ESPN ATS Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Game #828 Friday 8* Atlanta Hawks (+) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Guys will be looking at Cleveland here since they're off of a loss and also lost at home to Atlanta earlier this season. However, the Hawks plus the points should prove to be the play. The Cavs are without Kevin Love of course and new acquisition Andrew Bogut is not yet available. Also, even though Cleveland does have the aforementioned home revenge angle in effect here, the Cavaliers have gone 12-20 ATS when playing with home loss revenge the past 3 seasons. In other words, the markets tend to over-adjust in a spot like this and I feel that is the case here. This is especially true because Atlanta has their own home loss revenge in mind here. The last time the Hawks hosted the Cavs was certainly a big game. It was on May 8th and Atlanta lost by a single point in a game that ended up completing a 4-game sweep for the Cavaliers and knocking the Hawks out of the playoffs. In other words, expect Atlanta to be rocking tonight and expect the Hawks to be flying all over the floor in this opportunity to take down LeBron James and company. Hosting the defending world champs is always a big deal and the Hawks are 9-2 ATS against Central Division opponents this season and and they catch the Cavs stumbling a bit on a 3-game ATS losing streak. Overall the Hawks are 11-6 ATS season and 10 of the 11 wins have been outright upsets. They relish this role and I expect another upset tonight but will certainly grab all the points I can get. 8* ATLANTA HAWKS

TNT ATS Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Game #702 Thursday 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) vs Golden State Warriors @ 8 ET - Yesterday afternoon when lines first popped up on this game the Warriors were available as low as a -5. Now, as of very early gameday morning, lines as high as a -7.5 are now posted on Golden State. I completely understand the affection the markets have for the top team in the league, especially when considering that the Warriors are off of a loss. However, this is going to prove to be a tough spot for Golden State and I'll gladly grab the value being offered with the big home dog. The Warriors just lost Kevin Durant to a knee injury and will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. As for the Bulls, they will be playing for just the 2nd time in 5 nights and they'll certainly be motivated for this game. Teams almost always get "up" for facing the top teams in the league and Chicago also has the added revenge factor here. The Bulls got annihilated by 31 points last month at Golden State and they also got ripped by 31 points the last time they hosted the Warriors which was last January. Before Chicago's home loss to Denver Tuesday (Nuggets shot "lights out" in that one), the Bulls had won and covered 4 straight games. They've been playing very well and can resume the hot streak here. The Warriors, conversely, are on an 0-4 ATS run and they'll have their hands full as, without Durant, they take on a hungry Chicago team in this one. The Bulls are 15-9 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. Golden State is allowing 116.5 points per game in their last 4 road games. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS plus the big points 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #515 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET - This is simply too many points for the Spurs to be giving up to a quality Pacers team. Once again, San Antonio played very well on their annual "Rodeo Road Trip" where they're forced out of their venue for a period of a few weeks due to the rodeo taking over their venue. However, the first game back home (especially with the trip wrapping up on the West Coast) is often a tough one after all the travel. I expect the Spurs will find a way to get the win here but look for the game to be decided by single digits. The Pacers are off of a confidence-boosting win at Houston Monday where Indiana rallied from a deficit and knocked off another quality Western Conference team. After tonight's game, the Pacers don't play again until Sunday at Atlanta so, with 3 days off coming up, Indiana is going to go hard in this one. Also, the Pacers are seeking revenge for a tight home loss to the Spurs two weeks ago. Indiana has been shooting quite well and they got their offense flowing against the Rockets Monday. When the Pacers are off of a game where they scored 115 points or more, they've gone 8-5 ATS this season and 16-9 SU the past 3 seasons combined. Look for the Spurs to drop to 3-7 ATS on the season when they are playing a game with 2 days of rest between games. 10* Top Play INDIANA plus the big points Wednesday night

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Game #710 Tuesday 10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder (-) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:05 ET - The Jazz dominated the glass against the Wizards Sunday and that helped them overcome a turnover-filled game (24 turnovers for Utah) as they got the road win at Washington. They won't be able to use rebounding to overcome another sloppy game here because the Thunder are one of the top rebounding teams in the league. Couple that with the fact that Oklahoma City is chasing the Jazz for the top spot in the division, this one is set up nicely for home dominance. The Thunder are 22-8 SU (and 20-9-1 ATS) in home games this season. OKC is also 6-3 ATS in divisional games this season whereas Utah has only covered 4 of 10 in divisional action this season. Oklahoma City has won 5 of its last 6 meetings with Utah including each of the last 4 times they've hosted the Jazz. The Thunder have been shooting the ball very well and are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. At home, Oklahoma City is averaging 110 points per game this season. The Jazz are known for struggling to keep up with fast-paced opposition as they are now 15-31 SU the L3 seasons combined in games against teams averaging 106 points or more per game. That includes covering just 9 of 24 games this season that fit those parameters. The Thunder will either pull to within 2 games of Utah in the division or they'll fall to 4 games back depending on tonight's result. As you can see, it's a huge game for OKC and I expect their home floor, rebounding edge, Utah's turnover struggles, and the extra motivation for the Thunder to all be difference makers in this one. 10* OKLAHOMA CITY for a top play selection Tuesday night

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #702 Tuesday 8* Washington Wizards (+) vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are off of a home loss to Utah Sunday despite forcing 24 turnovers in that game. Washington hasn't lost 3 straight games since mid-November and the Wizards are fired up about taking on the team with the NBA's best record. In other words, it's the perfect time for Washington (24-8 at home this season) to respond in a big way. The Wizards are 13-5 ATS this season when off of a non-conference game. After losing to the Jazz Sunday, they'll make the most of this opportunity against the league-best Warriors who are in a tough back to back spot. Golden State was at Philadelphia last night and they got the win but their key players did play significant minutes and the Warriors will face an even tougher challenge tonight. The Warriors are only 4-7 ATS in the 2nd game of back to backs this season. Overall, with last night's non-covering win over the Sixers, Golden State is just 7-12 ATS in their last 19 road games. The Wizards, before Sunday's home loss, were 16-4 ATS in their last 20 home games. Grab the big home dog value in this one! 8* WASHINGTON plus the points early Tuesday evening.

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Game #806 Sunday 8* Washington Wizards (-) vs Utah Jazz @ 5:05 ET - The Jazz are off of a big win at Milwaukee but they have a huge gave with the division rival Thunder on deck for Tuesday in Oklahoma City. That sets this one up well as the Wizards are at home laying a small number and are fully focused. Washington lost at Philadelphia on Friday as their defense decided to take off the 2nd and 3rd quarters. That proved to be the difference in the game and they know they screwed up by underestimating the Sixers. Needless to say, they won't underestimate the solid Jazz team that is paying them a visit Sunday. Washington is 24-7 SU (and 20-11 ATS) in home games this season. The Wizards are also 5-1 SU (and 4-2 ATS) this season when off of an upset loss as a favorite. After allowing 115 points or more in a game, Washington has responded by going 4-1 (SU and ATS) this season. The Wizards will take advantage of a Jazz team in a clear lookahead spot here. Also, Utah is an ugly 2-12 SU (and 3-11 ATS) as an underdog this season. The Jazz also are an unimpressive 9-15 (SU and ATS) when playing against teams with a winning record this season. 8* WASHINGTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #803 Sunday 8* Phoenix Suns (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:35 ET - Three weeks ago in Phoenix, the Bucks completely embarrassed the Suns in a 137-112 victory. Milwaukee simply couldn't miss that night as they knocked down a ridiculous 63.4% of their shots! Even though Phoenix is certainly going nowhere this season (18-40 record) professional pride still exists and the Suns will be looking for payback here. Meanwhile Milwaukee will be looking at something else here...a big game at Cleveland on deck for Monday. The Bucks are known for overlooking weaker foes. Yes, Milwaukee won big at Phoenix at 3 weeks ago but the Bucks are 10-20 ATS on the season in their games against teams with a losing record. Also, Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS in Sunday games this season. The Suns, despite that big loss to the Bucks in Phoenix 3 weeks ago, are 13-6 ATS in non-conference games this season. Look for the Suns to again get the cover against an Eastern Conference foe that simply finds it too easy to overlook them. 8* PHOENIX

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #502 Saturday 10* Top Play Sacramento Kings (+) vs Charlotte Hornets @ 5:05 ET - The Hornets are in a horrible slump and have lost 12 of their last 13 games. The Kings are rejuvenated after the DeMarcus Cousins trade (won by double digits in first game after the All Star Break) and also have won and covered 4 straight home games. Sacramento should hold a big edge on the boards in this game as they have outrebounded 3 of their last 4 opponents by a solid margin while Charlotte has been outrebounded by a ridiculous 15 boards a game in their last 4 games. The Hornets are 0-4 ATS against Pacific Division foes this season and also 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record! In other words, Charlotte doesn't take care of business when they should and that is also why they are an ugly 8-17 ATS when playing with revenge this season. The Kings are 15-10 SU and ATS this season when playing against teams with a losing record so they have proven they do take care of business when they should. With that said, there is tremendous line value here with the home dog. 10* SACRAMENTO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #855 Friday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - You have to be careful looking at full season numbers with teams. Dallas was garbage for much of this season but they were ravaged by injuries. They were playing better ball leading into the All Star break. As for Minnesota, they won 8 of their last 11 games in January but February turned into a disaster when they lost Zach LaVine early in the month to a season-ending injury. Losing your starting point guard is always tough and the Timberwolves were 2-6 in February before winning their final game before the All Star break, at Denver. The T-wolves defense has been struggling badly. They've allowed 49.4% from the field in their last 6 games. By comparison, the Mavericks (who won 11 of 16 before dropping their last 2 games before the break) have held 7 of their last 13 opponents to 45.9% or less from the field. With the #8 seed well within reach for both of these teams don't be surprised if there is great intensity for tonight's game and I like the Mavericks (healthier and playing the better overall basketball) to get the W tonight on the road. Dallas has won 8 of its last 9 meetings with Minnesota. Also, the Mavs come into this game on a 6-2 ATS run in their last 8 games against teams with a losing record this season. The Timberwolves are 9-18 ATS as a favorite this season and on an 11-28 ATS run when off of a divisional game. Also, when Minny is off of a win by 10 points or more (beat Denver by 13) they have gone 2-9 ATS this season and an ugly 5-18 ATS (2-21 SU!) the past 3 seasons combined. Road rout looks probable here. 10* DALLAS MAVERICKS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #843 Friday 8* Washington Wizards (-) @ Philadelphia 76'ers @ 7:05 ET - The 76'ers now are likely to go into "tank mode" on the season and the Wizards do have motivation here. Washington lost at Philadelphia in November and, though they got some measure of revenge by then beating the Sixers in DC last month, the Wizards still want to "return the favor" on Philly's home floor. That said, the 76'ers are in trouble here as Washington has won 18 of their last 21 games. Philadelphia has lost 8 of their last 12. The Sixers last 10 losses have come by an average margin of 14.1 points per defeat. Each of the 76'ers last 7 losses have come by at least 8 points. The Wizards are 9-4 SU and ATS when playing with 3 or more days of rest while the Sixers have gone 3-8 ATS and an awful 1-10 SU when playing with 3 or more days of rest and the big issue here is Philly's playing rotation has been effected by some recent moves. They'll be a little "off" in terms of their execution and the added time off because of the All Star break just compounds the issue for the 76'ers. The Wizards are 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against teams who are allowing an average of 106 points or more per game on the season. I spoke earlier about the tanking and the numbers support that with Philly as, in the 2nd half of a season, the Sixers are now 3-39 SU when facing a team with a winning record. Another ugly loss beckons here and we get line value since the Wizards are on the road. 8* WASHINGTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #506 Thursday 10* Top Play New Orleans Pelicans (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - Houston is 40-18 on the season and New Orleans is 23-34 on the season. Something looked "funny" with the opening number on this game, didn't it? Of course now, as expected, the markets have already done some early "pounding" on the Rockets side and have driven this line up. In typical contrarian fashion (hence the title - Contrarian Crusher) I am stepping in on the other side of this one. Of course the big story in New Orleans is the DeMarcus Cousins acquisition. But there is much more than "just that" to like about the Pelicans in this match-up. They went 3-1 on their 4-game road trip right before the All Star break and this is one of just 3 home games they have scheduled in the entire month of February! That said, they certainly want to make it "count" and they did lose their most recent home game. Another key here is that the Pelicans have not lost back to back home games since prior to the mid-way point of December! New Orleans had gone 9-5 in their 14 home games since December 15th but then lost to Utah two weeks ago. That adds "fuel to the fire" for the Pelicans tonight and the Rockets are only 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games. Also, New Orleans is seeking revenge for a 22-point beating at Houston when these teams met in December. Prior to that, the last 4 games between these teams had been decided by a total of just 15 points. With Cousins now in the mix, the Pelicans are going to be tough for the Rockets to put away in this one. Look for the outright upset and if New Orleans does fall short it certainly should be by just a single possession. The Pelicans are 27-16 ATS the past 3 seasons against teams that average 106 points or more per game. Everyone will be lining up for the Rockets in this one and, from experience, I know what that usually results in...an upset! 10* NEW ORLEANS

Eastern Conference Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #702 Thursday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) vs Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - Most likely, no one will want Indiana here. The Pacers are in a back to back while the Wizards have had two days off heading into this one. Indiana is on a 5-game losing streak while Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the league for many weeks now. Of course you know what usually happens when everyone is going one way...it usually doesn't pan out too well. In typical contrarian fashion I am going with the Pacers here. However, it is certainly not without reason. For one thing, the Pacers got very bad shooting nights from George and Teague last night at Cleveland. Even with that, Indiana was in that game for 3 quarters before having a horrible 4th quarter. Also, the hunger of the Pacers is a key here as the last thing they want to do is go into the All Star break having lost 6 straight! Conversely, though they would say otherwise, the Wizards can't help but already be looking ahead to the break. They are very comfortable with where they're at now and likely are already "halfway in" to All Star break mode coming into this one because this will be just the 2nd game for Washington in 6 days. In fact it was last Friday that the Wizards knocked off the Pacers in Washington. Look for some revenge to be served in Indiana tonight. The Pacers will prove to be the hungrier team tonight and, keep in mind, they are 20-9 at home this season while the Wizards are 9-14 on the road this season. 10* INDIANA PACERS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #508 Wednesday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:35 ET - Classic case of an ugly dog here. Yes, the Nets have a long losing streak going, both overall and at home, but Brooklyn should take care of business here. 11 of the 13 losses in their current losing streak have come by single digits. The Nets have been on the cusp of getting over the hump and, going "all out" in their final game before the All Star break is a given here. Brooklyn wants to put an end to the "nonsense" and they are catching the right team at the right time to do it! The Bucks come into this game off of a divisional win over Detroit. Surprisingly, Milwaukee held the Pistons to only 89 points but that was the first time since January 2nd that the Bucks have held a team under 100 points. Also, you have to go all the way back to December 16th to find a game where Milwaukee gave up less than 94 points. As you can see, Monday's win over Detroit was a rare gem for the Bucks and this is a team that is 1-10 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. Also, Milwaukee is an ugly 4-8 SU (and 3-9 ATS!) in road games where the posted total is 210 points or more. The Nets are undoubtedly one of the worst teams in the NBA and I won't try to convince you otherwise. But the fact remains that Brooklyn has been going very hard for weeks now and just hasn't been able to get into the win column. After so many close calls, they catch a Bucks team that is overconfident off of back to back divisional wins (big win at Indiana before knocking off Detroit) and that sets this up as a "dangerous game" for Milwaukee. The Bucks had lost 7 straight road games before notching wins at Phoenix and Indiana. Look for the upset here with a gritty, determined effort from the home dog here but grab the available points. 10* BROOKLYN NETS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Wednesday 8* Indiana Pacers (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - I successfully used the Cavaliers last night but the Cavs did struggle to put the Timberwolves away in Minnesota. Cleveland had to give their key guys more minutes than they would have liked to in last night's game and now they'll have their hands full in a tough back to back. In fact, this one does has the makings of an upset as Cleveland is only 3-7 SU (and 2-8 ATS) in the 2nd game of a back to back on the season. While the Cavaliers were battling with the T-wolves last night at Minny, the Pacers were off and were able to fully prepare physically and mentally for this divisional battle. Even though Indiana has lost four straight games, this was preceded by a 7 game winning streak. Also, 2 of the 4 defeats have come by 5 points or less and the Pacers have faced some tough competition during this streak. In fact the 4-game losing streak started with an ugly home loss to the Cavs 132-117 last Wednesday. The Pacers will be seeking payback tonight and Indiana has gone 27-15 ATS versus divisional opponents the past 3 seasons. Also, Indiana is 3-1 ATS this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. The Cavaliers are an ugly 18-33 ATS versus divisional opponents the past 3 seasons. Even though the Pacers are still without Thaddeus Young, the Cavs are missing Kevin Love and the big man is particularly missed in a back to back situation like this where a divisional road dog is coming in very hungry and plus has the rest edge. 8* INDIANA PACERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #703 Tuesday 8* Cleveland Cavaliers (-) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - The Cavs come into this game with 2 days of rest as they last played on Saturday when they knocked off the Nuggets at home. Even though this is the 1st game of a back to back (Cavaliers host Indiana tomorrow), there is no doubt the Cavs will go all out here. That's because the All Star break looms and Cleveland knows they'll have plenty of time to rest up then. Certainly Minnesota will be up for this game as they host the world champs but the Timberwolves have been swept by the Cavaliers each of the prior two seasons and the T-wolves already lost at Cleveland earlier this month. The Cavs, just as they are tonight, played without Kevin Love but they still won by 28. Cleveland may again be catching the Timberwolves at the right time for another big win as Minnesota is off of a blowout win over Chicago Sunday. Minny beat the Bulls 117-89 but the Timberwolves are 2-8 ATS this season (and 5-17 ATS the last 3 seasons combined) when they are off of a win by a double digit margin! Even though Minnesota has now won 2 of its last 3, the three games were against a struggling Toronto team, the 21-34 Pelicans, and an injury-depleted Bulls team. That is significant here because, prior to winning 2 of 3, the Timberwolves had lost 4 straight games SU and were on a 1-8 ATS run. In other words, don't be surprised if the T-wolves get drilled again as they take a big step up in level of opponent for this one. Cleveland has won 7 of its last 9 SU and is also on a 6-2 ATS run its last 8. The Cavaliers are 10-2 SU (and 8-4 ATS) when playing with 2 days of rest this season and, with rested legs, the Cavs roll in this one as the absence of point guard Zach LaVine (out for season now with torn ACL) is significant in a match-up like this. 8* CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Game #511 Monday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - Many will likely be looking to Milwaukee today after the Pistons rallied late and got the upset win at Toronto yesterday. However, this is not a "normal" in-season situation here. The All Star break begins later this week and so players aren't "holding anything back" and, right now, Detroit has been playing much better ball than Milwaukee. Not only that, the Pistons suffered one of their worst home defeats of the season in late December when the Bucks defeated them by 25 points. The Pistons haven't forgotten that game as, of course, Milwaukee is a division rival. Now Detroit gets their shot at revenge and, even though it is a back to back, only one guy played more than 32 minutes for the Pistons yesterday. Also, Milwaukee is off of a big upset win too as they won at Indiana on Saturday. One of the key differences though is the Bucks recent wins have been "fortunate" ones where they simply shot the ball extremely well. Milwaukee's win over the Pacers saw them knock down 54.8% of their three pointers and that was just the 3rd win for the Bucks in their last 15 games. Conversely, Detroit was held to 43% from the field and 26% from three point land and yet still won at Toronto yesterday. The Pistons are winning the "hustle points" and are playing much better team basketball than the Bucks right now. Detroit is on a 6-2 ATS run and are 5-2 SU and ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record. Conversely, Milwaukee is an ugly 1-5 ATS and SU in their last 6 games against teams with a losing record. This is a classic case of "hot versus not" and "hungry versus complacent" and, even though it is a back to back for Detroit, they did play early yesterday and each of these teams are playing their 3rd game in 4 days. Advantage to the road dog Pistons and I expect them to get their revenge here against the struggling Bucks. Talking about the "stronger level of play" angle above. The Bucks have been outshot by 40 shots over their last 8 games. The Pistons have outshot their opponents by 44 shots in their last 4 games. The road team is clearly getting more scoring opportunities while also allowing less. More of the same here. 10* DETROIT PISTONS

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Game #838 Sunday 10* Top Play Sacramento Kings (-) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 9:05 ET - The Pelicans have the full attention of the Kings because New Orleans has given them trouble in recent meetings. Sacramento finally ended a Pelicans "run" in this series with a home win over New Orleans in their most recent meeting in November. The Kings won that game by 8 and, with this being Sacramento's last home game until after the All Star break, I fully expect huge effort from them here. Though both teams have played rather well their last couple games, I like the fact that the Kings have averaged 10 more field goal attempts per game than their opponent in their last 2 games. The Pelicans have been at the other end of the spectrum on that stat as they have given up an average of 9 more field goal attempts per game than what they've taken. Of course limiting the number of opportunities for your opponent while also maximizing your own is a key to success and the Kings come in strong and have won 3 of their last 4 games. Not only does Sacramento have the back to back wins, they also have had a win over Golden State in this four game stretch. The Pelicans, prior to their road win at Minnesota, had lost 5 straight road games. Overall, New Orleans had failed to cover 4 straight games before the win over the Timberwolves. Sacramento is 20-8 ATS long-term in their home games against New Orleans and the Kings have shot at least 47.5% from the field in 7 of their last 9 games. The Pelicans, before erupting at Minnesota, had been held under 46% from the field in 5 of their last 6 games. 10* Top Play SACRAMENTO KINGS minus the short number Sunday night

Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Saturday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian pick all the way. The fact is that the Bucks have been struggling badly and Jabari Parker was just lost for the season and, even though Khris Middleton finally played in last night's game, he did not travel with the team to Indiana. All that said, this line opened up at "only" a 6 and that is a strange line considering the Pacers have the much better record and also are at home. Considering the home/road dichotomy of the way these two teams play home versus away you can see why the betting markets already pushed this to the 7 in early action. Nothing is ever as "easy" as it seems and my expectation is that this game tonight is absolutely going to turn into a divisional dogfight. Milwaukee simply got done in last night by the Lakers hitting a ridiculous 15 of 30 three pointers. The Bucks got down early and then rallied late but they'll be ready to bounce back after being outscored by 21 points from three point land (Lakers hit 7 more threes than Milwaukee) last night. Even though this is a back to back for the Bucks, it is also a back to back for the Pacers and they are the ones laying 7 points here even though they are 3-7 SU (and 2-8 ATS) this season in the 2nd game of a back to back! Even though this is part of 3 games in 4 days for the Bucks they previously had 3 full off days. As for the Pacers, they are playing their 6th game in 9 nights. Look for the Pacers to be a little weary in this one and they're missing Thaddeus Young (wrist) and have been playing a little soft in the middle. The Bucks are 6-3 SU and ATS in divisional games this season and they'll push Indiana to the limit in this one. The Pacers are only 2-2 in the last 4 meetings between these clubs and the two Indiana victories each came by only 5 points. 10* Top Play MILWAUKEE BUCKS plus the points Saturday evening

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Saturday 8* Los Angeles Clippers (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 5:05 ET - The Clippers are a small road dog here. Of course the only reason they're a dog is that Chris Paul is injured. These are the types of situations that lead to phenomenal line value as the Hornets are struggling badly but they are laying points against a solid Clippers team that, even though without Paul, has seen Blake Griffin really step up his game of late. Though LA still has only 2 wins in its last 5 games the 3 losses did come against solid playoff-level foes. When the Clippers have faced weaker foes (like Phoenix and New York), they have taken care of business. Just like the dysfunctional Knicks that they defeated Wednesday, this Charlotte team is having all sorts of issues. Kemba Walker is struggling badly with his shot and he had 6 of the Hornets 22 turnovers in the loss to the Rockets Thursday. The Hornets have only 1 win in their last 9 games and they've been held to 44.4% or less from the field in 8 of those 9 games. Conversely, the Clippers have shot 46.5% or better in 7 of their 10 games since Chris Paul got hurt! With the Hornets slumping and the Clippers looking poised to take advantage of another "lesser" opponent, this game is offering solid line value. Charlotte is 5-13 SU (and 3-14-1 ATS) in games with posted total of 210 points or more this season. You can see, with the big total posted on this game, that plenty of points are expected here and you can also see (from the info I noted above) that it is the Clips who have had the better offensive execution (even without Paul) and that has me backing the road dog in a big way here. The Clips are 5-1 SU this season (and 20-6 SU the L3 seasons!) in their games against Southeast Division opponents. 8* LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS plus the points in Saturday's earliest game in NBA action.

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #855 Friday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - Denver is 9-17 SU on the road this season and yet the Knicks are a very small home favorite here. Looks easy to play New York, right? Exactly! That is why I am on the Nuggets here in typical contrarian fashion. The key here is that the Knicks are just a huge mess right now. The Charles Oakley situation (in the stands) just adds even more fuel to the fire and the fact is that the Knicks truly would be better off on the road right now than playing again at home where turmoil has gripped this team. New York comes into this one having lost 3 straight games and they are now 6-19 dating back to Christmas Day! Even though the Nuggets are off of a loss they had previously won 9 of their last 14 games and gone 10-4 ATS at the betting window during this solid stretch. Though their road record looks poor they have been playing quite well on the road. The trouble has been that recent games have included a pair of trips to San Antonio and a trip to Atlanta. Only 3-5 SU in their last 8 games played away from Denver but note that the 3 of the 5 losses came by 6 points or less and the Nuggets will take advantage of facing a struggling Knicks team in this one. Denver has won each of its last 3 meetings with the Knicks and that includes their last visit to New York. Also, the Nuggets are 7-3 SU and ATS (including 3-1 SU and ATS this season) when they are a road dog of 3 points or less. The Knicks are 3-0 to the over in their L3 games because their defense has given up 117 points per game! We're not playing the over here as you can but the significance in that is that New York is 5-12 SU and ATS the L3 seasons when they enter a game on an "over streak" of 3 games or more. The lackluster play on that end of the floor will again cause the demise of the Knicks tonight and I expect the road dog to get the upset win. 10* DENVER NUGGETS plus the points Friday

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #708 Thursday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:35 ET - The Jazz are off of a huge win last night at New Orleans. That makes this a tough back to back spot for Utah and the Jazz are on a 1-6 ATS run in the 2nd night of back to backs. They face a Dallas team that has been playing much better of late and was off last night. The scheduling and situational edge is big here for the Mavericks who are on an 11-3 ATS run. The Mavs are playing this game with home loss revenge and Dallas has gone a fantastic 8-2 ATS when playing with home loss revenge this season. Look for the Mavericks to tighten things up defensively after allowing 114 to the Trail Blazers in a one point loss Tuesday. The Mavs are 12-6 ATS this season when off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. After this game against a Western Conference foe, the Mavericks won't face another team from their conference for two weeks. Couple that with the home loss revenge factor as well as the back to back spot for Utah and you have the perfect situational advantages that dictate playing on the Mavericks in this one. They are off of back to back losses and haven't lost three straight since early January. Look for the Mavs to get back on track with a W here. 10* DALLAS MAVERICKS plus the points Thursday night

Conference Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #515 Wednesday 8* Utah Jazz (-) @ New Orleans Pelicans @ 8:05 ET - Utah has won 10 of its last 13 games including 3 straight. Most impressive about the current 3-game run is the fact that the Jazz have won the games by an average margin of 16 points per game. Utah is one of the top defensive teams in the league and they'll now take advantage of facing a team that has definitely been heading the wrong direction when it comes to level of play on the defensive end. The Pelicans have allowed an average of 114 points per game in their last 9 games. New Orleans is hosting a Jazz team that is allowing only 95.4 points per game on the season! Utah also has a great rest edge here as they are playing only their 4th game in the last 11 days! Conversely, the Pelicans are playing their 6th game in the past 11 days. New Orleans is 2-5 SU and ATS against Northwest Division foes this season. The Jazz are 24-5 SU against teams with a losing record this season. That said, with this line only a couple buckets, I'll gladly take the "risk" of laying the short number here because the Jazz are also 10-1 SU (and 7-4 ATS) as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the past 3 seasons combined. 8* UTAH JAZZ

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #518 Wednesday 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 8:05 ET - This is the classic case of the ugly home dog. Few will want Minnesota here as they recently lost PG Zach LaVine to season-ending injury and the Timberwolves come into this game having lost 4 straight. However, Minny is fired up for responding here after their defense let them down in their most recent game, a tight home loss to a red hot Miami team. The T-wolves caught an earful from their head coach about playing well on BOTH ends of the floor just one and Minnesota will be ready to go here. Keep in mind, the Timberwolves had held 3 of their 4 prior opponents under 45% from the field. Even though Toronto enters this game off of back to back wins, they faced a Clippers team struggling without Chris Paul and they faced the Nets (one of the worst teams in the league). Prior to those wins the Raptors had lost 8 of its last 10 and they're still trying to "work out the kinks" as they welcome back players who had missed some time due to injury. The home team has won each of the last 3 meetings between these teams and Toronto is playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and each game has been in a different city. Against teams with a losing record the Raptors have failed to cover 4 of its last 6. The Timberwolves, seeking revenge for a loss at Toronto in December, are 7-4 SU and ATS in home games with a posted total of 210 or more. Also, when Minny enters a game off of 3 or more consecutive losses, they are 7-2 ATS this season. Being a contrarian generally pays off well and I love fading the line move in this particular situation that favors the home dog! 10* MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Monday 8* Oklahoma City Thunder (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - Even though Oklahoma City burned me yesterday with their tight win over Portland I am actually playing on the Thunder in this spot. While it may seem like a good spot to fade OKC off of a win and now traveling for a back to back, there is plenty of good reason as to why this line is on a downward move from as high as 5 down to as low as 3.5 at some books. Even though this is a back to back spot for the Thunder, they will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights just like the Pacers are. Even though Indiana was off yesterday they had played games back to back the 2 prior days and a big key here is they are in a lookahead spot. This is a non-conference match-up for the the Pacers and they are much more concerned with their big game Wednesday (hosting the division rival and defending champ Cavaliers) than they are with this game. As for OKC, this is their only road game in the 1st 12 days of this month so this one has their full focus and attention. Also, the road team has taken each of the last 3 meetings between these clubs and that includes the Pacers winning at Oklahoma City earlier this season. The Thunder have payback on their minds here and they have absolutely been dominating the boards in recent games. Conversely, Indiana has been out-rebounded in 3 of its last 5 games. The Thunder are 4-1 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge, 3-0 ATS when a road dog in a range of 3.5 to 6 points, and 7-1 ATS when off of a divisional game! The Pacers are 11-17 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 points or more. 8* OKLAHOMA CITY plus the points early Monday evening.

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #855 Sunday 10* Top Play Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 3:05 ET - This series has been dominated by the home team in recent match-ups but there are number of indicators pointing to an upset in this one. Portland comes into this one having gone 4-2 SU and ATS in their last 6 games. One key for the Trail Blazers, in comparison with the Thunder, has been turnovers. In their last 5 games, the Blazers have turned the ball over only 9.6 times per game. Conversely, Oklahoma City has turned the ball over an average of 16.2 times per game in their last 6 games.  In 2 of their last 3 games the Thunder have turned it over 20 times. OKC enters this game having gone 1-3 SU and ATS in their last 4 games. The Thunder have been held to 38% or less from the field in 3 of their last 4 games. The Trail Blazers have been consistently at the other end of the spectrum of late. Portland is averaging 47% from the field over their last 6 games and has not been held below 45% in any of those games. This is also a tough scheduling spot for the Thunder as it's the 4th game of a stretch of 5 games in 7 days which is never easy on a team. As for the Blazers, this is one of only two games they have in the first 6 days of this month. Oklahoma City was a small home dog versus Memphis and the Thunder are an ugly 7-11 ATS when off of an upset win as an underdog. The Trail Blazers have excelled in divisional games with a 27-11 SU mark the past 3 seasons combined and they are 4-2 ATS in divisional games this season. 10* PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS plus the points Sunday

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Saturday 10* Top Play New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - This is one of my typical contrarian plays as certainly the line had to look a little "funny" to most when the hot Wizards opened up as only an 8 point choice even though they are at home against a slumping Pelicans team. Of course, whenever line look a little "off" it merits additional investigation and, in this case, I certainly like what I found. The Wizards are off of their non-covering win over the Lakers and have a huge game on deck with the Cavaliers. This is clearly a tough scheduling spot for Washington. Look for the Wizards to look right past a 19-31 New Orleans team that they've dominated in recent meetings. That makes the Pelicans a very dangerous dog in this spot. New Orleans is off of an ugly effort at Detroit and that was their 3rd straight SU loss. However, the Pelicans had gone 11-6 ATS prior to that non-cover against the Pistons and, after losing by 20, I look for N.O. to come out with plenty of fire in this one. New Orleans is 15-9 ATS in non-conference games this season and has played a tougher overall schedule than Washington this season. Look for the old West vs East disparity to play a factor in this one as well as, generally, the Western Conference teams face tougher competition than the East. The Wizards get caught looking ahead to the Cavs. 10* NEW ORLEANS plus the big points Saturday evening

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Game #855 Friday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - This is a classic case of two teams heading in opposite directions so the only concern in laying the points would have to be motivation. But you can also "check the box" on that factor as well - for multiple reasons - and that is why I am laying the points with the Pacers in this one. Even though Indiana has a home game with Detroit on deck there is no way they'll look past the Nets here. That's because the Pacers have lost their last two visits to Brooklyn including their lone match-up there this season. That was Indiana's road opener and started a stretch of 5 straight road losses to begin the season. The other key factor is that the Pacers have been getting tremendous production of late from Paul George but he was held to a season-low 8 points at Orlando Wednesday and Indiana still won the game by double digits. That tells us two things as it relates to tonight's game: the Pacers supporting cast is fully capable of stepping up on an off night for George AND look for one of the NBA's best players to absolutely "go off" tonight with a huge game against one of the worst teams in the league. The Nets come into this game having gone 1-18 SU in their last 19 games. Brooklyn is also 4-14 ATS in their last 18 games. This is in stark contrast to a Pacers club that has won 11 of its last 15 games SU and has gone 4-0 ATS in its last 4 games. When Indiana enters a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more they've gone 3-1 ATS this season. When Brooklyn enters a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more, they've gone 6-16 ATS this season. The Pacers have beaten the Nets by a combined 33 points in their last two home meetings but they've lost their last two road meetings by a combined 19 points and it is time for some road revenge here. 10* INDIANA PACERS minus the points

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Thursday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Lakers (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards have won 15 straight home games which is the longest current home winning streak in the NBA. The Lakers have won only 5 road games this season which is fewer than any other team in the Western Conference. The combination of these two factors is likely going to have many jumping all over Washington in this one but this situation favors Los Angeles and I'll gladly grab the big points here. While the Lakers will be playing just their 2nd game in the past 7 days, the Wizards will be playing their 4th game in 7 days. Also it is easy for Washington to overlook a 17-34 team like the Lakers. I wouldn't be surprised to see a slow start for the Wizards in this one and though they should pull out the win in the end it is likely going to be by single digits as the Lakers are going to given them a tough game. Los Angeles welcomed back D'Angelo Russell in their most recent game and got the win over Denver Tuesday. Also, the Lakers could have Julius Randle back tonight. Whether Randle is back or not, I like the fact that LA has some momentum coming in off of their win over the Nuggets and I also like the fact that 4 of the Lakers last 5 defeats have come by 8 points or less. The Lakers last road trip started horribly with a bad loss at Dallas but that is the only game in their last 7 games that has resulted in a loss by more than 8 points. Lakers are playing better and are fully focused as they want to get this 5-game road trip started on the right foot. The fresher legs will prove to help as well as they had 4 days off before that victory over Denver. It is going to be difficult for a superior Eastern Conference foe to maintain their intensity against a Pacific Division opponent. In fact, the Lakers have gone 5-2 ATS this season (and 17-9 ATS the past 3 seasons) in games against Southeast Division foes. They "sneak up" on the Wizards here and end their 10-0 ATS run! 10* LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #503 Wednesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - The Pacers are a much better home team than road team. There is no doubt about that. However, Indiana has won 10 of its last 14 games overall, including 3 in a row, and Paul George has been red hot and certainly seems to be rounding into top form again. The Pacers have won 3 of their last 5 road games and Orlando is only 8-15 at home this season. Even though the Magic just recently got Evan Fournier back, he'll take some time to round back into top form and the backcourt depth has been hurt with the absence of CJ Wilcox and Jodie Meeks. Indiana is 8-1 (SU and ATS!) in its last 9 meetings with the Magic and this is an Orlando team that enters this game having lost 13 of its last 17 games. All 13 losses for the Magic during this rough stretch have come by at least 6 points so the small point spread here certainly should not prove to be an obstacle. The Magic are 7-15-1 ATS in home games this season and have field to cover 2 of 7 as a home dog of 3 points or less. The Pacers are on a 4-1 ATS run when off of a game where they allowed 104 points or less. Orlando has been held to 98 points or less in regulation in 10 of its last 14 games. This is in stark contrast to a high-powered Indiana offense that has scored at least 100 points in 17 of its last 20 games. Lay the small number with the small road fave in this one. 10* INDIANA PACERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #703 Tuesday 8* New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - Toronto may be a popular choice here since they are off of a loss but I'll explain why, from a situational standpoint, the Raptors are actually in quite a tough spot here. First off though I just want to say that the Pelicans are the type of scrappy underdog I like to have a in a spot like this. New Orleans is coming off of a bad home loss to Washington but the Pelicans were off of a big win versus the Spurs in their prior game so losing to the Wizards was not a big surprise. Prior to knocking off San Antonio, the Pelicans lost to Oklahoma City by single digits and that game followed a New Orleans upset of Cleveland so they truly have been a tough "out" of late and they catch the Raptors at a good time to spring the upset. Toronto has a game on deck at Boston tomorrow night. Of course the Raptors are currently neck and neck with the Celtics at the top of the Atlantic Division so it's hard for Toronto to not get caught looking ahead here. That said, the Raptors weren't necessarily a lock to win this game even if they didn't have a lookahead. Toronto has lost 6 of its last 7 games and they now host a New Orleans team off of a loss and looking for revenge after getting swept by the Raptors last season - lost each game by at least 19 points! The Pelicans had shot 46% or better from the field in 6 of their last 10 games before the loss to the Wizards. By comparison, the struggling Raptors haven't shot better than 45.6% in ANY of their last SEVEN games! The revenge seeking dog, off of a loss, facing a struggling home fave in a lookhead spot, is absolutely the play here. 8* NEW ORLEANS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #546 Monday 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) vs Sacramento Kings @ 7:35 ET - Many are fading the Sixers because this is a back to back spot and Joel Embiid, even though he didn't play yesterday, is listed as questionable for tonight due to knee soreness. However, the 76'ers have been playing well, even when Embiid has missed, and although this is a back to back spot for Philly the Kings scheduling situation is arguably worse. This game was rescheduled from November 30th when the court was unplayable due to too much moisture. The result is that this game is now near the tail-end of a lengthy Sacramento road trip. The Kings have a game at Houston tomorrow night that wraps up a stretch of 8 games in 12 days and all have been on the road! As for the Sixers, even though they are playing their 7th game in 11 days at least they are at home and they don't have a game tomorrow. Look for Philly to go "all out" in this game tonight. Yesterday the Sixers were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time as the Bulls were desperate for a win and had been "called out" by their coach, it was their first game that followed starters not starting, etc. Now the Sixers catch a road-weary Kings team that is off of a win and Philadelphia has revenge on its mind after falling just short against the Kings in Sacramento 5 weeks ago. Philly, even with yesterday's non-cover, is still a red-hot 12-3 ATS in its last 15 games. The Kings are a short road favorite here and let's not forget they were 4-11 SU in their last 15 games before eking out a win at Charlotte Saturday. The resurgent Sixers have been particularly tough at home where they have covered 7 in a row. Look for that 7-0 ATS run to add another W Monday. 8* PHILADELPHIA

THE Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - Both teams are in a back to back. The Celtics won in a blowout and the Bucks lost in a blowout. That will likely have many backing Milwaukee since they are at home for this one. However, neither team had to go extended minutes on any of their players last night and the Celtics are the better team and playing the much better basketball. More on that shortly. First off, lets also note the following stats in the 2nd day of back to backs: The Bucks are 2-7 ATS this season and 17-33 SU the past 3 seasons combined! The Celtics are a phenomenal 7-3 SU this season and 31-15 ATS the past 3 seasons combined! You can see that back to back spots have clearly favored Boston over Milwaukee. Also, the Bucks come into this game slumping and their defense has been atrocious of late. This has played a large role in Milwaukee going 1-7 (both SU and ATS) in their last 8 games. As for the Celtics, they are expected to have Al Horford back for this game and certainly they've adjusted well since Avery Bradley got hurt. Long-term the Celtics are on a 15-6 SU run and, on the road, Boston has gone 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games. This line has been flip-flopping this morning but, no matter what, it is still noteworthy that in road games where the Celtics line is between a pick'em and -3 Boston has gone 7-0 SU and ATS this season! The Bucks are a horrible 1-9 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. The Celtics have averaged just 12.7 turnovers per game in their last 7 games. The Bucks have turned the ball over 19 times in each of their last 3 games. Boston has held 10 of its last 12 opponents to 47.1% or less from the field. Milwaukee has allowed 3 of its last 4 foes to knock down better than 50.5% of their shots from the field. This one has the makings of a road rout. 10* BOSTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #857 Friday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers are struggling and, as a result, many will likely be looking to back them here after a home loss. However, there are a number of issues with that. Historically, playing teams off of an overtime loss is often a dicey play as OT losses are toughest on a team's psyche and, the fact is the Cavs were already fragile before losing at home to the Kings on Wednesday. Another factor going against Cleveland here is simply the large spread. The Cavaliers are not only trying to get back on track here but they're being asked to cover a 15 point spread. This seems to be far too much considering Brooklyn has been playing a little bit better. The Nets actually led the Heat by 18 points in what was an eventual 3 point loss at Miami Wednesday. That means that 3 of Brooklyn's last 4 losses were decided by an average of 6.7 points per game. By the way, the one win in their there was a Nets "explosion" on offense as they erupted for 143 points at New Orleans last Friday. Certainly the Brooklyn D is not a strength but their offense has averaged 110.6 points per game in their last 7 games and it is that type of offensive production that makes a team dangerous in terms of a backdoor cover as well. The point is that even if the Cavs are fortunate enough to get up by 20 points in this game, when they start emptying the bench and looking ahead to a weekend showdown with OKC, the Nets can very easily get this one back to a 10 or 12 point game. The fact is I feel this one will be decided by single digits as the Cavs are just looking to get back into the win column after losing 3 straight and 6 of their last 8. Cleveland's ATS numbers are even worse as they've covered only 3 times in their last 15 games - a 20% ATS clip! Other than a blowout loss versus San Antonio (one of the hottest teams in the league) the Nets have looked much better over the past week and a half and everyone gets up for facing the Cavs. In other words, look for another strong effort from the hungry road dog in this one as Cleveland's issues continue. The Cavaliers are an ugly 6-14 ATS in their games against teams with a losing record this season. The Nets are 8-4 ATS when playing with home loss revenge and they lost to the Cavs by 8 points in Brooklyn three weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see another 8 point loss for the Nets here and that means plenty of line value with the big points here. 10* BROOKLYN NETS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #702 Thursday 8* Minnesota Timberwolves (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 8:05 ET - The Timberwolves have won 3 straight games and 6 of their last 8. As a young team, momentum and confidence are very important and Minnesota certainly has all that on their side after Wiggins nailed a jumper at the buzzer for a win at Phoenix Tuesday. Indeed the Wolves come rolling into this game with confidence and are happy to be back home where they have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 10. Minnesota is seeking revenge in this one as the Pacers got the win in both match-ups last season. Indiana comes into this game heading the opposite direction with 3 straight losses and would love to get back on track but the road has not been kind to them. The Pacers are 6-15 (both SU and ATS) in road games this season and they also are 7-17 ATS in all games with a posted total of 210 or more this season. The Timberwolves are 6-2 ATS in home games with a posted total of 210 or more and they are playing their best basketball of the season right now. Look for them to stay red hot here as Indiana's lineup change (CJ Miles starting instead of Glenn Robinson) certainly did not go well as he made only 4 of 14 in Monday's home loss to New York. Simpy put, the Pacers are trying to "find it" right now while the Timberwolves have already "found it" in terms of team chemistry and player rotations. 8* MINNESOTA

Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - The Bucks will be a popular play here since they are at home, seeking revenge, and catching the Sixers in a back to back. However, the 76'ers are on the top of roll right now that, no matter the situation, they are going to be a tough out for anyone. Philadelphia has now won 9 of its last 12 games and they've gone 10-2 ATS during this stretch. Also, Philly has covered 3 of its last 4 match-ups with the Bucks including winning in Milwaukee earlier this month. Though Joel Embiid is expected to miss again tonight, the Sixers got huge frontcourt production from Noel and Holmes last night and Okafor may be available tonight. Even though this a back to back spot for the Sixers they did have have a pair of off days prior to this and they have a non-conference game on deck. Even though the Sixers are off of a big upset win last night (over the Clippers) they have gone 9-5 ATS this season when off of an upset win as an underdog. Also, the 76'ers are 12-6 ATS this season when playing against teams with a losing record. Philadelphia is 6-1 ATS against Central Division opponents this season and Milwaukee is 1-7 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. The Bucks also are a long-term 19-37 ATS as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points. Milwaukee is only 8-15 ATS this season against teams with a losing record and, off of a big win over Houston and with a tough match-up at Toronto on deck, the Bucks may struggle to fully focus on the Sixers in this one. Milwaukee was 2-8 ATS before their win and cover over the Rockets and this pointspread tonight is heavily inflated considering the way the 76'ers are playing right now. Also, only one player logged more than 29 minutes for Philly in last night's win over the Clippers. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Wednesday 8* Sacramento Kings (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Everyone will be lining up on Cleveland here but, as is typical for my contrarian style, I like to be on the other side of what looks like a "must play" on the Cavaliers. The fact is that the Cavaliers are having struggles, as many teams do, when they are off of a championship season. It's just had to find that motivation or extra added edginess when you've already reached the top of the mountain. That said, I don't expect the Cavaliers to be too excited about facing a non-conference team with a 17-30 record that they already beat earlier this season and whom they swept last season. The Cavs are on a 2-9 ATS run and I expect them to get the win here but look for the margin to be single digits. The Kings are off of a road win, will be motivated by revenge here, have won 4 of their last 7 road games and gone 5-2 ATS in the process. The Cavs are 6-13 ATS against teams with a losing record this season. Cleveland is also 4-12 ATS when they are off of a non-conference game. It's just difficult for a team like the Cavs to "get up" for a game unless they are facing a team like the Warriors or Spurs or a top tier Eastern Conference foe. The Kings are 4-1 ATS in road games with a posted total of 210 points or more this season. 8* SACRAMENTO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #506 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:35 ET - The Nets are hell-bent on turning things around and I like what I have been seeing from them. Brooklyn is coming off of a pair of road games where they won big at New Orleans (143-114) and then showed a lot of heart in their next game even though it was a back to back situation. After the big win over the Pelicans, the Nets visited Charlotte the next night and they got down huge early (not surprising given the rare road win the night before) but they battled all the way back to eventually take a lead in the 4th quarter. Granted the lead was brief but the resilience and mettle that Brooklyn showed in that game was something to take note of. I expect another huge effort from the Nets here and they are a big home dog to the Spurs so it is a perfect spot to take Brooklyn. While the Nets will be fully focused on this "opportunity" against one of the best teams in the NBA, it is a tough situational spot for the Spurs. They are off of their big OT win at Cleveland Saturday night and Kawhi Leonard logged a career-high 46 minutes in that game. In terms of team depth San Antonio is still without Pau Gasol and Tony Parker. The poor scheduling spot for the Spurs is because, not only did they beat the Cavs in OT Saturday, they have a trip to Toronto on deck to face the Raptors tomorrow. These are the types of games where coach Gregg Popovich will alter his playing rotations and minutes to make sure the Spurs have a lot left in the tank for the tough match-up with Toronto that is immediately on deck. San Antonio is likely to win this but only by single digits. 10* BROOKLYN

Shotgun Shellacking - Rickenbach NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 6:05 ET - Many are likely to back the Raptors here as they look for the bounce back from Toronto after back to back ugly losses at Philly and Charlotte. However, the Raptors actually don't have a good history in spots like this. In fact, when off of a game where they scored 85 points or less, Toronto has gone 1-9 ATS the past 3 seasons. Also, the Raptors are hosting a Suns team that has been tough on them in recent meetings. Phoenix has won 3 of the last 5 meetings and they have gone a perfect 5-0 ATS in those games. The last 3 games have all been decided by 8 points or less. That said, there is significant line value with the large spread posted on this game. The Suns will be fired up for this game as they enter off of a double digit loss at Cleveland. Prior to that loss to the Cavs, Phoenix was on a 7-2 ATS run and had been playing some of their best basketball of the season with a 3-3 SU run where all 3 losses came by 5 points or less. The point is that the Suns have been playing ultra-competitive basketball and I don't foresee them getting blown out here. Phoenix is actually a solid 10-4 ATS in non-conference games this season. The Raptors are only 6-8 ATS in their last 14 games and only had 2 SU wins by more than 10 points during this stretch. In other words, laying points in the price range they are in today would have had Toronto on a 2-12 ATS run. Look for this game to be much closer than most are expecting. 10* PHOENIX

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Sunday 8* Dallas Mavericks (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 3:35 ET - Dallas has a long winning streak going against the Lakers and that includes a perfect 2-0 already this season with both wins coming by a dozen points. Those games were both in LA and now the Mavericks will get the last two match-ups of the regular season series in Dallas. The set up here is perfect as the Lakers are off of an upset win versus Indiana while the Mavs are off of back to back losses. The Lakers have not won consecutive games in over 2 months so another win here is unlikely, especially given the Mavericks domination in this series. Also, Dallas will have extra hunger off of back to back losses as they had started to turn the corner with three straight victories. The Mavericks had been getting a little healthier and the loss of back-up point guard Jose Barea won't be nearly as impacting to the Mavs as what the Lakers are dealing with right now. They just lost starting point guard D'Angelo Russell to injury and they are 3-10 this season in games that he misses. He did not travel with the team for this game. The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS (and 20-10 ATS long-term) in Sunday games while the Lakers are 13-35 SU (and 19-29 ATS) long-term in Sunday games. Grab the hungry home team in this one as LA drops to 1-4 ATS this season as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. 8* DALLAS

National TV Blowout - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET Saturday - The Cavaliers have won 2 of their last 3 games but those wins came against weak competition - the Suns and the Kings. The only game that really mattered to Cleveland was their game at Golden State and they got blown out in that game. The Cavaliers shot just 35% in that game while the Warriors knocked down 50.5% of their shots. On deck after this game for the Cavs is trio of three straight weak foes. The point is that Cleveland is absolutely going to go "all out" in this game against the Spurs after getting thoroughly embarrassed by Golden State earlier this week. The Cavs need an opponent against whom they can get a "statement win" and into Cleveland comes the 33-9 Spurs. The Cavaliers covered both meetings with San Antonio last season and the Spurs are without big man Pau Gasol (hand injury). Tony Parker is also dealing with an ankle injury. This game means A LOT to Cleveland given the recent circumstances and they were able to "rest up" in their blowout win over the Suns Thursday. The Cavs have gone 9-4 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin. The Spurs are off of a "miracle cover" against the short-handed Nuggets Thursday as the way the last few minutes played out was rather "miraculous" for Spurs backers. Now they face a tough test on the road and San Antonio had failed to cover 3 of their last 4 before sneaking out a cover versus Denver. This game means more to the Cavs who are out to redeem themselves against a Western Conference power after the embarrassment at Golden State. 10* CLEVELAND

Western Conference Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET Thursday - Good spot for an upset here and the fact is that if the Nuggets do fall short of the big upset win, they should keep this one to single digits. Denver is seeking revenge for one of their most embarrassing home losses of the season as they got drilled 127-99 in Colorado exactly two weeks ago. In that game, San Antonio had their best shooting night of the season with 56.7% from the field including 50% (12 of 24) from three point land. The Spurs are just 2-2 in their last 4 games and their most recent win came by just 8 points as they were definitely challenged by Minnesota Tuesday. San Antonio has now failed to cover 3 of its last 4 games and they have a huge game on deck as Saturday they are in Cleveland for their first shot of the season at the World Champion Cavaliers. It will be hard for the Spurs, as disciplined as they are, to be able to avoid at least peeking ahead to the Cavs. The Nuggets will be the hungrier and more focused team tonight and Denver didn't have power forward Kenneth Faried in the meeting two weeks ago. He's scored 15 points or more in 3 straight games and the Nuggets have won and covered all 3 games. Denver is full of confidence coming into this game having knocked down 57% of their shots in their last 3 games. The Nuggets also have dominated the glass over their last four games. Denver is 8-4 ATS as a road dog of 12.5 or more points. The Nuggets are also 8-4 ATS when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Ride the revenging dog in this one as they will surprise the Spurs with how far they've come in the 2 weeks since these teams last met. 10* DENVER plus the big points Thursday

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET Wednesday - The Wizards have won 12 straight home games and yet they're only laying 3 points in this one in Washington. It is "interesting" to say the least and I am calling for the upset here. The Wizards were simply on fire with their shooting from the opening tip in their big MLK day victory over Portland. Washington knocked down a ridiculous 9 of 13 three pointers to begin the game. The Wizards have been hot from three point land but they now face a Memphis team that is known for its defense and is coming off of a loss. The Grizzlies will be hungry here after catching an earful from their head coach due to poor defense both in the 2nd and 4th quarters of their most recent game - a home loss to Chicago. Prior to that defeat, Memphis had won 3 of their last 4 games and that included road wins at Houston and Golden State! If the Grizzlies can get road wins against the Rockets and Warriors, they certainly can knock off the Wizards. In fact, Washington is 1-5 ATS (and 0-6 SU!) in their games against Southwest Division opponents this season. Memphis is allowing only 99 points per game this season while the Wizards are allowing 106 points per game. The Grizzlies are holding opponents to 43.5% from the field while Washington is allowing 46.5% from the field. The Grizz have gone 39-25 (SU and ATS) when off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. 10* MEMPHIS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 Tuesday - Normally the only concern in a game like this is that Toronto would not be motivated and may overlook Brooklyn. However, that is unlikely to happen for two reasons. For one thing, tomorrow's Raptors opponent is the 76'ers so certainly there is no concern about Toronto looking ahead to a match-up with another team near the bottom of their division. Secondly, the Raptors lost their most recent road game and, in fact, have lost 4 of their last 5 road games. This ensures the proper focus from Toronto here and this is a Raptors team that is a perfect 8-0 in divisional games this season and has produced a 7-1 ATS mark in those games. Toronto is an overall 19-7 in their last 26 games and their average margin of victory in those 19 wins is 16 points! The Raptors are well known for their blowout wins and I just don't see the Nets being able to hang around in this one. Recently Brooklyn has had some winnable home games against teams like the Sixers and Pelicans and yet they've still ended up getting crushed in those games. They are struggling from three point land, their defense has been pathetic, and they have also been losing the battle of the boards. This will continue to be an issue tonight as they are clearly out-classed in this match-up and the Raptors have added focus on the road due to recent losses away from home. Toronto is 11-3 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin. The Raptors also are 4-2 ATS when on the road and favored in a range of 9.5 to 12 points. The Nets are 0-7 in divisional games this season and have covered only 2 of those games. After being obliterated by Houston in their most recent game, note that Brooklyn is 3-11 ATS when off of a non-conference game. 10* TORONTO

TNT Top Game - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Golden State Warriors (-) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 8:05 ET Monday - Revenge spots don't get much better than this. Not only did the Cavs when 3 straight to rally back from a 3-1 series deficit and take the NBA Championship from the Warriors last June, they then snuck out a 1-point win on Christmas Day about 3 weeks ago in Cleveland. Now the Cavaliers are in Golden State to face a fired up Warriors team that his its sight set on big-time revenge on their home court. Even though the Cavs are off of a win at Sacramento, they came into that game having lost 3 of their last 5 games. The only two wins for Cleveland in that stretch came against Brooklyn (worst team in NBA) and Phoenix (least wins in the Western Conference). That said, the Cavaliers aren't exactly playing impressive ball of late and, in fact, enter tonight's game on a 2-8 ATS run. Off of that win over the Kings, note that Cleveland is an ugly 3-9 ATS this season when off of a non-conference game. The Warriors are 34-6 on the season and 11 of their last 12 wins have come by 8 points or more. Golden State is also 32-17 ATS their last 49 games when playing with revenge. The Warriors also are a stellar 16-7 ATS in home games where they are favored in a range of 6.5 to 9 points. Indeed, the "price is right" here with the home fave and I'll gladly lay the points Monday evening. 10* GOLDEN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 8* Portland Trail Blazers (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 2:05 ET Monday - The Wizards are off of an easy win over Philly where they caught the Sixers in a tough scheduling spot and Philly's best player, Joel Embiid sat out because it was a back to back spot. Prior to this win Washington had failed to cover 4 of its last 6 games. They now host a rested Trail Blazers team that has been off since Friday. The Blazers failed to cover in a tight home loss against Orlando and they've had this 4-game road trip (begins today) circled as an opportunity to get back on track and build a winning streak. Prior to the loss to the Magic, the Trail Blazers had been playing better and were on a 7-2 ATS run. Coming off of a loss, Portland will prove to be the hungrier team here. The Wizards are only 5-7 ATS in non-conference games this season and also 1-3 ATS when off of a win by a double digit margin. The Blazers have a long-term mark of 183-111 SU when off of a SU loss as a favorite and they'll be in bounce back mode here plus catching a handful of points. Also, the Trail Blazers are 21-14 SU and ATS the past 3 seasons when they enter a game with two days of rest between games. The Blazers are also 3-1 SU and ATS in their last 4 games against the Wizards. More of the same early Monday afternoon. 8* PORTLAND

Eastern Conference Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (+) vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET Friday - The Sixers are "feeling it" right now with wins in 4 of their last 5 games and, on Friday, they are hosting a Hornets team that has lost 5 of its last 6 games! The 76'ers enter this game on an overall 5-0 ATS run and Charlotte is just 1-7 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. In a road game where the posted total is in a range of 205 to 209.5 points, the Hornets have gone 6-14 SU and 6-13-1 ATS the past 3 seasons combined. Even though Philadelphia is off of an outright win as a dog (beat Knicks and New York was the small fave), don't look for Philly to fall flat here. In fact, the 76'ers are 6-3 ATS when coming off of an upset win as an underdog this season. The Sixers, off of many consecutive rough seasons, still "have a ways to go" of course but, with each win, their confidence is growing. Also, Philly is playing this game with revenge on their minds as they lost at Charlotte earlier this season and the 76'ers are hungry to get some payback as the Hornets have won 7 of the last 8 meetings between these teams. At home and playing loose and confident, the Sixers are going to be tough for the slumping Hornets to get past. 10* Top Play PHILADELPHIA plus the points early Friday evening

Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:35 ET Thursday - Pelicans star center Anthony Davis hurt his hip late in the win at New York Monday. Even if he plays tonight (didn't do much at all in practice yesterday), Davis is not likely to be as effective as he has been. Also, his history against the Nets is not that impressive anyway with only 18 points per game in his 6 games. While New Orleans has a definite health concern here, Brooklyn is expected to get healthier as Trevor Booker (the Nets leading rebounder) is expected back tonight. The Nets have been a disappointment this season but this is a good spot for them to get back on track with the Pelicans off of a big road win and with Davis now hurting. The Pelicans had lost 3 straight prior to that win and that was just their 5th win in 18 road games this season! Even though New Orleans comes into this game off of two days rest, they are only 2-6 SU in that situation this season. The Nets had won 3 of 4 home games (with the lone loss to Golden State) in a stretch from December 7th to the 26th. Since then they have lost 4 straight at home but the losses included defeats against Utah, Atlanta, and Cleveland. Here they are facing a much less formidable foe and they were 7-8 at home this season before losing 4 straight. With road wins few and far between for the Pelicans and with the Nets ultra hungry to get back into the win column, this is the perfect spot to back the home dog getting generous points. 10* BROOKLYN

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET Tuesday - With the Hawks having won six straight and the Nets having lost six straight, this is definitely a contrarian choice. Of course we are already getting extra line value here as a result. Atlanta was a low as a 6-point favorite and the line is already up to a 7.5 as of early Tuesday morning. The Nets are coached by Kenny Atkinson and he was an assistant with the Hawks for 4 seasons before coming to Brooklyn this season. As a result, he certainly knows a thing or two about the Xs and Os that Atlanta will employ in this match-up. This game means a lot more to the Nets than the Hawks. It is difficult for Atlanta not to look past the 8-28 Nets as they have a much bigger game (home versus Boston) on deck. That said, the Nets are likely to step up and surprise some people in this one! Brooklyn has been playing better on the defensive end as they have held their opponents to 41.5% field goal shooting in their last 3 home games. Opponents did include Utah and Cleveland! Even though Atlanta has won 6 straight, 4 of the 6 wins have come by 7 points or less. The Hawks have stayed under the total in 3 straight games and, when that has been the case this season, they have gone 2-5 ATS (and 1-6 SU) in their next game! In other words don't be surprised if the Nets gets the upset. However, I am certainly grabbing the points. The Nets are 3-1 ATS this season as a home dog of 6.5 to 9 points. 10* Top Play BROOKLYN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 12:05 ET Sunday - Scheduling situation favors the Sixers in a big way. This is one of only 2 games the 76'ers have scheduled in a span of 7 days. That means full availability of all their players and Philadelphia's big men are going to give the Nets trouble. Embiid, Noel, and Okafor are all expected to be available here. The Sixers have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and have been playing well since TJ McConnell took over at the point after Sergio Rodriguez hurt his ankle. Philly has covered 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 games. The Nets have the league's worst scoring defense. Also, Brooklyn is still without Jeremy Lin. Brooklyn has won just 1 game in their last 11 and that victory came by just 2 points. That means that at the -2.5 that this game opened up at for the Nets, had they laid that number in their last 11 games they'd be 0-11 ATS. Look for the Sixers to win this one outright but I'll gladly grab the small number being offered here as Philly has been playing the better basketball of these two clubs and, also, this is the 3rd game in 4 days for the Nets. 8* PHILADELPHIA very early Sunday

Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:35 ET Thursday - With both teams off of losses, this may not seem like such a strong situation (on the surface!) for Toronto. However, when you dig a little deeper there is plenty of reason to be very "bullish" on the Raptors for Thursday night! Utah is off of a loss where they allowed 55.4% shooting from the field and 115 points. This season, when the Jazz are off of a loss where they allowed 111 points or more, they've actually gone 0-3 ATS in their next game. When Utah has allowed an opponent to shoot over 51.1% from the field, the Jazz have also gone 0-3 ATS in their next game. Also, Utah is 2-8 ATS as an underdog this season and that includes 0-3 ATS this season as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. The Raptors are fully focused on this home game after struggling on their recent road trip. Toronto has another road game coming up before finally settling in for a 4-game homestand so they want to make the most of this game versus the Jazz. The Raptors are 5-1 ATS this season when they are off of a game where they allowed their opponent to connect at a rate of 51.1% or better from the field. After getting thoroughly embarrassed by the hot shooting of the Spurs in San Antonio Tuesday, the Raptors are going to "bring it" on Thursday night. The Raptors are still 8-4 ATS this season against teams with a winning record while the Jazz are only 6-9 ATS this season. Toronto has won 7 of its last 9 home games. The Jazz had a 4-game losing streak before losing at Boston Tuesday but note that the wins came against Brookyn, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and the Lakers. Those are 4 of the worst teams in the league. Even if George Hill is back for the Jazz tonight, they are running into an angry Raptors team here that will take advantage of their home court edge to get back on track. 10* TORONTO Thursday evening

Divisional Dominator Top - Rickenbach NBA 10* Chicago Bulls (-) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - Both teams were in action yesterday but this back to back spot is offering multiple edges for the Bulls. For one thing, Chicago's game started 4 hours earlier than the Bucks game yesterday. Also, the Bulls are now back home where they've won 10 of 16 games this season while Milwaukee is still on the road where they've lost 9 of 14 this season. The Bulls also have revenge on their minds here and it is "significant" revenge. What I mean by that is that Chicago was thoroughly embarrassed by the Bucks in a home and home set two weeks ago. Not only did the Bulls lose by double digits at Milwaukee but they then lost the rematch in Chicago by an embarrassing score of 95-69. The Bulls attempted 10 more shots from the field than did the Bucks in that game but Chicago "couldn't hit the broad side of a barn" in that game as they shot a ridiculous 30.4% from the field. You can bet (literally!) that the Bulls will respond in a big way Saturday. Chicago is 3-0 ATS this season (and 12-5 ATS the past 3 seasons) when they are a home favorite of 3 points or less! The Bucks are 1-5 (SU and ATS) when playing the 2nd game of a back to back this season. Also, the past three seasons combined, Milwaukee is just 16-31 SU when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. That said, laying the small number with the revenge-minded Bulls is absolutely the way to go here. 10* CHICAGO

The Game of the Month - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET Friday - The Wizards Bradley Beal injured his ankle in Washington's most recent game and he's listed as doubtful for tonight's game. The Wizards also are in a "flat spot" here as they are off of a back to back wins and have a tough team (Houston) on deck and could easily overlook the Nets here. That is particularly true because Washington has won each of the past 4 meetings between these teams. A flat Wizards team could be upset here as Brooklyn very nearly upset Chicago in their most recent game and the Nets did upset Charlotte in their prior game. Since Christmas, Brooklyn has come out with extra energy and motivation and they're surely going to again be highly motivated here after they "let one slip away" in their two point loss to the Bulls Wednesday plus the Nets have the revenge angle in their favor here. That is significant here because Brooklyn is 7-2 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. The Wizards, as a home fave of 6.5 to 9 points, are on a 7-11 ATS run. 10* BROOKLYN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 8* Indiana Pacers (-) vs Chicago Bulls @ 4:05 ET Friday - Revenge game for the Pacers as they lost at Chicago on Monday. Indiana has been mired in a losing slump but if you look closely at their recent schedule, most of their games have been on the road. The Pacers are a different team when they are at home and they've gone 11-5 on their home floor this season while the Bulls have only gone 6-10 on the road. Of course we need Indiana to not only win this game but also cover the point spread here. The odds are in our favor in that regard as the Bulls are only 1-4 ATS this season (and 8-18 ATS the past three seasons) as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points. The Pacers are 24-13 ATS the past 3 seasons in divisional games and they get the job done in this revenge spot Friday afternoon. 8* INDIANA

Rickenbach NBA 8* Phoenix Suns (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET - When you win the way the Spurs did on Christmas Day (down late in 3rd but then rally in 4th quarter to win big) it can mask other issues. The fact is that San Antonio shot the ball "lights out" in that game as they started out insanely hot from the field and then finished ultra hot from the field as well. The problem is that San Antonio did allow the Bulls to not only get back in that game but also take that lead rather late through the third quarter. Of course all is forgotten when you go on to win the game by 19 points but San Antonio has been quite "leaky" on defense and they just haven't had to "pay for it" yet because they've been so hot on offense. Though I don't expect the Suns to win this game outright I certainly feel the points are far too much. Yes, Phoenix is off of a loss at Houston but they have outrebounded 4 straight opponents and hustle play like that could play a key role in making the Suns a dangerous dog tonight. The Spurs aren't going to keep knocking down shots at the ridiculous clip they did against the Bulls and with being happy with a Christmas Day win and with having a tougher foe (Portland) on deck, this is a bit of a "sandwich spot" for San Antonio where I don't expect them to go all out nor to be fully focused. The Spurs have allowed their last 3 opponents to combine for over 45% from the field but they haven't felt the pain of that because their own offense has been ridiculously hot. Plain and simple, Phoenix is hungrier here and these points are way too big. The Suns are 8-4 ATS this season (and 38-23 ATS the past three seasons) when off of a loss by 10 points or more. 8* PHOENIX

Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 8:05 ET Wednesday - Both teams are off of wins but look for the Nets to be the more motivated team here. After all, the Bulls beat a division rival (Indiana) and will be facing the Pacers again on Friday. That said, it is difficult for Chicago to get excited about this game. As for Brooklyn, you better believe they'll be ready. They were thoroughly embarrassed by 30 points AT HOME on Halloween night. When a team takes a beating like that in front of their home fans they don't forget about it. That was a "special" home loss to say the least but the Nets numbers are good even in "non-special" situations. Brooklyn is 6-2 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge! As for the Bulls, they finally stepped up on defense (against Indiana) Monday and got the win. However, Chicago is 1-2 ATS (and 0-3 SU!) this season when off of a game where they held their opponent to 85 points or less. The Bulls are also known for "playing down" to the level of their competition and have gone 41-58 ATS their last 99 games against teams with a losing record. The Nets want this game. The Bulls are already looking ahead to another match-up with Indiana. Grab the generous points with the hungry big dog here. 10* BROOKLYN

Rickenbach NBA 8* Phoenix Suns (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET Monday - These teams just met last week in Phoenix and the Rockets won by 14 points. That is why it may seem a little surprising that the Rockets aren't favored by even more here in Houston as they now host the Suns. However, don't fall for the "trap" here. Houston is in a bad situational spot here. They have a big game with Dallas on deck tomorrow. Certainly it has been a tough season for the Mavericks but the Rockets and Mavs are divisional in-state rivals and so their games are always "big" for Houston. The Rockets come into this game having failed to cover 3 of their last 4 games and the field goal percentage they've allowed has gotten gradually worse in each of their last 4 games. In other words, lax Rockets defense is starting to cost them and it is showing no signs of improving. That said, I like the hungry "nothing to lose" underdog Suns here as Phoenix has shot progressively better from the floor in each of their last 4 games. Coming off of a win (albeit against Philadelphia) is a confidence booster for the Suns and the road team has gotten the cash in each of the last 4 meetings between these teams. In fact, Phoenix has recorded an outright win in 2 of its last 3 visits to Houston and the Rockets have won 3 straight at Phoenix. Houston is 1-3 SU (and 0-4 ATS!) this season when coming into a game with 2 days of rest. Look for the Rockets to again struggle to find their rhythm after a layoff and the result here will be a game in which the Suns should stay within single digits throughout. 8* PHOENIX SUNS Monday

Rickenbach NBA 8* Brooklyn Nets (+) vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET Monday - Ugly home dog which is very attractive here in the first day after what was a Christmas break for most teams. Charlotte hasn't played since Friday and so I don't expect them to just hit the court "firing on all cylinders" on Monday after the lay-off. The Hornets are 0-5 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 210 points or more. Also, Charlotte has gone 1-6 ATS this season in their games against Atlantic Division opponents. Brooklyn is playing this game with home loss revenge as they lost here against the Hornets on November 4th and the Nets have gone 5-2 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. Brooklyn has covered 6 of the last 8 meetings between these teams and did get the cash in that early November meeting which also saw them installed as a sizable home dog. Charlotte is off of a big win over Chicago Friday and now has back to back divisional games on deck after this one. That makes this a true "sandwich spot" for the Hornets where they are off of a big game and have big games on deck and, therefore, could easily overlook a 7-22 Nets team. That is what I am counting on! 8* BROOKLYN

Christmas Day Top Side - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 5:05 ET - The Spurs have revenge here as they lost at Chicago earlier this month. However, this is a tough spot for San Antonio as they just got back from a West Coast road trip and will be playing their 3rd game in 4 days. Additionally, by virtue of being at home on Christmas Day they have a few more distractions with all the Christmas festivities taking place at this time of year and having had the ability to be home with their families by virtue of being a host on Christmas Day. The last three games between these teams have been decided by an average of 5 points per game with no game decided by more than 8 points. This spread is inflated because the Bulls have struggled recently but I expect them to step up here off of the disappointing loss at Charlotte Friday. Last year on Christmas Day 4 of the 5 dogs got the cash and the lone fave that covered barely got the cash. It is difficult for teams to blow each other out in the difficult setting that is a Christmas Day game. That said, the value is with the underdog again in this one. This will be the Spurs 4th straight Christmas Day game and they've lost each of the prior three while the Bulls have won on Christmas Day each of the last three years. 10* CHICAGO BULLS

NBA Game #712 Friday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Washington Wizards @ 8:05 ET - This is a perfect set-up. The Bucks have revenge here for a December 10th loss at Washington. The Wizards ended that game on a ridiculous 11-0 run and Milwaukee certainly hasn't forgotten about it. The Bucks are entering this game on a 2-game losing streak but the losses came against Cleveland and Milwaukee played the Cavaliers very tough in both of those games. This is the front end of a home and home between these teams so the Bucks are now fully focused on the Wizards and they catch them off of a big road win at Chicago. That sets this one up nicely and the home team has won each of the past four meetings between these clubs by 5 points or more. Even though Washington has fared surprisingly well this season (3-0 ATS) when off of an upset win as an underdog that is traditionally the type of victory that leaves a team flat in the next game. The Wizards entered this season having gone 9-17 ATS the past two seasons when off of an upset win as an underdog. The Bucks will be the hungrier and more motivated team as they seek revenge tonight. Milwaukee is 11-4 SU and ATS in home games with a posted total of 210 points or more and the odds makers are calling for another high-scoring one here as you can see. I'll gladly lay the small number with the Bucks who have also gone 3-1 SU and ATS this season as home fave of 3 points or less. 10* Top Play MILWAUKEE

NBA Game #705 Friday - Rickenbach 8* Golden State Warriors (-) @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:35 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Warriors I don't expect any let-up here. Golden State's win at Brooklyn last night made it 6 straight wins for the Warriors. Even though they have a date with Cleveland (NBA Finals rematch) on deck, the Pistons also have the Cavaliers on deck and that is a big division rival for Detroit. The problem for the Pistons here is that they beat Golden State in their last visit to the Motor City. That 18 point win in January for Detroit certainly has not been forgotten by the Warriors and it is payback time on Friday. The most concerning thing for the Pistons is not the fact that they have lost 4 straight games but the fact that they've lost those games by an average of 18.5 points per game and all 4 were decided by a double digit margin! 5 of the last 6 wins for the Warriors were decided by 8 points or more and their average margin of victory has been 19.3 points per game. You can see why I am expecting a blowout here and, again, the Warriors having the Cavs on deck is certainly a factor BUT Golden State has revenge on the Pistons and that will prove to be the most important factor tonight. The Warriors are 16-1 this season after a win by double digits and 13-1 in their games against teams with a losing record. Those are SU marks but you can see, from the numbers above, why I am expecting the Warriors to take this one by close to 20 points. Blowout time here. 8* GOLDEN STATE

NBA Game #701 Friday - Rickenbach 8* Chicago Bulls (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets will be the popular choice here as they had 2 full days off prior to this game and they have 2 full days off after this game. However, a scheduling situation like that (especially when coming off of back to back wins) can also lead to complacency and I look for the Bulls to be the far hungrier team in this one. Chicago is off of a loss and also has double revenge working in the favor here as they suffered a home loss to the Hornets in their most recent match-up also suffered a loss in their last visit to Charlotte too. The Hornets are on a 1-5 ATS skid and had lost 4 straight games before the aforementioned back to back wins. Look for the hungry and motivated Bulls to improve to 7-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a winning record. 8* CHICAGO

Eastern Conference Game of the Month - NBA Game #501 Thursday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - The Knicks were down 8 to the Pacers at home on Tuesday and then finished the game on an insane 27-12 run to sneak out a 7 point win as, coincidentally, a 5.5 point favorite at home. New York is in the same point spread range for this one on Thursday and I see value in fading them after their miracle cover over Indiana Tuesday. The Knicks had lost 3 straight prior to that win. Also prior to that victory, 6 of New York's last 10 wins had been decided by 4 points or less. The point is that even when the Knicks do win it is often by the slimmest of margins and they're going to have their hands full with Orlando here. The Magic have won 2 of their last 3 meetings with the Knicks and that includes a visit to New York. However, Orlando enters this game with revenge on their mind after losing their most recent visit to New York - in February. The Magic are off of a confidence-boosting win at Miami Tuesday and that outright upset win brought them to 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games away from home as they truly have been road warriors over the past 5 weeks! The Knicks are on a long-term 13-28 SU run against teams from the Southeast Division and they'll have trouble just winning - let alone covering - in this battle with a motivated underdog. New York is in a bit of a sandwich spot here as they are off of the big comeback win over Indiana and then have a big division rivalry game with Boston on deck for Christmas Day. Great spot for the dangerous dog and I'll take it. 10* Top Play ORLANDO MAGIC

NBA Game #711 Wednesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (-) @ Phoenix Suns @ 9:05 ET - The Rockets are off of a brutally bad beat last night at home against the rival Spurs. Houston led the game by 13 points with under 5 minutes to go and yet still lost the game. Amazingly San Antonio hit 12 of 23 three pointers while Houston hit an insanely bad 6 of 38 three pointers last night. Needless to say the Rockets are ticked off about the loss last night as they know they let one get away that they should have easily won despite the statistical anomaly on three point shooting. Houston is facing the right team to get back on track as the Suns are only 8-20 on the season. Also, only 4 of the 20 losses that Phoenix has had this season have come by less than 6 points. Blowout defeats are normal for the Suns and they're hosting a Rockets team that is 11-3 ATS this season in road games with a posted total of 210 points or more. Houston is also 11-3 ATS this season in their games against teams with a losing record. Also, even though this is a back to back spot for Houston, the Rockets have gone 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS when playing the 2nd night of a back to back. The Suns have covered just 3 of their last 12 games! Also, the road teams has won 6 of the last 7 meetings between these teams so home court has meant very little. That said, this is also a revenge game for the Rockets as they lost at home to the Suns in April in their most recent meeting. 10* Top Play HOUSTON

NBA Game #707 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Washington Wizards (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 8:05 ET - The Bulls are off of a 113-82 win over the Pistons but Chicago hit a ridiculous 60% from the field in that game. Prior to that insane shooting performance the Bulls had lost 3 straight games averaged only 87 points per game. As for the Wizards, they are coming off of a loss but previously had won 3 straight games and averaged 116 points per contest. That sets this one up perfectly as we get extra line value with the hotter team as the markets tend to have short-term memory and will be looking more at what just happened in the most recent game. Washington has revenge here for a loss at Chicago earlier this season and the Wizards had won 2 of the 3 prior meetings including a big road win at Chicago last season. Washington is 10-6 ATS this season when playing with revenge while the Bulls are 5-8 ATS when playing against teams with a losing record this season. Also, against Southeast Division opponents, Chicago is on a long-term 12-29 ATS run and they are off of that big win inside their division against Detroit. That makes this a flat spot for the Bulls while, conversely, the Wizards are coming in hungry off of a loss and plus playing with revenge! 8* WASHINGTON

NBA TV Blowout Smash - NBA Game #516 - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8:05 ET - The Spurs are off of a huge win over the Pelicans on Sunday on a night in which Tim Duncan's jersey was retired. San Antonio now travels the short distance to face Houston and I don't think they'll have enough left in the tank to get past a Rockets team that has its sight set on revenge. The Rockets lost to San Antonio in early November and that was the 4th time in 5 games that the Spurs have defeated Houston. The Rockets will have something to say about that tonight as they come into this game having won 10 straight games and they are fired up about the fact that they haven't defeated the Spurs in Houston since Christmas of last year. The Rockets have played a tougher schedule than San Antonio so far this season and Houston is 9-2 ATS (and 10-1 SU) when playing with revenge this season. Also, the Rockets are 13-1 SU (and 12-2 ATS) when they are off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. I am aware of the Clint Capela injury for Houston but they are so highly motivated for this game and so well-rested (2 days off between games) that they'll make up for the absence of this gritty "hustle" player. The Spurs have covered 4 straight games but they've faced some weak opposition during this stretch and, prior to that, San Antonio had failed to cover 9 of its 13 prior games. The value here is with the home team as the line has now moved the other way to increase the value on a team that has revenge and a 10-game winning streak and home court all on their side! 10* Top Play HOUSTON

Early Contrarian Crusher - NBA Game #509 Tuesday - Rickenbach 8* Indiana Pacers (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - The Pacers don't even have to win this game for us to cash our ticket. That said, it is certainly noteworthy that Indiana comes into this match-up having won 7 straight games against the Knicks. The Pacers are likely catching New York at the right time too because the Knicks have lost 3 straight games and just returned home from a grueling 5-game trip out west. Coming back east after a lengthy road trip to the west is often very tough on teams in the first game back home and I fully expect that to be the case with the Knicks tonight. New York's defense is fading of late as they have allowed 47% or better from the field in 4 of their last 6 games. As for the Pacers, they have allowed just 40.3% from the field in their last 5 games combined. Look for Indiana to continue to rely on solid D as they look to make it 8 straight over the Knicks tonight. New York is 5-13 SU (including 0-2 this season) when they enter a game having played each of their three prior games on the road. 8* INDIANA

Divisional Dominator - NBA Game #513 Sunday - Rickenbach 8* New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - Tonight the Spurs will have a retirement ceremony for Tim Duncan so certainly it will be a big night at the AT & T Center in San Antonio. Also, I am well aware of the Anthony Davis injury situation (currently listed as questionable) for the Pelicans. The fact is that the Spurs haven't been blowing teams out with any regularity at all this season and this line is inflated due to both of the reasons noted above. Also, the Spurs do have a huge game on deck with the rival Rockets in Houston and New Orleans did not have Jrue Holiday available in the first match-up between these teams earlier this season. The Spurs won that game by 19 points and that is one of only 2 home wins by more than 10 points that San Antonio has this entire season. They've struggled to pull away in many of their wins and they're going to face an angry Pelicans team here. New Orleans is not happy about their blowout loss at Houston Friday (Davis was pulled half-way through 3rd quarter as a precaution) and they'll be fired up to get back on track tonight. New Orleans is 14-5 ATS in Sunday games the past three seasons. The Spurs are a different team without Duncan and San Antonio has gone only 4-7 ATS at home this season and just 1-3 ATS when playing with 2 days of rest. The Spurs want this win badly because of Duncan tonight and that pressure could lead to an "off" shooting night. Don't be surprised if the Pelicans keep this game much closer than many are expecting. 8* NEW ORLEANS

Never Lost Top Play - NBA Game #704 Saturday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons lost at Washington last night but the Wizards simply shot lights out as they hit a ridiculous 57% of their shots including 48% (12 of 25) from beyond the arc. Detroit, even though this is a back to back, is happy to be back home tonight. On the season they are 5-0, 100% ATS was a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. The Pistons will have extra fire and motivation for this game because they did lose their last home game (by 18 points) to the lowly Sixers so Detroit will bring a huge effort for the home fans tonight. The Pistons are hosting a Pacers team that is only 3-10 ATS on the road this season. The home team has taken each of the last three meetings between these teams and the average margin of victory in the last four meetings has been 13.5 points. I am very comfortable laying the small number with the home team in this one! 10* Top Play DETROIT PISTONS Saturday

ESPN Blowout Rout - NBA Game #516 Friday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76'ers (-) vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 8:05 ET - The Lakers have lost (and failed to cover!) all 8 of their games so far this month. There is no reason for that to change here. Yes, it is "only" the Sixers Friday night so, on the surface, it looks like this would be an ideal spot for the Lakers to snap their streak. However, the Sixers were playing quite well until coming up just short of the cover Wednesday. Admittedly, the 76'ers didn't deserve to cover that game as their defense allowed the Raptors to hit 47.1% from the field. However, prior to that ATS loss, the Sixers had covered 3 straight games and held all 4 opponents under 39.4% from the field. Unlike Philadelphia, Los Angeles has not been playing good defense. Prior to holding Brooklyn to 38.4% from the field on Wednesday, the Lakers had allowed their last 7 opponents to average a combined 50% from the field. It is no wonder that LA has been struggling badly and the home team did win both match-ups between these teams last year and the Sixers are hungry. Philly had enjoyed back to back road wins before the home loss to Toronto so they look to make up for that defeat Friday night. Philadelphia is 9-5 ATS this season when off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. Also, the Sixers have gone 6-3 ATS against teams with a losing record this season. The Lakers have played 4 games against Atlantic Division opponents this season and they have not gotten the cash in a single game. Look for that trend to continue tonight. The Lakers are playing their 4th game in 6 nights while the Sixers are playing just their 3rd game in 8 nights. The fresh legs get the cash on their home floor tonight. 10* Top Play PHILADELPHIA 76'ers Friday night

100% Never Lost System - NBA Game #514 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Houston Rockets (-) vs Sacramento Kings @ 8:05 ET - The Rockets are off of a non-covering win versus Brooklyn Monday. The significance in this is the fact that it was the 25th game for Houston this season and they have yet to have back to back ATS losses. Every time the Rockets have come off of an ATS loss they have covered their next game and I look for that trend to improve on the 7-0, 100% ATS mark on the season with another cover tonight. Houston is 9-2 ATS against teams with a losing record this season and they also have gone 11-2 ATS this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 105 points or more. The Kings are off of a rare win as they had lost 5 of their 6 prior games. The rare victory sets Sacramento up perfectly to get blown out here. When the Kings are off of a win by 10 points or more this season, they have gone 0-4 ATS! Also, in December games the past 3 seasons, Sacramento is on a combined 9-23 ATS run. Note the perfect trends above combine to make this an 11-0, 100% perfect ATS spot to play on the Rockets and against the Kings. 8* HOUSTON

ESPN Best Bet 10* - NBA Game #706 Tuesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (-) vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - The Bulls have had two full off days leading into this game so they are rested and ready physically. They lost both match-ups with the Timberwolves last season so they certainly are ready psychologically as well. The motivation is there, the fresh legs are there, and Minnesota is struggling badly. Not only are the T-wolves just 6-18 on the season, they have lost 8 of their last 9 games heading into this one. Also, Minnesota is on a 6-31 SU (11-26 ATS) run in December games. They're facing a Bulls team that is off of back to back wins but just had their first non-covering win of the season. Chicago's first 12 wins this season all were covers as well but they were a big home favorite versus Miami on Saturday and fell short of the cover. The Bulls are 22-8 SU (and 19-11 ATS) the past 3 seasons when they are playing with 2 days of rest between games. They have won and covered in this situation both times this year (2-0 SU and ATS) and Minnesota has gone 0-3 (SU and ATS) in road games with a posted total between 205 and 209.5 points this season. So here were are testing a combined 5-0, 100% ATS spot this season and certainly the situational factors are there for a Bulls blowout win. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS Monday evening

Situational Slaughter - NBA Game #504 Monday - 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors have been a "covering machine" this season and, at some point, there is sure to be a correction. However, this is not likely to be that point. Toronto has had two full off days leading into this one and they have the "lowly" Sixers on deck. The Raptors are 4-1 SU and ATS when playing with two days of rest this season. The Bucks situation is quite different as they are off of a loss at Washington that was a hard fought defeat and Milwaukee will now be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. Also, on deck for the Bucks is a home and home set with the Bulls and Chicago is a key division rival of Milwaukee. The Bucks are 25-65 SU in their last 90 games against teams with a winning record and this line has crept down to a 7.5 and, of course, the lower it gets the more likely any SU win will also be an ATS win. Many of the Raptors recent wins have been blowout wins so I am very comfortable stepping in at this level. Toronto's last 8 wins have come by an average margin of victory of 20 points per game! Most of the Bucks losses this season have been close but the rested Raptors have the fresh legs in this one and 8 of the Raptors 9 home wins this season have come by at least 9 points. Lay it! 10* Top Play TORONTO RAPTORS early Monday evening

Half Off Special - NBA Game #703 Sunday - Rickenbach 8* Boston Celtics (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:05 ET - The Thunder are off of a loss and another loss is likely here as the Thunder have been one of the streakiest teams in the NBA this season. Oklahoma City has not had a 1 game winning "streak" this season. Also, the Thunder have had just one 1 game losing "streak" this season. OKC has been a very "patterned" team with 4 winnings streaks of at least 2 games and 2 losing streaks of at least 3 games. The Thunder are off of a loss Thursday versus Houston and, while many may look for the bounce back here, it is likely that another streak is building. Oklahoma City will face an angry Boston team as the Celtics are off of a loss two. Even though they will again be without Isaiah Thomas, Boston has played quite well even though he's been out. The Celtics simply shot the ball very poorly in Thursday's loss to the Raptors and that was the difference in the game. Boston is 9-4 ATS on the road this season and 11-3 ATS as a road dog of 3.5 to 6 points the last 3 seasons combined. Oklahoma City is 2-4 (SU and ATS) in their games against teams with a winning record this season and they are 7-17 ATS the past three seasons combined in their games against Atlantic Division opponents. 8* BOSTON CELTICS plus the points Sunday

Contrarian Smash - NBA Game #503 Saturday - Rickenbach 8* Milwaukee Bucks (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Bucks they are still in a "play on" situation here. That's because Milwaukee blew a 20 point half-time lead at home against the Hawks last night. The Bucks players will be fired up after the way they let that game get away from them in the 3rd and 4th quarters and most everyone logged less than 30 minutes in the game so Milwaukee will be a little fresher here than you might expect for a back to back. Also, the Wizards are off of a comeback win Thursday and with the Bucks off of a big blown lead last night, they'll be hungry to get revenge against a Wizards team that has given them trouble in recent meetings. Milwaukee will be looking to avenge 4 straight losses at Washington. The Wizards are only 2-5 ATS against teams with a winning record this season and also only 2-5 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 points or more this season. Even though this is a back to back for Milwaukee it is the first one they've had since mid-November so they should still have "fresh legs" tonight. Also, the Bucks are 5-2 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 points or more this season. 8* MILWAUKEE BUCKS plus the points in early evening action Saturday

Southeast Divisional Game of the Month - NBA Game #701 Friday - 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Magic are off of one of the worst performances as they lost by 30 points at Boston. That is the kind of performance that absolutely fires up a team for their next game and, keep in mind, Orlando had been playing very competitive basketball prior to the beatdown at the hands of the Celtics. The Magic had won and covered 4 of their 5 prior games. Also, looking further back, Orlando had gone 6-5 in their 11 prior games and the average margin of defeat in the 5 losses was just 4.2 points. The fact is that Orlando had been in every game their past 11 and I fully expect them to be in this one too after the embarrassing blowout loss at Boston. Note that Orlando is a perfect 3-0 ATS this season in road games with a posted total between 200 and 204.5 points. Also, the Magic failed to cover in their last visit to Charlotte but, prior to that, Orlando had covered each of their prior visits. This has been a road-dominated series at the betting window with the road team getting the cash 6 of the last 8 games. The Hornets are off of a double digit win but they pulled away late for the 10 point victory and the final score certainly is deceiving in terms of how the game truly played out. Charlotte is now off of back to back wins and covers but previously had covered only 2 of their 9 prior games. The Hornets only sank 34% of their shots against Detroit Wednesday. As a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points, Charlotte has gone just 5-8 ATS and they've also covered just 3 of 8 games against teams with a losing record this season. 10* Top Play ORLANDO MAGIC plus the points Friday

RARE TNT Top - NBA Game #512 Thursday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 9:35 ET - The Spurs still get a ton of respect from the odds makers and the betting markets and are certainly still one of the top teams in the NBA. However, this team is clearly not the same team since Tim Duncan retired and Manu Ginoboli and Tony Parker arent' getting any younger. Also, coach Gregg Popovich has lost a little bit of his "fire" since Duncan retired and the result is that the Spurs just aren't dominating the way they use to. In fact their having to scratch and claw their way to many of their wins and now they're in the wrong place at the wrong time. The home team has swept the season series between the Bulls and Spurs each of the last two years and Chicago comes into this game fired up off of 3 straight SU and ATS losses. This was preceded by an 8-2 ATS run for the Bulls. For the Spurs, they are off of a rare big win (by 14 at Minnesota) Tuesday as they had previously gone just 3-8 ATS in their 11 prior games. With San Antonio off of a big double digit win and Chicago off of three straight losses, look for the Bulls to be the hungrier team here. Chicago has gone 9-4 SU (and 10-3 ATS) the last 3 seasons when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS plus the points Thursday night

Earliest Cash - NBA Game #501 Thursday - Rickenbach 8* Denver Nuggets (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - The Nuggets overlooked the Nets last night and didn't start "playing" until it was too late. Denver did come all the way back from a huge deficit and had the ball with a chance to tie it late but they turned it over and blew that opportunity. Overall, they know they let a game get away last night that they had no business losing. Teams respond strong after games like that and that means the Wizards are going to get Denver's best effort tonight because the Nuggets know they can't afford another slow start. Look for Denver to jump on the Wizards from the opening tip. The Nuggets are still 8-3 ATS on the road this season and 21-11 ATS the last 3 seasons combined when they are on the road and the posted total on the game is 210 points or more. The Wizards are 1-5 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 210 points or more. Also, Washington is off of a divisional game (home loss to Orlando) and they are 1-4 SU and ATS when off of a divisional game this season. The fact is that a Northwest Division foe is not going to get the same attention an Atlantic Division foe will get from the Wizards and, in fact, Washington is on a 7-14 ATS run in games against teams from the Northwest Division the past three seasons combined. 8* DENVER NUGGETS

Top Play Annihilation - NBA Game #705 Wednesday - Rickenbach 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Nets have lost 10 of their last 11 games. The key thing about Brooklyn is they often don't just lose, they get annihilated. 7 of the Nets 10 losses have come by a margin of at least 17 points which is actually quite incredible when you think about it. They're just not even in a lot of their games. All 10 of the losses during this 1-10 stretch have come by at least 5 points which is what makes Denver even a more attractive play here since they are a short favorite of less than 5 points at the time of this posting. The Nuggets have done well as travelers for their backers as Denver is 8-2 ATS away from home this season! Also, the Nuggets have fared particularly well in games that are projected to be high-scoring as they are 4-0 ATS this season in road games with a posted total of 210 or more. This total is well above that as the Nets are one of the worst defensive clubs in the league. Denver is also a perfect 4-0 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. The Nuggets results of late don't look that great but keep in mind that was against some tough opponents. They have taken care of business against weaker foes like recent road games at Philadelphia and Phoenix. The last key here to this pick is that the Nets have swept the home and home season series from the Nuggets each of the past two seasons and last year's two Brooklyn wins each came by only a single point. Teams don't forget tight losses like that and that ensures proper focus from the road fave here and a big revenge win can be expected. 10* Top Play DENVER NUGGETS minus the short number Wednesday evening

Earliest Cash - NBA Game #701 Wednesday - Rickenbach 8* Detroit Pistons (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are off of a big divisional win over Chicago yesterday so many will be looking to fade them here. However, Detroit is actually 26-10 ATS the past 3 seasons when they are off of a divisional game so it truly has not slowed them down. Also, the Pistons are 4-1 SU and ATS against Southeast Division opponents this season and Detroit has played a tougher schedule than Charlotte so far this season. The Pistons come into this game on a 6-2 run (both SU and ATS) and they're facing a Hornets team that is off of a win and cover at Dallas but that had previously gone just 3-6 SU and 2-7 ATS their last 9 games. Clearly this match-up is a case of two teams heading in opposite directions and Charlotte has not fared well in this role either. As a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points, the Hornets are on an 8-15 ATS run including 0-4 ATS this season! Grab the line value here with the road dog. 8* DETROIT PISTONS plus the points early Wednesday evening

Contrarian Crusher - NBA Game #507 Tuesday - Rickenbach 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - Many will look at the Grizzlies here because of the Sixers perennial losing, the 76'ers current losing streak, and the fact that Joel Embiid will likely not play tonight after playing last night in Philadelphia. That is why this is a contrarian play but the fact is that Philly is in a better "position" here than the Grizzlies are and plus their getting a good number of points as well so there is great underdog value. Memphis got a 110-108 win at New Orleans but it certainly did not come without a price. The Grizzlies had to go to double-overtime to get it and they were already short-handed. That said, a Memphis team that only dressed 10 players last night and that had 5 players log 40 minutes or more in last night's game is not in a good spot here. The Grizzlies will be tired and also could get caught being complacent here too. After all, they're at home now and hosting a 4-17 Sixers team so what's there to worry about? Of course that is where the trouble starts and I would not be surprised to see the 76'ers spring the upset here but certainly the value here is in grabbing the big points. Philadelphia is 40-25 ATS in non-conference games the past three seasons and the 76'ers are 7-4 ATS this season when playing with home loss revenge. Memphis is 4-7 ATS the past three seasons as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points and the Grizzlies are 0-3 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents this season. Add it all up and you have a 57-33 (63%) ATS spot in favor of the road dog in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA 76'ers Tuesday

Situational Slaughter - NBA Game #710 Monday - Rickenbach 8* New Orleans Pelicans (-) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - It looks funny to see a 13-8 Grizzlies team open up as a 6.5 point dog against a 7-14 Pelicans team, doesn't it? Of course the whole world jumped all over Memphis in this match-up and the line quickly dropped to as low as a 3.5 in some spot. I am 'fading the masses' as usual in this one as the line has settled in right around a -4 on New Orleans and I see great line value for the Pelicans in this situation. The Grizzlies are off of a very late win (and 1/2 point cover) that they rallied to get against the Lakers Saturday night. Memphis is still hurting without the services of Mike Conley at point guard. Now the Grizzlies face an angry Pelicans team that is off of back to back losses. The consecutive defeats included one at home where New Orleans had won 5 straight. Speaking of 5 straight, the Grizzlies won all 4 match-ups with the Pelicans last season and also won the first match-up this season. In other words, payback is on the minds of New Orleans in this one as they also look to start their next big home winning streak. The Pelicans are 10-5 ATS when playing with revenge this season and the Grizzlies defense has regressed recently as they have allowed 105 points per game in their last 5 games. New Orleans did lose at Oklahoma City yesterday but they simply had an "off" shooting night at 36.7% from the field. When the Pelicans are off of a shooting performance under 40% this season (4 times) they have averaged 110.5 points per game in their next game. That' significant here because the Grizzlies, sans Conley, are unlikely to be able to score enough to keep up in this one. Lay the short number with the Pelicans. 8* NEW ORLEANS PELICANS Monday evening

Top Play Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Game #711 Saturday - 10* Top Play Chicago Bulls (-) @ Dallas Mavericks @ 8:35 ET - This line went all the way from an opener of -7 down to as low as a -3 and this is offering tremendous line value on the Bulls. Yes I know Chicago is off of a big win at Cleveland and this is a back to back spot. However, they did lose BOTH games with the Mavericks last season so a little payback is on order tonight. Even though Wade is out for the Bulls, the Mavs are still without Nowitzki. Also, we're still talking about a Dallas team that is only 3-15 on the season and only 1 of their 18 games has been decided by less than 5 points! In other words, the odds are certainly in our favor that the Bulls not only win this game but also win it by 5 points or more. Chicago is currently on a red hot 8-2 ATS run and they've covered 2 of 3 this season when off of an upset win as an underdog while Dallas is 2-5 ATS when off of a loss by double digits. In other words, a Mavericks bounce back here is unlikely and that is why I expect the Bulls to get their revenge even though they are off of the big win over the Cavs. 10* Top Play CHICAGO BULLS

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Saturday - 8* Los Angeles Lakers (+) @ Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:05 ET - The Lakers got blasted 113-80 at Toronto last night. The Grizzlies are off of a hard-fought come from behind win over the Magic Thursday. One could argue that the Lakers will have more "left in the tank" than Memphis even though it is LA that is in a back to back spot. Los Angeles certainly is highly motivated after last night's embarrassing result and they've gone 4-2 straight-up this season when off of a loss by 10 points or more. The Lakers have only failed to cover once in those six games! The Grizzlies have been hurt by injuries (especially the loss of point guard Mike Conley) and they have a divisional opponent (New Orleans) on deck. This line was a pick'em and then moved all the way up as high as a -3 on the Grizz. This line looked funny, didn't it? Don't be fooled. Fade the move and grab the hungry underdog that is ready to respond off of last night's embarrassment where, keep in mind, only two players logged more than 25 minutes and no one logged more than 35 minutes. 8* LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Contrarian Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #508 Friday - 8* New York Knicks (-) vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 7:35 ET - The very first lines that popped up on this game when released yesterday showed the Knicks at -4.5 and they've quickly come down from there and are now all the way down to a -2 as of early Friday morning. I understand the move because this is a chance for "right back revenge" for the Timberwolves as they just lost to the Knicks in Minnesota on Wednesday. However, just because I understand the move doesn't mean that I agree with it. The fact is that the Knicks are 7-3 SU and ATS in home games so far this season while the T-wolves are 2-7 SU and ATS in road games so far this season. Couple that with the fact that the Knicks have "only" another Western Conference foe on deck and you have the makings of some solid small home fave line value with New York in this game. Keep in mind the Knicks strength of schedule has been tougher than Minnesota's has so far this season and also New York beat the Timberwolves Wednesday despite a huge disparity in free throws as the T-wolves got all the calls on their home floor. New York has now won 3 straight match-ups with Minny and the Timberwolves are 2-6 ATS an underdog this season while the Knicks are 5-1 ATS as a favorite. The "revenge angle" on the T-wolves has ended up giving us line value on the Knicks and, keep in mind, even with playing with revenge Minnesota has a SU record of 36-91 the past 3 seasons and this line is so small that any NY win should also end up being a cover. 8* NEW YORK KNICKS Friday evening

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #708 Thursday - 8* Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Orlando Magic @ 8:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as many will likely be looking to fade Memphis since they are in a back to back spot and were in Canada last night battling with the Raptors in Toronto. Also, the Grizzlies are very short-handed right now due to injuries including, most important, point guard Mike Conley. However, no one played excessive minutes for Memphis last night and I liked what I saw from this hungry team in a tough environment. Now, back home and facing a much weaker foe, the Grizzlies should get back into the win column tonight. Memphis catches Orlando off of a big upset win at San Antonio Tuesday. The Spurs had a rare off-night shooting as they knocked down only 36.8% from the field. By the way, that is another key edge here because the Magic are off of an unusual result defensively while the Grizzlies were victims of a night where Toronto knocked down 14 of 28 three-pointers and hit a ridiculous 55.1% from the field. Trust me that was not all on the defense and the fact is that the Grizzlies are a solid club defensively and the unusual results from each of these teams most recent game is what is leading to line value here with Orlando as a road favorite. Note that the Magic have covered only 1 of 8 games when favored this season! The Grizzlies are a fantastic 4-0 (both SU and ATS) when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. 8* MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES Thursday Night

Rickenbach NBA Game #514 Wednesday - 8* Dallas Mavericks (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET - The Spurs just aren't the same team they use to be. Yes, I know they are 10-0 on the road to start this season but last night's home loss dropped them to 4-4 in San Antonio this season and the big key here is this line. Note that the Spurs last 8 wins have only included 1 that came by a margin of more than 9 points. As you can see, there is great value in this line. Looking at the Spurs last 14 games, they have gone 10-4 and if you were to have a +9 in those 14 games you would have a record of 10-3-1 ATS in fading the Spurs. Certainly Dallas has had some issues so far this season and they will be without Dirk Nowitzki tonight. However, Deron Williams is back and getting healthier and the Mavs got a big win versus New Orleans Sunday that helps give them some confidence as they look to make it two straight at home. While the Mavericks are rested and at home, the Spurs are in a back to back spot and on the road. Also, the San Antonio defense just has not been anything close to what it use to be in recent seasons. Last night the offense also got bogged down against Orlando's defense and you know the Mavericks D will "bring it" tonight against one of their most hated rivals. The Mavs have won 2 of the last 4 home games with SA and one of the two losses came by just 5 points. 2 of the last 3 meetings in San Antonio also have been decided by just 5 points. These teams are known for getting into tight, hard-fought battles when they meet and the Spurs have only covered 2 of 6 games against teams with a losing record so far this season. 8* DALLAS

Rickenbach NBA Game #507 Wednesday - 8* Washington Wizards (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 8:05 ET - The line may seem a little low here but the "smallish" number is absolutely justified here as Wizards head coach, Scott Brooks, certainly remembers being fired by the Thunder not that long ago. There is extra motivation here for Brooks and he will have Washington to ready to go in this one. They face a Thunder team that is led by the all-everything Russell Westbrook who has truly taken over since Kevin Durant went to the Warriors. However, this will be the 6th game for Oklahoma City in the past 9 days and you have to wonder how much Westbrook and the Thunder have left in the tank. He was completely exhausted after Monday's win over the Knicks in New York. Even though the Thunder have won 3 straight, the scheduling situation favors the Wizards as they are playing just their 4th game in the last 9 days. Also, Washington has won 4 of their last 6 and, after a sloppy win over Sacramento (far too many turnovers) look for point guard John Wall to be up for the challenge of facing Westbrook tonight. When off of a non-conference game the Thunder have gone just 2-6 ATS this season and 26-41 ATS the past three seasons combined. The Wizards are 3-1 ATS this season when off of a non-conference game. 8* WASHINGTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Tuesday - 8* Detroit Pistons (+) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - Though is has been a tough start to the season for the Pistons in their road games (1-8 SU and ATS), this is the perfect spot to change all that. Detroit has had two days off since an ugly road loss followed solid back to back home wins. While the Pistons are rested for this game, the Hornets are off of a big road win at Memphis last night and tonight's game is not only a back to back for Charlotte, it is their 4th game in 5 nights! It is also the Hornets 8th game in 12 days so this has truly been a tough part of the schedule for Charlotte. The Hornets are 0-3 ATS when in the 2nd game of a back to back this season. The Pistons are already a perfect 2-0 SU and ATS against Southeast Division opponents this season. Before the ugly loss at Oklahoma City, the Pistons had gone "only" 4-4 in their 8 prior games but 3 of the 4 losses were by 3 points or less. Detroit has certainly been "on the cusp" of late and they "break through" tonight in this very advantageous scheduling spot. 8* DETROIT

THE Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Game #510 Monday - 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:05 ET - This line has gone from a pick'em to a -2.5 with Utah and that is adding to the value here with home dog Minnesota. The Timberwolves will be ultra hungry tonight as they are off of a loss at Golden State Saturday and also have triple revenge against the division rival Jazz as they lost each of the final 3 meetings last season. Minny is happy to be back home where they have been a much tougher team. Though the T-wolves are only 3-4 at home, all 3 wins came by at least a 24 point margin while 3 of their 4 home losses came by 7 points or less. Minnesota appears to be catching Utah at the right time to exact revenge. The Jazz are off of back to back win and covers but this has happened 3 times already this season and, every single time, Utah has lost their next game and failed to cover (an 0-3 SU and ATS mark this season in this situation). As you would expect with a young team, the Timberwolves tend to perform better when they are at home with the support of the home fans. As for the Jazz, they are playing with two days of rest here but sometimes rest can lead to rust and, in fact, Utah has failed to cover 20 of the last 32 times they have entered a game with 2 days of rest between games. The home team has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and those 3 home wins each came by at least 13 points. Look for "home cooking" to once again be the key in this one and I'll gladly fade the early line move here. 10* Top Play MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Contrarian Smash - Rickenbach NBA Game #712 Sunday - 8* Dallas Mavericks (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:05 ET - New Orleans had been on a hot streak but after suffering a loss at Portland Friday it could be tough for the Pelicans to just shift right back into overdrive again. That said, no one will want Dallas here but that is precisely why I do. New Orleans is unlikely to get their momentum back until they get back home. This is still a Pelicans team that has only won 2 of its 8 road games. At the same time, they now face an angry Mavericks team that has been blown out in back to back games and will be ready to respond here. Yes, I know it's been an ugly season so far for the Mavericks but, after back to back thorough beatings, this is the point where professional pride kicks in. With the big line move toward New Orleans here, it has opened up even more value on the home dog in a spot where they will give their "A game" and that should be enough for the cover if not the outright upset. Look for the Mavs to improve to 3-0 ATS this season and 18-10 ATS the past three seasons combined in Sunday games. Note that the Pelicans are 0-3 ATS (and SU!!!) as a favorite this season. 8* DALLAS MAVERICKS plus the points Sunday evening

NBA TV Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #504 Saturday - 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back for both teams, the Wizards actually had 3 full off days before knocking off Orlando yesterday. For the Spurs, it's been quite a different story as this will be their 4th game in 6 days. Look for fatigue to be a factor in this one. Also, even though the Spurs are on a winning streak, they had covered only 4 of their 11 November games prior to yesterday's win at cover at Boston. San Antonio had to rally back from an early deficit to get the 6-point road win over the Celtics and it will be interesting to see how much they have left in the tank after that "big push" yesterday to get the road win. The Spurs have lost SU and ATS in each of their past two visits to D.C. Also, the Wizards have gone 4-1 ATS as a home dog of 3.5 to 6 points and now this line has crept up even higher which is giving even more line value to the home team in this one. Washington has won 3 of its past 4 games and the Wizards last 6 losses have been by an average of just 7 points. They're in this one all the way and the points should be enough to get the all-important cover. 10* Top Play WASHINGTON WIZARDS plus the points early Saturday evening

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Wednesday - 8* Memphis Grizzlies (-) @ Philadelphia 76'ers @ 7:05 ET - The Sixers have been playing well at home but that is helping to keep this line lower than it should be. Keep in mind, the Grizzlies are a solid team and they are a defensive-minded team. That strong D of Memphis is going to be the difference-maker here. The Grizzlies have won and covered 5 straight games and they've allowed an average of only 75 points per game in their last 3 games! The Sixers are off of a 101-94 win over Miami and that marked the first time this entire season that Philadelphia has allowed less than 102 points in a game! As you can see, there is a big difference in the defensive prowess of these two clubs. Also, the 76'ers are only 1-5 ATS this season against teams with a winning record. Also, I want to mention a couple of straight-up records here because the line is rather small on this game. The Sixers are an unbelievably bad 3-83 SU in their last 86 games against teams with a winning record. The Grizzlies are 80-27 SU in the last 107 games where they were the favorite. In other words, the road fave has great odds (163-30, 85%) of winning this game and, that said, I'll gladly lay the small number with the Grizzlies. 8* MEMPHIS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Tuesday - 8* New Orleans Pelicans (+) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - Many will be looking at the Hawks here since they are back home where they've played well and they are looking to respond off of back to back losses. However, part of the problem for Atlanta has been poor point guard play. It has gotten so bad in fact that Hawks PG Dennis Schroder was benched in the third quarter of Atlanta's most recent game after missing all eight of his shots. The Hawks are going to have an issue in terms of matching up at the point guard position for this one because the Pelicans Jrue Holiday has been fantastic on both ends of the floor since he returned to the team two games ago. The New Orleans point man had been tending to a family matter but certainly has come back fully focused and ready to go as he has helped lead the Pelicans to victory in each of his first two games back. Look for Holiday to again be a difference-maker tonight and the Hawks could get caught looking ahead to a match-up with an Eastern Conference foe tomorrow as they will be traveling to Indiana to face the Pacers and begin a lengthy road trip. Atlanta has had a bad habit of overlooking "lesser" teams this season and has gone 2-4 ATS against teams with a losing record. Conversely, the Pelicans have been at their best against "quality" foes and have gone 5-2 ATS against teams with a winning record. Big value with the big points in this one. 8* NEW ORLEANS PELICANS Tuesday evening 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #505 Sunday - 8* Indiana Pacers (+) @ Oklahoma City Thunder @ 7:05 ET - With Paul George still dealing with an ankle injury it is no surprise that this line is double digits. However, the Thunder (in my opinion) continue to be over-rated and they're facing an Indiana team that is going to bring a huge effort Sunday evening no matter who is on the floor. The Pacers are off of an embarrassing home loss to the Suns and it was their 4th loss by 17 points or more on the season. What happened after their first 3? The Pacers got the win every single time. Now, I am not saying they're going to get the outright win here but I am saying that Indiana is going to give a tremendous effort here and I expect that to be enough to keep them "hanging around" in this game all the way through before eventually coming up just short and losing by single digits. The Thunder are off of an easy home win over Brooklyn so I would not be surprised to see a let up here and, keep in mind, OKC had failed to cover 4 of their 5 prior games. Oklahoma City is on a 6-14 ATS run and could easily get caught looking ahead to a Western road swing that starts Tuesday for OKC. The road team won both meetings last season and this looks like another dangerous spot for the Thunder as the road team gets it done once again. 8* INDIANA PACERS Sunday

NBA Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #501 Friday - 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Suns have lost three straight games and allowed 120 points or more in all three defeats. The Phoenix players, of course, are well aware of this and fully focused on bouncing back on Friday and they are in the right place at the right time. The Suns have actually won 8 of their last 11 visits to Indiana and they catch the Pacers off of a huge win over the defending NBA champion Cavaliers. The Pacers caught a break as LeBron James sat out the game for Cleveland for rest. Speaking of breaks, the Indiana strength of schedule has not been as strong as what the Suns have faced so far this season and that also is leading to line value in this spot for Phoenix. The Suns have shot at least 49.4% from the field in 3 straight road games. The Pacers had shot only 41.7% from the field in their 3 games prior to a strong effort against the Cavaliers. After that big win, look for Indiana to fall flat here in what is anticipated to be a high scoring game. Note that the Pacers are 0-7 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 210 or more. The Suns are 4-1 ATS this season after a loss by 10 points or more in their prior game. The road team responds in this one and catches the home team in a flat spot. 10* PHOENIX SUNS Friday

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #502 Wednesday - 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Tough spot for the Cavaliers after surviving a "war" with the Raptors last night and hanging on for the four point win. Cleveland, now in a back to back situation, has to face a tough Pacers team that has always given them trouble in Indiana. Yes, the Pacers have an ugly ATS mark early this season but a lot of that has to do with Indy being 0-5 ATS on the road. At home, the Pacers have a straight-up record of 5-1 on the young season. They're catching Cleveland at a great time as the Cavaliers big three played some significant minutes last night with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love all logging at least 34 minutes in yesterday's non-covering win over the Raptors. Cleveland not only made nearly 40% of their three pointers last night, the Cavs also made 31 of 50 (62%) of their shots from inside the arc. Even with all the hot shooting Cleveland barely got by the Raptors and that says a lot right here. Now, on the road and in a back to back spot, the hot shooting is unlikely to continue and the Cavs will be in a battle just to try and win (let alone cover!) this tough road match-up. The Pacers have covered each of the last four meetings between these teams in Indiana. Overall, Indy is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings with the Cavs. The Cavaliers are on a 7-16 ATS run as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points. The Pacers are on a 22-12 ATS run in divisional games and will build off a confidence building effort against Orlando Monday where they held the Magic to just 69 points! It's always big to be welcoming the defending NBA champs to town and the Pacers want this game badly and are catching their division rivals at the perfect time - a tough scheduling spot for Cleveland. 10* Top Play INDIANA PACERS Wednesday

NBA TV Top Play - Rickenbach NBA Game #701 Monday - 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) @ Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers continue to be over-valued. Since a blowout win over the Knicks in their season opener, Cleveland has covered only once in their last eight games. They're facing a Raptors team with revenge on its mind as Toronto lost a tight one to the Cavs early this season plus got knocked out of last year's post-season by the eventual NBA champions. The Raptors loss to the Cavaliers was one of just two losses Toronto has on the season and it's no coincidence that those two games are the only two games in which the Raptors have shot under 44% from the field. Amazingly, the Cavaliers have been at the other end of the spectrum as they have been held under 42.5% from the field in 6 of their last 8 games. The Cavs have shot well from three point range and that is what has saved them. In their win at Toronto earlier this season the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors by 24 points from beyond the arc and yet they only won the game by 3 points. Toronto will get some payback tonight and, while the Cavaliers are playing for the 4th time in 6 nights, the Raptors have had two days off heading into this game. Toronto is 3-0 SU and ATS in road games this season while the Cavaliers are on an 0-5 ATS run in home games. Also, the Raptors are 4-0 ATS in games against teams averaging 99 points or more per game this season. That means we have combined systems of 12-0 ATS that are in favor of the road dog in this one. I'll take that any day of the week! 10* Top Play TORONTO RAPTORS Tuesday

NBA TV Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Game #509 Monday - 8* Philadelphia 76'ers (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - The Rockets are still without point guard Patrick Beverley. His absence has severely hurt the defense of Houston as he his their best perimeter defender. The Rockets are allowing 106.7 ppg this season and that is only 1.5 points per game less than the Sixers allow. Of course Houston, even without Beverley, is a far better team than Philadelphia is but this is not a good spot for the Rockets. It is a "sandwich spot" as it is a meaningless game for the Rockets stuck between match-ups with two of their biggest rivals as Houston hosted San Antonio Saturday and has a big game on deck at Oklahoma City Wednesday. That is one big key to the value here but the other keys include the fact that the Rockets have only one win by more than 8 points this season. As for the Sixers, they've had some ugly losses but one pattern that has already emerged with the 76'ers early this season is that they don't have bad games back to back. When the Sixers are off of a loss by 7 points or more they've responded with a loss of 7 points or less every single time. This "system" is already a perfect 4-0 this season and one of those games was an outright win for Philly and two of them were defeats by only 2 point and 1 point, respectively. The Sixers enter this game off of an ugly loss at Atlanta and I look for them to improve to 5-0 ATS this season when off of a loss by a margin of 7 points or more. The Rockets are 14-26 (35%) ATS when off of a divisional game. Bad spot for Houston here and the 76'ers will "hang around" in this one which makes the big points a strong play here. 8* PHILADELPHIA Monday night

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Game #709 Sunday - 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) @ Portland Trail Blazers @ 9:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for the Nuggets, it also is a revenge spot for Denver and I expect a huge effort from them here. The Nuggets lost at home to the Trail Blazers by a bucket on October 29th and that ruined Denver's home opener. Now it is time for payback in this spot and I'll gladly take advantage of a line that opened up as low as a 4 but is now all the way up to a 7 on gameday morning. Portland is 6-4 on the season but they're average margin of victory in the 6 wins is only 5.3 points per game and only twice out of all ten games this season have the Blazers won by more than 6 points. The Nuggets are a big value in this price range because in their 9 games this season they only have 3 losses by more than 3 points. In other words, as you can see from the above, the likelihood is that Denver is "in this one" all the way especially given the revenge angle here too. The Nuggets have been strong on the road this season with a 5-1 ATS mark while Portland has struggled in games projected to be high scoring as they are 1-5 ATS in games with a posted total of 210 or greater. Overall, the Trail Blazers are only 1-4 ATS in home games. Even though this is a back to back for the Nuggets they have two straight off days coming up after tonight's game so they will definitely leave it all on the floor tonight as they go for revenge. Blazers playing for 4th time in 6 nights so they are not exactly at their freshest either. 10* DENVER NUGGETS Sunday

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Game #511 Saturday - 8* Los Angeles Clippers (-) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - This line opened up at a -5.5 and it has already moved down to a -4 which is not a big surprise because the Clips are in a back to back spot and coming off of a revenging win at Oklahoma City last night. It was a non-covering win for the Clippers last night and I got burned by that game but I won't hesitate to take advantage of the line value (after the move this morning) and take advantage of backing an 8-1 Los Angeles team for whom no one played more than 36 minutes last night. The only reason the Clippers didn't cover in last night's win at Oklahoma City is because the Thunder hit a ridiculous 16 of 28 three pointers. The Clips continue to be one of the top teams in the league on defense early this season and they held OKC to just 22 of 60 from inside the arc last night! The Timberwolves are 2-5 on the season, a young team, and they are off of a rare win. Unlike the Clippers, the T-wolves aren't known for playing defense. That will be the difference in this match-up and the Clips have a home game on deck with Brooklyn so there certainly is no look-ahead here. Even after last night's tough loss (ATS), the Clippers are still 14-4 ATS (and 47-18 ATS long-term) when they are a road fave in a range of 3.5 to 6 points. The Timberwolves are 3-10 ATS (and 0-13 SU!) when they are off of a win by a double digit margin. With Minnesota off of a win by 16 points at Orlando Wednesday, look for them to add another L to that 3-10 ATS mark tonight. 8* LA Clippers Saturday