New Orleans has been strong at home winning and covering seven of its last nine. The Pelicans catch a schedule break here hosting a short-handed and tired Indiana squad that is concluding a five-game road trip.

The Pacers are playing for the fifth time in eight days. They are minus their two best players with Domantas Sabonis and Malcolmb Brogdon both out. They've been without Caris LeVert, maybe their third-best player, too. He's questionable. 

Those are Indiana's top three scorers. The Pelicans have held five of their last seven opponents to 105 points or fewer. 

New Orleans enters this home matchup on a winning note beating the Knicks, 102-91, this past Thursday in New York. That was a big confidence builder for the Pelicans after they were blown out during the first two games of their road trip by the Nets and Celtics.
 
The Pelicans have been idle since that game giving them three full days of rest and preparation. The extra time also may allow Brandon Ingram to play. He's questionable after turning his ankle against the Knicks. 

Even if Ingram is out, I still like the Pelicans. 

I find this spread too short.

The Heat will be up for this matchup with the return of LeBron James to Miami. The Heat also are off a Friday road loss to the Hawks.

Miami has been much better at home. The Heat have won nine of their last 10 home games. They have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, their two best players, healthy again.

The Lakers are playing for the fourth time in seven days. Anthony Davis remains out.

LA defeated the pathetic Magic in its last game two days ago to open its road trip. Prior to that, though, the Lakers lost at home to the Pacers. Before beating the Magic, the Lakers had lost their last two road games by a combined 46 points to the Nuggets and Kings.

Xavier is playing well. But Marquette is playing great, is home and has revenge. So I'm going to grab the Golden Eagles as a home 'dog.

Marquette has won five in a row - and they haven't come against cupcakes with three of the victories occurring versus ranked opponents. The Golden Eagles are outscoring their foes by an average of 15 points during this span.

The Golden Eagles have revenge for an 80-71 road loss to Xavier last month.

The Pacers rank in the bottom 10 in tempo. They certainly aren't going to look to play fast against the Suns, a top-five defensive unit, playing their fourth road game in six days. The Under is 14-5 in the Pacers' last 19 road games. 

Indiana is in a major letdown spot, too, after stunning the Warriors on Thursday with a 121-117 overtime victory. The Pacers accomplished that win minus perhaps their best player, Domantas Sabonis, and their starting backcourt of Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert. Those are their three leading scores. Combined they account for 52 percent of the Pacers' scoring. Sabonis is out while Brogdon and LeVert are questionable. 

The Pacers' bench stepped up in a big way against the Warriors two days ago. I don't see Indiana's reserves reaching that caliber again. The Suns rank fifth in scoring defense and are No. 2 in defensive field goal percentage and 3-point defense. They can clamp down on long-range shooters Chris Duarte and Justin Holiday.
 
The spot isn't good either for the Suns. They return home having gone 5-0 on their road trip that concluded two days ago with a 109-101 victory against the hot Mavericks. Phoenix has to guard against a letdown. 

The Under has cashed six of the last seven times the Suns have hosted the Pacers.

Louisville has been anything but reliable, but I believe the Cardinals win this game. They got on the right path with a 67-54 home win against Boston College this past Wednesday that ended a three-game losing streak.

Notre Dame is playing well going 7-1 in its last eight games, but the Irish have struggled against Louisville. The Cardinals have defeated the Irish six straight times, including 69-57, last February. Notre Dame has lost during its last four visits to Louisville.

Notre Dame is heavily reliant on its long-range shooting. It's going to be tough for the Irish to get hot on the road dealing with the Cardinals' end line-to-end line pressure and tough home crowd. The Cardinals have the depth to fully pressure Notre Dame the entire game and take advantage of the Irish's inside weaknesses.

Texas Tech is in a sandwich spot having just scored an impressive revenge victory against Iowa State this past Tuesday and with a monster road game at Kansas looming on Monday. 

It would be a mistake for the Red Raiders to overlook West Virginia. 

The Mountaineers fell to fifth-ranked Baylor this past Tuesday, 77-68. The Mountaineers had their chances, though, missing multiple layups. Baylor also hit 12 of 27 3-pointers. 

West Virginia forces the 11th-most turnovers in the country. Texas Tech is vulnerable to that. The Mountaineers also are 4-1 in their last five games against Texas Tech, including winning, 82-71, last February in Lubbock. West Virginia accomplished that without Taz Sherman, who was out with a groin injury. Sherman leads the Mountaineers in scoring at 18.8 points, but is just rounding into shape after dealing with a bout of COVID-19. 

These are two of the top 14 teams in the nation, according to the latest The Associated Press rankings. But we're getting a buy-low spot on Michigan State since the Spartans were upset by Northwestern at home in their last game this past Saturday, while the Badgers just defeated Northwestern, 82-76, three days ago.

Michigan State had won nine in a row prior to losing to the Wildcats. Wisconsin is riding a seven-game win streak.

The Badgers are playing extremely well. But the Spartans should never be underestimated. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games against Wisconsin. The Badgers nipped the Spartans, 64-63, at home last season. Michigan State is 7-3-1 ATS versus foes that have a winning percentage above .600.

Both teams give up less than 66 points a game. The Spartans rank 30th in defensive field goal percentage, though, while Wisconsin is 217th.

I see Michigan State winning this game so getting this many points is a nice bonus.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are getting more in sync with each other. That's bad news for the rest of the NBA and should be a boost for Golden State's offense. Thompson had his best shooting and scoring game in the Warriors' last matchup two days ago against the Pistons since returning five games ago.

The Warriors should be able to connect frequently from 3-point range against a weak Pacers perimeter defense. Indiana also is without rim protector Myles Turner, out with a foot injury. Turner has been the premier shot blocker in the league the past couple of seasons.

Turner's absence is a plus for the Over. So is the absence of Draymond Green, a tough defender and rebounder. Golden State ranks No. 1 defensively, but has missed Green. The Warriors held the punchless Pistons to 86 points in their last game, but previous to that had surrendered 116, 118 and 119 points in three of their last four games.

The Pacers beat the Lakers, 111-104, last night. The Warriors like to play up-tempo. They don't figure to deviate from that style, catching Indiana without rest.

This is a good spot for San Diego to hang close to BYU. The Toreros have won three in a row and are 6-2 in their last eight games. They have hopes to make a run for an NCAA Tournament berth. So they should be giving an all-out effort here.

BYU, on the other hand, is in letdown mode having just faced the three top teams in the West Coast Conference - Gonzaga, St. Mary's and San Francisco.

The Toreros have the necessary 3-point defense to keep BYU from blowing them out. San Diego ranks 21st in 3-point defense.

The oddsmaker is downgrading the Knicks because they've lost two straight home games, sleepwalking through a loss to the Hornets during an early start on Martin Luther King Day and then blowing a late lead in a 112-110 loss to the much improved Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Prior to those defeats, though, New York had won five consecutive games at Madison Square Garden with the last two being blowout wins against the Mavericks and Spurs.

The Pelicans are a drop in class for New York. The Knicks are a much stronger defensive club than New Orleans giving up six fewer points per game.

New Orleans is 0-5 SU, 1-4 ATS in its last five road contests. The Pelicans are averaging under 100 points during their last three games.

You can look at this SEC battle two ways:

The first way is that Kentucky is the sixth-highest scoring team in the country after burying Tennessee, 107-79, this past Saturday at home. The Wildcats shot a season-best 67.9 percent from the floor and made 20 of 21 free throws.

Then there's the second way you can approach this game, which is to realize Texas A&M gives up 62.9 points a game, which ranks 40th in the country. Kentucky also ranks in the top 50 in scoring defense and defensive field goal percentage. The Wildcats have held 14 of their last 16 foes to 69 or fewer points.

I'm going with the second way especially with this game at Texas A&M. The Aggies have won eight in a row. They held their last two opponents - Mississippi and Missouri - to a combined average of 57.5 points.

I find this total inflated due to the Wildcats putting up 107 points on the Volunteers.

Can we just say it: Georgia Tech isn't very good this season. The Yellow Jackets have a losing record and are 1-5 in the ACC. They just were blown out by North Carolina on the road this past Saturday. 

Utah State has gone Under in four of its last five games. Now the Aggies take on Fresno State, which gives up the fifth-fewest points in the nation at 56.6. The Bulldogs also rank 39th in defensive field goal percentage. The Aggies remain without Brock Miller, their fourth-leading scorer. 

Fresno State, though, ranks 286th in scoring. Utah State is a strong defensive rebounding team and a top-100 team in defensive efficiency. The tempo should be slow here. The Under has cashed in six of Fresno State's last eight home contests.

Golden State can't be laying this many points considering its injury situation and current form. This also is a bad spot for the Warriors, returning home after a four-game road trip. This is Golden State's fifth game in eight days.

I don't think the Knicks should be a home 'dog to the Timberwolves. New York couldn't get awake for yesterday's early-start Martin Luther King home game against the Hornets losing by 10 points after trailing by as many as 23 points.

 Look for the Knicks to be more awake for this game after Monday's embarrassment.  Prior to that loss to the Hornets, the Knicks had won five straight at Madison Square Garden with the last two being blowout victories against the Mavericks and Spurs.  The Timberwolves are looking good to the oddsmaker right now because they just rolled past the short-handed Warriors, 119-99, at home this past Sunday night. Keep in mind, though, that before that victory Minnesota had lost and failed to cover consecutive road games against the Pelicans and Grizzlies.

The Rebels under first-year head coach Kevin Kruger aren't strong enough to lay this mid-range number on the road against a San Jose State that is better than perceived.

The Spartans are much improved at 7-7 than they were last season when they went 5-16, including 2-12 in the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels are a middle-of-the-road Mountain West Conference team hoping to get an NIT berth. 

San Jose State is 8-5 ATS in its lined games. The Spartans have played their best ball at home going 5-2 ATS. 

The Rebels are an unimpressive 5-10 ATS. They have been inconsistent all season and are 0-2 SU and ATS in their two true road games losing to SMU and San Francisco by an average of 20 points. This is UNLV's first away game since Dec. 4. 

Dallas is 8-1 in its last nine games after a 108-92 home win against Orlando. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were both in Dallas' lineup for the first time since Dec. 10.

Now the Mavericks draw the Thunder, a bottom feeder that is 1-6 in their last seven games and 0-2 versus Dallas this season with both losses coming in Oklahoma City. 

Safe to say the Mavericks are in a fat and happy state. They host the Raptors in a bigger game on Wednesday. 

Oklahoma City, though, is very dangerous in this role going 19-7-1 ATS the past 27 times as an underdog, including covering seven of their last nine road contests. The key for the Thunder is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He's been on fire averaging 28.7 points, eight assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 52.5 percent from the field during his past three games.

Utah has lost four in a row. Denver is off a 133-96 beatdown of the Lakers last night.

So are you surprised the Jazz are such a strong road favorite? 

Don't be. The oddsmaker knows what he's doing. This is a stop-the-pain game for the Jazz and they have star center Rudy Gobert to help them achieve this. Utah hasn't played in four days. Gobert is as valuable to his team as any player. The Jazz didn't have Gobert, who was in COVID-19 protocol, during their current four-game losing streak.  

Gobert is back. The Jazz are rested, prepared and anxiously pointing to this game. They catch the Nuggets fat and happy after Denver buried the Lakers, 133-96, last night. 

These just met two days ago in Sacramento and the Kings won, 126-114, shooting 50 percent from the floor.

Neither team is good defensively. That's fully acknowledged. But familiarity should help the defensive effort today. The Rockets know they have to improve their pick-and-roll defense against the Kings. It's something they are well aware of.

The Kings had held their previous three opponents to 109.3 points before giving up 114 to the Rockets on Friday.

Another plus for the Under is the Rockets will have rookie center Alperen Sengun back. He's a high-energy, defensive-minded big man.

It's a limited Sunday slate of college basketball games. But there is one play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference that merits an investment.

Manhattan is better on both sides of the ball against Canisius. The Golden Griffins could be the worst team in the MAAC. They are 5-10 overall and have lost seven straight road games. The Golden Griffins are 0-7 away from home this season with an average loss of 12.2 points. The closest they've come on the road is seven points. 

The Jaspers are 8-4. They have the better offensive and defensive statistics. I look for them to cover a number that I believe opened too short. 

The timing is right to buy low on the Spurs in this home spot. San Antonio is in circle-the-wagons mode saddled with a four-game losing streak. The Spurs are off a 128-124 loss to the Rockets two days ago, which opened their seven-game homestand. 

Dejounte Murray could be the most underrated player in the NBA. The Spurs certainly are capable of winning this game straight-up. There's the chance their rotation could be bolstered if Derrick White and Doug McDermott return today from COVID-19 protocol. 

The Cavaliers are much improved. But they are far from elite. Their 111-91 victory against Utah on Wednesday comes with an asterisk as the Jazz were missing several players, including their star center and key to their team, Rudy Gobert. 

This marks Cleveland's fifth road game in eight days. The Cavaliers close their road trip tomorrow at Oklahoma City.

The Cavaliers had opened their road swing beating shorthanded Portland. They then lost by 14 to the Warriors, nipped the lowly Kings by one point before knocking off Utah. Cleveland is 4-5 in its last nine games, 2-6-1 ATS. 

Oklahoma City lost on the road to the Wizards, 122-118, two days ago. But the Thunder enjoyed their finest offensive game of the season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke out of his shooting slump with 32 points. The underrated Gilgeous-Alexander can make the Thunder a dangerous road foe if he's on his game. Oklahoma City has covered 23 of its last 32 road games.

Brooklyn returned home in the wee hours Thursday morning after a highly-satisfying late Wednesday victory on the road against the Bulls, 138-112. Kyrie Irving won't play today. Kevin Durant might get rested, too, although I still like the Thunder in this spot figuring Durant is going to play.

The Nets haven't won two in a row in nearly a month. Brooklyn also has been very mediocre at home going 11-10. The Nets are 1-5 in their last six home contests with the lone victory during this span occurring in overtime to the Spurs. Going back to last season, the Nets are 4-17 ATS as a home favorite.

As the Big Ten season winds into mid-January defenses start getting more intense. Teams make that extra pass. Play slows down. That's the vision I have in this marquee Big Ten battle between 13th-ranked Wisconsin and 16th-ranked Ohio State. I don't see either team reaching 70 points. Therefore I believe this total has been set too high. 

Ohio State beat the Badgers, 73-55, at home on Dec. 11. That game fell six points below the closing total of 134. Since then, Wisconsin has put together its best basketball winning five in a row. 

The Badgers have momentum and revenge. That's a tough combination. Wisconsin won't have a minus 21 rebounding line against the Buckeyes this time around either. Ohio State managed only 51 points against Indiana in its last road game a week ago. 

But Wisconsin's offense can't be trusted. Aside from Johnny Davis, the Badgers don't have many reliable scorers. The Badgers have major offensive inconsistencies. They are at their best scoring inside. Ohio State, though, protects the rim well. The Buckeyes average 5.2 blocks. The Badgers are a terrible 3-point shooting team ranking 322nd making fewer than 30 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. 

Discounting their last game against Northwestern, the Buckeyes have held their last four Big Ten opponents to an average of 64.5 points. 

The Bulls are healthy. That makes them dangerous. Chicago has won 10 of its last 11 games. The Bulls have covered five of their last six home games.

The price is cheap enough to back the Bulls at home against the Nets, who are playing for the fourth time in six days and just flew in from Portland yesterday.

Brooklyn has failed to cover in its last seven games going 2-5 SU during this span with one of the victories coming at home in overtime against the Spurs.

The Nets aren't nearly as healthy as the Bulls. James Harden and Kyrie Irving are both questionable. So is Nic Claxton. LaMarcus Aldridge is out.

Georgia Tech is in stop-the-pain mode losers of seven of its last eight games. Scoring has been a problem for the Yellow Jackets, but their defense has been solid. Georgia Tech is giving up an average of 65.5 points in their last six games. No opponent has reached 70 points against the Yellow Jackets during this span. 

Boston College is a slow-paced, defensive-minded team under new coach Earl Grant. The Eagles have to win with defense, too, as they rank 288th in scoring and 267th in field goal shooting. 

The teams just met two days ago and the Celtics won a defensive battle, 101-98, in overtime.

Indiana shot 38 percent from the field. The Pacers missed a lot of easy shots. Celtics defensive ace Marcus Smart played 23 minutes in that game. Smart is questionable for this matchup.

The Celtics know they have to step up on the offensive end. Boston had played the defensive-minded Knicks in back-to-back games prior to meeting Indiana. The Pacers are a much worse defensive team than the Knicks.

I was impressed with Oklahoma State beating then ranked No. 14 Texas, 64-51, against Texas this past Saturday. I don't see a letdown. Instead I'm going to ride the Cowboys, who have momentum and are playing well now.

Oklahoma State is 9-3 ATS the past 12 times it has been a road 'dog.

West Virginia came back from a 40-27 halftime deficit to defeat Kansas State, 71-68, at home this past Saturday failing to cover as 8 1/2-point favorites. The Mountaineers had lost to Texas, 74-59, in their previous game.

Marquette isn't as bad as it looked early in the Big East Conference, but the Golden Eagles aren't as good as their recent performances - blowout victories against Georgetown and Providence - may indicate.

On the flip side, DePaul isn't as bad as its four-game losing streak may appear. The Blue Demons have lost their last two games to Villanova and St. John's. Certainly no shame in that.

Overall, DePaul is 9-5 while Marquette is 10-6.

So there's line value with DePaul. The Blue Demons also match up well to Marquette because of their height and superior rebounding. The Golden Eagles give up a lot of easy inside shots. The Blue Demons are the 17th-best offensive rebounding team in the nation.

The Golden Eagles can't get anything going in transition without controlling the boards.

Marquette hasn't been good as chalk either, failing to cover 13 of the last 18 times when favored.

The Hornets caught the Bucks at the right time when the teams met this past Saturday. The Bucks had just knocked off the Nets the night before and were in a flat spot. The result was a 114-106 Charlotte win.

Oh, yes, the normally strong Bucks bench produced just five points. I don't see that happening again.

So give me the vastly superior team in a rapid revenge spot.

Kudos to the Heat for beating the Trail Blazers, 115-109, this past Wednesday in their last game.

However, I don't see the Heat keeping up with the Suns today. This is Miami's fifth of a six-game road trip and the team has 12 players on its illness/injury report list, including Jimmy Butler.

Meanwhile the Suns are expected to get reinforced with Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and JaVale McGee. All are off the COVID-19 list. Ayton is the Suns' leading rebounder and No. 2 scorer.

The Suns own the best record in the NBA at 30-8. They are playing well with three straight wins and covers, winning by an average of 22 points during this span. The Suns shouldn't lack intensity since they won't play again until Tuesday and won't be home again until Jan. 22.

Northern Iowa has looked good in its last two games, blowout victories against Evansville and Valparaiso.

The Panthers have the outside shooting, especially from 3-point range, to hang tight with high-scoring Missouri State, which has a below average 3-point defense.

Northern Iowa has dominated the series winning eight of the last 10 meetings, including six of the past seven.

The Panthers have the frontcourt size to win the rebounding battle, which would prove pivotal.

Nebraska is far from being a Big Ten power, but the Cornhuskers have been hanging in against elite Big Ten opponents. The Cornhuskers took Ohio State to overtime and they also covered against Michigan State this past Wednesday. 

Now the Cornhuskers drop down in class to face Rutgers - and they catch the Scarlet Knights in a letdown spot. Rutgers is coming off a 75-67 home win against Michigan. It was the first time the Scarlet Knights have defeated the Wolverines. 

Nebraska had no problem with Rutgers last season winning, 72-51. 

Texas is 11-2, but the Longhorns have been fortunate to face Big 12 opponents that have been dealing with COVID-19 problems. 

Oklahoma State is battle tested having just played Kansas and Houston. The Cowboys have the size, right tempo and talent to spring the upset. 

This has been an underdog series lately, too, with the 'dog covering four the last five times. 

Butler is being too undervalued here after looking bad during the second half of its, 71-56, home loss to Seton Hall this past Tuesday.

The 'dog has covered four of the past five times in this series.

Xavier has to deal with a rust factor having not played since Dec. 21. Butler is the 31st-ranked defensive team in the country.

This figures to be a low-possession type game where every point matters. That's evident by the low total. I can't see Xavier producing an ''A'' game, which will be needed to cover this mispriced point spread.

The dynamics are in place for Indiana to beat Ohio State in this marquee Big Ten matchup.

The Hooisers are home following a 61-58 road loss to Penn State this past Sunday. Indiana is 9-0 at Assembly Hall with seven of those victories occurring by double-digits.

Ohio State got past Nebraska, 87-79, in overtime this past Sunday. That was the Buckeyes' first game since Dec. 11 because of COVID-19 issues. Indiana is a bad matchup for Ohio State at this stage of the Buckeyes' season as they try to round back into shape.

Indiana has a size advantage and should control the boards especially if Kyle Young, the Buckeyes' top defensive rebounder, can't play after missing the Nebraska game due to illness not related to COVID.

Miami ranks fourth defensively in the NBA. The Heat have been a strong defensive team for years. That's not the case right now, though, with the Heat missing injured players Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Dewayne Dedmon and Markieff Morris.

Miami has lost its hard-nosed, defensive intensity without these key players, especially Butler. Miami is giving up an average of 113 points during its last four games.

The Trail Blazers have scorers to take advantage with Damian Lillard, underrated Norman Powell and emerging Anfernee Simons. Portland is an above average scoring team, but is one of the worst defensive teams in the league. The Trail Blazers rank 27th in points allowed, 29th in defensive field goal percentage and 30th in defensive field goal percentage.

The Trail Blazers are in especially bad defensive form surrendering an average of 130.5 points during their last four games. Miami is averaging 115 points in its last four games.

I'm expecting a good performance from the Pelicans here now that their two best players, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas, have returned to the lineup. Both played last night in a 115-104 home loss to the Jazz. Each was rusty, not shooting well. The rust should be off now.

The Suns have COVID issues. They could be minus coach Monty Williams along with starters Deandre Ayton - their best big man - and underrated Jae Crowder. Two backups could be out, too. Williams, Ayton and Crowder all missed the Suns' last game, a 133-99 road win against Charlotte.

The Pelicans are prepared for this step up in class having faced the Cavaliers, Bucks and Jazz during their last three games. New Orleans is 7-3 ATS as a home 'dog.

The season-long defensive statistics are bad for these two teams. But there is more than meets the eye. 

Eastern Michigan is averaging just 57.5 points in its last two games decided in regulation. The Eagles are playing at a much slower tempo than they were at the beginning of the season. 

Western Michigan is averaging only 57.6 points during its past six games. The Broncos' defensive numbers are artificially high because of the number of top offenses they have played, including Iowa, Michigan State and Notre Dame. A slow pace game here is fine by the Broncos. 

The Nuggets, like most NBA teams, are dealing with COVID issues. But they still have Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon just returned to the lineup following a hamstring injury. Denver also catches Dallas in a vulnerable spot.

So I'm going to go ahead and take the points with the road 'dog.

The Mavericks got Luka Doncic back in their 95-86 road win against the Thunder on Sunday. Doncic had missed 10 games. He was playing for the first time in 23 days, logging 31 minutes wearing a knee brace. Not surprisingly, he felt sore after the game. So Mavs coach Jason Kidd has to be careful how he uses Doncic in this back-to-back spot.

The Nuggets are the more rested team. This is their second game in six days. Dallas is in action for the fifth time in eight days. The Mavericks just concluded a five-game road trip so their concentration level could be off returning home following the holidays. Dallas hasn't been a good spread home team failing to cover in 14 of its last 20 home games.

Cal State Northridge has gone Under in seven of its nine board games this season. It's not a fluke. The Matadors play at a very slow tempo and are inept on offense ranking 343th in scoring at 60.5 points a game and 345th in field goal percentage at 38.7. Much of this has to do with Trent Johnson, who is in his first season as the Matadors coach. 

San Diego is an above average defensive team. But the Tritons aren't anything great offensively averaging 72 points. They are well below average on the offensive glass. 

The Pistons are an NBA team in name only. They may have been the worst team in the league - and that was before injuries and COVID-19 chewed up nearly their entire roster. Aside from Saddiq Bey and Hamidou Diallo, the Pistons lack NBA-qualified players.

This is reflected in Detroit losing 18 of its last 19 games.

The two teams just met six days ago. Final score: San Antonio 144, Detroit 109. The Pistons couldn't stop any of the Spurs.

The Spurs aren't likely to win by 35 points again, but they should easily prevail by double digits.

San Antonio won't enter this matchup overconfident after losing, 118-105, to the Grizzlies on the road last night. Fatigue shouldn't factor for the Spurs either as they had been idle for four days prior to that game.

The Raptors were one of many NBA teams ravaged by COVID. But now they should be back at nearly full strength getting back Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes. That's a combined scoring mark of nearly 55 points. These key cogs will join Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Malachi Flynn, who returned in the Raptors' last game three days ago, a 114-109 home loss to the 76ers.

The Raptors are rejuvenated now and should be sky high being home to take on the Clippers, who are in a flat spot after beating the Celtics, 91-82, on the road two days ago. The Clippers are 2-8 ATS following a point spread cover. The Clippers are minus their two best players with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both out. They also are missing Nicholas Batum and possibly Reggie Jackson.

The Clippers have yet to get it together this season. They were 1-5 before upsetting the Celtics.

This would be a huge mismatch if the teams were fully healthy. But they're not. Milwaukee not only is vastly superior - an "A'' level team to Orlando's "F'' level - but the Bucks are healthy and the Magic are down numerous rotation players because of COVID. 

This is the Rockets' fifth straight road game. But it's their first game in four days. They draw the Hornets playing at home for the first time in 17 days. Charlotte recently returned from a six-game road trip. It's tough playing that first game at home from a concentration standpoint after being away for so long. 

The Rockets' rotation depth is better with the return of Jalen Green. The Hornets, meanwhile, have been missing a key rotation player, Cody Martin. The underrated Martin has missed the last three games because of COVID-19 safety protocol. 

The Hornets are simply a .500 team. I don't think they're good enough to cover a mid-size point spread given this spot.

Neither team is good defensively. But circumstances, current form and a very high total make the Under a worthy play.

The teams met earlier this season on Nov. 27. The Rockets won, 146-43, in overtime. Maybe the oddsmaker considered that in making this total so large.

But things are different now. Each team has been idle for the past four days. That should mean some offensive rust.

The Rockets have been held to 106 or fewer points in four of their past six games. The Hornets held the Nuggets to 107 points in their last game. That was the fewest points Charlotte allowed in nearly a month.

Note the series history, too. The Under has cashed in nine of the past 11 meetings in Charlotte.

This a battle of two disappointing, injury/illness racked teams. Yes, the Clippers are missing several key players, including Paul George. But the Nuggets also are minus important players, including Jamal Murray, Michael Porter and possibly Aaron Gordon.

So I see no reason why the Nuggets should be this high of road chalk.

The Nuggets will have the best player on the court, Nikola Jokic. The Clippers have the big body depth to defend him, though, with a rejuvenated Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac.

Denver is 1-3 SU and ATS in its last four games.

The Clippers have been up and down. They won four in a row before losing three straight. The Clippers halted that losing skid in their last game, a 105-89 road win against the Kings four days ago. The Clippers are 21-6-1 ATS when playing on three or more day's rest. They also are 9-3 ATS the last 12 times as a home 'dog.

Certainly the situation spells Under with the Hawks and Knicks meeting early Christmas morning after being idle Christmas Eve.

The Hawks don't have any firepower. A COVID-19 outbreak has taken away all of Atlanta's explosive scorers, including Trae Young, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams and Kevin Huerter. De'Andre Hunter also is out due to a wrist injury. That leaves the Hawks with very little firepower as evidenced by their scoring 98 points in each of their past two games.

The Knicks are going to be stressing defense after Tom Thibodeau ripped them for giving up 124 points to the Wizards in a 124-117 loss this past Thursday.

The Hornets conclude their six-game, 11-day road trip in Denver's high altitude. Key rotation player Cody Martin is out for Charlotte and Gordon Hayward is questionable with a back injury. 

The Nuggets won't be feeling sorry for the Hornets, who have lost their last three games by nine points to the Trail Blazers, 31 to the Suns and 10 to the Jazz. Denver is off a 108-94 road loss to the Thunder where the Nuggets were 6 1/2-point favorites. Previous to that game, though, Denver hadn't played since Friday. So the Nuggets shouldn't be rusty like they were against the Thunder. They also shouldn't be fatigued either since nobody played more than 27 minutes last night.

Charlotte is 10-21 ATS the past 31 times as an underdog. The Hornets have failed to cover during their last four visits to Denver. 

Note this game is being played in Spokane, Wash., so it's a neutral site game. That's a plus for the Under. So is the defense of these teams.

Boise State gives up the 29th fewest points in the country. Washington State ranks in the top 50 in defensive field goal percentage. Both teams are strong on the defensive glass.

The Broncos have gone Under in nine of their last 12 games, while the Under is 6-1 in Washington State's last seven games.

Keegan Murray is back to full strength scoring 35 points against Utah State in the Hawkeyes' last game this past Saturday. That's bad news for Southeastern Louisiana and good news for the Over. Murray had been slowed by an ankle injury, which hampered his performance in a loss to Iowa State. 

This is the revenge game of the year for Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies broke an NBA record for largest victory margin when they buried the Thunder, 152-179, at home on Dec. 2.

The Thunder surely will be highly motivated. They have some confidence, too, after nipping the Clippers, 104-103, this past Saturday. Lugentz Dort, one of the more underrated players in the league, is back for the Thunder after being out with an ankle injury. 

Oklahoma City is 8-2 ATS the last 10 times as an underdog. 

Memphis could be coming back to earth after falling, 105-100, to the Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Grizzlies were 10-1 going into that game. Memphis still is without injured Ja Morant. This will be the Grizzlies' fourth game in six days, too. So there's a fatigue issue with them.

Strength of schedule is huge here. Charlotte's last three games have been against Arkansas, Valparaiso and Wake Forest.  Maryland Eastern Shore has played far easier opponents. So the 49ers are stepping way down in class. The 49ers are a far better shooting team than Maryland Eastern Shore both from the field and foul line.  

Wake Forest is a surprising 10-1. The Demon Deacons are strong favorites here. Wake Forest has been playing strong defense holding its last four opponents to an average of 62 points during regulation.

Charlotte is a great free throw shooting team. The 49ers, though, are a mediocre scoring team ranking 277th averaging 70 points.

This isn't a home game for Charlotte. The site is the Spectrum Center in Uptown, Charlotte. This is the home of the Charlotte Hornets. So neither team is familiar with the court, which is a plus for the Under.

This is my NBA Game of the Week. 

Jackson State is one of the lowest-scoring basketball teams in Division I. Drake, though, averages nearly 76 points per game. Contrasts like this are tough for an oddsmaker to make a total on. I believe they've made this total too low.

The Bulldogs average 81.2 points in five home games. Their offense is much better than their defense. Drake ranks 310th in defensive field goal percentage.

The Over has cashed 68 percent of the time the past 57 times Drake has been a home favorite. I'm going to ride that strong trend.

I understand the Nets being favored at home. But they shouldn't be considering their COVID situation.

This is who the Nets will be missing: James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre' Bembry - all starters - along with Bruce Brown, Jevon Carter, James Johnson and Paul Millsap. That leaves the Nets' thin bench with just three rookies.

The Nets are going to encounter an angry 76ers team that is off an embarrassing, 101-96, home loss to the Heat last night. 76ers coach Doc Rivers ripped his team after that game. I'm expecting the 76ers to be fired up. They certainly are capable, having defeated the Warriors just five days ago.

Joel Embiid is expected to play. But I still would like the 76ers even if he isn't considering the drastic situation the Nets are in.

Brooklyn has failed to cover the last six times as a home favorite.

Surprised the Bucks are a home 'dog to the Pacers? Don't be. Giannis Antetokounmpo is out and Khris Middleton also may miss this game because of a knee injury suffered against the Celtics this past Monday.

Still, I want the Bucks going for me.

The Bucks are off a bad 117-103 loss to the Celtics. They lost that game with Antetokounmpo in the lineup. Milwaukee has a deep bench that can withstand its two best players being out at home against a mediocre opponent. The Bucks' rotation gets a boost with defensive specialist Donte DiVincenzo expected to make his season debut after being out with an ankle injury.

This is just Indiana's second road game since Nov. 23. The Pacers lost to the Timberwolves in their last away matchup back on Nov. 29. Indiana is 3-10 on the road. The Bucks have won their last eight home contests.

The Bucks also are 2-0 versus the Pacers this season winning those games by an average of 14 points.

There are a lot of unknown here - all of which could be positive for an Under.

Luka Doncic is questionable. He's missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Anthony Davis has missed the last two games, too, because of a knee injury. He's also questionable. The Lakers aren't likely to have Talen Horton-Tucker and Malik Monk. They are in COVID-19 protocol. Those are two plus players for the Over. 
Even if Doncic and Davis should play, I still like the Under. 

The Lakers are playing excellent defense lately holding their last four foes to an average of 99.7 points. Dallas is the No. 6 defensive team in the NBA. The Mavericks' last seven games have all gone Under. The Lakers' offense could be out of sync missing scorers Horton-Tucker and Monk. LA also was unable to practice on Tuesday because of COVID testing. 

This total is too high given the key injuries each team has.

The Suns are going to be without Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton again. Those are Phoenix's two leading scorers. Phoenix is averaging just 102.5 points in its last four games.

The Trail Blazers are without CJ McCollum, their second-leading scorer. Portland is averaging 99 points in its last five games. The Suns rank eighth in scoring defense and are fourth in defensive field goal percentage.

This is the third meeting this season between the two teams so there should be familiarity, which is a plus for defense.

Northwestern State certainly is going to take this in-state non-conference game more seriously than LSU. 

The Tigers are 9-0 and riding high. But they've been a little too sloppy with taking care of the ball to lay this huge of a number. 

The Demons are not good, but they should not be dominated on the boards. They also have better backcourt depth with Carvell Teasett back in the lineup. He played for the first time in the Demons' last game and scored nine points with five assists.

The Wizards won't lack incentive here coming off an embarrassing 25-point home loss to the Jazz this past Saturday. It's a huge game for Washington's first-year head coach Wes Unseld Jr. He spent the previous six years as an assistant coach for the Nuggets. So he's extremely knowledgeable about the Nuggets in this non-conference matchup. 

The Warriors haven't lost two games in a row all season. They are the best team in the NBA. I look for them to bounce back strong against the Pacers after getting beat by the 76ers on the road two days ago. 

The Pacers have stepped up their game winning three in a row. Those victories were against slumping teams - Wizards, Knicks and Mavericks.

Indiana is three levels below the Warriors. The spread is too short. 

Note this game is being played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., a neutral court for both of these teams. This is a 1,200-mile trip for Miami and it's a very early start time. These are all pluses for the Under.

So is Fordham being one of the participants. The Rams are a terrible shooting team both from the floor and free throw line despite playing a number of bad defenses. The Rams are defensive-minded and play at a slow tempo.

Miami has been better on offense than defense, but the Hurricanes should be able to clamp down on this poor-shooting foe. The Hurricanes have held two of their last three foes to fewer than 60 points.

No brilliant handicap here. Just a huge class difference. The Warriors are the best team in basketball with a 21-4 record. They rank first defensively and are No. 3 in scoring.

The 76ers are 14-12 with a losing home record. They've been without superstar center Joel Embiid, but even with him they still aren't within two levels of Golden State.

The teams met on Nov. 24 at Golden State and the Warriors won, 116-96. The 76ers didn't have Embiid and Tobias Harris in that game. They should have them here although Embiid is dealing with abdominal pain after just returning from the COVID-19 list.

Sure Embiid and Harris bolster the 76ers a lot. Just not enough to keep them in this point spread range.

The Warriors have been idle since Wednesday. They are 14-3 ATS during their last 17 games versus above .500 opponents so they haven't been just fattening up on bad teams. The 76ers have failed to cover in their last six home games. The game is being nationally televised by ABC so the Warriors should be pumped especially with Stephen Curry in pursuit of the all-time 3-point record.

Michigan is good, but was overrated to begin the season.

Minnesota is just the opposite. The Gophers entered the season with no expectations, but are 7-1 winning their first seven games. They hung in against 19th-ranked Michigan State in its Big Ten opener, losing 75-67.

The Gophers split against Michigan last season.

One thing's for sure here: The Lakers won't be taking the young, rebuilding Thunder for granted.

This is the third meeting between the teams. The Lakers are 0-2 versus Oklahoma City blowing leads of 26 and 19 points.

LA has been playing better after a disappointing November going 3-2 in its last five games. During this span, the Lakers blew out the Kings on the road and Celtics at home. They lost by four to the Clippers, who played their "A" game in that matchup, and last night were flat in a road loss to the Grizzlies.

The Thunder return home winners of two straight road games beating the Pistons and Raptors. It's a rare situation where the Thunder are fat and happy. They also haven't been home in nine days so their focus could be off.

Before their two-game road win streak, the Thunder had lost eight in a row, including a mind-boggling 73-point loss to the Grizzlies three games ago.

This is a huge in-state rivalry game. Iowa State is competitive now thanks to T.J. Otzelberger. He's done a fantastic coaching job. Iowa State is 9-0 after being 2-22 last season before Otzeleberger took over.

The Cyclones have passed every test so far this season, including beating Creighton, 64-58, on the road this past Saturday. That halted a 25-game Iowa State road losing streak.

Iowa is good. No doubt. But the Hawkeyes aren't elite as Big Ten losses to Purdue and Illinois show. The Hawkeyes were outrebounded, 52-23, by the Illini. That's a potential red flag.

This spot sets up well for the Spurs. 

Denver is playing its sixth consecutive road game. This also is the Nuggets' fourth road game in six days. They escaped with an overtime victory against the lowly Pelicans last night. The Nuggets are basically playing an eight-man rotation. Their starters were forced to log big minutes against New Orleans last night.
Denver is 3-7 ATS in its past 10 away contests.

The Spurs had returned home to face the Knicks two days ago following a 2-1 West Coast trip. San Antonio had beaten Portland and Golden State before falling to the Suns in a close matchup. They laid an egg against the Knicks. Gregg Popovich should have the Spurs motivated for this revenge matchup especially now that the Spurs have settled in at home. 

The Grizzlies have won five in a row since their star point guard Ja Morant suffered a knee injury. How are the Grizzlies doing this without their best player? Defense. Memphis has held its last five foes to an average of 90.2 points.

The Mavericks have short revenge for a 97-90 home loss to the Grizzlies from last Saturday. Dallas was without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in that loss. Both are expected to play here. Dallas is in stop-the-pain mode, too, losers of eight of its last 10.

Doncic is a superstar, but the Mavericks are a defensive-minded team. They rank 25th in scoring, but give up the 12th-fewest points. Dallas has a great history of going Under in an underdog role with the Under cashing 22 of the past 30 times.

I'm looking for another tight defensive battle here.

The Timberwolves have shown major improvement this season going 7-1 from Nov. 17-Nov. 29. However, they are 0-3 in their last three games with road losses to the Wizards and Nets and then a bad home loss to the Hawks this past Monday.

Minnesota is going to be up for this game. The Timberwolves aren't likely to get injured D'Angelo Russell back here, but Patrick Beverley is expected to play for the first time in six games. Russell and Beverley are Minnesota's two top point guards. Lack of ball movement hurt the Timberwolves in their loss to Atlanta. That should change with Beverley's return. Beverley also is a top-notch defender. He's one of the more unsung players in the NBA.

The Timberwolves have the scorers to compete with Utah thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

Utah is fat and happy on a four-game win streak. The Jazz haven't been great in this role lately going 2-5 ATS the past seven times as a favorite and covering just one of their past five road games. The Timberwolves are 6-2 ATS the last eight times meeting a foe with a winning record.

I like TCU's current form. The Horned Frogs are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation and have cut down on their turnovers committing 10 or fewer during their last two games.

TCU has held six of its seven opponents to fewer than 65 points.

Utah isn't playing well. The Utes have failed to cover in their last three games as they continue to tinker with their rotation. They are averaging 68.6 points during their past five games.

I want the Lakers going for me in this revenge spot and catching Boston fat and happy.

The Lakers have begun to play better winning four of their last seven games as LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook get more acquainted. The Celtics can't match that star power especially if Jaylen Brown has to miss a third straight game due to a hamstring strain.

The Lakers have been idle since Friday when they suffered a frustrating loss to the Clippers, 119-115. They have been pointing to this matchup since losing, 130-108, on the road to the Celtics on Nov. 19.

Boston is off a 145-117 waltz against the Damian Lillard-less Trail Blazers this past Saturday. The Celtics have been up-and-down under first year head coach Ime Udoka.

Surprised the Knicks opened a road favorite against the Spurs? Don't be. Even though the Knicks are 1-4 in their last five games and have a losing record, the oddsmaker knows what he is doing.

New York has gone against the Nuggets, Bulls, Nets, Hawks and Suns during its last five games. This is a step down in class and a stop-the-pain game for the Knicks. It's a good thing the Knicks are leaving New York after consecutive home losses. They are 19-9 ATS in their last 28 road contests.

The Knicks catch the Spurs returning home having yet to host a game this month. The Spurs are in action for the third time in four days and playing without rest after a hard-fought 108-104 road loss to the Suns last night. New York, on the other hand, had been idle the previous two days.

The Spurs were riding a season-best four-game win streak until losing to the Suns. So their mental approach may be down. Same perhaps with their focus level having not been home since late November.

These are two excellent defenses. The total is this high because Texas Tech ranks 12th in the nation in scoring at 85.4. That is misleading, though, because the Red Raiders have played bad defenses, none of which ranked in the top 75 defensive-wise. Now they take on Tennessee, which allows just 62 points a game and ranks in the top five in defensive efficiency just like last season.

The Red Raiders rank in the top 20 in defensive efficiency, too. This game is part of the Jimmy V. Classic tournament held at Madison Square Garden, which is a notorious venue to college players for its tough scoring backdrop.

No Ja Morant, no problem for the Grizzlies. They are 4-0 since losing their star guard. I don't see that continuing, though, starting with this matchup.

The Heat are 1-3 in their last four games. They were without superstar Jimmy Butler for all of their games. Butler is expected back from a tailbone injury for this game. That should make a huge difference.

Worst case scenario is if Butler has to miss this game. Still, I would back the Heat even if Butler is out banking on Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson.

Miami has played better at home going 6-3. This is the Grizzlies' fourth game in seven days - all at different venues. Morant isn't the only Memphis player out. Underrated Kyle Anderson also is out with a back injury.