7 Unit Play. Take #678 Wisconsin over Stanford (7:30p.m., Friday, November 11 FS1) Jerod Haase just cannot seem to put together a solid NCAA Tournament team at Stanford. He recruits well but those high recruits just don’t seem to live up to their billing. This game is at American Family Field and it will be a strong crowd for Wisconsin, a state that loves events like this. Wisconsin has looked good in their exhibition games and scrimmages against teams that are better than Stanford. They have three solid players and if they make shots from the arc they will win this game by double digits. Wisconsin is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS win in their previous game. Stanford is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight-up win in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take #609 Over 145.5 in North Dakota State @ Kansas (8p.m., Thursday, November 10 ESPN+) North Dakota State has gone over the posted total in 11 of their last 16 games played on Thursday. Kansas has gone over the posted total in 6 of their last 8 games following a victory of more than 20 points in their previous game. Look for Norm Roberts to want to score a bunch of points to make his attractive for another head coaching position.

3 Unit Play.  Take #306664 Under 138 in Texas Southern @ Texas Tech (8p.m., Thursday, November 10 ESPN+) The Tigers have gone under the posted total in 6 of their last 8 road games against teams with a winning home record. The Red Raiders have gone under the posted total in 4 of their last 5 home games.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

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

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

2 Unit Play. Take #772 LSU over UMKC (8p.m., Wednesday, November 9 ESPN+) LSU gets underway on Wednesday with a new coach but they still have talent. This play is more about going against UMKC, as they are coming off a loss at home to a division two team. LSU is 5-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record.

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

4 Unit Play. Take #668 Wake Forest over Fairfield (8p.m., Monday, November 7 ESPN+) I look for even more improvement for Wake Forest in year three under Steve Forbes. Wake Forest was impressive last season going 25-10 and 13-7 in ACC play. They were under the radar and look for them to win this game by close to 20 points. The Stats got off to a hot start last season but struggled during MAAC play. I look for that to carryover into tonight’s game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We think the Celtics are underrated in this series and we think they have a great chance to pull off the series win. We do think this series will go far. We saw Golden State dominate the postseason so far, and that is why we have this steep series line here, but we think the Warriors had a pretty easy path. Memphis is a young team that is still learning playoff basketball and Dallas still needs some pieces to be a championship contender. The Nuggets were a pushover. But Boston has had a much tougher path. They swept a Nets team that was one of the title favorites. They beat the defending champs in the next round and then the No. 1 seed Miami Heat in seven games, winning Game 7 on the road no less. They are more battle tested. And while we have a ton of respect for Golden State and what they have done, they aren’t as hungry as the Celtics and this isn’t the best team they have had during their championship runs. The Celtics are coming off a couple grueling series, but they have had three days off here, which will be plenty of rest. We think Golden State has been off too long for this and they should be a little rusty. Boston always gets up for this opponent and they have covered eight of the last nine meetings here, a trend that stretches back years since these teams don’t play often. Boston has lost the last two Game 1s, which put them in a hole in each series early. We think they bring their A Game here to get the upper hand and steal home court advantage. Boston was a Top 5 ATS team this season and often underestimated by the oddsmakers. We think that is the case here for Game 1 again, and we think the Celtics have a great chance for the outright win.

Miami is getting healthy again and this is too many points as this is the biggest spread in the series so far. We think this will be a very competitive game because the Heat have some players back and if they win they know they will be favored in Game 7 at home. Miami has covered in 11 of the last 15 meetings here in Boston.

Just when one team looks bad one game in these NBA Playoffs, they turn around and look dominant the next game, and point spread have not even come into play that much here in the postseason. This series has the look of one that can go all the way, and the next page in that script is for the Celtics to deliver a dominating performance tonight in front of the home fans.

Both teams have won a blowout game in this series. Game 1 was a free for all where there wasn’t much defense played in the first half and both teams were hot shooting. Game 2 saw lots of easy baskets in garbage time in another blowout. But this is such an important game in this series that we expect both teams to get serious about defense here. It’s very telling after two high-scoring games that the bookies haven’t made a major adjustment to this number. We think the books are begging the public to jump on the over here, but we will side with the books and sharp money here with a strong position on the under.

The Mavs have shown themselves to be very resilient in these playoffs. We don’t take much from their Game 1 performance. Just like Boston, they can bounce back here and if they win then they have the upper hand and home court advantage in this series. They will no doubt shoot a lot better than they did in Game 1. We expect a close, high scoring game here and we still think this will be a good series despite the Game 1 result.

We will give Boston a mulligan for their Game 1 performance. They didn’t come to play, and two starters being out did not help. Smart should be back tonight, and he will help on both ends of the court. This team is well coached and very talented. And they will be able to make the necessary adjustments, especially on the defensive end. We think they have a great chance to win outright here in a low-scoring affair.  

The Mavs are playing as well as they have all season and they have tons of momentum coming into this series. We expect a close, high scoring game here and think both teams will get their points. Dallas has covered in six of the last seven meetings here in Golden State and the over is 12-4 in the last 16 meetings. Dallas has a great chance in this series and you know they want to steal Game 1 here.

Boston is head and shoulders the best defensive team in the NBA, and we expect a real low scoring Game 1 here. Boston is in Beast Mode as they are coming straight off their Game 7 against the Bucks. They put on a defensive clinic in Games 6 and 7, holding the Bucks to 95 and 81 points, respectively. The Heat are a Top 5 defensive team and they held the Sixers to under the century mark in three of the last four games. These teams will be feeling each other out here in Game 1 and we just don’t see a free flowing, high scoring game here. This is one of the lowest totals of the season in the NBA for good reason. We think we could see both teams wind up under the century mark.

We have been big on Boston this whole series and this is not going to change here for Game 7. This has been one of the strongest teams in the NBA all season after a slow start, and we feel they have a championship-caliber squad this season. They are hungry. They have also been one of the best betting teams in the NBA this season and one you can trust laying points. They have also covered in 12 of the last 16 meetings (one push).

This just seems like a 7-game series to us, and the Celtics just need a win here and they will be heavy favorites to advance at home. Besides Game 1, all their losses were games that could have easily won, but when they have won they have been dominant. This has been one of the best ATS teams this season and we think they are being undervalued again here on Friday as we have them as a slight favorite and we expect them to win outright.

As a Clippers fan, we know all too well that the Mavs have a knack for taking series to Game 7 despite all odds. We expect Dallas to lock down on defense tonight and Luka should go into Superman mode with the season on the line at home. They have been a different team at home in this series and both games have gone under, and we think we will see a repeat here tonight.

The Grizzlies seemed to have given their last gasp last time but still came up short after leading most of the game. Then more bad news came as word arrived that Ja Morant will likely miss the rest of the postseason. So this team for the first time this season knows that there are no reinforcements of their star coming to help, and during the regular season when Morant was out the team performed at a high level knowing he would be back and they just needed to keep the team afloat. Golden State is the better team in the better mental state, and we expect a comfortable win tonight.

Both Games 1 and 2 in Phoenix went over. Way over. Like a combined 41.5 points over in both games. Both games went under in Dallas, but Game 4 was just barely under and one of the many missed threes by the Suns would have sent it over the posted number. We expect a very competitive game here and think both teams will get their points. But mainly we think Phoenix will regain their offensive touch at home. They averaged 125 in the two games in Phoenix, and if they can get anywhere close to that, this total will sail over.

Embiid showed just how valuable he is to this team that looked dead in the water after Game 2. With him back in the lineup, it picked up the whole team and they won by 20 in Game 3 while holding the Heat to 79 points. Embiid, along with Doncic for Dallas, is one of the most important players in the NBA to his team’s success. With him back on the court, Philly is not only a threat to win this series but the NBA title as well. We think they are right back in this thing, and this series now has the look of one that could go the distance. We think the Sixers will serve court at home and even this thing up tonight.

The first two games in this series went under by a combined 49 points, and we still don’t think the oddsmakers made enough of an adjustment here. This is such a crucial game in this series and these teams have had extra rest so the energy for defensive intensity will be there. Boston is the No. 1 team in the NBA for points allowed and they have really been strong thus far on the defensive end, and the Bucks can play defense with anyone in the league when they exert themselves. We see both teams locking down defensively here once again and this one has a great chance to finish under 200 just likes Games 1 and 2.

Dallas had an off game in Game 1 and they still almost covered. They were outscored in the first three quarters and we think we will see a more complete game from them here as they play a close game with a chance to win. It looks like the Suns don’t have any answer for Doncic and we expect the rest of the team to step up and have a better game. Dallas is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and they will make some adjustments tonight to slow down the Suns offense.

Boston played very poorly in Game 1 and we expect this team to bounce back strong here. They have high expectations this postseason, and losing here would be devastating for their series chances. Boston had covered seven straight in this series before the Game 1 loss, and we think they match up well here and expect a comfortable win from the home team tonight.

We think this will be a series but we think Game 1 will be all Suns. They didn’t seem to miss a beat when Booker went down and they have played well despite that. They have covered in seven of the last nine meetings, and they have won the last three meetings by at least 7 points. We expect both teams to play strong defense here, but the Suns will pull away late for the comfortable win.

Dallas has covered four straight in this series and we think they are the superior team. Utah just doesn’t have it this season and we expect some big changes in the offseason, which will start tomorrow for the Jazz. Mitchell will probably play here and he is probably being forced back too soon in a desperate move and may hurt the team more than help on the court tonight. Dallas has some history in the postseason with series dragging on too long so we think they will treat this like a Game 7 and lock down on defense.

The Pelicans aren’t your typical 8 seed. They retooled the roster mid season and this team has some nice veteran leadership now and a strong roster. The Suns are a team we did not believe in last season. We were wrong on that front as they advanced to the NBA Finals, but they got a lot of good luck because of major injuries to opponents in their path. But they will not have that same type of luck this season and we see them facing some adversity as they already have taken a blow with the Booker injury. We expect a close game here and one that the Pelicans very much have a chance to win outright.

The Bucks lost game 2 and possibly one of their better players but we think this team plays great team basketball and they will want to use this loss as a wake up call and steal home court advantage back in Game 3. The Bucks have covered 11 of the last 12 meetings here in Chicago and we expect that trend to hold strong tonight.

We try to look at an NBA Playoff series beforehand and see how it plays out. We don’t think the Jazz have it this season and this team was really disappointing all season besides a few flashes where they looked like last year’s team. But we expect the Mavs to win this series, and they are a good team even without their star in the lineup. Doncic is questionable here, but we think they have a great chance to win without him as they did in Game 2. With the Game 2 win, Dallas has now covered in six of seven meetings. They are the much better defensive team, and that really matters in the postseason.

This is a very public line in our opinion. The Nets played a very good Game 1 and still came out on the losing side and Boston had control of things for much of the game. We feel that was their best chance for an upset in Boston and they blew it. We think that close scare will have Boston playing even better this time. There’s a reason Brooklyn was in the play in this season. This team dealt with a lot of roster issues but they were also one of the most disappointing betting teams in the NBA and always overvalued by the oddsmakers. That is the case again here in Game 2 as we think Boston earns a comfortable win.

Brooklyn has just been a mess this season. They haven’t been consistent and injuries are at fault somewhat but there also seems to be a lack of chemistry on this team. They face a Boston team that we think is a real contender, and we think Boston will want to get off to a good start in this series. They are the No. 1 defensive team in the NBA and they are rested and hungry.

The Timberwolves are a great story this year. But we were hoping they won the play in game because we wanted to go against them in the first round, especially in this first game. This just seems like a team that is on the verge but not quite ready yet, and Memphis is a real contender this year. The Grizzlies have had extra rest and time to prepare for this matchup, and this doesn’t seem like a team that would be rusty entering the first game of the postseason. They have also owned Minnesota from a betting perspective. They have covered 24 of the last 32 meetings here in Memphis and 16 of the last 21 meetings overall. We think they will be ready for their moment in the spotlight here in Game 1.

Cleveland was one of the big surprise teams early in the season and they got here because of phenomenal defense. But this team fell off in the latter part of the season because that defense didn’t play as consistently and they faltered too much once they rid themselves of the underdog role and turned to the favorite. The Hawks are 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 games. This team is playing extremely well right now and we think they win convincingly here. We think both teams step up on the defensive end.

The under is 6-1 in the last seven meetings. These two teams would probably sail over this total during the regular season in a meaningless game, but this is such an important game for both franchises that these teams need to step up the defense. The team that plays the best defense here probably wins, and both teams know it. Four of the last five games for Atlanta have gone under the posted total, and they played better defense down the stretch. We see that trend continuing tonight.

The Clippers played well down the stretch. Better than the Timberwolves. And they have had Paul George back and he has stepped right in and was not too rusty. The Clippers are 15-6-1 ATS in the last 22 meetings in Minnesota, and this is a place they always play well. With George back in the mix and no clear dominant team in the West, the Clippers have a chance to go far if they can make the playoffs, especially if they can get Kawhi back at some point. We think they will play to win this one and we think they have a great chance.

Dallas need a win for seeding and the Spurs have two road games coming up in the play in tourney in hopes to make the playoffs. While they would normally be up for an in-state rival, they won’t have any focus on this game at all. They don’t want to use too much energy here. We don’t see any defense from the Spurs here and key players will get limited minutes. The Mavs need to win and they will have time off during the play in tourney, so they will play hard here. Blowout.

The Hawks have gone under in three straight and we think the oddsmakers have posted another number too high for them tonight. The Heat are the No. 3 defense in the NBA for points allowed. Atlanta is not as strong offensively on the road as they are at home. Teams also want to ramp up the defense as the playoffs approach and the game changes a bit in the postseason. The under is 22-8 in the last 30 meetings in Miami, and we think that trend continues here on Friday.

The Suns have had the No. 1 seed clinched for awhile. That has reflected in their play on the court as they have failed to cover in four straight and they have lost two of three outright. They come in on a back-to-back after a win over the Lakers last night. They probably had motivation there to send the Lakers packing from postseason contention. But now they head on the road for a B2B and we don’t see them really caring about this game too much. And they don’t want to risk injury. With the Clippers playing in the play-in, they can’t afford to rest here in the final games, and they need to keep momentum going, They are also actively trying to get Paul George back into the mix and to gel with the team before the play-in. So we think they will be real motivated here. They have won and covered in three of four and should have covered in Chicago but lost in OT as an underdog.

Three straight and six of the last seven have gone under the posted number. This is a rivalry and we think both teams dig deep on defense, especially with the postseason quickly approaching. Milwaukee has held Chicago under the century mark in five of the last seven meetings, including two of the last three meetings. Six of the last nine games for the Bulls have gone under the posted number. The bookies have had to post some big numbers because of the crazy scoring we have seen the last couple of months, but the postseason is coming fast and teams will take the games more seriously and dig deeper defensively. We think the bookies got this total wrong also.

1 Unit Play. Take North Carolina over Kansas (9:20p.m., Monday, April 4 TBS) The public is all over Kansas in this game and thus we will side with North Carolina. The Tar Heels have been playing better than Kansas in the tournament and I feel they have what it takes to win this game. Kansas will likely not shoot it as well as they did on Saturday. Carolina has a knack for winning close games of late and look for them to win a national championship on Monday.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

10 Unit Play. Take Villanova over Kansas (6:09p.m., Saturday, April 2 TBS) Nobody is giving Villanova much of a chance in this game since they will be without Justin Moore for this game. Villanova is a pesky team that can really slow the game down and make all their free throws as a team. They can frustrate Kansas and I do not believe this is one of Coach Self’s most talented teams. The Wildcats are earned this spot beating three impressive teams to reach the Final Four. Kansas had a much easier draw, and they are not as battle tested in the NCAA Tournament this season. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games between Villanova and Kansas. The Jayhawks are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 games following a victory of more than 20 points in their previous game.

Philly just doesn’t look good lately and it’s obvious that they are overrated by the oddsmakers right now. They have covered only two of their last seven games. They lost tough games to Milwaukee and Phoenix, and they looked in a great spot to bounce back with a win in Detroit, but they scored only 94 points and lost to one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Hornets have won and covered in three of four, and they barely missed a cover in their loss to Denver. We see this as a competitive game from both sides, and we have to take the points here. Philly hasn’t covered in the last four meetings (three Charlotte covers and a push).

The Pistons are in a real letdown spot here. They had one of their biggest wins of the season last night at home vs. Philly. Now they have to travel on the road, on a back-to-back, to play the lowly Thunder. We don’t see how they get up for this game. Not to mention the under is 8-4 in 12 Detroit back-to-backs this season. The Pistons are trending to the under, with four of their last five going under the posted number. The most points they have allowed in those four unders was 104. They held Philly to 94 last night. OKC is dead last in points per game this season. Their best player, Alexander, was shelved for the year recently. They have a hodge-podge group of players right now because of a slew of injuries. OKC has been an over team lately not because of their offense but because of lack of defense. We don’t think this Pistons team will be able to take advantage of that defense on a B2B. When OKC has put up big points it’s normally because of the pace the opponent brings, but we don’t see a lot of pace here tonight. The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in OKC. There have been some crazy high-scoring games in the NBA lately and we think as a result that bookies have bumped up totals across the board, but this is one where they have created value on the under.  

Both of the last two meetings went over 139, and we see this one going into the 130s also. Cleveland has been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, but they have fallen off in that department recently or are at least very inconsistent. They allowed 120 last time out to Dallas, one of the lower ranked offensive teams in the NBA. Atlanta’s offense is clicking big time and they have scored 120+ in three straight. They are very good offensively at home. We expect both teams to be competitive here and both will get their points to put this one over the posted number.

Two bad teams but the Kings are a much better club, and they seem to be building for the future while the Rockets are kind of spinning their wheels. We feel that the Kings are a justified road favorite here. The Rockets scored consecutive wins over a tanking Blazers team and they played San Antonio tough in a recent regional rivalry last time out, and we feel they are a bit Fat and Happy and won’t give much effort here.

1 Unit Play. Take Texas A&M over Washington State (9:30p.m., Tuesday, March 29 ESPN) The race to be the 69th best team in the country is down to 4 teams. This will be the last year the NIT is played in New York City and expect the Aggies to March onto the finals as a No. 1 seed. The Cougars have been able to control the pace of play in their last two games but will have a hard time doing that against the Aggies on Tuesday. Washington State is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. Texas A&M is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports. This may be our last day of selections until Saturday.

The Bulls haven’t been playing too well and they are on a B2B but they are the much better team here and they need a win tonight. They are No. 5 now in the EC standings and they don’t want to drop down into the play in area. They are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Washington, and this is a chance for an easy win against a Wizards team that doesn’t have the same motivation.

This is more of a fade of Miami than a statement about Sacramento. Miami is in a freefall right now and this is a very public number. Miami has dropped four straight and they have covered only one of their last nine. They had that very public blowup on the sideline last week, and that is the type of thing that can linger for a long time. Can the Heat win this one and get back on track? Absolutely. But we just don’t see this team getting back on track in a big way with a blowout. The Kings enter having won two straight. They have covered three in a row as they also lost to the Suns in OT. So they are playing well right now. The Kings are 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings so they normally get up for this opponent.

1 Unit Play. Take Miami over Kansas (2:20p.m., Sunday, March 27 CBS) This is not a mismatch in talent at all and Kansas struggles in this round of the NCAA Tournament. Expect this game to go down to the wire and we will grab the points. Miami is 19-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 26 games as an underdog. Kansas is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 NCAA Tournament games.

1 Unit Play. Take #642 Duke -180 (money line) over Arkansas (8:55p.m., Saturday, March 26 TBS) Just cannot see Duke and Coach K going down in this game against this team. I thought Arkansas was a better team last year and it will be tough for them to get back up after beating the No. 1 overall seed on Thursday. Duke shot the ball well in the second half against Texas Tech and look for that to carryover into this game. Arkansas may cover the number, but they are not winning this game. Therefore, we will take a small play with Duke on the money line instead of the pointspread.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

1 Unit Play. Take North Carolina over UCLA (9:39p.m., Friday, March 25 CBS) Hard to go big on North Carolina, but UCLA has some injuries and the Tar Heels played outstanding their first two games in this tournament. We will grab the points and expect all West Coast teams to be eliminated after tonight. North Carolina is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

The Pistons have been one of the best betting teams since the beginning of Feb as they have covered in 14 of their last 16 games. They face a Washington team that is on a back-to-back after playing a much more important game last night against Milwaukee. They had a bit of a rally in the second half and used lots of energy, and we don’t think they will have much left here on Friday night.

10 Unit Play. Take #630 Duke over Texas Tech (9:39p.m., Thursday, March 24 CBS) NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME OF THE YEAR Texas Tech has been overvalued this season by the odds makers and metrics and I do not believe they should be favored in this game (morning line odds). Coach K has a great record in this round 16-9 and I do not believe this is the type of team that can take out Duke Texas Tech is a great defensive team, but they struggle at times on offense, and I am not sure they will be able to score enough to keep pace with Duke. They also have a first-year coach with them who did not have any success in his previous stop as a head coach. I am not sure I trust him in a close game against the greatest coach in college basketball. Everyone wants to see a Duke – Gonzaga Elite 8 game and I feel that will happen. Duke has a national fan base, and they will be well represented in this game that takes place in San Francisco. Texas Tech is 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games played on Thursday. Duke is 7-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 games played on Thursday.

The Bucks started off the season slow. Maybe it was the NBA Finals hangover. But no matter, they are in playoff form now and have won nine of 11 games. They have covered in eight of those games, so despite lots of respect from the oddsmakers they are still getting the job done in a big way. They have motivation as well as they will want to get that No. 1 seed, and they are currently a couple games back of Miami. Washington is mathematically still alive, but who are we kidding. This team will be eliminated soon, and right now they are probably just playing out the string. If their last game was any indication, that is exactly the case as they lost to the Rockets by 18. This team is getting blown out on a regular basis, and we don’t see the Bucks breaking too much of a sweat to win this one by double digits.

Orlando is coming off one of its biggest wins of the year last night at home against Golden State. Now they have to turn around on a back-to-back and play a team that is desperate for a win and one they just beat at home on Sunday. OKC will be looking for revenge. We just think this is a big letdown spot for Orlando and this team doesn’t deserve to be a road favorite over any team in the NBA. OKC is one of the best ATS teams in the NBA at 43-25-4 on the season. They have dealt with a lot of injuries but they still manage to play above oddsmakers expectations, and they probably have the best player on the court right now in Alexander. OKC has covered in six of the last seven meetings. OKC has had a very tough schedule. If they are to end the losing streak, this is the game to do it.

We like to back a good team after a bad loss, and that is the case here tonight. Last time we saw the Bucks they lost by almost 20 in Minnesota. They have had two days to let that loss go, and we think they will be motivated and prepared against a regional rival here. The Greek Freak should be back here as he is probable, and he is well rested after missing the Minnesota game. He hasn’t been out long enough to be rusty, but he has been out long enough to regain some energy that is crucial at this point of the season. Chicago is on a back-to-back here, and we see a dominating win from the home team.

Dallas has lost two straight and they were embarrassed last time out on the road in Charlotte and they lost to Philly on the road also. This is getting down to the nitty gritty with the postseason in sight and we don’t see the Mavs dropping three straight, and they are back home for this one. Both these teams are close together in the standings and this is a crucial game for the Mavs as they need to fend off the charging Wolves but also avoid dropping down into the play in seedings. They have won eight of their last 11 so we aren’t to worried about those two losses. They are in fine form overall. And the Wolves have had some nice wins for sure but their recent run is a bit deceiving as they have faced teams with missing stars and many bad teams. They will face a very motivated team tonight and one that is the better club, and this line is more than fair. Dallas has a strong betting history against the Wolves as they are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Dallas and 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings overall.

1 Unit Play. Take #820 Purdue -3 over Texas (8:40p.m., Sunday, March 20 TNT) The bracket has opened up and it is now or never for Matt Painter and Purdue to reach the final four.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

1 Unit Play. Take Notre Dame +8 over Texas Tech (7:10p.m., Sunday, March 20 TBS) Texas Tech is a good matchup for Notre Dame with their defensive stuff and I think Notre Dame can keep this game in single digits.

1 Unit Play. Take #822 Wisconsin over Iowa State (6:10p.m., Sunday, March 20 TNT) Iowa State was not a good team once conference play started, I do not see them being competitive in what will be a true road game for them. Would go higher if Johnny Davis would 100% but the Badgers still have enough firepower to win this game by double-digits. Iowa State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win in their previous game.

4 Unit Play. Take Illinois over Houston (12:10p.m., Sunday, March 20 CBS) This line almost feels like a trap, but Illinois should not be this big of an underdog against Houston. These are similar teams, but the spread is based off their performance on Friday. I am not a believer in carryover and feel Illinois will play much better on offense in this game despite Houston being an outstanding defensive team. Illinois won the Big 10 regular season and that is a much better conference that the AAC. Illinois is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.

10 Unit Play. Take UCLA over Saint Mary’s (7:10p.m., Saturday, March 19 TBS) I believe UCLA has the potential to return the Final Four and should be able to knockoff a mid-major for California. Saint Mary’s had a huge break getting Indiana in the round of 64. The Hoosiers had to play in the play in game on Tuesday and then had flight issues getting out to Portland. That will not the case on Saturday, as the Bruins will be well rested and battle tested. Saint Mary’s is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 NCAA Tournament games as underdog. UCLA is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 NCAA Tournament games. The Bruins have a major edge in talent and I just do not believe Saint Mary’s will have an offensive explosion again on Saturday.

Props to the Timberwolves. They have been playing great and are one of the best surprises of the NBA season. But their recent run has come against a lot of bad teams. We think the Buck stops here today, so to speak. Milwaukee is red hot also, and they have covered six of seven. They are coming off a long rest and they have motivation for the postseason here.

1 Unit Play. Take #782 Seton Hall over TCU (9:57p.m, Friday, March 16 TruTV) Seton Hall has some injury issues but only to one key player and he has been out awhile, so they are able to adjust without him. TCU finished below .500 in the Big 12 and never plays a competitive nonconference schedule. TCU is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games played on Friday. Seton Hall is 8-2 ATS in tier last 10 games played on Friday.

1 Unit Play. Take #751 Davidson over Michigan State (9:40p.m., Friday, March 17 CBS) Just do not like this Michigan State team in 2022. They do not have any special players and do not shoot it well from the arc either. They did not finish the season well and I do not see them being able to turn it around in March. Davidson gets the advantage of playing this game in South Carolina and has a bad taste in their mouth after blowing the Atlantic-10 Championship last time out on Sunday. The Wildcats are a great offensive team and I just do not believe Michigan State will be able to match them in scoring. Everyone believes in Coach Izzo, but he just does not have the weapons this year to make a deep run into the tournament. Davidson is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games. They have a veteran coach as well and they will win this game straight-up.

The Clippers have covered in three of five, but they are playing even better than that looks. They missed the cover by a single point last time out vs. Toronto and they were catching seven in Cleveland and lost in OT, so they should have covered that one and there was a questionable call against them at the end of regulation. Utah will be missing some key pieces here as they have two starters out, including their best player, and some key role players. The usual suspects are out for LA, but they have their main core that has played this season ready to go. The Clippers have covered in four of the last five meetings and we think they go all out here to try and win this one outright as the Jazz are very vulnerable tonight missing these players.

1 Unit Play. Take #755 Miami over USC (3:10p.m., Friday, March 16 TruTV) USC has been a fraud all season long and now must make a cross country flight to play a solid Miami team. The Hurricanes are a surprise team in the ACC this season and have some quality wins including at Duke. USC played nobody in the nonconference portion of the season and they are not as talented as they were last season. Miami is 22-8 ATS (1 push) in their last 31 games as an underdog. USC is 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite. Said I was going to fade USC in the tournament and now we have a great spot to do that.

4 Unit Play. Take Akron over UCLA (9:50p.m., Thursday, March 17 TBS) This line has come down during the week and we will follow the movement. UCLA has not put it together this season despite having great talent and I do not see them blowing out the Zips in this game. They could not beat Arizona without Kerr Kriiisa and a 12-point lead in the PAC-12 Championship Game. They will win this game, but I do not see them doing it by double-digits. Akron is 28-10 ATS in their last 38 games as an underdog.

Detroit has been one of the best NBA bets in March and they have covered in 11 of their last 12. Orlando has been inconsistent, even for a bad team, and they are coming off a 40+ beatdown here at home to Brooklyn. Detroit has covered in 7 of the last 10 meetings, and we think this is a great chance for a rare road win for them.

4 Unit Play. Take North Carolina over Marquette (4:30p.m., Thursday, March 17 TBS) North Carolina does not lose many first-round games and they are facing a team that lost 5 of their last 8 games to close out the season. The Golden Eagles are still in rebuild mode and are ahead of schedule making the NCAA Tournament this season. They do not have the talent that Carolina does and expect the Tar Heels to win this game by close to double digits. Marquette is 1-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 NCAA Tournament games. Carolina has covered 4 of their last 5 games.

4 Unit Play. Take South Dakota State over Providence (12:40p.m., Thursday, March 17 TruTV) Providence is not as good as their record would indicate and the spread in this game tells me a great deal. They are now facing a red-hot team that ran the table in the Summit League and they are third in the country at scoring at over 86 points per game. SDSU is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games as an underdog. Providence is 7-19 ATS I their last 26 neutral site games.

The Lakers continue to get too much respect from the oddsmakers. This looks like a double-digit line to us. The Lakers are coming off consecutive double digit losses. This looks like another blowout to us. Minnesota looks like a real contender with eight wins and covers in their last nine games. They are peaking while many other teams are in their mid-season funk. They already had their letdown game against Orlando and that is the only game they didn’t cover in the last nine. The Lakers are always one of the worst ATS teams in the league every year even when they are a dominant team, but they have been one of the worst ATS teams again this season and they are once again being given too much credit by the oddsmakers as we had this game handicapped at -13 and think the home team had tremendous value here.

1 Unit Play. Take Over in Mississippi State @ Virginia (7p.m., Wednesday, March 16 ESPN+) Its time to have some fun in the NIT and not be so defensive oriented. Mississippi State will fire their coach once their season is complete and expect them to play up tempo and loose in this game. Virginia has gone over the posted total in 4 straight games following a loss in their previous game.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

Detroit has covered in 10 of their last 11 games. This team is playing well under the radar and we like them getting over double digits tonight. Their non cover was last time out hosting the Clippers where they lost by 4 while getting 3.5. The Heat enter having lost two of three. We expect Detroit to stay within double digits here. They are 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings.

The last time we saw these Sixers at home, they were blown out of the building by the Nets. That was an embarrassing performance in front of the home fans, and then they needed OT to get by Orlando on the road last time out, so we think they put their best foot forward here tonight. The Nuggets have been a little overrated by the oddsmakers lately and they are 0-4 ATS in their last four and enter having lost two straight. We see a motivated Philly team tonight.

1 Unit Play. Take Iowa over Purdue (3:30p.m., Sunday, March 13 CBS) Purdue seems to always be a top team in the Big 10 but does not have much postseason success. Iowa had been on a mission and look for them win the Big 10 Conference Championship on Sunday. Iowa is 16-7 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 25 neutral site games. Purdue is 1-8 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 11 games as a favorite.

The Bucks have win six straight and they are starting to play like the championship clubs we are used to after slogging through most of the first part of the season. They have covered in five of the last six. Golden State has won and covered two straight, but this team is just not playing well overall as they had lost five straight before this mini winning streak. The Bucks have covered 9 of 12 here in the Bay Area and they normally play well here. Throw out the records here because Milwaukee is the superior team and we think they will bring their A Game to the hardwood tonight.

10 Unit Play. Take #624 Kansas over Texas Tech (6p.m., Saturday, March 12 ESPN) Conference Tournament Game of the Year Just do not see Kansas losing this game in Kansas City. The Jayhawks were the best team in the league all season long and now face a first year coach and a team that has trouble scoring points at times. These teams split during the regular season with each team winning on their home floor and Texas Tech has not been great on the road this season. In fact all 6 of their conference losses have been road games and the Jayhawks will have a big crowd edge in this game. Texas Tech is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 neutral site games. Kansas is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.

3 Unit Play. Take #866 North Carolina over Virginia Tech (9:30p.m., Friday, March 11 ESPN) Carolina has been playing their best basketball of the season. They need to guard the arc, but if they do they should be able to win this game.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

3 Unit Play. Take #854 Kent State +1.5 over Ohio (7:30p.m., Friday, March 11 CBSSN) Ohio was expected to win the MAC but finished third in the regular season. Expect them to lose to the No. 2 seed on Friday.

3 Unit Play. Take #820 Wisconsin -3.5 over Michigan State (6:30p.m., Friday, March 11 BTN) Would go higher if I knew Johnny Davis was 100%. Michigan State is just not that good this season. They beat Wisconsin without Tyler Wahl but that will not be the case today.