are only 2-9 ATS their last 11 tries, after allowing 105 points or less. The Mavericks are 29-18-1 ATS (30-18 straight up) when revenging a home loss, 12-5 ATS their last 17. The Kings won twice at Dallas but the Mavericks get them back tonight!

This is as essentially as big a mismatch as it gets in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets are the defending champions. They need to keep winning and they dominate teams at home. The Memphis Grizzlies are playing for nothing. This is a team which is beleaguered by injuries.

The last time that these teams faced each other, the Nuggets won by 37 points. The Nuggets have won 41 of 50 meetings here and many of them have been blowouts. The last 5 Denver home wins over Memphis have all been by at least 13 points. With the Grizzlies only 4-7 versus the spread their last 11 tries with 2 days rest, this one will see the Nuggets win by at least 20! **WESTERN CONF GOM**

Give me the points with Timberwolves! The situation is that the Nuggets are off a buzzer beater loss on Sunday and the Timberwolves are off a comeback win last night. Because of the lack of rest, the Nuggets are laying a hefty number as a road favorite. Too hefty!

If we look at Minnesota's 10 games with 0 days rest we find a 7-3 straight up record. Closer examination reveals that all 3 losses came on the road, the last 2 both by single-digits. The Timberwolves are 4-0 straight up when playing a home game after playing the previous day. Twice they've played a home game after playing an away game and they won those games by an average of 118-107. On the season, the Timberwolves have a better home record than Denver does a road record. Give the me points! *Northwest GOW

I wasn't surprised that the Hawks showed up for last night's game. I don't believe that they'll be able to do it two nights in row though. Atlanta is 4-7 versus the spread when playing with 0 days rest. When playing the 2nd of back-to-back road games, the Hawks are 0-2 both straight up and against the spread. They lost those 2 games by an average score of 120-111.

Overall, the Hawks are only 12-19 ATS as underdogs. They are really bad when they are off an upset victory. In that situation, they've gone 10-27 ATS their last 37 tries, 3-7 ATS this season. The Lakers lost at Atlanta in January but they smashed the Hawks by 16 the last meeting here. Another big win coming up tonight!

Despite being the better team, LAC isn't at full strength right now. Russell Westbrook is out and James Harden is questionable for this game. Having said that, this line is too big. In their last four meetings with each other, the Hawks have either won, or kept it within single digits.

Although Atlanta is on a losing streak, the Clippers have also been struggling lately. Also, Atlanta's losses have been close. They're still 3-3 their last 6 games and the Hawks last 2 losses were by only 6 combined points. This is a big game for the Hawks as they don't want to slip any further as the final play-in tournament team right now. The Hawks upset LA here last year. This line is considerably too high and don't be shocked if the Hawks win this one outright.

The Wizards are going to be outmatched at Miami today. Miami is 28-22-1 versus the spread its last 51 against division opponents. Off a cover at OKC, the Heat are 11-4-1 versus the spread, their last 16. The Wizards are 3-6 ATS their last 9. The Wizards, who have nothing to play for, are just 6-27 on the road!

The Heat fought hard against the Thunder, despite playing their second game in 2 days, and a similar effort will pay dividends today. Coach Spoelstra commented: "We'll get better from this. There were a lot of good things to take away. None of us want to talk about (the positives) right now because we're competitors." The Wizards won last game but are only 1-8 (SU) after a win. Lay the points and expect Miami to win in a "Cakewalk!"

The Trail Blazers upset the Rockets at Houston in this season's first meeting. The Rockets were 10 point favorites for that game and they've been waiting to get their revenge ever since. Though they lost that 1/24 game against Portland, the Rockets are 12-6 versus the spread as favorites. They are also 15-10 versus the spread when playing against a team with a losing record.

Home has not been kind to Portland. The Trail Blazers are 9-21 here. The Trail Blazers may have a better chance of beating Toronto tomorrow but tonight the Rockets will be too much for them to handle. Lay the points.

After they got destroyed by the Pacers in their last game, we're going to get a big effort out of the Dallas Mavericks tonight. The Mavericks are 10-6 versus the spread after getting defeated by 10 or more points. They are also 10-3 ATS their last 13 tries, after losing three straight games. Not only that, the Mavericks are 9-2 ATS when off an upset loss.

The Heat haven't been very good as underdogs. They're 11-13 ATS when getting points. They're 0-2 ATS their last 2 games overall and they continue to play without Hero, Love and Richardson. Last season, both home teams won. The Mavericks won the game in Dallas by 25. Lay the points!

Off three straight road games, Portland returns to the Pacific Northwest. Playing at home is not an advantage for the Trail Blazers. They are 10-18-1 versus the spread here. The Trail Blazers are also 16-31-1 versus the spread, after playing 3 consecutive road games.

The Thunder average 120.9 points per game. The Trail Blazers average only 107.6. When matched up against low-scoring teams like Portand, the Thunder tend to dominate. They are 31-9-1 versus the spread their last 41 versus poor offensive teams - those. scoring

Here's a case of 2 teams heading in opposite directions. Memphis stayed competitive for some time this season but things have fallen apart. Massive injuries have finally caught up to the Grizzlies. Including last week's 25-point loss to the Nets, at Memphis, they have dropped 5 straight games. Off consecutive 10+ point wins, the Nets have won 2 in a row and 3 of 4. This should be another big Brooklyn win.

Some teams are good at snapping losing streaks but when the Grizzlies start losing, they continue to lose. They are 6-13 versus the spread (5-14 SU) the past 19 times that they were off three or more consecutive losses. The Nets, 9-7 versus the spread after allowing 105 or fewer points, are 4-1 ATS their last 5 versus poor offensive teams - those which score

Who's ready for a blowout on Sunday afternoon? The Warriors have been hot but their winning streak will come to an end in Boston this afternoon. Golden State is 4-6 versus the spread its last 10, after winning its previous 3 games. If the Warriors were playing somewhere else, the streak might continue. Not here. Not with the Celtics ready to avenge a December loss in the Bay area.

Over the past few years, he Celtics are a dominating 50-29-3 versus the spread (63-19 SU) in the 2nd half of the season. They didn't lose a single game in all of February and rolled right into March by destroying Dallas. They are healthier and they will deliver another blowout on ABC TV this afternoon.

On Sunday, we won with Sacramento over the LA Clippers. Off that upset road win, we played against those same Kings on Monday, backing Miami over Sacramento. Off that upset road win, we will now play against the Heat. Miami is only 3-4-1 versus the spread with 0 days rest. The Heat get outscored by 6 points per game in that situation.

Off last night's win over the Kings, the Trail Blazers will be easy for the Heat to look past. Understand that Miami has the Denver Nuggets, the NBA champions on deck. Missing some players, they won't be at their best tonight. This is the end of a long stretch of home games for the Trail Blazers and they are going to really want to close it out with a victory. Grab the points!

I had the Kings last night. Great game by them. They went to LA and hammered the Clippers, a hated division rival. That puts them in a difficult position tonight. They are 3-5 versus the spread when playing with 0 days rest. They are also 3-5 versus the spread when off an upset win as an underdog.

The Heat are playing their best basketball and they come in fresh and well-rested. They are 8-1 versus the spread since end of January, 7 of those wins coming outright. That streak began with a 9 point win over Sacramento. Last season's games were both close, decided by 4 and 6 points. With the schedule in their favor, grab the points with the red hot Miami Heat.

Give me the points with Sacramento in this important Pacific Division battle. The Clippers won both this season's meetings but both of those were in 2023. The Kings have been playing well on the road since losing here earlier and they are 44-25-1 versus the spread their last 70 tries in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 230.

The Clippers are 1-5 versus the spread their last 6 games. Their last 4 wins have all been by 6 or less. The Kings are off consecutive wins and their alst loss was by only 5. This game is also likely going to be decided late. Grab the points. **PACIFIC DIV GOM**