Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 223.5 in Charlotte Hornets vs Boston Celtics @ 7:10 ET - Both teams in 2nd game of back to back. Both teams off wins in which they allowed less than 100 points. Historically I like overs a lot in situations like this and I expect some tired legs on the defensive end after giving big efforts to get low-scoring wins yesterday. Adding to the value here is that Jaylen Brown should be back after he missed yesterday's game. It was merely precautionary and Boston only wanted him to play one game of the back to back so this is it. Look for more of a run and gun type of game here after yesterday's grinders for each team. Both teams gave up plenty of points in their first two games this season so one should not over-react to yesterday's surprising results. 10* OVER 223.5 in Charlotte

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #591 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Phoenix Suns @ 9:05 ET - Back to back unders in this series. The only time in this post-season that the Clippers have been at home following back to back unders, the game flew over the total. The only two times that the Suns have been on the road following a streak of 2 or more consecutive unders, each time the game flew over the total. That is a combined 3-0 over trend for these teams that is perfect in this post-season and that I expect to remain perfect here as well. Phoenix, off a loss, will be more aggressive in game 4 and should get more free throw attempts as a result. In Chris Paul's second game back, I expect improvement. Also, the Suns will certainly shoot better than the 39% they shot in game 3 from the field. I certainly don't see them continuing the poor outside shooting that has seen them hit just 16 of 58 threes in the last two games. Phoenix will be much better but LA is on their home floor and looking to even this series up and I see more of a high-scoring game like we saw in Game 1 as a result of the situation and the fact we have got Suns off a loss here. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers 

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Phoenix Suns @ 9:05 ET - I think we can all agree on one thing when it comes to the odds makers and that is...they do a damn good job of making the numbers on a daily basis. That said, the line on this game being in the pick'em range is likely "spot on" in terms of this being a tight game that could go either way late in the final minutes as we have seen with so many of these games in this post-season. That said, I feel we have excellent line value here with this total. The Suns are getting Chris Paul back tonight to lead this offense. Phoenix is buoyed by a 2-0 series lead here and winning Game 2 on a last-season shot. However, even with Kawhi Leonard still out for the Clippers, LA is certainly not going to just lay down here. That said, I am fully expecting a high-scoring game here as the Suns, with Paul back, will push the pace here and look to run the Clippers right out of the building. Keep in mind, Phoenix is on a 9-game winning streak. In the 7 games preceding the tight low-scoring win in Game 2, the Suns had averaged 119 points per game. No, none of those games went to OT either. That said, a 119-118 final here certainly would not be a complete shock and yet this total is in the 221 range. I feel we have a lot of good value in this low number because let us also not forget that Kawhi Leonard is a 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. His absence is absolutely impactful to this D and now they face a healthy Suns team again with Paul coming back. This is going to lead to some extra scoring in my opinion as Phoenix pushes the pace but the Clippers come up big at home too. 10* OVER the total in LA Clippers

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 221.5 in Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 3:35 ET - Kawhi Leonard out for the Clippers. Chris Paul out for the Suns. These are two key absences for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. So what will happen here? Others will step up with them absent. Also, let's not forget about the impact on defense without guys like that on the floor. It changes multiple aspects. That said, people often just tend to look at points scored per game when looking at the absences of key personnel but truly they impact defense, defensive rotations, etc. as well. That said, with the Suns 3-2 to the over last 5 and Clippers 4-1 to the over last 5, I like the over in this match-up! The last two match-ups stayed under the total but had 116 and 110 points, respectively, at the half of each game and should have gone over. Each of the two meetings prior to that this season did go over the total. We're getting some line value here in my opinion as a result of all of the above. 10* OVER the total in Phoenix

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #562 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:35 ET - I just do not see these teams again combining for an unusually high 71 free throw attempts again like they did in Game 3. I also do not expect the torrid shooting of the Sixers to continue on the road. It was very surprising that they did make 48% of their three pointers and 58% from the field overall Friday at Atlanta. The Hawks, now down 2-1 in this series, have to come out strong here but they have averaged only 106.5 points per game last two games. So, the point is, you have Atlanta buckling down a bit for a crucial Game 4 but also having struggled a bit to get big points. Look for a solid under here as, despite 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams resulting in an over, the odds makers have held firm in the mid-220s range with this one for a reason! The point is this game will surprise many by being a bit more of a grinder. 10* UNDER the total in Atlanta

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets @ 3 ET - After the horrific shooting in Game 3 there will be a turnaround in Game 4 for both teams. I know this series has been all unders so far but it does not make sense based on the pace of the games. That said, good pace again here plus much better shooting. I trust the Nets to bounce back and score much better here after the loss in Game 3. Also, the Bucks are known for shooting much better on their home floor and I fully expect that here after the unreal scoring result Thursday. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns @ 10:05 ET - The Nuggets are known for being much tougher to play against when at home and they show a strong tendency to score much better when on their home floor. After back to back frustrating performances on offense on the road in this series, I fully expect Denver to bounce back with a strong effort here and put up big points. They will need it because the Suns have been on fire offensively and that is why the over is on a 10-2 run in Phoenix road games. Prior to Game 2 of this series staying under the total, games between these teams were on an 8-4 run to the over and I look for that trend to quickly resume tonight. The Nuggets respond on their home floor but the Suns continue their red hot scoring trend away from home. 10* OVER the total in Denver

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #575 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - Russell Westbrook (questionable) or not, I do not expect the Wizards to again shoot 2 of 22 from three point land in this one! Washington will be much better in the offensive end at home but they can not stop Philadelphia. The 76ers have averaged 128 points per game in their last 4 against the Wizards. However, it is the wounded dog that bites the hardest (as the saying goes) and I fully expect Washington to hang around in this game which means they will have to score plenty of points to do so. The over was 3-0 in the Sixers last 3 games prior to the Game 2 match-up between these teams staying under the total. Also, the Wizards have scored an average of 130 points per game in their last 3 home games. Look for a very entertaining match-up in this one with plenty of points and that is whether Westbrook plays or not as Philly is known as being a team whose defense often does not "travel well"! 10* OVER the total in Washington

1st Round Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - The Hawks are sure to respond at home off an ugly loss at New York in Game Two. However, New York has scored 55 points and 57 points, respectively, in the 2nd half of each of the first two games. So the Knicks might surprise and put up quite a fight in the 2nd half here but I expect the revenge-minded Hawks to put up a ton of points on their home floor. Atlanta has won 11 straight home games and has scored an average of 120 points per game in those 11 consecutive victories! The Knicks are known for solid defense and holding game scores down but I still feel that the 211 range this total is posted in will prove to be far too low. New York's last 6 meetings with Atlanta, prior to Game Two staying under the total, had produced 5 overs and just 1 under. Look for this high-scoring trend to resume here as the Hawks respond well at home but have trouble putting the Knicks away in the 2nd half. The spread in the range of a -4 seems about right given the way I handicap this game but I feel this total will prove to be far too low. The 6 preceding meetings, including 1 under in the bunch all totaled 212 or more and the last 5 regular season meetings had average halftime point totals of 124. With this being the post-season the totals have been adjusted down but I know how the Hawks want to play this game on their home floor and we should get a solid over here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - With Game One staying under the total by a good margin, we have seen a line move for Game Two. The result is excellent line value with the over because the pace was absolutely there for an over in Game One. The problems included the Heat making just 16 of 49 shots inside the the arc, the Bucks making just 5 of 31 shots from outside the arc, and Milwaukee making just 60% of their free throws. All of these are very unusual statistics and, with a return to normalcy in Game Two, look for this game to feature enough scoring to go over a number that has been adjusted downward for this one! Entering that game Miami road games were on an 8-2 run to the over. Look for that trending to resume in this one! 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Contrarian Crusher NBA 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Houston Rockets @ 7:10 ET - The Hawks likely will be playing a meaningless game when this tips off. If the Knicks, favored by double digits, beat the Celtics in early action then New York locks up the #4 seed. That means Atlanta would be locked into the #5 seed. As for the Rockets, they had a bad season and so you are simply not going to see much defense from either team here given the situation. That said, we should see a ton of points in this on as I like the recent trending of Houston. They are off a SU win plus are on a red hot ATS run to close out the season and they have been doing it with offense, not defense. That is why the over is on a perfect 6-0 run in Rockets games. Also, the O/U is a white hot 9-1 in Houston's last 10 road games. More of the same here as the Hawks are likely to empty the bench in this one and I expect a lot of points as a result. This game simply highly likely to be played casually with a lot of open looks at the basket and plenty of run and gun looking for quick scoring chances. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #527 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls @ 1:10 ET - This game could be all about the "show" as the Nets can no longer win the top seed in the East as Philly locked that up yesterday but Brooklyn will have their Big 3 on the floor all at the same time in a rarity this season. With Harden, Durant, and Irving all available there should be plenty of points in this one. The Bulls are simply playing out the string on a disappointing season and will not put up much resistance here. At the same time, the Nets are unlikely to play intense defense as they save that for the playoffs. All that said though, Brooklyn is a double digit favorite here with good reason and I expect this one to turn into a high-scoring shootout. There is a reason this total is set so high even though recent match-ups between these teams have trended under and even though both these teams enter this game having been trending under in recent weeks. As long-time followers know, I am a contrarian and that continues here as this game should get nuts with the points and surprise a lot of people. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:10 ET - The Wizards are a high-scoring team coming off an under which was preceded by 6 straight overs and, overall, a run of 9-2 to the over. I know Cleveland trends toward lower-scoring games but Washington is going to dictate the pace and flow of this game on their home floor. Also, the Cavaliers had averaged 112 points per game in 3 preceding meetings with Wizards prior to a poor 2nd half of scoring leading to their most recent meeting staying under the total. Washington hasn't exactly been playing stellar defense of late and their biggest concern appeared to be getting Russell Westbrook his triple-double record rather than winning games. In any event, Washington does still need one more win to lock up a spot in the post-season and I am sure they will look to "run and gun" their way to victory in this one. That means more points than usual from a short-handed Cleveland team simply playing out the string in a disappointing season. That means very little defensive intensity in this one and the Wizards will be happy to run up the score on the way to a playoff-clinching victory as it would cement them having a spot in the upcoming play-in tournament. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic @ 7:40 ET - Neither team shot well in Orlando's loss at Milwaukee Tuesday but the game still totaled 216 points. This followed a game in which the Magic allowed 128 points but the game stayed under the total. This was on the heels of a 12-2 run to the over in Orlando's games. One of the few unders in that stretch was a loss at Atlanta that was on pace for an over as of halftime but both teams shot poorly overall for the game. This ended a streak of 3 straight overs in this series and I fully expect the high-scoring ways to resume today. The Hawks are trying to secure the #4 spot in the East but they sure as hell are not playing defense in hopes of doing so. Now these tired defensive legs are playing the 2nd night of a back to back and 3rd game in 4 days and Atlanta has allowed 124.3 points per game last 3 games. The Magic have allowed 124 points per game last 4 games. Orlando has nothing to play for other than pride and the fast pace played at Milwaukee is very likely to be repeated here. Look for plenty of points as a result as both teams have been giving up a ton of points as of late. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Denver Nuggets @ 7 ET - The over is 4-1 in last 5 meetings between these teams. Denver has scored at least 110 points in 8 of last 9 games. The Nuggets have averaged 118 points in those 8 games. The Hornets have scored 107 points or more in 7 of last 10 games. Overall, Charlotte has averaged 110 points per game in these 10 games. Given the history between these teams and the fact this is a non-conference match-up and the recent high-scoring trending for each team, this total is set too low. Grab the value on the high side of this one! 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #520 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:40 ET - I know both these teams have been trending over of late but Cleveland has averaged only 97 points the last 3 games. Also, though the over has cashed in 4 of last 9 meetings and 2 of last 3 the two most recent totals averaged just 221 points and neither would have gone over given the current total (231) posted on this game. In other words, the O/U trend in this series could easily be 7 unders and 2 overs the last 9 games. Either way, with Indiana having a much tougher game (Philly) on deck for tomorrow night, I could easily see the Pacers taking a bit of an "off night" for their recent torrid scoring pace. That said, good value here with a very high total set on this game when you consider the recent low point totals produced by the Cavaliers on offense. The Pacers are only about a 7 point favorite here for a reason and the Cavs just do not score a whole lot. If the oddsmakers are right about this spread, that would mean Cleveland would have to score 112 for this game to go over the total. The Cavaliers have been held to 110 points or less in 14 of last 16 games! 10* UNDER the total in Cleveland

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #569 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:10 ET - The Sixers could rest some players here, particularly Joel Embiid, coming off last night's game. However, keep in mind, people always seem to underestimate the defensive value of a player like that. So the total drops in cases like this but yet the weakened defense is an issue. Last night Philadelphia and New Orleans had a high-scoring game through early 4th quarter but then the game just died at that point and stayed under the total. Why? Because it ended up being a tight game late with key possessions featuring plenty of defense during the stretch run of the 4th quarter. I just do not see this game playing out that way. 7 of the last 8 meetings between the Pistons and 76ers have resulted in an over and I do not expect much defense in this one. Philly expended a lot of energy on the defensive end and now hosts a Detroit team that is simply playing out the string on the season. In other words, what do they care about defense? Exactly! So even though the Pistons come in on off a couple of unders and overall trending under in recent weeks, the play here is the over as these teams make it 8 overs in the last 9 meetings. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #548 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:10 ET - The 76ers, not including OT points of course, have allowed just 99 points per game during their current 6-game winning streak. Philadelphia is favored by 9 here. A 108-99 final would fall 20 points below the current number posted on this game. Certainly I am not saying it will necessarily be that low-scoring but the Pelicans do have some injury issues here and Philly wants revenge for losing the 1st meeting between these teams this season. By the way, that game totaled only 195 points. The 76ers have lowly Pistons on deck for tomorrow so they will be fully focused on the defensive end in this one and the Pelicans have another non-conference match-up on deck for Sunday so New Orleans should bring a fully focused effort on the defensive end for this one as well. The Pelicans have stayed under in 6 of last 7 games and the only over in that stretch was an OT game. It did go over in regulation but not by much and the point is that the Pelicans recent averages were skewed a bit by the one outlier game last 7 games. The other 6 games saw New Orleans allow an average of 108 points and score 111 points on average. That is a 219 average and, again, well below the posted total on this game. 10* UNDER the total in Philadelphia

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:10 ET - The O/U is a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times these teams have met at Charlotte. The Bulls have not been scoring well recently but they should get a big boost tonight. It will be the first time in a long time that both Lavine and Vucevic will be on the floor together. They are both expected to play tonight and you will see a different Chicago team tonight than you have seen in quite some time. Though I expect this to result in the Bulls scoring much better than they have been, I also expect the Hornets to score well. Charlotte has averaged 111 points per game last 6 home games. Bulls are favored here by a bucket or so for a reason. In other words, based on the above, you can why this game is likely to get into the mid-220s and yet we are dealing with a total in the 217 range as an opener. I will grab the value for a top play. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #515 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - The Magic are 14-4 to the over last 18 games. The Celtics are 5-0 to the over last 5 games. The most recent match-up between these teams resulted in an under but this followed a run of 3 straight overs in meetings between Orlando and Boston. Not only are the Celtics 5-0 to the over last 5 games, the Magic are 5-0 to the over last 5 home games. I am going to test these two perfect trends here and look for a very high-scoring game in this one as Orlando does tend to shoot the 3-ball much better when at home. The Celtics, not including OT, have averaged 120.5 points per game last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #565 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic @ 7:10 ET - There are two teams that have already been eliminated from post-season contention in the Eastern Conference and here they are matched up against each other. The result? Very little defense because, seriously, who cares about this game? It should be played very freely and openly and the odds makers know this. They opened up this total higher than the closing line of the total in the first two match-ups. Both those games stayed under the total by a double digit margin. That said, why would this game have a higher total than those two games given the results of those games? Exactly! The point is that the odds maker knows the same thing we know here. There should not be a lot of defensive intensity in this one. By the way, the over is 13-4 in Orlando's last 17 games. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #529 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons @ 7 ET - Long-time followers know I use this theory a lot. The theory I am talking about is that when a lot of players are out for teams the betting markets automatically adjust for the "points per game" that are out of the lineup when the reality is that defense, rebounding, and flow of the game is impacted too. A lot of times teams become a little disorganized and you see less structure and more of just going up an down the floor quickly and trying to get quick shots with good looks at the basket. That is what I expect to see here. I know the first meeting stayed under the total but that was largely because of one horrific quarter in terms of scoring. In EACH of the other 3 quarters the teams combined to put up least 52 points and average in the upper 50s per quarter. That said, also consider the lack of motivation for the Pistons to play much defense here. The season is almost over and it has been a bad one for Detroit so why would they aggressively D up here? Exactly! The Pistons have allowed 119 points per game last 8 road games. The Hornets have allowed an average of 111 points per game last 8 games overall. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Dallas Mavericks @ 7:10 ET - Each team has some injury question marks heading into this one but I feel that has given us  solid line value heading into this one. The total has simply been set low to adjust for the injuries but both Porzingis and Richardson for Dallas have missed each of the last 3 games but were upgraded from doubtful to questionable for this one. Also, even without those guys, the Mavericks have averaged 116 points per game last 3 games. The Pistons Josh Jackson is not on the injury report for this one after missing Monday's game with an illness and so I am expecting him back for this one. Detroit has some extra confidence after getting the win over Sacramento on Monday. The Pistons have covered 6 of their last 9 games so, even though their season has been miserable, Detroit has been competitive recently. That also makes me like the over even more here and the Pistons have scored an average of 110 points last 13 games. Dallas is about an 8 point favorite here and you see the two scoring averages I mentioned above. 117 to 109 would sound about right for this game if the odds makers are right about the spread. Note that this final score would put the total double digits above what the odds makers have posted. In other words, line value! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 7:10 ET - Neither of these teams has been playing particularly well on the defensive end to say the least. Indiana, not including OT points of course, has allowed an average of 119 points per game last 13 games. Portland has allowed an average of 115 points per game last 11 games. That only puts this game right around the number of 234 for the point total but that would be if this was an "average" game but I do not expect that to be the case here. This is a non-conference match-up which can bring a decrease in defensive intensity and both teams have proven, especially in recent games, they are happy to play at a faster pace. Look for a up tempo game here with both teams willing to employ the "run and gun" approach in this one. Both teams shot uncharacteristically poor from 3-point land in the first meeting and it stayed well under the total. That game total was 228 and it stayed under by 30 points as it totaled only 198. Yet here we have a total posted a half-dozen points higher even though the first game missed going over the total by a mile. What does that tell you? Exactly! The odds makers are quite sharp...but we are too! 10* OVER the total in Indiana

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #522 Sunday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Portland Trail Blazers vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 4:10 ET - This game starts at 1 pm local time and sometimes you see some poor shooting in earlier start times particularly on a weekend. What I like the most about this situation is this total has just kept climbing and climbing in match-ups between these teams this season. I realize that the over is 3-0 last 3 meetings but now this total was posted at a 235.5 and it has simply gone too far in my opinion. Yes, these teams totaled 258 on Friday but I consider that to be an aberration. Note that Portland's 8 games preceding that one all totaled 225 points or less. 8 straight games with 225 points or less and now we are seeing a total posted on this game that is 10 points higher than that. I realize that the Grizzlies have been scoring a lot of points of late but the Trail Blazers will be ready to play some better defense here after allowing Memphis to shoot 53% from the field in a home loss for Portland on Friday. It is a revenge game for the Blazers and while I do not trust them to get the win because they have lost 4 straight games and 8 of 10, I do expect some better play on the defensive end in this one. Good value here on a total that has simply gone too far. 10* UNDER the total in Portland

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors @ 1:10 ET - Each of the first two meetings between these teams this season have gone under the the total and that is keeping this total lower than it should be. Also, this total has made a downward move already which is offering us additional value. The O/U opened up at a 217.5 and is now down to a 215 as of early gameday morning. The last meeting was a 102-96 low-scoring loss for Toronto. However, the Raptors enter this game loaded with confidence courtesy of a 4-game winning streak which has seen them average 114 points per game! Speaking of confidence and winning streaks, New York has won 8 straight games and, not including OT points, has averaged 112.4 points per game during this winning streak. As you can see, if these teams just hit their recent averages you are looking at this game landing the 225 to 230 range and we are working with a total much lower than that. Also, small line on this game which means it is expected to be a tight finish which means we could some late scramble points - a lot of late fouling from the losing team followed by jacking up quick threes to try and close the gap. I do not think we'll need that but that also helps the value aspect of this play should it come down to that. The Raptors are 5-1 to the over the last 6 times they have been a dog and the Knicks are on a 5-1 run to the over their last 6 games. 10* OVER the total in New York

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Washington Wizards @ 8:10 ET - The Wizards have won 6 in a row and the Thunder have lost 12 in a row so, of course, this match-up caught my attention. However, just like I can't trust Oklahoma City to stay within 9 points here I also can't trust Washington to win by double digits on the road. Indeed a big number hung on this one by the odds makers in terms of the spread. What I do like here is the over because you have the stronger and hotter team on the road and you know they should score like crazy here and, at the same time, the home team should "get theirs" as they play loose and relaxed at home. Note that the Thunder are allowing 123 points per game during their losing streak. The Wizards are allowing 116 points per game last 10 road games. I could easily see this game getting to the 240 range and it is priced in the 230 range. Keep in mind, Washington has averaged 120.5 points during their current win streak and now take on a team not playing solid defense to say the least. Quite a track meet likely here. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 10* OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic @ 7:30 ET - This is typical as a few injury issues in this one and so the first move on the total is from 221 to as low as 218.5 and what makes me laugh about this is that you always see this even for lesser known players. The public just assumes "oh they are missing this guy averaging 10 points or game, etc" but never factor in maybe a guys absence hurts a teams defense or their rebounding as far as clearing the glass on defense, etc. All that said, the fact is that when a line moves I like to look for value on the other side and if it is there I take it. This is one of those cases. Orlando has gone over the total in 4 straight games and 8 of its last 10. The over is 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams and 3 of the last 4 meetings at Atlanta have gone over the total. Magic allowing 119 points per game last 9 games. Hawks allowing 113 points per game last 6 games. Also, those two perfect trends above combine for a 7-0 / 100% double perfect situation we are testing here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Central Div Total of the Year - NBA Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:10 ET - When it gets late in the season I like to look at match-ups like this one for overs. These two teams are at the bottom of the central division. They are going nowhere this season and they know it. Where is the motivation to play defense? Exactly! Not only that, these teams have a history of high-scoring games when they match-up. Each of the last NINE meetings have gone over. That's right, a 9-0 / 100% PERFECT over run! Each team is allowing 111 points per game this season and about 48% from the field and 37%/38% from three point land. In other words, neither of these teams have been strong on the defensive end this season. I realize that this match-up does not feature the most skilled offensive players in the NBA to say the least but that is factored into this low posted total too which I feel strongly will prove to be far too low. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #567 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers @ 1:10 ET - The Pacers are off an under at Utah but, of course, the Jazz are known for playing tough defense particularly when at home and particularly when healthy. That was a great spot for the Jazz to go into shutdown mode. Now Indiana faces a team that is willing to run the floor with them and I am expecting plenty of points here. The Pacers were on an 8-3 run to the over in road games before that under at Utah. Also, 4 of the last 5 times Indiana has visited Atlanta, the result has been an over. The Hawks have not been scoring as well last few games but a lot of that had to do with who they were facing. Now they are hosting a Pacers team which has allowed an average of 122 points per game in regulation time of its last 8 games. The first total on this one off shore was a 238 and it has since dropped to a 234.5 which means additional line value here as well. The Hawks could get John Collins back for this one also. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

ESPN Smash Pass - NBA Rotation #555 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz @ 4:40 ET - I am aware of the injury situations with these teams but the first total released on this game was 219 and now we're seeing 216. This is leading to value with the over. The Jazz are in a back to back spot after hosting Indiana yesterday. That was the 5th time in last 7 games that Utah has allowed 111 points or more. Utah scored 119 yesterday and that is also their average points scored the last 8 games. You can see where I am going with this one. That right there is calling for a 119 to 111 final here in this one just like yesterday's game. Of course I am not saying that will be the score but just saying we could very easily be in the 230 range here which means a lot of value with this rather low posted total. Utah's most recent 2nd game of a back to back was a low-scoring win over the Thunder but their 5 preceding 2nd of 2 situations in a back to back saw each game total at least 225 points! The Lakers enter this game on a 5-1 run to the over. 10* OVER the total in LA Lakers

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #525 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:40 ET - I am aware of the Giannis injury situation but the Bucks played without him yesterday at Minnesota and still put up 130 points. I am also aware of the Trae Young injury situation and do expect him back today but, even if he does not play, the Hawks should score well here. They had 66 points at half-time Tuesday. Even through 3 quarters they were still on pace to score 120 in that game. But a poor 4th quarter nearly cost them game against the Raptors. Now back home for this one, I expect them to be much better in terms of strong scoring throughout. Getting Young back would simply be an added boost and I am expecting him back but like this one to fly over the total either way. The Bucks are 12-6 to the over last 18 games. Their most recent match-up with the Hawks totaled 244 points. Atlanta is off back to back unders but this is on the heels of a 7-2 run to the over including each of the Hawks last two home games going over the total. This one will too. 8* OVER the total in Atlanta

Contrarian Total of the Year - NBA Rotation #571 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - With all the injuries for both teams, including Trae Young being questionable for the Hawks, we are getting a low total here. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the public perception here and going with the over regardless of who is on the floor. That's because the set up here is perfect. Each team is off an under but each team faced an opponent that trends toward lower scoring games. Atlanta faced the Hornets and Toronto faced the Knicks. Prior to the under in most recent game, the over was on a 7-2 overall run and 5-0 road game run in Hawks games. Prior to the under in most recent game, the Raptors had gone over the total in 3 straight games. Look for these teams to resume the high-scoring ways now that they are matched up against each other. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

ESPN Smash Pass - NBA Rotation #559 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Dallas Mavericks vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:35 ET - The last time these teams met the game stayed under the total but the posted total was 227.5 points and now we are dealing with a posted total nearly ten points below that! I know the Sixers are on an under trend but I feel this total has been adjusted too far down compared to the prior meeting in late February. Keep in mind, the Mavericks are in a back to back but they lost versus San Antonio yesterday and are 9-1 SU the last 10 times when off a SU loss. They are going to bring a strong effort here and have averaged scoring 116.5 points the last 6 times when off a loss. The Sixers are averaging 110 points per game their last 11 road games. Each team should get to at least 110 here and that puts this game well past the posted total. The 76ers know the Mavericks are in 2nd game of a back to back and will push the tempo here and try to run them right out of the arena and wear them down in doing so. Good pace to this one. 10* OVER the total in Dallas

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #533 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Atlanta Hawks @ 1:05 ET - The spread and total jumped some this morning as injury news is breaking, etc. But you see this so many times and so often playing the other side of the move is the way to go as the opposite impact of the news is what actually ends up occurring. So in this case the total dropped from a 221.5 to a 218.5 early this morning and I will not hesitate to get involved and fade the move. I am aware there are injury issues but others will step up and so often these situations lead to more points than you would expect as there tends to be some sloppy basketball that leads to quick transition opportunities for each offense. Looking at the recent facts here, the Hornets have extra confidence from back to back wins and having won 7 of 10 games. They have scored at least 113 points in each of their last 4 wins. The Hawks are on a 7-2 run to the over and have scored an average of 122 points their last 6 games. More of the same expected here. I know the first two meetings this season went under but the totals were 232.5 then 228.5 and now we have 218.5 which is offering us great value here. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #583 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers are playing with more confidence right now as they enter this game off back to back wins in which they scored an average of 127 points per game. The Raptors could get Lowry back for this one but even if he does not return, they did not have him when they scored 130 against Golden State in what is part of a 4-game stretch which has seen Toronto average 112 points per game. This is a late-season match-up (only 20 games left roughly for each team) between a pair of clubs that know their playoff hopes are all but finished. These are the kind of games I like to look for a bit of let-up in defensive intensity and loose, relaxed play on the offensive end that often leads to strong shooting performance. Cavs off back to back big wins with a lot of points scored and the Raptors will be ready to match them bucket for bucket here in an entertaining game between two teams "playing out the string" on this season. Per all of the above, this total is set too low in my opinion. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #505 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Chicago Bulls @ 8:10 ET - I am aware of all the players listed on the injury report for each team. However, couple comments here. As for Atlanta, I do expect Clint Capela to play as the reason he sat out the most recent game was an Achilles injury but also had a lot to do with it being a back to back situation. Also, the Bulls players listed are not key guys. That said, I am expecting plenty of points in this one as Chicago has a lot of confidence off 3 straight wins and facing an Atlanta team without a few guys for this one. The Bulls have scored at least 113 points in 4 of their last 5 games. The Hawks, even without John Collins have scored an average of 118 points (not including OT) in their last 5 games. This one should get close to the 235 mark the way I see it but it is priced near the 225 mark. We'll take it. The only other match-up this season stayed under the total even though the teams combined for 142 points in the first half. After that statistical anomaly look for this one to be high-scoring in more than just the first half! The over improves to 7-2 in the Hawks last 9 games. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #575 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:35 ET - I am aware of all the players listed on the injury report for each team. However, couple comments here. As for Toronto, hardly any of those guys contributed to the 130 points the Raptors recently scored in a home win. Also, the Bulls players listed are not key guys. That said, I am expecting plenty of points in this one as Chicago has a lot of confidence off back to back wins and facing a Toronto team without Lowry and that could also be missing VanVleet for this one. The Bulls have scored at least 113 points in 3 of their last 4 games. The Raptors have scored an average of 111 points their last 3 home games and, going further back, an average of 115 points their last 8 home games. This one should get close to the 230 mark the way I see it but it is priced near the 220 mark. We'll take it. This is a match-up of two teams with losing records on the season and I just do not expect a tremendous amount of defensive intensity in this one. Look for just the opposite actually. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Southwest Div Total of the Year - NBA Rotation #553 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks @ 8:05 ET - The Mavericks are off a huge win versus the Jazz and held them to 103 points. After beating one of the best in the west they now have a game on deck against the Bucks which is one of the best teams in the east. Do you really think they are going to be focused on defensive play against a Rockets team that is 13-37 this season? I know that Houston is an in-state division rival but the fact is the Rockets stink this season. That means plenty of points in this one as the Mavericks can freely "run and gun" in this game and still easily prevail. I also like the fact that Houston is 3-0 to the over their last 3 home games. The Rockets scored an average of 118.3 points per game in those contests but have allowed 126.6 points per game their last 5 games overall. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Houston

Earliest Dominator - NBA Rotation #517 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - When a team is entering a game off a very unusual result, things usually quickly return to normal and yet we get line value because of the prior result. In this case that applies to both teams. Toronto is off a win in which they allowed only 77 points. On the season they are allowing 112 points per game, 35 points more than that, so you know what is coming here. The Wizards are, ironically, off back to back games in which they scored 91 points or less each time. On the season, Washington is averaging 114 points per game. Again, you know what is coming here. These are two bad teams that are not known for playing good defense and, in fact, just looking at their 7 most recent meetings...all 7 have gone over the total. More of the same here! 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Big East Beast - NBA Rotation #563 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Dallas Mavericks @ 7:10 ET - Wizards off an embarrassing low-scoring beatdown at Detroit. However, in their last 7 home games they averaged 119 points. The Mavericks are favored here. That means if Washington hits their reason home average but loses like they are expected to there then this total gets into the 240s. That said I feel we do have some solid line value here as the Wizards have allowed 120 points or more in 9 of last 13 games. The Mavericks off a very low-scoring win at New York last night but had scored an average of 120 points per game in their 7 preceding road games. With each team off rare games where they did not even get to the century mark in points scored, look for a high-scoring wild one tonight. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Earliest Dominator - CBB Rotation #801 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baylor Bears vs Houston Cougars @ 5:14 ET - All you hear talked about in this match-up is how strong these defenses are. However, Baylor has averaged 83 points per game this season and Houston has averaged 77 points per game this season. Something is going to have to give here and I think many will be surprised that there will be more scoring than expected. I know the Cougars are on a run of 3 straight unders but that had a lot to do with who they were playing. Previous to this, the over was on a 6-2 run in Houston games. Also, the over is on a 7-2 run in Baylor games and the Bears have scored at least 74 points in 8 of last 9 games. If they hit 74 again here and the odds makers are close with the 5 point spread than this game lands in the mid-140s. Indeed it does! 10* OVER the total in Baylor

Big East Beast - NBA Rotation #545 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets @ 7:40 ET - I do not expect much defense in this non-conference battle. The last time these teams met the game totaled 241 points. The Boston defense has not been what it once was this season and they enter this game having allowed at least 113 points in 5 of last 6 games. Houston has plenty of problems as we all know as they just endured a horrific long losing streak and poor defensive play has a lot to do with it. The Rockets are allowing 115 points per game on the road this season. 4 of Houston's last 6 road games have totaled at least 228 points and I am confident this one gets into the 230s as the Celtics are in need of a blowout win and will not take their foot off the gas in this one. 10* OVER the total in Boston

#655 CBB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Cougars vs Oregon State Beavers @ 7:15 ET - We are getting a lower total than we should in my opinion. The number on this one has moved down from its opener too. The recent results for each of these teams have forced an over-reaction in the marketplace so lets take a closer look at this. The Beavers just faced a Loyola-Chicago team known for low-scoring games and that one still totaled 123 points. Prior to that low-scoring win - impressive that Oregon State scored 65 on a tough Ramblers defense - the Beavers had scored an average of 72.5 points per game their preceding 8 games. That does not include any OT points in the average and they scored at least 67 points in all 8 games. Oregon State is an 8 point dog in this game. Even if the Beavers scored only 65 like they did against Loyola that would still put this game in the upper 130s if the odds makers are correct about the Cougars being an 8 point favorite here (73-65 final using that example). Shifting focus to Houston for a minute, I am well aware they play solid defense but their overall point totals have been impacted by recent match-ups. The Cougars last two games were against the vaunted zone defense of Syracuse and a scrappy Rutgers team known for physicality and making teams really earn their points. So what happened prior to these two games? Houston won 8 straight games and scored at least 76 points in all but one of the wins! I am not saying this game will be high-scoring but the point is that it does not have to be high scoring to go over this low total. Given all of the above stats you can see why I am expecting this one to get closer to the 140 range and yet we're talking about a total posted in the upper 120s as of game day morning. I will take it! 10* OVER the total in Houston

8* OVER the total in Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 3 ET - In this battle of the Bulldogs I am going with the over after getting burned by the over in Mississippi State's tight win over Richmond. That game fell just short of going over the total but look for this one to make up for it. Most books have Mississippi State favored by 1 here and the fact is that Louisiana Tech has had only one ugly scoring performance (versus North Texas) of late. In Louisiana Tech's other 8 most recent games, they have scored at least 69 points all 8 games. In fact the average points scored in those 8 games was 79.4 points! Given the above as well as the spread on this game, don't be surprised if each team gets into the 70s here and we have a solid over as a result. 8* OVER the total in Louisiana Tech

Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 7:40 ET - This total has dropped from the low 220s down to as low as 218 as of early game day morning. The Blazers are off back to back unders but allowed an average of 124 points per game so there is value baked into today's total. Portland has allowed an average of 122.3 points per game their last 3 games. The Heat are off back to back unders on their home floor but this was on the heels of a 5-2 run to the over in Miami home games. The Heat have had 1 low-scoring effort on their home floor last 9 games but averaged 111.1 points per game in the other 8 games. As for Portland, they have had 1 low-scoring effort their last 11 games but have scored an average of 117.5 points per game the other 10 games. More of the same expected here and this one should get into the upper 220s for a point total as you can see so we have excellent value with the over here. The over is a long-term 16-6 in meetings between these teams in Miami and the two meetings last season saw the Heat and Trail Blazers combine to average 228.5 points per game. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #611 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Richmond Spiders vs Mississippi State Bulldogs @ 6 ET - I am aware of the Spiders injury situation here but this was also the case heading into their game versus Toledo last week in this tourney. I successfully used Richmond in that one but here I am going with the over instead. The point is the Spiders can score just fine even though Golden is out and Francis might miss again but, the thing is, I do not trust their defense in this match-up. Richmond has allowed an average of 69 points per game this season as they allow a very high shooting percentage (46%) from the field. The under has cashed 5 straight times in Spiders games but 4 of the 5 totaled more than the total posted on this game! Value here as a result! Mississippi State has scored at least 71 points in 3 of its last 4 games. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in the Bulldogs last 5 games with another high-scoring game here. Mississippi State has allowed 76 points per game their last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Richmond

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:10 ET - The Thunder are in a back to back spot after a high-scoring win at Houston yesterday. Speaking of high-scoring, OKC has allowed 116 points per game the last 5 times when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Now they face a Timberwolves team that will be fired up at home after a road loss that stayed under the total. Minnesota can score well for sure and was on an 8-2 run to the over prior to the loss at Phoenix. The Wolves have allowed an average of 124 points their last 11 games and they are the favorite here too! That said, you can see where I am going with this one. Minny gives up a ton of points but, per the odds makers, are expected to win this game. As a result, this one should fly over the total rather easily. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #819 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Ohio Bobcats @ 6:10 ET - The Bobcats made it to this point for one key reason. Ohio University has a very explosive offense. Ohio enters this game having scored an average of 80 points per game on the season. This is even after their low-scoring upset win over Virginia to reach this point. Keep in mind, the Cavaliers are known for defense so that game was a battle of each team trying to impose their own style and Virginia, of course, would not run and gun with the Bobcats. However, Creighton absolutely will! The Bluejays have a high-scoring offense given the right match-up and this is one of those match-ups! Creighton if off 3-straight low-scoring games but this is still a team that has averaged 77 points per game on the season. Now in their 2nd game of this tournament, the Bluejays will shoot much better. That said, this should fly over the total as the Bobcats want to play up-tempo and will be ready for an explosive game after dealing with the frustration of facing the Cavaliers defense. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks @ 3:40 ET - Another total that has made a downward movement and that I expect to prove to be a mistake. The Lakers have averaged 118 points per game their last 7 games. The Hawks have scored at least 115 points in 5 of last 6 games. 118 to 115 Lakers over Atlanta is very close to the spread on this game and yet that puts the final score about a dozen points above the posted total. Perhaps little value with the side but that is a lot of value with the O/U. Enough said! 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Lakers 

Big East Beast Top Total - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #767 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos @ 3:30 ET - As usual I am fading the masses here. This total opened up at a 140.5 and is now down to as low as a 137 as of early game day morning. I fully understand that Creighton is off back to back low-scoring games but, when this happened during the season the Bluejays responded with a big performance in the 3rd game. Look for that to be the case again here and note that the Gauchos can score right along with them. UCSB averaged 75 points this season while Creighton averaged 77 points per game this season. Both teams are strong from outside the arc and fire up plenty of threes. Cal Santa Barbara averaged 77.2 points per game in a 5-0 win streak to close out the season. The Bluejays, prior to a tough 2-game stretch offensively in the Big East tournament, averaged 90 points over 2 previous games. Look for this game to have a good pace with a lot of quick points in transition. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #565 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings @ 7:40 ET - This total has been dropping all morning but this has led to great value in this one in my opinion. The Kings have scored at least 110 points in 20 of their last 21 games and none of those went to OT! Sacramento has scored 117 points per game during this stretch. However, the Kings are a 7 point dog here. So that would put this game at about 124-117 and a total above the 240 mark. Can we really expect Boston to get into that range though? You bet...literally! Sacramento has allowed an average of 123 points per game their last 17 games and, again, none of those went into overtime! Also, the Celtics last 6 victories, none going to OT, did see them average 122 points. Look for this one to be very high-scoring and I am happy to fade the line move and grab the resulting extra line value. 10* OVER the total in Boston 

ACC Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #727 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in North Carolina Tar Heels vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7:10 ET - I am well aware of the fact that Wisconsin plays solid defense and has been known for scoring troubles at the other end at times this season. However, North Carolina is going to force the tempo here. The Tar Heels do not want this game to turn into a half-court battle. Also, UNC can score plenty in transition and even at the risk of getting sloppy and seeing buckets going the other way. I simply do not see the Heels sitting back on their heels here! It will be full speed ahead and getting quick looks at the buckets including easy looks for their big men down low. The Badgers are a streaky shooting team and I see this is as being one of their better games. Why? Well UNC allowed 36% three pointers away from home this season. By the way, Wisconsin allowed 44.4% shooting from the field when away from Madison this season. Also, North Carolina allowed 69 points or more in 6 of their last 7 games. Their most recent game stayed under the total but the Tar Heels entered that game on a 6-2 run to the over. Also, the Badgers are off an under but this followed a 4-0 run to the over in Wisconsin games in which they allowed at least 73 points in all 4 games. Also, the Badgers ugly game against Iowa was preceded by a 5-game stretch in which they scored at least 68 in all 5 games. Look for each team to get to 70 here in a match-up that will surprise many in terms of the pace it is played at. 10* OVER the total in North Carolina

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards game last night was on pace for 260 points as they had 195 points through 3 quarters for a 65 point quarterly average. Inexplicably, the 4th quarter totaled just 45 points and the game stayed under the total. This followed back to back overs for Washington and the 240 total points scored still would have gone over the total which is posted on tonight's game. In fact, I feel we're retaining some line value here thanks to yesterday's game staying under the total. Now it is the Jazz in town to face the Wizards and Utah is off an under but this was preceded by a 10-4 run to the over in their last 14 games. The Jazz have averaged 120 points per game, not including OT points, last 9 games. The Wizards have averaged 120 points per game their last 9 home games. This one should get well into the 240s and make up for last night's surprising finish when the Wizards hosted the Kings. I am aware Westbrook might miss this game for Washington but they have scored an average of 122 points per game in the 3 home games he has missed this season. I am aware Conley might miss this game for Utah but the Jazz have scored an average of 122.5 points per game in the last 6 games he has missed. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Atlantic Div Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks @ 8:05 ET - The Knicks are in a back to back spot here. Their 5-point loss at Brooklyn last night did go over the total. The over is 7-1 in New York's last 8 games. Joel Embiid is currently out for the 76ers and that certainly impacts the interior defense of this team. Overall, Philadelphia has been trending over of late. The over is 5-1 in their last 6 games. Also, the Sixers have a big game against the Bucks on deck. Looking ahead to a showdown with an East challenger certainly will not help the level of the defensive intensity for Philly in this one. Yes the Knicks are a divisional foe but Philadelphia has a long winning streak against New York and could get caught looking ahead to tomorrow's game versus Milwaukee. The Knicks have averaged 111.5 points per game their last 4 games. The 76ers are averaging 127.2 points per game in regulation time of their last 5 games. More of the same expected here as this one flies over the total. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #543 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are off an ATS win but SU loss in their 1st game after the break. Though they came up just short of the outright upset there I do expect Detroit to continue to play better now that the Blake Griffin situation is behind them. Griffin actually went to the Nets but has been ruled out of this game with continued left knee issues. The fact is that the Pistons should have another respectable game here like they did at Charlotte but I also don't see them stopping Brooklyn. The Nets have played 4 of their last 6 games at home and in this stretch dating back to the final week of February, Brooklyn has won 5 of the 6 games and averaged 124 points per game in regulation time of the 5 victories. More of the same expected here but they are about an 11 point favorite here. A 124-113 type game sounds about right here and that puts this one nearly 10 points above the line. I will take it. Keep in mind the Nets had to raise their defensive intensity some in a bigger game versus the Celtics Thursday. Don't be surprised if you see a dropoff in level of defense played in this one as the Pistons have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #619 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - Not only did each of the Big East semi-final games involving these teams stay under the total, they did not even come close to going over. However, the Hoyas did allow 62 shots from the field to Seton Hall yesterday but the Pirates had a horrible shooting performance. As for the Bluejays game, they also took 62 shots but shot poorly and they faced a Connecticut team that also shot very poorly. Give some credit to the defensive play as well but this situation falls into the "I have seen this movie before" category! After a pair of low-scoring games yesterday, the betting markets are now backing the under here and yet we'll see much better shooting today and a great pace to this game. Like I said, I have seen situations like this in the past and this is so often how it ends up playing out. The posted total on the two games between these teams in each of the two regular season meetings was in the 150 to 152 range and now you have a total on this one dipping into the low 140s. This is a value spot. The last meeting between these teams totaled just 111 points which is also leading to line value here. The teams entered that game on a 3-0 run to the over in their meetings and had totaled at least 151 points in 4 consecutive meetings. By the way, Creighton had averaged 90 points per game in their 2 games immediately preceding yesterday's low-scoring win. As for Georgetown, they had averaged 72.4 points per game in their 5 games preceding yesterday's low scoring win. The Bluejays are favored by 9 points here and that puts this game in the 82-73 range or mid-150s which is well above where this total is now. Lets take advantage. 10* OVER the total in Big East Championship Game

Big East Beast Top Total - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #849 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Connecticut Huskies @ 9 ET - These teams are both on fire right now and I don't see that slowing down here. The Huskies have been a different team since James Bouknight came back. Connecticut enters this game on a 5-game winning streak and has averaged scoring 81.2 points per game during this win streak. Overall the Huskies have won 7 of 8 games and have averaged 80.6 points per game in the 7 wins. Now UConn faces a Creighton team which is off back to back wins in which they have averaged scoring 90 points per game. Also, the Bluejays have scored at least 77 points in each of their last 4 wins and that includes a victory over Villanova in which the Jays scored 86 points. I just don't see either team being stopped here today as they are both loaded with confidence right now in the offensive end and that means plenty of points from both teams. In regulation time of their two games this season they averaged only 136 points but the situation was different in terms of player health for those match-ups as well as just the way the teams were playing at the time. I like what I am seeing from both these teams right now and look for plenty of points in this one as a result. Already firing on all cylinders at MSG, more of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #513 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Bulls vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 8:05 ET - Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid - the two 76ers All-Stars - will each miss this game due to covid-19 protocol requirements. That is also why they did not play in this past weekend's all-star game. In typical contrarian fashion, with the Sixers two big scorers out for tonight, I am on the over here! Yes, look for their absences to effect the defensive play of Philly in this game and the Bulls will try to run the 76ers right out of the building! The over is 3-1 in Chicago's last 4 games and 3-0 in Philadelphia's last 3 games. The Sixers have allowed 117 points per game last 5 road games. The Bulls have allowed an average of 118.5 points per game last 4 games overall. Look for more of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Big East Beast Top - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #697 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Blue Jays vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6 ET - I am well aware of the fact that this game is at Madison Square Garden and both Butler and Creighton do not score as well when they are away from home. I am also aware that we got some good fortune here yesterday when the Bulldogs game against Xavier went to overtime and that allowed that game to get over the total. However, lets look at some important facts here and why I am expecting yet another over involving these teams (I used the over in their Saturday match-up as a big play). The fact is that Creighton has scored quite well on the road in recent weeks other than a tough battle at Villanova - but who does not struggle with the Wildcats? That said, lets look at the Blue Jays other 5 road games since mid-January. Creighton has averaged 71.4 points per game in those 5 games. As for the Bulldogs, they are on a hot run of upset wins so they are surging with confidence. Butler has won 3 of its last 4 games and even though 2 of their last 3 games have been played away from home, the Bulldogs averaged 68.3 points per game in regulation time of those 3 games. Given those numbers and the fact that the Blue Jays are a double digit favorite here with good reason, you can see why I like the over in this match-up. The last meeting totaled 166 points and though the prior meeting this season was low-scoring, Creighton had an unusually poor shooting game in that one. The Blue Jays are again firing on all cylinders now and Butler is playing at a higher level thanks to all the recent upset wins boosting confidence. The result should be another high-scoring shootout here. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Big East Beast Top - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #627 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Xavier Musketeers vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6 ET - These teams met a little over two weeks ago and the game totaled a ridiculous 114 points. That is because the teams combined for a ridiculous 16% from three point land as they hit 8 of 50. That is not happening again here. These teams normally would have combined to hit at least 16 of the 50 and that would have put this game up to 138. I look for a high-scoring game to surprise some people here. Butler has scored 73 points in each of its last two games and the over is 5-2 in their last 7 games. Xavier is off back to back low-scoring games but this was preceded by a stretch of just 1 under in 5 games. The Musketeers scored an average of 73 points per game in those 5 games. Xavier also has allowed 78.5 points per game their last 4 games away from home. 4 of the last 5 meetings between these teams have stayed under the total including both this season but, as long-time followers know, I am a contrarian. This one goes over the total as look for a tight game late with plenty of extra free throws for the team in the lead and plenty of threes fired up for the team trailing. We have seen this play out before. A lot of late scramble points if needed but truly I think we'll see a lot more scoring early and more consistently throughout this game than many expect. Much better shooting expected here. I am aware of the injury situation for both teams but feel any disruption to the playing rotation will also just lead to more confusion defensively and actually just leads to even more points here including quick points in transition too. 10* OVER the total in Xavier

Horizon League Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #824 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland State Vikings (-) vs Oakland Golden Grizzlies @ 7 ET - I understand this total in terms of being rather low because we saw some crazy results yesterday in this tourney. It is tournament time and Oakland has a great long-term reputation in the Horizon League and knocked off Northern Kentucky last night. This is the "anything can happen" time of year when you see upsets in tournament action similar to the "on any given Sunday" mantra relating to the NFL. Here is the thing about that though. Lightning usually doesn't strike twice and the Golden Grizzlies just had their "anything can happen" moment last night. Oakland beat the Norse by double digits despite Northern Kentucky taking 11 more shots from the field and despite the Golden Grizzlies being putrid - 10 of 26 - from the free throw line! Oakland was fortunate is the point I am making as the Norse made just 33% from the field for the game and also were held to 23% from beyond the arc. None of those stats are likely to be repeated again here and the Vikings are the superior team. Cleveland State is 18-7 on the season while Oakland is 12-17. The Golden Grizzlies will shoot much better from the free throw line tonight but both teams are off deceiving performances in terms of points allowed and that is why I love the over here. The Norse scored just 58 points on Oakland but took 69 shots from the field! The UW-Milwaukee Panthers scored only 65 points on Cleveland State but also took 69 shots from the field. Wisconsin-Milwaukee made just 3 of 17 three pointers so that is what held them back. So both teams off unders last night but Cleveland State entered last night's game on a stretch of just 2 unders in 10 games! As for Oakland, they are 21-7 to the over this season and yesterday's under followed a stretch of 8 straight overs. Both the Golden Grizzlies and Vikings were fortunate in terms of points allowed last night. That will not be repeated tonight. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland State

Big 12 Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #747 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in TCU Horned Frogs vs Texas Longhorns @ 7 ET - The first meeting between these teams had a posted total of 141 and fell well under the total. So, with the odds makers again posting a 141 on the rematch, of course the betting markets treat it like some major mistake and have pounded the under early in this one. Now, at a 137 as of early game day morning, it is go time for us and we pull the trigger on the over in this one. Couple keys here. TCU shot just 36% from the field at Austin in the earlier match-up. That won't be repeated here. The Horned Frogs are shooting 45% in home games this season. Also, the Frogs are catching UT off back to back huge wins including a big rivalry victory at Oklahoma Thursday. As a result, the Longhorns level of defensive intensity in this one could absolutely be a few notches below where you would expect. That said, the Horns are scoring an average of 75 points per game this season and are unlikely to again hit just 28.6% of their threes in this one like they did in the first meeting! Also, Texas Christian University is averaging 70 points per game on their home floor this season and UT scored 70 points in the first meeting despite the rough shooting from beyond the arc. You can see why I am expecting this game to get to at least the mid-140s. By the way, Texas is off an under but has not recorded unders in back to back games in 2 months. 10* OVER the total in TCU

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #751 Saturday 8* OVER the total in Hofstra Pride vs Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens @ 11 AM ET - Delaware hasn't played in 5 weeks as their last game was on the final day of January. Hofstra hasn't played in 3 weeks as their last game was on Valentine's Day! In the strange covid-impacted schedule for college basketball this season we have seen similar scenarios like this and I have used the over in these spots. Many people worry about cold shooting after a layoff but what actually happens in situations like this that is more of a factor is that teams tend to struggle in other facets of the game that help a total go over. There tends to be more turnovers that lead to easy buckets and better looks in transition. There tends to be missed defensive assignments as teams do not rotate properly or end up not switching on players when they should, etc. It all adds up to better looks at the basket and more scoring opportunities and I will ride that theory again here in this unique conference tournament situation. Hofstra is averaging 77 points per game during a 6-3 run entering this game. However, the Pride also have allowed 77 points per game their last 7 games. You can see from those numbers that we should get the kind of pace to this game with Delaware to have this one fly over the total. As for the Fightin' Blue Hens, they have averaged 70 points per game their last 6 games. Look for both teams to reach the 70 point mark in this one. 8* OVER the total in Hofstra

Big East Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #643 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Butler Bulldogs @ 5 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Bulldogs have not scored well on the road this season. However, I love the set up here and the corresponding line value. Butler is likely to shoot more and score better than you would expect here because they are off back to back upset wins over Seton Hall and Villanova. Facing a Bluejays team not known for defense (allowing 68 ppg at home) the Bulldogs will score enough here for us. The big key to the play though is a Creighton team known for huge games on the offensive end at home and that enters this game off back to back road losses at Xavier and Villanova. Now the Bluejays are back home where they are averaging 83 points per game this season. They are about a 13 point favorite here so if the odds makers are right about the spread and the Jays hit their average you are talking about an 83-70 type game. Now Butler is averaging only 60 points per game on the road so that would put this at a 73-60 type game. The reality? I am expecting more than that from each team based on the factors noted above and it should at least finish in between these projected totals and that would be 143 points. That is still a comfortable win for us and shows solid margin with this play. I expect the Bluejays to force a fast tempo in this one at home. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #859 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Bonaventure Bonnies vs Duquesne Dukes @ 11 AM ET - Long-time followers know I like contrarian plays. This total certainly fits the bill in that regard. Duquesne got a low-scoring win over Richmond yesterday to advance to this game. That one stayed under the total. St Bonaventure also is off a low-scoring game and it was a very ugly 55-52 loss to Dayton. That is going to bring out the best in the Bonnies here. Keep in mind the two regular season meetings between these teams averaged just 118 points totaled per game yet the odds makers opened this up at 131. Of course the total dropped from its opener. In typical contrarian fashion, I am going against the markets here. Note that the Bonnies entered their game against the Flyers off an 88-point outburst. Also note that Duquesne has averaged scoring 76 points per game their last 7 games. 10* OVER the total in St Bonaventure

Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #547 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Raptors are depleted by quarantine requirements for multiple key players due to the covid-19 restrictions. That did not stop the Pistons from putting a beating on them last night and certainly Toronto is not going to get any mercy from Boston either. Indeed the Celtics knocked the Raptors out of the playoffs last year and have since dominated Toronto in both meetings this season. Boston scored an average of 123 points in those two games and won them by an average margin of 13 points. Each game flew over the total and I expect more of the same here. The Celtics enter this game on a run of 6-2 to the over. The Raptors enter this game on a run of 9-2 to the over their last 11 road games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

A-10 Tourney TV Top - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #765 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in George Mason Patriots vs George Washington Colonials @ 5:30 ET - We are getting line value here as these teams just met and the total was posted in the low 140s and yet now we have a total in the mid-130s. The last meeting stayed under the total but that is because George Mason shot only 30.6% from the field! The Patriots dominated the offensive glass in that game and took 72 shots for the game but simply had "one of those nights" which is, of course, giving us line value here. The pace should again be there for an over but this time the teams should cash them in! George Mason's other 3 recent games have seen them score at least 77 points and actually average 82 points in those 3. I know George Washington has not scored well other than their first back in mid-February after a long layoff but the Colonials have averaged scoring 68 points per game in their last 3 meetings with the Patriots and they are an 8 point dog here. 76-68 sounds about right to me and that puts this game 10 points above the current total. I'll take it. 10* OVER the total in George Mason 

SE Div Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - These teams totaled only 208 points in Sunday's match-up but the over is 8-1 the last 9 times Atlanta has entered a match-up off a game in which they were held to 114 points or less. Also, Miami was on a 5-2 run to the over prior to the game against the Hawks this past weekend. The Heat could have Jimmy Butler back for this one as well. The two meetings between these teams that preceded Sunday's game each totaled more than 250 points. I don't expect that range here but I do like the value here with this total. It is down around 220 whereas Sunday's posted total went off the board in the mid-220s. Nice line value here. I'll take it! Neither team shot well from the field in Sunday's game and that has led to excellent value here as you'll probably see a flip of the script here and each team shoots much better in this one. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #829 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Bonaventure Bonnies vs Dayton Flyers @ 5 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Bonnies have trended under recently as well as truly being an "under team" for the season. However, this total is far too low considering the opponent. Dayton is averaging 72 points per game on the road this season. The reason St Bonaventure has trended under this season is solid defense but they won't be able to totally shutdown this Flyers team that has some skilled scoring options. At the same time, the Bonnies are averaging 77 points per game on their home floor this season. Again, the under trend has certainly not been because St Bonaventure can't score well because they truly do score very well as a host. The Bonnies enter this game off an 88-point outburst versus George Washington and they have now averaged 82 points per game their last 4 home games. Dayton did have a recent 2-OT game on the road but even removing those points from the equation, the Flyers have averaged 73 points per game their last 4 road games. However, not including OT points, Dayton has also surrendered 76.5 points per game their last 4 road games. Their defensive play has been much better at home than on the road this season. The Flyers almost always get to the mid-60s in points scored and the Bonnies are favored by 7.5 points here for good reason. That said, I certainly see this total getting to at least the 140 mark and the 150 range would not be a total shock either given all of the above. 10* OVER the total in St Bonaventure

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #563 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 3:35 ET - The Clippers are off back to back unders but that had a lot to do with playing at Memphis. The Grizzlies certainly are not known for getting involved in high-scoring games. That is worthy of note because LA, prior to those B2B unders, was on a 5-0 run to the over in road games. As for the Bucks, they are red hot and playing at home and so they should continue to shoot very well here. Buoyed by the confidence of a 4-game winning streak, Milwaukee has been particularly red hot in the last 3 games as they have averaged 132 points per game. However, when winning despite allowing an average of 117.3 points per game, you can tend to have a bit of a let up on the defensive end because you feel your offensive production will continue to bail you out. That said, don't be surprised if this game flies over the total as the Clippers have scored 119 points or more in 6 of their last 7 road games and the Bucks are flying high right now and have seen 7 of their last 9 home games go over the total. This one will too. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #791 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Butler Bulldogs vs Villanova Wildcats @ Noon ET - The Wildcats have a much tougher game with Creighton on deck. Will their defensive focus be a little distracted here as a result? I absolutely believe that will prove to be the case here and, at the same time, Butler is off a tremendous effort on the defensive end that certainly will not be repeated here. The Bulldogs just held Seton Hall to 52 points but the Pirates are definitely not in the same class as these Wildcats. Also, the last 3 meetings between these teams each went over the total and the last 2 averaged 153 points per game! We have got a low total to work with here when you consider that Villanova is averaging 78 points per game this season. Yes, Butler is averaging only 65 points per game at home this season but the Wildcats are a double digit favorite for a reason. In other words could we see a 75-65 type game here? Absolutely! The Wildcats lost their last visit to Hinkle Fieldhouse so they won't take their foot off the gas in this one as they have been reminded of that defeat heading into this one. 10* OVER the total in Butler

Total Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - This is simply one of those games that jumped off the page at me because I do not see the Sixers being interested in playing defense here. Where is the motivation for a strong effort against a bad Cavaliers team. That said, we are also getting line value because of public perception. What the markets are looking at here is that the Sixers have stayed under the total in 4 straight games and the Cavaliers have stayed under the total in 5 straight games. However, prior to holding Houston to just 96 points, Cleveland had allowed an average of 124 points per game their preceding 11 games. If you factor that in and loo at this line of a -10 then it means we should see a 124-114 type game which is well above the posted total on this one. The 76ers are off B2B wins but that was preceded by a 2-4 stretch that saw them allow 116.7 points per game in those 6 games. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Big East Beast Top Total - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #645 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Connecticut Huskies vs Marquette Golden Eagles @ 2:30 ET - The first meeting between these teams stayed well under the total but look for the second one to play out much differently. Both teams enter off wins. Also, the Golden Eagles are now 3-1 to the over in their last 4 road games while the Huskies are 3-1 to the over in their last 4 home games. Additionally, Connecticut now has James Bouknight back and he is a big scorer for him. Marquette is averaging 70.8 points per game on the road and UConn is averaging 75.7 points per game at home. Don't be surprised when this game gets into the mid-140s. The Huskies are off back to back unders but those games were on the road and that stretch was preceded by a run of 6-1 to the over. That run resumes for them starting today at home. 10* OVER the total in Connecticut

Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in James Madison Dukes vs Drexel Dragons @ 4 ET - Something going on here when you look at this total. It has been creeping up higher from its opener even though these teams totaled only 137 points when they met last month and that was the 5th straight under in this series. Also, James Madison's Matt Lewis is listed as questionable with a knee injury and yet still the total went higher. Part of the reason in my opinion is that both of these teams are coming off long layoffs. Drexel's is nearly 3 weeks and the Dukes is nearly 2 weeks. When teams have time off like this without games they tend to come out a little rusty and miss assignments on defense, don't switch properly in terms of defensive play, turn the ball over too often leading to quick transition points the other way. All those factors can lead to higher scoring games and are more common this season when two teams come into a game after long layoffs. So my opinion is that some sharp action is starting to come in on this total and it was already one that was on my radar for today. The Dukes have won 7 straight games and are favored to win this game at home for a reason. Note that James Madison has scored an average of 82 points per game in their last 11 wins! The Dragons have scored 73 points or more in 3 of their last 4 road games and will be in this game all the way. Getting this one to the 150 range can be expected as Drexel is hitting 48.6% from the field in road games this season and the Dukes are averaging 81.2 points per game at home this season. 10* OVER the total in James Madison

Early Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Orlando Magic @ 7:35 ET - Without Kevin Durant Tuesday the Nets game still totaled 245 points and Brooklyn had a super impressive 30 assists on their 44 buckets. The Nets continue to pile up points and I don't expect that to stop now against an Orlando team they can dominate. The Magic had a ridiculous 93 point performance at home against Detroit on Tuesday so they will be happy to run and gun here with a Nets team that has been doing plenty of that this season. In fact, in Brooklyn is 23-10 to the over in their games this season including 12-5 in home games. The last time these teams met they combined for 237 points last month. That was a 7 point win for the Nets and I can't see them being overly excited about playing great defense here against an Orlando team that is 6 games below .500 on the season and has won just 5 of 15 road games this season. The Nets have won 7 straight games and have averaged 124.3 points per game their last 6 games. They are an 8 point favorite here. 124-116 sounds about right and that puts this game more than dozen points higher than the current number posted. Either way, even 230 puts us into the win column here and I am expecting at least that much here. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Early Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #507 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics @ 7:35 ET - These teams were both in action yesterday and each game stayed just under the total. That is part of the reason the early move on this total was from a 227.5 to a 225.5 and I am jumping in on this one. Before the Hawks game stayed under the total yesterday, the over was on a perfect 8-0 run. Also, these teams have met twice this season and both meetings were last week and both meetings went over the total. Before yesterday's under, the Celtics road games were on a 4-2 run to the over. In the Hawks 8-0 run to the over the games averaged 238 points so they aren't just going over, they are flying over! That is the type of game I am looking for here as both teams will be relentless in the offensive end after they each lost very tight games yesterday and will be pushing hard to get back into the win column here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Eastern Conference Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - These teams just met on Sunday and the game had 159 points through 3 quarters and was on pace for 212 for the game before a horrific 4th quarter kept the game under the total. When I look at the stats from that game, the teams both shot poorly from 3-point land as they combined for just 20 of 70 from downtown. If these teams hit their season averages for threes they would have knocked down 25 of those so 5 more threes which equates to 15 more points and the game would have gone over the total. We get a little line value with this total now pushed even a little lower than Sunday's and I liked the pace of Sunday's game and the fact each team only had 11 turnovers. In other words, the scoring opportunities were there but the teams were just "off" and I don't expect that to be repeated here. Look at it this way too...the Magic have won 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. They are favored here for a reason and have averaged 115 points in those 4 victories. They are a 3-point choice in this game which put the final score at about 115-112 which is 20 points above the current number on this one. I am not expecting that many necessarily but I am expecting about 217 based on all of the above and that still puts this one at double digits above the current posted number as of early Tuesday. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #845 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Western Carolina Catamounts vs UNC Greensboro Spartans @ 5 ET - Top team in conference standings visiting the worst team. The best comparison we have for this and, by the way, UNC Greensboro does still need to win games to lock up the top spot, is when the Spartans recently faced Samford. The Bulldogs are having a very rough season just like the Catamounts are and Greensboro blasted them in each game and both totaled at least 150 points. Note that Western Carolina enters this game having allowed 79.1 points per game their last 10 games and that does not include the OT period in their loss at Chattanooga. That said, plenty of points expected here as the Spartans enter this game off a very rare poor shooting game that resulted in a tight, low-scoring 60-55 home win. On the road, UNC Greensboro has scored at least 71 points in 10 of 11 games. In fact, the Spartans have averaged 80.3 points per game in those 10 games. This game has the makings of an 80 to 70 type affair and UNC Greensboro highly motivated after losing their most recent road game plus coming off a dismal home effort that result in a win that did not even feel like a win. The Spartans now cut loose in this one and force the Catamounts to run and gun. 10* OVER the total in Western Carolina

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #307219 Monday 8* OVER the total in Liberty Flames vs North Alabama Lions @ Noon ET - This total opened up in the mid 130s and then dropped back to nearly the 130 mark but is creeping back up this morning as expected. The fact is that North Alabama has allowed 79 points per game their last 4 road games. Also, the Lions are off back to back losses to a Bellarmine team that is very similar in strength to the Liberty team they are now facing. Even though North Alabama was home for those games, they allowed 76.5 points per game. Now they are on the road and expected to get blasted as the spread on this game is now up around -14. Considering that as well as the fact that the Lions have scored at least 60 points in 14 straight games, you can see why I am expecting this game to get to at least the mid-130s. Even if North Alabama has one of their worst scoring games of the season they should still get into the 60s and that should put this total close to the 140 mark at a bare minimum. The Flames sometimes play some lower scoring games but those tend to be on the road. Liberty, when at home, has scored 69 points or more in all 11 and averaged 84.4 points per game on the season as a host. The Flames are 11-0 at home for good reason and they win huge again here and that helps to insure this game flies over the total. 8* OVER the total in Liberty

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in George Washington Colonials vs Rhode Island Rams @ 11:30 AM ET - When a team hasn't played a game in 5 weeks they are going to come out sloppy, there will be turnovers, there will be missed switches on defense, and the result will be opportunities for a lot of points in transition. This total first opened up at a 143 and has since dropped to a 139.5 as of the night before this early game for Sunday. I like the value after the line move here. Don't be surprised if this game turns into a bit of a run and gun affair because the Rams will look to run the Colonials right out of their own building. That is why Rhode Island is a big favorite here and they will certainly not show any mercy nor take their foot off the gas. The Rams have scored at least 80 points in each of their last two meetings with George Washington. The Colonials enter this game allowing 75 points at home this season. Rhode Island enters this game allowing 72 points per game on the road this season. The Rams allow 60 shot attempts per game on the season and GW is allowing 62 shots per game when a host this season. In other words, this game will have a better pace than you might expect and it will have a bit more run and gun too as George Washington can't afford to sit back and constantly get into half-court sets. First game after 5 weeks off is going to see a lot more of just pure talent trying to take over and score the ball quickly. 10* OVER the total in George Washington

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Golden State Warriors @ 8:05 ET - The Warriors are in the 2nd game of a back to back and yesterday's game at Orlando flew over the total. Look for this to do the same as the over is 12-4 in the Hornets last 16 games. Charlotte comes in with fresh legs as they have not played in nearly a week. Look for the Hornets to push the pace here as they are averaging 119 points per game last 9 games. Golden State is averaging 123 points their last 5 road games and they continue to pile up points in recent weeks. Non-conference match-up with very little defense expected here. Recent meetings between these teams stayed under the total but the situation here as well as the way these teams have been playing of late dictates an over. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Horizon League Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #825 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Youngstown State Penguins vs IUPUI Jaguars @ 5 ET - Both of these teams struggle defensively. IUPUI is allowing 75 points per game and 49% shooting when on the road. Youngstown State allowing 46% shooting on the season including 35% from three point land. The threes should be flying for the road team in this one as the Jaguars are hitting 39% of their 3-pointers in road games this season! The over is 5-0 in the Jags last 5 games and on an overall 7-1 run their last 8 games. I don't see that slowing down here. The Penguins are off an under at home but that was preceded by just 2 of their 7 preceding home games staying under the total. The Pens last 4 lined home games have seen them average 75.8 points per game. IUPUI has averaged scoring 81 points per game their last 5 games and, again, all 5 of those went over the total. Last season's meetings between these teams both flew over the total and averaged 161.5 points per game. This one will likely get into that range as well. Look for another high-scoring shootout here. 10* OVER the total in Youngstown State

Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #739 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Wisconsin Badgers vs Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - The Badgers are known for low-scoring games generally speaking but the Hawkeyes are at the other end of the spectrum for sure. That said, and with this total dropping from the upper 140s to the mid 140s, I like the value with the over in this one. These teams have trended under in recent meetings but 3-point shooting has had a lot do with it. For example, in their most recent meeting they totaled 130 points but had they made a normal percentage of the threes they took in that game it would have totaled 151 points. Iowa enters this game having averaged 87.4 points per game and knocking down 39.6% of three pointers on the season. Wisconsin enters this game with some respectable numbers on offense in home games as they have averaged 73.5 points per game and knocked down 40.3% of three pointers as a host this season. Poor shooting both inside and outside the arc is why their most recent meeting totaled just 130 but don't be surprised if this one makes up for that. The Hawkeyes have averaged 82.6 points per game their last 5 road games and are off a huge performance at Michigan State. The Badgers are off an ugly home performance versus Michigan but will make up for that here and did average 70.6 points per game in last 5 home games prior to facing the Wolverines. Look for the Badgers to take advantage of a Hawkeyes defense allowing 77.6 points per game as travelers this season. 10* OVER the total in Wisconsin

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Denver Nuggets @ 7:05 ET - The Celtics are off back to back unders but this was preceded by a 4-1 run to the over. Also, after an embarrassing loss at Washington where they scored just 91 points, Boston will bounce back on the offensive end and score a pile of points here at home. However, the Nuggets will score plenty here as well even if down a few guys. Keep in mind, players missing for Denver can also impact defensive play and I am certain that is why this total is in the 220 range even though the Nuggets are without some guys. The fact is that Denver is on a 10-3 run to the over. The Nuggets have scored an average of 120.4 points per game in those 10 games that went over the total. The Celtics respond off the embarrassing loss to the Wizards but do not be surprised if the Nuggets continue their high-scoring ways as well and this turns into a shootout. I also do not expect the defensive intensity of Denver to be at its best (not even close actually) considering that they are coming of a huge revenge win over the Lakers. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #519 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - The Bulls Markkanen got hurt a few games back and including that game and through their most recent game Chicago has also been without Porter and Carter. That said, the Bulls scoring must be way down, right? After all, these are 3 of their top scorers. That is what is funny about how things often work. Without these guys one could say Chicago has been a little more disjointed. What happens then? Teams play a different style often when guys are out and others are stepping in. For the Bulls, this has led to them still scoring quite well - 114.6 ppg their last 5 games - but really starting to slip up on the defensive end as Chicago has allowed 120.5 ppg their last two games. Long-term the over is 6-2 in Bulls road games as their defense certainly is not known for traveling well and that is even when their healthy. That said, and with this total dropping from a 230 to the mid-220s this morning, we have excellent line value here. The Pacers have averaged 118 points their last two games plus are off a very high-scoring win at Atlanta which totaled 238 points. The over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams and they totaled 231 points in their only meeting this season. Their most recent home game was low-scoring but it came against a strong Utah team. Prior to that, 6 of Indiana's last 7 home games totaled at least 227 points and this one will too! 10* OVER the total in Indiana

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #844 Monday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Florida State Seminoles vs Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - Big game involving top two teams in the ACC. I am well aware of the fact that the Seminoles are on an over streak but the Cavaliers are going to dictate that this game will be an ugly grinder. It is just the way Virginia games are and, especially in a big one like this, I do not see the Cavs allowing there to be any tempo in this game. The Cavaliers are so good at dictating tempo and forcing a slow pace. Virginia's last 5 games have resulted in 4 unders and those games have averaged just 112.7 points per game. We are getting extra value with this total posted in the 130 range because of the Seminoles long-term scoring process. However, do not overlook the Noles defensive play! FSU is off a high-scoring OT win versus Wake Forest but that was an usual situation for them Saturday as it was their first game in over two weeks. Prior to the shootout with WF, the Seminoles 10 prior wins saw them allow just 64.4 points per game. Now ratchet that down many notches because of playing slow-paced Virginia and you can see why I would not be surprised to see this game fall into the 115 to 120 range for total points. 10* UNDER the total in Florida State

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #507 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - The Spurs are off a big win at Atlanta where they totaled 125 points despite being able to back off and score only 15 in the 4th quarter! The Hornets are also off a big win as they scored 120 points in their win over Minnesota which was also on Friday like the Spurs. That said, I like to look for overs when teams are off of high-scoring wins as there tends to be a natural let up on defense. Essentially it is just a case of thinking your offense can bail you out of anything so why worry too much about defense? Note that the Hornets have scored an average of 120 points their past 8 games. Also, holding true to what I mentioned earlier, when Charlotte is 5-1 to the over the last 6 times when off a win. Being at home here, the Hornets will continue to push the pace and the Spurs come into this one with plenty of confidence after their big win at Atlanta. Overall, the Hornets are 11-3 to the over their last 14 games. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #693 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Creighton Bluejays vs Villanova Wildcats @ 5 ET - Villanova's defensive numbers haven't been nearly as strong as in recent seasons. The Wildcats are allowing opponents to hit 45.5% from the field including 37.2% from three point land. Creighton loves to fire up 3-balls, particularly when at home, and the Bluejays are hitting 50% from the field including 37% from beyond the arc in their home games this season. Creighton is averaging 83 points per game this season when at home but Villanova is winning a ton of games again this season thanks to very consistent scoring. The Wildcats are scoring an average of 79 points per game this season. The over is 7-4 in Bluejays home games this season and 6-3 in Villanova's conference games this season. Look for these trends to continue here as I expect both teams to get into the 70s in this one. The Cats have been into the 70s in all but 2 of their 15 games this season. The Jays have scored at least 70 in 9 of their last 10 home games. 10* OVER the total in Creighton

Total of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs New York Knicks @ 7:30 ET - We have got a low total to work with here and I know it is because of the Knicks long-term reputation this season as they have a penchant for unders. However, the fact is there is great value here. The total has gone from as high as a 209 to as low as a 206.5 and even though the Knicks are on a run that is only 2-3 to the over, all 5 of those games totaled at least 209 points. Also, even though the Heat have long been known as a lower-scoring grinder-type team, that has not been the case this season. Miami has averaged 110.3 points per game their last 6 games. The Heat have allowed an average of 112.1 points per game their last 16 games. These teams just met on Sunday and the game totaled "only" 212 points but that was enough for the over and was the 3rd straight over in meetings between these teams. That game was on pace for 238 points as of halftime and I feel the fact the scoring pace died in the 2nd half helps to give us even more value here in coming right back with another over. Look for the over trend to reach 4-0 in meetings between these teams. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #563 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Toronto Raptors @ 8 ET - The Grizzlies have trended under this season but Memphis has scored an average of 113.8 points during their current 7-3 run their last 10 games. The Grizzlies are on a 3-game losing streak, in part, because they have allowed 122.3 points their last 3 games. Now they host a Raptors team that is on a 5-0 run to the over and is 8-4 to the over in road games this season. Toronto has scored an average of 121.2 points per game their last 5 games. But the Raptors have allowed 121.5 points their last 4 road games. We get a rather low total here because of the long-term reputation of the Grizzlies. The key here in this situation is the set-up is perfect for big points from Memphis but the Raptors will not slow down either. As a result the Grizzlies and Raptors get into a back and forth tussle here with plenty of scoring. 10* OVER the total in Memphis

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #845 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in East Carolina Pirates vs SMU Mustangs @ 5 ET - Don't be fooled by the total here. The game between odds makers and the betting markets can be a funny thing. That said, why did this total open at a 139 when each of the Pirates 7 games in 2021 have had a posted total below that? Exactly! The average total posted in those 7 games was just 132.3 points. That said, do not let the number fool you as this one should fly over. The Pirates do hit a respectable 35% of their threes when at home and the Mustangs are hitting 35% of threes on the season even on the road where they are at 36% on the season. SMU is off a low-scoring hard-fought win that was their 2nd straight under but this followed 3 straight road overs that saw the Mustangs average 76.3 points per game. The Pirates will get their points at home but this is an East Carolina team that, prior to a low-scoring loss at Memphis, allowed 75.3 points their 4 prior games. So this game should be in the 76-70 range in my opinion and actually cracking the 150 mark would not surprise me at all. That said, the value is here for us. 10* OVER the total in East Carolina

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #811 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Villanova Wildcats vs Georgetown Hoyas @ 2:30 ET - The Wildcats are off just their 2nd loss of the season. When they lost their first game they responded by scoring 87 points in their next game. At home and not happy about scoring just 59 points in their loss to St John's, Villanova will take a very aggressive approach here and won't take their foot off the gas. However, don't be surprised if the Hoyas run right along with the Cats! Georgetown, after a long layoff due to postponed games, has come back with a perfect 2-0 SU mark even though they were a big dog in each game. The Hoyas are playing with a ton of confidence as a result especially since they are coming off a red-hot shooting effort against Creighton. Look for the Hoyas to carry some momentum from that one right into this one and I am looking for a very high-scoring affair as a result. We are getting some value here with the low total because this series has trended under in recent meetings. The value is there because the situation is telling me this should be an over. The Cats are angry and want to put up 90+ if they can but Georgetown comes in with confidence and hot shooting. 10* OVER the total in Villanova

Big Ten Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #657 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Illinois Illini vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 2:30 ET - The Badgers generally are known for defense and for tough play at home. Also, when off a loss, Wisconsin has really shown a knack to D up in their next game. But in this case they are off a win and the O/U is 5-2 in the Badgers last 7 games they have entered off a win. Also, on the road this season the Badgers are allowing 68 points and 36% shooting from three point land. Neither one of those stats is overly impressive and now Wisconsin faces a red hot Illinois team that is confidence offensively. The Illini average 82.2 points per game this season. Also, Illinois has won 7 of 9 games and have averaged 78 points in those 7 wins. The Illini, not including OT, have allowed 74 points per game their last 4 games. I like taking overs when teams are off wins. They tend to put a little more reliance on their offense when they are rolling and pay a little less attention to the defensive side of the game. It is just a natural thing and I feel the Illini, at home, will also dictate the pace and flow of this game and they will force it to be a higher-scoring game. Getting this total in the mid-130s is a solid value. 10* OVER the total in Illinois

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #515 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:05 ET - The posted total on this one is much higher than the first meeting between these teams a month ago. Big mistake by the odds makers right? Of course not. The fact is that both these teams have been trending over the total since that meeting and that game also flew well over the total. The Pelicans are off a high-scoring win and the Pacers are off a high-scoring loss. The over is now 13-2 in the last 15 games for New Orleans. The over is now 8-2 in the last 10 games for Indiana. Last season both meetings went over the total and I look for another season series sweep for the over this season as well! The Pacers will score well at home but they have allowed 117.1 points per game their last ten games. The Pelicans have allowed 116.9 points per game their last 15 games. You can easily see why I would not be surprised to see this game get into the mid-230s and yet we are dealing with a total in the mid-220s. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Indiana

Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #603 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Marquette Golden Eagles vs Butler Bulldogs @ 5 ET - This total has been adjusted to low. It has been set low because Butler tends to play lower-scoring games and because the under has cashed 4 straight times and 6 of the last 7 in Marquette games. However, note that the Golden Eagles have allowed at least 68 points in each of their last 5 games. On the season Marquette is allowing 70 points per game. On the other end of the court, this is a team that averages 72 points per game and you can see from that why I am expecting this game to get into the 140 range. Bulldogs games are trending under in a big way with 8 of their last 9 falling short of the total. However, the Golden Eagles will dictate the flow of this game and they have scored at least 76 points in each of their last 4 meetings with Butler. Each of those 4 games totaled at least 133 points and this one will too. 10* OVER the total in Marquette

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #519 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - The 76ers are off back to back unders but this was preceded by a 9-2 run to the over. The Pacers are off an under but this was preceded by a 5-1 run to the over. Philadelphia allowed just 94 points to a bad Minnesota team Friday but this was preceded by allowing 115.6 points per game their preceding dozen games. Also, the Pacers have allowed 115.1 points per game their last 7 games. Given the above as well as the fact each team is averaging 113 points per game on the season, I expect this game to get well into the 230s. Look for the over to improve to 5-1 in Indiana's last 6 games. The Pacers have scored 120 or more points in 2 of their last 3 games but this is a team that has been struggling defensively. Also, the 76ers are known for their struggles on the defensive end when away from home. Consider their game against the Timberwolves an aberration as Philadelphia entered that game having allowed 106 points or more in a dozen straight games. Both teams are rested plus neither team has a game tomorrow either so they can each go all out here. Look for a high-scoring game as a result. 10* OVER the total in Indiana

Philly Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #809 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in James Madison Dukes vs Drexel Dragons @ 2 ET - The fact that the Dragons are allowing just 64 points per game this season is a bit of a misnomer as they are allowing 44% shooting from the field. So that is helping to give us line value here because I fully expect the Dukes to score plenty against Drexel in this one. James Madison is at home here and they have averaged 82 points per game at home this season plus shot 48% from the field as a host. As for Drexel, they have averaged 75.6 points per game their last 7 games. James Madison is off an under but this was on the heels of a 5-1 run to the over. Drexel has seen 3 of its last 4 road games go over the total. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in James Madison

ESPN Smash Pass - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach CBB Rotation #713 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tennessee Volunteers vs Kansas Jayhawks @ 6 ET - Where is the motivation to play defense here? This is an SEC-Big 12 match-up and neither team is going anywhere fast this season. Yes I know they are ranked teams but the Jayhawks had lost 3 straight before their win over TCU while Tennessee had endured an unimpressive 3-3 stretch before their win over Mississippi State. Last season when these teams met they had a similar total posted in the 130 range and yet the game totaled 142 points. I expect a similar result this time around too and I love taking advantage of the value in a match-up when both teams are off a very unusual result. In this case, the Vols are off a game that totaled just 109 points after they had allowed more than 70 points in 4 of their most recent 6 games. Also, before the low-scoring win over the Bulldogs, the Volunteers had scored an average of 76.2 points per game their most recent 10 games. The Jayhawks are off a game that totaled just 110 points but that was preceded by Kansas allowing at least 75 points in 3 straight games. Also, the Jayhawks entered that game having scored an average of 72.6 points per game their preceding 5 games. If each team gets into the mid-60s here we can not lose this play and I see no reason each team won't get close to the 70 mark here. 10* OVER the total in Tennessee

Non-Conf Total of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #577 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 8:05 ET - I know that between covid and injuries, there are couple of big names on the injury report for tonight's game. However, ask yourself this question...who is going to play defense and why? This is a non-conference game for one thing. For another thing, the 76ers are off a massive win over the Lakers that will likely leave them flat-footed defensively after giving so much effort against LeBron and Company. As for the Timberwolves, they will simply be running and gunning here because what do they have to lose? Minnesota has lost 13 of its last 15 games and is going nowhere this season. So Minny is 3-0 to the over in their last 3 games and has allowed an average of 120 points per game their last 4 games. Philly is off an under in their hard-fought win versus LA but the Sixers entered that game on a 9-2 run to the over. Philadelphia allowed an average of 117.4 points per game during that 11 game run and I expect this game to get into the 230s and possibly even the 240s as I just don't foresee much defense in this non-conference affair. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota