Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #709 Wednesday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - Brad Wanamaker scored 15 points off the bench for the Celtics on Monday. The rest of the Boston bench scored a TOTAL of 3 points! To put that in proper perspective, the Raptors bench scored 44 points in Monday's loss. Yes, the Celtics starers vastly outplayed Toronto's starters in Game 5 but I don't see that happening again here in Game 6. You know the Raptors, whom had won 2 straight before Monday's ugly loss, will respond big. I also certainly don't expect the Celtics to shoot 49.4% from the floor while the Raptors shoot just 38.8% from the floor like we saw in Game 5. Nor do I expect the Celtics to go to the line 27 times while the Raptors get just 13 free throw attempts. Boston is a popular choice in this one but the line move is giving us even more value with the Raptors now getting as much as 3.5 points as of early game day morning. I'll take it! I am expecting a Game 7 to result in this series and if the Raptors do fall short here look for it to be by just a bucket. Grab the points! 10* TORONTO

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #705 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat @ 6:30 ET - I am expecting Giannis to play for the Bucks but, even if he doesn't, we saw what Milwaukee is capable of without him as they rallied the troops to win in overtime in Game 4. I am well aware of the fact that, without OT, Sunday's game would not have gone over the total. However, I am also well aware of the fact that the only reason it needed overtime to go over was because of a horrific 4th quarter performance in terms of scoring. I don't expect a repeat of that here and look for this game to comfortably fly over the total. Each team should shoot a little better from 3-point land overall and Miami fired up a bunch of them from long range in Game 4. The Heat had scored well in this series prior to Sunday's loss and I expect them to bounce back here. But the Bucks proved they are not going to go down without a fight. That said, higher scoring game than many are expecting here as the defense of Milwaukee has not been good in this series but the Bucks, on the other end, will keep the pressure on the Heat and I really don't expect Giannis to miss this. The turn of his ankle bothered him in Game 4 because it was already so tender. But the fact is it did not look severe at all and he'll be good to go here. I would recommend playing this one early because I expect the total to rise later. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #702 Monday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - Sometimes a series can turn on one shot and that is what you're seeing here in this one. When the Raptors got the last second 3 to win Game 3, they took that momentum right into Game 4 and now have won back to back games. Keep in mind, Toronto won 7 of 8 regular season games in the bubble, had won 4 straight regular season games prior to the pandemic-forced shutdown and now have won 6 of 8 playoff games. In other words, this is a Raptors team that has won 17 of its last 20 games. Certainly Boston is a very good team and also has the best coach in the NBA. However, some self-doubt is creeping in as they are not knocking down shots like they had been and the Raptors are the much more confident team right now. That said, I am happy to fade the line move here and grab the couple points now being offered with Toronto. Keep in mind the Raptors also led Game 2 by 8 points heading into the 4th quarter. It is a tight series and I like having the momentum and the points on my side! 10* TORONTO

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #745 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:30 ET - The Heat have scored at least 115 points in every game this series and the Bucks are certainly not showing any signs that they can slow them down. At the same time though, I just don't see Milwaukee getting swept right out of the playoffs without at least putting up a fight to avoid the sweep. That said, the Bucks won't stop until the final buzzer sounds on this one and they need to push the pace a bit and try to get Miami back on their heels a bit. Keep in mind, Milwaukee averaged 29 points per quarter through the first 3 quarters of what was essentially a must win Game 3. After the epic fourth quarter collapse in that one I look for the Bucks to come up with a much better "close out" in Game 4. Does that mean that Milwaukee wins and avoids the sweep? Not necessarily and that is why I am not touching the side in this game. However, what it goes mean is we should see plenty of points in this one as I expect the Heat to reach at least the 115 mark again and, this time, the Bucks are right there with them when the final buzzer sounds. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #741 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors @ 6:30 ET - Each of the first three games in this series stayed under the total so we're now seeing some value here with the over in Game 4. I look for both teams to shoot better from three point land after the Celtics made just 9 of 29 and the Raptors only 13 of 40 in Game 3. Also, Toronto was just 9 of 16 from the free throw line in Game 3. Just some crazy numbers that I don't see being repeated here and, keep in mind, that game still totaled 207 points. That is not far from the number we're looking at with this total so a few more made threes and a few more made free throws and this game is over the total. That is precisely the call I am making here as the Celtics respond with a little more emphasis in the offensive end coming off the loss. At the same time Toronto feels like they are absolutely back in it after the clutch shot to win Game 3 and will ride a wave of momentum to a strong showing in the offensive end in this one. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #745 Friday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Miami Heat @ 6:30 ET - Now we play the Bucks. After losing Game 1 everyone jumped on Milwaukee in Game 2. I had the Heat as you know. Why? Because I am a contrarian capper by nature and I saw the world jumping on the Bucks so, of course, I was on the other side. Now you have a case where there are finally non-believers about this Milwaukee team and we're seeing a lot more attention on Miami. So what do I do? Pound the Bucks here! After coming so close to a win in Game 2 but ultimately falling just short, Milwaukee puts it all together here and gets a resounding win by a double digit margin. You can almost feel it before it happens and there will just be a special focus from the Bucks (a very talented team of course) in this one after the way the game on Wednesday was decided late in such frustrating fashion for Milwaukee. Now it is payback time. The last 3 times the Bucks entered a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games they are a perfect 3-0 SU and the average margin of those 3 wins was 11.3 points per game with none of the victories coming by less than 7 points. That certainly works for our purposes here! 10* MILWAUKEE

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #733 Thursday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (-) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - Why is Toronto in the same range of line as the first two games even though they Boston prevailed in both games? Exactly! Don't be fooled here folks. Many will take the Celtics here with the prevailing thinking being just that. The feeling one of bewilderment as to why Boston is a dog even though they already have proven in back to back games that they are the better team. Well a series is a best of seven not best of three and I look for the Raptors to start getting back into this series immediately. Keep in mind, in Game 1 the Raptors got a wake up call in the first quarter and the rest of the game was played about even. In Game 2 Toronto was ahead by 8 points heading to the 4th quarter before the Celtics pulled away late and won the game by 3 points. Give Boston credit for sure but the Raptors will play the full 48 minutes here and get back into this series. The Raptors had 90 shots from the field in Game 2 while the Celtics only had 76 from the field. Toronto had more 4 more steals and Boston had 5 more turnovers. Sounds like should have been a Raptors win, right? Precisely...and this one will be! 10* TORONTO

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #729 Wednesday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 6:30 ET - Everyone will be on the Bucks to bounce back here in Game 2. In typical contrarian fashion, I'll be on Miami! The Heat played (and swept) a tough team in round one of the post-season when they knocked off the Pacers. Milwaukee got a "cake walk" match-up with facing the lowly Magic and yet they struggled to pull away from Orlando often in those games. Yes, the Bucks did win 4 straight from the Magic after dropping the opener but I am just talking about the fact that there were long stretches where Milwaukee just looked a bit "out of sorts" in that series. The bad news for Bucks fans is now they are facing a Heat team that is much stronger than the Orlando team they faced in round one. Miami is scrappy and that helped lead the way to a lot of Bucks turnovers in Game 1 and the Heat were active on the offensive glass. Jimmy Butler is a very driven player and is helping lead his teammates to victory. Until (unless?) Giannis Antetokounmpo does the same for the Bucks there is some concern in Milwaukee for sure. Also, the Bucks Eric Bledsoe is dealing with a strained hamstring too and will not be 100 percent even if he plays tonight. As I mentioned in the intro here, the world will be lining up on the Bucks off a loss but there is a reason the odds makers opened up Game 2 with a line of Milwaukee -4. As fully expected, the betting markets feel the odds makers made a mistake and have run this line to a -5 and I would not be surprised to see it go higher as the day goes on but I want to get this play out to all customers early. 10* MIAMI

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #724 Tuesday 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors Money Line (-) vs Boston Celtics @ 5:30 ET - With the line on this game dropping to as low as a -1 on the Raptors as of early game day morning, I am recommending a play on the Toronto money line for this one. It is available as low as a -110 and I fully expect the Raptors to bounce back. Yes, they lost game 1 by 18 points but the Celtics made 7 more threes on one less 3-point attempt! In other words, Boston shot well from 3-point land and Toronto did not and that 21 point variance from downtown was the difference in the game. I also like the fact that the Raptors only turned the ball over 14 times while the Celtics turned it over 22 times. That is eventually going to catch up with Boston and I don't see Toronto falling into an 0-2 hole in this series. In other words, it is payback time in Game 2 for the Raptors. 10* TORONTO money line

Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #719 Monday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 6:30 ET - The Heat are well-rested after sweeping the Pacers in the first round. The Bucks did win 4 straight over the Magic after the losing the first game but went stretches where they truly didn't play that well against an Orlando team that they really should have dominated. Keep in mind, Miami faced a much tougher team in the first round than did Milwaukee. The Heat took on an Indiana team that finished 17 games over .500 while the Bucks took on an Orlando team that finished 7 games under .500 in the regular season. Also, Milwaukee seems more distracted by the incidents taking place in Kenosha, WI which makes sense, of course, because that city is practically a suburb of Milwaukee. The Heat didn't have that distraction come up until after they had already finished off the Magic in round one and I like what I am hearing and seeing with the Miami players heading into this first game of the round two series. Combining the factors above with the fact we get a handful of points here and I have no hesitation in grabbing the dog in this one. 10* MIAMI

Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Sunday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:30 ET - The Nuggets won Game 5 and this followed a Game 4 loss that came by a margin of just 2 points. Denver also could get Gary Harris back for this game. He has worked his way back to be being closer and closer to a return. Now, after some extra time off because of the postponement of games, Harris might actually be ready to see some action here. The return of a starter, though he would likely come off the bench in this one, would be a boost to the Nuggets for sure. Either way, I like Denver in this one as they most certainly have proven they are not going down without a fight in this one. Remember Games 2 and 3 were blowout losses for the Nuggets but they have responded since then for sure. A Game 7 in a first round playoff series would be good for the NBA wouldn't it? Looks like they just might get it with this series. Keep in mind the Nuggets were a 4.5 point favorite in Game 1 of this series which they won in overtime. Now they are a 2.5 point dog in Game 6 of this series. I feel the line value here is clearly with Denver in this spot. The Nuggets, as noted above, got their tails kicked in with the ugly losses in Games 2 and 3 but they have since responded and the hungry dog bites the hardest as they say. Great line value with the underdog in this one especially when you factor in the potential return of Harris. Either way, for me, this is a great situation for backing the dog that is still down 3-2 in this series and welcomed the extra rest. 10* DENVER

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Saturday 10* Oklahoma City Thunder (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 6:30 ET - Now, thanks to the extra time off afforded by the boycotts and resulting postponement of NBA games, Russell Westbrook is expected back for the Rockets for this one. However, he could be on a minutes limitation and also will Houston be able to seamlessly adjust with him back on the floor? Keep in mind, we're still seeing a struggling James Harden from 3-point land as Luguentz Dort continues his strong defensive play on the perimeter for the Thunder. After falling into an 0-2 hole, Oklahoma City changed things up in a bit and went to a smaller lineup at times and it has certainly worked as this series is now tied up at 2 games apiece. Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder, a pair of point guards, have picked up their level of play and the small ball approach has paid dividends for OKC. I am expecting more of the same here in Game 5 and am happy to grab the handful of points being offered. We're getting even more value here now because the markets have reacted to the Westbrook news and have pushed the Houston spread higher. The Rockets continue to jack up a lot of threes and I fully understand that is part of their normal game but with Harden making just 11 of 39 the last three games (thanks in part to Dort covering him in these games) Houston is just a bit "off" right now. Will they be able to easily adjust to Westbrook being back on the floor? I am not so sure about that! This (Rockets being just a bit "off" in recent games) has opened the door for the Thunder to take advantage and they will do so again here. Grab the points! 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #714 Tuesday 10* Top Play Denver Nuggets (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 6:30 ET - The Nuggets had a miracle cover in Game 4 when Murray hit a "meaningless" 3-pointer in the final seconds to get in the backdoor for the cash for Denver backers. From that standpoint, it would seem that Utah would be the play here. After all, the Jazz had no business not winning ATS in Game 4. However, a closer look shows something very different. The Nuggets had 100 shots from the field and shot 49% while the Jazz had just 73 shots from the field and yet Denver did not win that game outright! Are you kidding me? So what happened is that the Jazz hit a ridiculous 14 of 29 three pointers. Also, Utah had 36 free throw attempts compared to just 13 for the Nuggets. These unusually statistical disparities are highly unlikely to repeated here in Game 5 and I am riding with the highly motivated underdog here in Game 5. Not only did Denver come up just short in Game 4, the Nuggets are also highly motivated as this a win or go home game. The Jazz have a 3-1 series lead. Look for that to be a 3-2 lead for Utah after tonight's game goes into the books. 10* DENVER

Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets @ 4 ET - I am aware that it took overtime for Saturday's Game 3 between these teams to go over the total. However, the odds makers are also aware of that fact too! They set this total at 221 and it has dropped to as low as a 219 as of early game day morning. Keep in mind that would make this one about 5 points lower than the opening total for the Game 3 match-up. That said, do you really think the Rockets are going to again make just 30% of their threes (15 of 50 Saturday) or that James Harden is going to have a 3rd straight bad game from beyond the arc? Me neither! Yes I aware that Luguentz Dort is now back for the Thunder and guarding him but Harden will get his open looks from deep and start knocking them down. Adjustments are made throughout a series. Additionally, I liked the response I saw from an Oklahoma City team that showed on Saturday that they are not just going to pack it in for this series. Last but not least, Game 3 did have 120 points at halftime so it was on pace for 240 before things tightened up the rest of the way. All signs point to good value, from a situational standpoint, with this low total. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #744 Sunday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 3:30 ET - The Mavericks announced that Luka Doncic's MRI showed "nothing alarming" and that he would be a game-time decision. That is another way of saying everything is fine but we just don't to announce it yet so everyone can wonder whether Doncic will play or not. Of course his ankle was hurting him bad after he got hurt and then it stiffens up on you and you can't move well out there on the floor once that happens. But now after receiving treatment ever since, Doncic will be ready to go here I am sure. We have strong big dog value here with the Mavericks in my opinion. The two losses they have had in this series each came by 8 points and that includes Friday's loss which featured a team-record 45 point 2nd quarter from the Clippers. Note that the Mavs beat the Clips by double digits in Game 2. Now, down 2-1 in this series and facing a key Game 4, Dallas is going to battle tooth and nail throughout this contest with Kawhi Leonard and company. That said, if the Mavericks do fall short look for it to be by a margin of only a bucket or two. Grab the big points! 10* DALLAS

Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #736 Saturday 10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder (+) vs Houston Rockets @ 6 ET - The Thunder got a boost defensively in Game 2 as Dort returned to the lineup. He is the best perimeter defender Oklahoma City has and he was a big part of the reason the Rockets Harden was held to 5 of 16 from the field. Though the Thunder still ultimately lost the game their confidence is up after leading the game going to the 4th quarter. The Thunder had too many turnovers compared to Houston and that cost OKC the game. Oklahoma City is a perfect 5-0 SU the last 5 times they have entered Game 3 of a playoff series down 2 games to none. This is a contrarian play as the line has moved toward the Rockets and I love the Thunder in this spot as they finally put it all together on both ends of the floor after playing much better defense in Game 2. Look for Game 3 to be a complete game for the underdog. 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets @ 4 ET - Not only are the Jazz scoring very well so far in this series, Mike Conley is expected to clear quarantine and return to the floor for this one! He gives Utah another dangerous scorer and is expected to be back in the lineup Friday. The Jazz saw Donovan Mitchell go off for a ton of points in Game 1 and then in Game 2 he became more of a distributor and Utah was equally as dangerous on the offensive end. That said, I don't see Denver suddenly slowing the Jazz down in this one. Utah is simply playing with too much confidence and have looked great on the offensive end. However, I certainly do expect the Nuggets to respond in a big way after dropping Game 2 in ugly fashion and that means plenty of points expected from Denver in this one too. We are getting line value because the totals continue to be set somewhat based on long-term numbers and, the fact is, the Jazz are playing a different style of basketball right now than they were during the regular season. Utah, had they not lost Game 1 in OT, could easily be up 2-0 in this series. That said, the old adage of "if it ain't broke don't try to fix it" applies here and the Jazz keep piling up points. However, in this one the Nuggets end up keeping pace with them in what should be a dandy of a game as they respond off of Wednesday's loss. 10* OVER the total in Utah 

Contrarian Crusher – Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach NBA Rotation #716 Thursday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Orlando Magic @ 6 ET – It was the first game in a week for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday (he missed the final game of the regular season after the head butt incident) and, overall, the Bucks looked like the same team that casually went through bubble play as there was no real need to push hard. Now, the push needs to come after they got embarrassed by the Magic and lost by a double-digit margin as a double-digit favorite. While many will look to again grab the big dog here (how can they again be favored by so much after Game 1 played out like it did?) I am on the other side of this game in typical contrarian fashion. Remember last season the Magic beat the Raptors in a Game 1 upset and then proceeded to lose the next 4 and get ousted from the playoffs. I am not saying the same thing happens in this one but I just know the Bucks got their “wake up call” and will be ready to respond in a big way here on Thursday. Look for Milwaukee to be much better on the defensive end and I also do not expect Middleton and Lopez to again combine for 6 for 21 from the field. Off the bench Connaughton and DiVincenzo combined for 2 for 10 from the field. Again, unlikely to be repeated! Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks teammates bring their “A game” to this one and the Magic aren’t going to again hit nearly 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point land, nor 95% from the free throw line. Everything clicked for Orlando in Game 1 but the Bucks give them a dose of reality here and that is why I am more than willing to play the big number for a top play in this one. 10* MILWAUKEE

Daytime Dominator – Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 3 ET – Game 1 of this series on Tuesday was a bit of a slow starter in the first quarter and then finished slow in the 4th quarter. But it still flew over the total and that is because the two middle quarters saw the teams combine for 139 points. Had the Rockets not had such a huge lead going to the 4th quarter, we would have seen even more points scored in that one. I do look for this game to be closer and, therefore, a much higher scoring 4th quarter as I do expect the Thunder to play better here. The problem for OKC though is that they are still without their top perimeter defender. Luguentz Dort has been ruled out again for Game 2 and he is the guy that has the best chance of slowing down James Harden. With another huge game from Harden here, and the growing confidence of the Rockets on the offensive end after the Game 1 blowout win, I am fully expecting plenty of points in this one. 8* OVER the total in Houston

TNT Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #705 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - This line makes no sense really except that sentiment is very anti-Sixers right now. The fact is this line is very close to the same it was for Game 1 even though the 76ers led Game 1 outright by 6 points early in the 4th quarter. Additionally, Gordon Hayward (played 34 minutes in Game 1) is now out for the rest of the series with a Grade 3 ankle strain. He'll be replaced by Marcus Smart but that further weakens a Celtics bench that the Sixers Alec Burks outscored all by himself as he had 18 points and the Boston bench had just 8 points in the opener. As much as I don't 100% trust Joel Embiid I do expect him to finish this game much better than he finished the Game 1 match-up as he couldn't get the big buckets when he needed to. The Sixers are desperate to even this series up and the situation is perfect for them to do just that after falling just short in Monday's game and now Hayward being out. The Celtics are short-handed and Philly is hungry and did win 3 of the 4 regular season match-ups between these teams. I'll gladly grab the points here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #772 Tuesday 10* Top Play Houston Rockets (+) vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 6:30 ET - The big story for Game 1 of this series is the Rockets Russell Westbrook not playing. The story that is not getting as much press but is a key factor here is Luguentz Dort not playing. The Thunder guard is earning a reputation as a lockdown defender and did a fantastic job stifling James Harden when these teams met in January. However, he is not going to play in this game and a massive game from Harden can be expected. The Rockets version of small ball is not easy to play against and Oklahoma City head coach Billy Donovan spoke about the length and physicality that Houston plays with even though they are not a big team. Yes the Rockets enter the post-season off 3 straight losses but how motivated were they for those games? Houston did beat the Lakers and the Bucks earlier in bubble action. Also, the Rockets just wrapped up a 72-game season and only twice did they have a 4-game losing streak. I don't see this streak reaching that 4-game mark as you can see Houston having a 4-game losing streak is rare. We are getting some extra value here because the market move is toward OKC in early trading action. In typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the value on the other side as Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni (2x NBA Coach of the Year winner) wins the Xs and Os battle in this one. 10* HOUSTON

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #755 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - The 76ers won 3 of the 4 meetings in the regular season but lost the most recent game after winning the first 3. Philly is also seeking revenge for their 2018 playoff ouster at the hands of the Celtics. That series turned when Boston rallied from a 22 point deficit to win Game 2 and then took Game 3 in an overtime win. Now the Sixers have Al Horford going against his former team and seek payback beginning Monday evening. There is a lot of anti-Sixer sentiment since Ben Simmons was lost to injury but the 76ers have shown signs of playing better since he went out. They raise their game to another level here and possibly shock the Celtics in game one. Look for a tight game here late and if the Sixers fall short I expect it only be by a bucket or two. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Saturday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (+) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 2:30 ET - Portland was the much hotter team in the bubble but they certainly haven't looked that impressive recently in terms of blowing teams out. Yes, the Trail Blazers are on a 3-game winning streak but the 3 wins came by a combined total of 7 points! The Blazers barely got by a Brooklyn team that was playing for nothing on Thursday night! Now Portland comes into this game favored by a half-dozen points and I understand that from the standpoint that the Grizzlies have underachieved under the bubble. However, lets not forget that Memphis is the better team on the defensive end and, though just 2-2 in their last 4 games, this a must win game or their season is over. Perhaps the Grizzlies ultimately fall short by a bucket or two but, again, I am happy to take the better defensive team in a game that could turn into more of a "grinder" than most are expecting based on the high total posted on this game. Look for the dog to stay within this number and possibly even spring the upset! Give me the points! 10* MEMPHIS

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #719 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 6:30 ET - I am sticking with the pattern that has been working very well for me. Two teams involved that will both be playing back-ups and that means very little defensive pressure is likely and we should see a run and gun high-scoring affair. The Clippers enter this game with having played 6 straight games that totaled 229 points or more. The only game that has been low-scoring for LA under the bubble in Orlando was their very first game which was against the Lakers. Of course you will see nothing like the defensive intensity of that game here. In fact you will see the exact opposite and the back-ups will score just fine. In fact, look at Oklahoma City's most recent game. They rallied from a huge deficit thanks in large part to bench production and they beat the Heat 116-115 on Wednesday. The bench led the way to the comeback win. The Thunder reserves showed me a lot with that performance there but it was also the 3rd time in 4 games that OKC has allowed 115 points or more. That said, I look for this game to get into the 230s with plenty of scoring on both ends of the floor as it plays out with the defensive intensity of an All-Star game. In all seriousness this is like an All-Star game but without all the all-stars. It will be free flowing with a lot of great looks at the basket and I'll take advantage of the rather low total posted on this game which is based more on historical data than the true situation here. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers

Situational Slaughter – Rickenbach NBA Rotation #701 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 9 ET – In a meaningless game I am looking for a very free-flowing affair with very little defense and a ton of points scored. The Magic are locked in as the #8 seed in the East while the Pelicans are eliminated from playoff contention in the West. New Orleans has allowed 125 points per game in their last 4 losses. The Pelicans have averaged a respectable 114.2 points per game in their last 5 games on the other end of the floor. The Magic have lost 5 straight games and not scored well. But in their first two games under the bubble they averaged 130 points and those games got into the mid-240s. Again, there is no pressure here and this will be a free-flowing game where the shooters can run and gun and without any concern about the end result. This will play out like an All-Star game except with very few stars involved! Just a ton of offense and no defense. 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #764 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 6:35 ET - The Raptors are locked into the #2 seed for the post-season and already know they'll be facing the Nets to open up the playoffs. The 76ers are dealing with injury issues and certainly can't afford to lose any more key players. That said, this game is a battle of back-ups. Keep in mind yesterday the 76ers played back-ups against a very hungry Suns team that was highly motivated and undefeated under the bubble. Phoenix finally pulled away in the 4th quarter but the Sixers were down by just 3 points with under 8 minutes to go in that game. Keep in mind, that was a game the Suns had to have while the 76ers were just playing back-ups for the most part. Now today's game is a game of back-ups and Toronto is not motivated. That said, I love the underdog value being offered to Philly in this one. Don't be surprised if they get an upset win but certainly they should manage at least the cover against the Raptors in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #751 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs Phoenix Suns @ 4:35 ET - I used the Suns over here yesterday and it cashed and I will come right back with it again today. Phoenix has yet to lose a game under the bubble. Yesterday's win was their 6th straight and they've averaged 120 points per game during this red hot stretch. Of course that is why they're such a huge favorite here against a 76ers team that will be playing entirely back-ups in this one. A combination of rest and injury factors mean 2nd and 3rd stringers take the floor for this one. I know that may concern some in terms of whether Philly will score enough here. But with no pressure on the Sixers I am expecting them to play a very free-flowing game with a lack of defense on one end and some hot shooting on the other end. Again, no pressure on these 76ers and the Suns have proven their very happy to "run and gun" with teams. The result should be a nice pace to this game and one that easily eclipses the rather low total on this one considering the Suns are averaging 120 points per game in the bubble and are facing a Philly team that is already counting down the days to the playoffs beginning. Little resistance from the Sixers in this one and a ton of points as a result. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #737 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 2:35 ET - The Suns are 5-0 in the bubble thanks in part to offensive production. Indeed, Phoenix is averaging 116.4 points per game in their 5 games in the bubble. On the other end of the floor the Suns have allowed 112 points or more in 4 of the 5 games. The Thunder are off a win versus Washington yesterday and scored 121 points in that game. OKC has been a little "hit or miss" in terms of their offensive production and their tempo. However, the red hot Suns control the tempo in this one and the Thunder are going to be forced to pick up the pace if they want to keep up. As a result, look for plenty of points in this one. The Suns want to try and run the Thunder right out of the arena as Phoenix knows that Oklahoma City is in a back to back. The Suns continue to push for a playoff spot and they'll run and gun again here as a result. 10* OVER the total in Phoenix

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #731 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 6:35 ET - As I suspected the 76ers, whom have won 3 straight games SU but had not been covering, finally got their first cover in their most recent game. They played an Orlando team desperate for wins and it did not matter. With Al Horford back in the starting lineup because of Ben Simmons likely being out for the year, the Sixers played loose and relaxed and got the win. Look for a similar result here. Portland is desperate for wins and will be a popular choice here but a lot of pressure is on them to win and they are in a back to back spot. They totally blew their game against the Clippers and LA didn't even play Kawhi Leonard as he was rested. That was inexcusable on the part of the Blazers and now they are in a back to back spot and facing a rested 76ers team that has nothing to lose and is playing winning basketball and I look for them to make it 4 straight SU wins but will gladly grab the points being offered. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #713 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 1:05 ET - Both teams off high-scoring wins and are shooting the ball extremely well. Portland off a particularly red hot shooting performance from beyond the arc. The Trail Blazers, not including OT, have scored 124 points or more in 3 of their 4 games in the bubble. They'll be helped by the fact that the Clippers Patrick Beverley (awarded twice to the All-Defensive team in his NBA career) is expected to miss a 2nd straight games. LA, after that fierce battle with the Lakers in their first game within the bubble, has averaged 122.3 points per game since then. You can see why I am forecasting this game to get into the 240's per the above. 10* OVER the total in Portland

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #703 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder @ 4:05 ET - This total has dropped from its opener and has added value to the over in this spot. The Thunder are off a fantastic effort against the Lakers and allowed 86 points in that win. Usually after a big win like that a team comes out and allows a bunch of points in their very next game. That plays right into our hands in terms of this play on Friday. Memphis is off a loss to Utah and needs to respond big as the losses keep piling up for them as they cling to the #8 seed. The problem for the Grizzlies though is they have been giving up plenty of points and seem incapable of getting key stops when they need to. Look for them to have another subpar game on the defensive end and note that the Thunder allowed 121 points to the Nuggets in their game immediately prior to the win over LeBron James and company. Look for plenty of points in this one! 10* OVER the total in Memphis

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #777 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat @ 4:05 ET - Off an embarrassing loss as a nearly 20 point favorite against the Nets, the Bucks respond in a big way here. Milwaukee also is getting a couple players back too for this one. The Bucks have been one of the faster paced teams in the NBA in the bubble and that will lead to plenty of points in this one. Milwaukee also has a respectable bench which is one of the tops in the NBA. The way I see this game playing out is the Bucks coming out with plenty of tempo combined with better offensive efficiency than we've been seeing from them. They are healthier, they are going to play their starters more, and they're looking for a big-game effort from everyone. The Heat will be forced to "run and gun" to keep up with them as the Bucks force the tempo. The result should be a big Bucks win that lands close to the number ATS but, in my opinion, crushes the total and flies over. That is why I am going with a big game play here on this total. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #771 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Toronto Raptors @ 8:05 ET - This total, as of early game day morning, has already made a big downward move from 224.5 to 221.5 in early action on the game. I look for the Magic defense to struggle in a back to back situation and they have allowed an average of 118 points per game in their first three games. But even though they continue to give up piles of points, Orlando is in a battle for a playoff spot and they'll continue to battle hard in that regard. That means they'll have to turn to the offensive end to try and get an upset win here and the Magic are averaging 123 points per game in their first 3 games back. Though the Raptors, one of the top teams in the East, have been involved in a pair of lower-scoring games since the reboot I look for a different story here. The first two games for Toronto were against the Lakers and the Heat and, as a result, were more intense defensive-minded battles. The Raptors have dominated the series with the Magic and could easily overlook them here as a result. The point is a little less defensive intensity and a free-flowing game is likely. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the early line move here but that is with good reason as explained above. 10* OVER the total in Orlando

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #751 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets @ 1:35 ET - Don't look for the Bucks to take their foot off the gas in this one. Yes, they'll be resting guys late with a huge lead but their bench will be just fine against the Nets. That said, I look for a very high-scoring game here as the Bucks take out their frustration on an over-matched Nets team. Milwaukee lost a tight one to the Rockets on Sunday because they scored just 4 points over the final 3 minutes of the game. Brooklyn is off a key win over Washington that same day and that built confidence in the offensive end. Yes it was only the Wizards but just getting a W and having a successful effort and scoring 118 points means something. Now the Bucks will impose their will on the Nets and then after establishing a huge lead this game turns into a free-flowing high-scoring run and gun affair as the Bucks bench players get to enjoy their time on the floor too against an out-classed Brooklyn team in this one. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #748 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 8 ET - This one is all about the value. Yes, the Sixers lost to the Pacers Saturday but Philly led that game by 10 points with under 9 minutes to go. Now Philadelphia catches the Spurs in the 2nd night of a back to back. Also, the 76ers dominated the glass and outrebounded Indiana by about 20 boards in the defeat but were done in by a late collapse and by being outscored by 15 points from 3-point land. Here is what is most interesting about this spot and is why there is so much value here. The 76ers are favored by nearly the identical spread in this game that they were favored by in the game against the Pacers. Anybody looked at the standings lately? Yes the Spurs are off back to back wins but their record is not even close to the Pacers. Also, San Antonio beat two teams (Kings and Grizzlies) that each have losing records and they barely won each game. Give them credit of course but the point is that they are very over-valued here especially with this being a back to back spot. Look for an angry Sixers team to take out their frustration on a short-handed San Antonio team that will grow weary as this game goes on. Keep in mind the Spurs do not have Aldridge plus Belinelli and Forbes have been banged up. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #732 Sunday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (-) vs San Antonio Spurs @ 4:05 ET - Memphis is off a tough OT loss to Portland Friday and it was a game that the Grizzlies allowed to get away from them late in regulation. They'll make up for that here. Even though Memphis fell short to the Trail Blazers they did a great job of getting to the free throw line. They simply were outdone from three point land. The difference in 3-point shooting means so much in the NBA game and the Spurs hot hand from beyond the arc certainly played a role in their win over the Kings on Friday. From a situational perspective, this one sets up well with the Grizzlies off a tight loss but against a stronger team (in my opinion) than the Spurs faced. Also, San Antonio pulled away late in that game so don't be fooled by the final score. Again, the 3-point shooting was also a factor and, in other words, I like the "overall game" of the Grizzlies better than the Spurs and barring another unusual 3-point disparity look for Memphis to win this one by double digits. While I respect San Antonio's veteran coach Popovich, Grizzlies young head coach Jenkins has impressed this season and was a Bucks assistant last season (and what season it was!) plus started his career in the San Antonio organization. Jenkins and his Grizzlies have taken 2 of 3 from the Spurs this season and get another one here to solidify their edge over the Spurs in the standings as Memphis looks to pull away from the field battling for the #8 spot out west. Grizzlies respond off loss. 10* MEMPHIS

Game of the Week Eastern Conference - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #723 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Indiana Pacers @ 7 ET - All you hear people talking about with the Sixers entering this NBA restart is how bad their road record was this season. Well guess what folks? This is NOT a road game. Not even close. There is NO TRAVEL between games. You are in a bubble and once you are there you stay there. No catching a flight between games, no changing from one hotel to another, no raucous fans for the opposition. This is a neutral site game with NO TRAVEL involved and there will be no travel throughout the remainder of the NBA season including playoffs. That said, lets now analyze this match-up for the teams involved. What I am hearing is Joel Embiid's calf strain is very minor and I feel they simply gave the big man some extra rest before this NBA restart got underway. The fact is that he has been looking to be in the best shape of his young NBA career as the time off during the sports shutdown really helped him. Another key here in comparing these Sixers to the team we saw pre-shutdown is that Ben Simmons is now back and healthy. That is huge for this team. For the Pacers the news is not so good. Domantas Sabonis, an All-Star, is out for this game. Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo both should play here for Indiana but neither is 100%. So while this line may look a little "off" to many, I absolutely not only see the logic with the line but embrace it. Look for the Sixers to make a HUGE statement in this opening game as they are sick of hearing about not winning away from Philly and they are the healthier and more talented team in this match-up and that will show today. 10* PHILADELPHIA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #712 Friday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) vs Boston Celtics @ 6:30 ET - The Bucks have two objectives here in the "regular season" portion of the NBA restart. #1 is to stay healthy and #2 is to lock up the top seed in the East. They are close to meeting that 2nd objective but they can't do it without risking the 1st one. In other words, I don't foresee the Bucks holding back until they've locked in that #1 seed and they are fired up and ready to go here. They were not happy with their performance in the scrimmage against the Pelicans earlier this week as they lost big. Yes it was only a scrimmage but they're also letting it serve as a "wake up call" and you'll see them play much better basketball here in this one now that it is time for games that count. The Celtics can't catch the Bucks for the top spot but the Raptors can. Even as unlikely as it is that Toronto would catch the Bucks for the top spot, until they've nailed it down, Milwaukee will give top effort. That is bad news for an outclassed Boston team. Yes the Celtics are well-coached and are a quality team but they are certainly not at the same level as the Bucks. What I also like about Milwaukee here is that they lost their final 3 games before the unexpected and sudden NBA shutdown. The Bucks have had plenty of time to think about their 3-game losing streak and how they will need to prove again that they can win again away from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. With all of the above factored into this one, I feel we have great line value with a determined Bucks team laying a short number and, though this is my only NBA play Friday, it has easily earned top play status! 10* MILWAUKEE

Game of the  Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #701 Thursday 10* Top Play Utah Jazz (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 6:30 ET - I am wasting no time in coming out with a big play to open up the NBA restart in Orlando but it comes with plenty of good reason. This line opened up in Vegas with the Jazz originally as a 1.5 point favorite but the line flipped and New Orleans is now up to a -2.5 choice as of Tuesday morning. Zion Williamson is back inside the NBA bubble in Orlando and is expected to be able to practice Wednesday. However, he has been away from the team for some time now and how effective (and how long) will he even be able to play in Thursday's opener. This is a very short turnaround for him. I am well aware of the fact of how important this game is for the Pelicans. However, this early line move is telling me people are overlooking the fact that the Jazz have 41 wins on the season and are the #4 seed currently in the West but have 3 teams with 40 wins hot on their tails. Do you really think Utah wants to possibly drop to the #7 seed which would lead to a match-up against a #2 seed to open up the playoffs in a couple weeks from now? That would likely mean a date with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. The Jazz absolutely do not want that to happen. In other words they are more motivated here than many realize and they're also hungry to let their play on the court do the talking to put an end to all chatter about the Donovan Mitchell - Rudy Gobert highly publicized "internal conflict" back in the spring at the time the entire pandemic and NBA shutdown started. The Pelicans won 10 of 19 games that Zion played in but there are a lot of question marks about him leading into this game. Additionally, the Jazz (even though without Bojan Bogdanovic) have a quality team. Bogdanovic averaged just 16 points and shot just 40% from the field over the last 10 games. Utah will be just fine without him here and this is a Jazz team that is 18 games over .500 for a reason! They lost their final game before the shutdown but that was preceded by a 5-game winning streak and the Jazz get right back to their winning ways immediately here to get the restart off to a strong start. 10* UTAH

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - The Heat are off a low-scoring win over the Wizards and that was the 3rd time in the past 5 weeks they have held a team under 90 points. Their next game flew over after each of the first two occurrences and I expect the same result here. When Miami is a home favorite in a range of 6.5 to 12 points, the over is 26-11 including 11-4 this season! The Heat have averaged 121.4 points per game their last 7 games at home. Miami scored 117 points in their only other game against Charlotte this season. The Hornets, not including OT, have averaged 111 points per game their last 4 games while allowing 110 points per game during this same stretch. The over is 6-1 in the last 7 home games for the Heat. The over is 6-2 in Charlotte's divisional games this season. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #550 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons have been more competitive of late but they are still losing and, in this case, are in the wrong place at the wrong time. This one has blowout written all over it. Detroit is visiting Philly and the Sixers are at home off a loss and playing their one and only game in a span of a week. Between the 7th and the 14th this is the 76ers only game and they have had a chance to get healthier with the time off. Joel Embiid might be back for this one and Josh Richardson has been upgraded to probable. If both Embiid and Richardson play then Philadelphia will be fully healthy expect for Ben Simmons. That said, they won't show any mercy on a Pistons team they routinely dominate. The Sixers are 28-2 SU at home this season and they are 9-1 both SU and ATS in their last 10 games against the Pistons. In other words, the odds favor that any 76ers SU win is also likely to translate to an ATS cover! Detroit is an ugly 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games against an Eastern Conference foe. In February there were 3 occurrences in which the Sixers were at home off a loss. They went a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS in that situation and do it again in their first such situation in the month of March. Blowout time. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - Both teams are coming off unusually low-scoring games on Sunday. The Knicks got a big home win over the Pistons and the over is 4-1 this season when they are off a home win by a double digit margin this season. The last time they faced the Wizards it was in New York and the Knicks got embarrassed in an ugly home loss. When playing with revenge from a home loss by a double digit margin, the over is 10-5 this season. The Wizards are off an ugly home loss to the Heat and are a long-term 17-6 to the over the past 3 seasons when off a loss to a division rival. Also, when Washington is off a loss this season the over is 26-13 this season. After being held to just 89 points at home on Sunday, the Wizards give a huge effort on the offensive end in this one. However, their season-long struggles in the defensive end continue here and this game turns into a shootout as a result. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #530 Tuesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - I am aware that the Pacers have some injury issues but the Celtics haven't exactly been 100% healthy either. Even guys that are playing are being limited somewhat. That said, I am going contrarian here (as usual) and fading this big move toward Boston. The line opened up around a pick'em but now the Celtics are all the way up to a 3-point favorite. Keep in mind, even as they have dealt with injury issues, the Pacers have been hot and have won 8 of their past 10 games. Boston, on the other hand, has lost 4 of its last 5 games. Also, after tonight's game, Indiana has only one game between now and the 18th. They can go all out here considering the situation and the Pacers still remember getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Celtics in April. Yes, Indiana already got some measure of revenge with beating Boston here in Indiana 3 months ago but, suffice to say, seeing the Celtics come to town brings out a little extra intensity from the Pacers. This is the team that ended their season last year. This is a key battle in the Eastern Conference playoff position standings and I am riding with the under-valued home underdog in this one. 10* INDIANA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - Both teams were off yesterday and both teams needed that. The Hawks in particular had some issue the last few games with injury and illness but having both Trae Young and Cam Reddish ready to go for this one is a real positive. On a 3-game losing streak, look for the Hawks to push the pace here in an effort to play the role of spoiler against a division rival. Atlanta doesn't win with defense, they win with offense. Though the Hornets playoff hopes are slim they still have some glimmer of light and the Hawks would like to turn out the lights tonight! Atlanta's last 4 home games against the Hornets have all resulted in an over. Charlotte has scored better of late and averaged 108 points per game their last 3 games after some ugly efforts. The Hornets are 3-1 in their last 4 road games and also have averaged 126 points per game in their last two visits to Atlanta while the Hawks averaged 122 points per game in those two as a host. Atlanta is favored here for a reason and they are expected to win. Why is that worthy of note? The Hawks enter this game on a 3-game losing streak and all 3 games stayed under but 6 of their last 7 SU victories have resulted in an over. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta

Pacific Div Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers @ 3:35 ET - The first two games between these foes this season went under the total but one was way back in October when the season was first getting going and the other was on Christmas Day. That being said, this situation is much different as both teams come into this game rolling red hot and I fully expect plenty of points in quite the showdown between these two rivals. Yes the rivalry is real now that LeBron James is with the Lakers and Kawhi Leonard is with the Clippers. This battle likely goes down to the wire but with plenty of points along the way. The Lakers enter this game having scored 111 points or more in 14 of their past 15 games (no OT points included). The Lakers had one ugly game (at Memphis) during this stretch but they averaged 119.2 points in the other 14 games! The Clippers enter this game having averaged 120.5 points per game during their current 6-game winning streak. This game getting to 240 is certainly not out of the realm of possibility given those numbers and I expect 230 at a minimum. Both teams stay hot in this one. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #506 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 3:35 ET - Of course many are backing the Pelicans here as they have revenge against the Timberwolves from the recent upset loss in New Orleans. That is why this line has risen from a 5.5 to a 7 as of early Sunday morning. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the move. Minnesota is playing without pressure and looking to play the role of spoiler. The Wolves know they aren't going to the playoffs but if they can help further diminish an opponents chances they'll gladly do it. It is the Pelicans feeling all the pressure here and they had lost 3 straight games prior to beating the Heat on Friday. That said, I like the value here with the big home dog as Minnesota is hungry to redeem themselves following an embarrassing loss by 14 points against Orlando on Friday. That game followed back to back wins for the Timberwolves and they had been playing more competitive too with wins in 2 of their last 3 road games. So with this game at home and off a loss where they didn't show up at all on the defensive end, the Wolves come up with a much better effort in hopes of continuing to further spoil the New Orleans fading playoff hopes. If Minny does fall short here I expect it to be by only a bucket or two. In other words, great line value here for the home dog. 10* MINNESOTA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #566 Saturday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - This one is all about the situational value. The Jazz are off hard-fought win at Boston last night where they held the Celtics to just 94 points. Utah is 8-9 SU in their last 17 games and 5 of those 8 wins have been by 8 or less points. In fact 4 of them were by 5 or less points. Ton of value with scrappy Detroit as a home dog. The Pistons, unlike the Jazz, are rested here as they have been off since Wednesday. 6 of Detroit's last 9 losses have been by 7 or less points. With the rest edge and the situational edge, the home dog value here with the Pistons is far too much to pass up. They also have a 3-game road trip on deck so they want to make the most of this opportunity on their home floor. 10* DETROIT

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Orlando Magic @ 8:05 ET - Revenge game for the Wolves as they lost at Orlando last week so they won't take their foot off the gas here and they do love to run and gun. That match-up last week totaled 261 points and continued the over trending in this series. The over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between Minnesota and the Magic. Also, Orlando enters this game on an incredible streak with their totals. The over is now 9-0 in their last 9 games. As for the Wolves, they have also been trending the same direction. Prior to their most recent game, a win versus Chicago staying under the total, the over was on a 9-2 run in their 11 preceding games. Night in and night out, both of these teams are constantly getting involved in high-scoring games. I see no reason not to expect more of the same here! Yes the total is a big one here but the over is 8-1 this season in Magic games with a posted total of 220 or more points. The over is 7-2 this season in Timberwolves games against teams from the Southeast Division. Look for another one high-scoring shootout here! 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #537 Thursday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Clippers (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - The Clippers have won 5 straight games. They had one "slip up" in the streak where they allowed 130 points to a wounded Sixers team. Other than that, the Clips allowed an average of only 96.5 points per game in the other 4 victories. The Rockets truly can only dream of defensive efforts like that. Houston has allowed 120.5 points per game in their last 17 games and that does not include the OT points allowed in their recent win at Boston. The Rockets will face a bound and determined Clippers team here as Houston has taken 2 of the 3 meetings this season including the most recent one at Los Angeles. It is payback time here. The road team has covered 4 of the last 5 meetings and that trend continues here as the Clips take their winning streak to 6 games with a big effort on both ends of the floor in this one. 10* LA CLIPPERS

ESPN Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #531 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Bucks won't take their foot off the gas in this one. They are at home off an ugly road loss. Also, Milwaukee lost their most recent match-up with the rival Pacers at Indiana. We're getting some line value with this total because the Bucks are off back to back low-scoring efforts on the road. They are a different team when they are on their home floor! Milwaukee has scored an average of 125 points per game in its last 11 home games. The spread on this game is currently -11 so if the odds makers are right about the line and the Bucks hit their recent scoring average, you have this game total pushing 240. Of course we don't need that number to win but you get my point. I am aware of Victor Oladipo possibly not playing tonight but he has played in a total of only 10 games this season anyway. The Pacers, even without Oladipo, would still score a ton of points here as the Bucks are going to play an uptempo game here. Milwaukee will look like they have been shot out of a cannon throughout this game. As for Indiana, they are off back to back overs and the over is now 11-5 in their last 16 road games. That trend continues here. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #518 Wednesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers are off 3 consecutive losses but come into this game rested and expected to be much healthier for this game than they were against the Jazz on Monday. While Cleveland is rested and getting healthier, the Celtics are banged up and in a tough back to back situation. Boston blew a huge 4th quarter lead at home against Brooklyn last night and then lost in OT. That is a very deflating loss and Kemba Walker did play last night but won't make this trip to Cleveland. Also, the Celtics Marcus Smart might be facing a suspension after getting into it with the officials! Boston is expected to be without Jayson Tatum tonight too plus both Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward seemed to be less than 100% as they were dealing with nagging injuries as last night's game got away from the Celtics. With the Cavs getting healthier and having won 4 of 5 before dropping 3 in a row, this is the perfect spot for them to get back on track on their home floor. 10* CLEVELAND

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - The Spurs are off a home loss to the Pacers last night that flew over the total. The over is now 8-2 in San Antonio's last 10 games. We're getting some line value here because this total has moved lower as a result of some recent scoring struggles for Charlotte. The Hornets have been held under 100 points in 4 of their last 5 games. However, off an ugly 85-point showing at home against the Bucks, look for Charlotte to bounce back strong here against a Spurs team that may not be at its best defensively in the 2nd game of a back to back. In fact, San Antonio is 24-10 to the over, including 6-1 to the over this season, when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. A lot of time defensive intensity is not as strong in non-conference games and the over is 5-2 in Hornets games against Southwest Division opponents. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #582 Monday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers are off consecutive losses but it was a back to back situation. Cleveland was competitive in both games and continues to play much better overall. The back to back losses were preceded by winning 4 of 5 games including defeating both the Heat and the 76ers. Since they added Andre Drummond, the Cavs are a different team. Now, after a day off following the consecutive defeats plus the fact they are on their home floor, the Cavaliers will give the Jazz all they can handle in this one. The line opened up at a 7.5 but has risen to an 8.5 and this is giving us great line value with the home dog. The Jazz are off a win but that was preceded by 4 straight losses. Also, all those games were at home where Utah is known for being a stronger team. In other words, now that the Jazz are taking to the road the recent slump is likely to continue. I am not saying Utah loses this game outright (although there is a decent chance of that) but I am saying that Cleveland is going to keep this game much closer than many are expecting. The markets haven't adjusted properly yet to the fact that the Cavaliers are playing better basketball of late and I am going to fade a large road favorite here that has lost 4 of its last 5 games. 10* CLEVELAND

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #569 Sunday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) @ Sacramento Kings @ 6:05 ET - The Pistons will build off Friday's win at Phoenix. While it is true that Detroit is only 3-8 SU their last 11 games, 4 of their last 7 losses have come by 7 or less points. The Kings are over-valued here. Sacramento is 4-3 SU in their last 7 games but 2 of the 4 wins came by 4 or less points. Only 1 of those 4 wins came by a double digit margin and I look for the Pistons to be in this one all the way. The Kings just got back home from a 4-game road trip that wrapped up in Memphis on Friday. The first game back home after a lengthy road trip is often the toughest and the odds makers opened this game up at a 6.5 for a reason. In typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the line value here on the other side of the line move. The Kings are 2-6 ATS (and 1-7 SU) when off a road win by 3 or less points. After sneaking by the Grizzlies by 3 points on the road Friday, Sacramento falls flat here. 10* DETROIT

Daytime TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #565 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 3:35 ET - The Sixers are without both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons but don't look for the Clippers to show them any mercy. That said, Los Angeles is averaging 117.5 points per game at home this season and opened up as a 12.5 point favorite here. A 118-106 type game seems perfectly logical here given those numbers and yet this total is about a half dozen points below that. Also note that the Clips have averaged 123.8 points per game in their last 5 wins. The Sixers have allowed 119.8 points per game in their last 6 losses. This game could easily approach the 230 mark in total points as the Clippers won't hold back. LA is playing their final home game before a 2-game road trip and they won't be back on their home floor until next Sunday. The Clippers will make the most of the opportunity and run and gun here. The Sixers, though wounded, do have fresh legs from two off days preceding this game and we'll see plenty of points here. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Clippers

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Miami Heat vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - Total opened up at a 225.5 and has dropped to a 222.5 as of very early game day morning. I understand this is a back to back spot but both teams were involved in high-scoring games yesterday that flew over the total and I expect more of the same today. The over is a perfect 6-0 in Miami's last 6 games. Heat home games are on a perfect 4-0 run to the over. The Nets have scored an average of 113 points per game their last 4 games. Brooklyn is a 7 point dog here. A game ending up in the 120-113 range here would not be shocking in any way whatsoever. That said, we have got a total that is now about 10 points below where it could easily land in my opinion. I'll grab the big value and look for the high-scoring trending to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Miami

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #529 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors are off a home loss but it is because they faced the best team in the NBA, Milwaukee. Prior to that low-scoring loss to the Bucks, Toronto had scored an average of 125.6 points per game in their 7 preceding home games. The point spread in this game is 14 and a 125-111 type game certainly is not out of the question and that crushes this total and goes over by 20 points. I know Charlotte occasionally has some ugly games but the Hornets do have a good history of piling up points when facing the Raptors. That is why the over is 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings. Also, Charlotte enters this game off a win that went over the total. When the Hornets are off a win and playing on the road, they have scored an average of 108.3 points per game the last 3 times. That would translate to a 122-108 game here if the spread is correct at 14 points. Either way, you can see why I am liking the over here given the situation. The fact is the Raptors won't take their foot off the gas considering they are off a loss. Toronto will force Charlotte into a fast-paced game and the Hornets have allowed 117.3 points per game in their last 8 losses. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #528 Friday 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (-) vs Minnesota Timberwolves @ 7:05 ET - This line opened up at a -9 but has dropped to a -7.5 as of early Friday morning. Just because the Timberwolves are off a big upset win at Miami Tuesday does not mean they are deserving of this type of respect. The Wolves entered that game having lost 18 of 19 games! That included Minnesota having lost 5 straight games prior to beating the Heat and 4 of those 5 losses came by a double digit margin. Orlando is hanging onto the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race and the Magic have been rejuvenated by winning 4 of their past 5 games. Orlando is 10-1 SU in their last 11 home games versus the T-wolves. Also, the Magic have covered 7 of the last 10 meetings. We're getting some extra value here because of Minnesota being off a rare win. This one has home blowout written all over it as I look for the home team to D up strong in this one and defense is something the Wolves certainly don't play much of. That will be the difference in this game. 10* ORLANDO

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #520 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the injury situation for the Sixers. I faded them last night with Cleveland partially because Ben Simmons was out but also because the Cavaliers have been hot since they made some roster moves. The 76ers then proceeded to lose Joel Embiid to injury in that game. So they are really hurting now but they are also back home where they are 27-2 this season. Also, instead of facing a surging Cavs team they are facing a slumping New York team. The Knicks have lost 5 straight games and, just like Philly, New York is in the 2nd night of a back to back here. The Knicks last 6 losses have come by an average margin of 11.5 points per game and I am projecting a double digit loss here for New York. The 76ers last 7 wins have all come by 7 or more points and this line has plummeted to as low as a -6 as of early this morning after opening up at -8 this morning after the injury news was ALREADY out about Embiid. I feel we're getting solid value with a Sixers team that is angry off a loss and will have other players step up at home in this one to make up for the injury absences. Philly has 2 days off after this game and then will be on a West Coast road trip. The 76ers aren't going to be denied tonight at home given this situation. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Tuesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers made some recent roster moves and it is already paying dividends. Though they are building for the future, there is a renewed enthusiasm in Cleveland and it is translating to much better play on the floor. The Cavs have won 3 of their last 4 games both SU and ATS. The Cavaliers have struggled against the 76ers this season and the most recent loss is one a team doesn't forget. Despite having 6 more shot attempts from the field, Cleveland lost by 47 points in their most recent game against the Sixers! That was in Philadelphia and now the 76ers come to Cleveland and they'll be without Ben Simmons. That is a big loss for them and this is a Philly team that is an ugly 9-20 SU and ATS in road games this season. The Cavaliers have won their last two home games and that including defeating a solid Miami team Monday. Don't be surprised if the Cavs come up with another home dog upset here but I am grabbing the points for added insurance. 10* CLEVELAND

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #577 Tuesday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Bucks (-) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - This line has gone from a -3 down to as low as a pick'em. I am well aware of the fact that the Bucks are in a back to back spot and their win at Washington last night came in overtime! However, no one on Milwaukee played more than 33 minutes except Middleton. That said, the Bucks are in better shape from a rest standpoint than would normally be the case in a situation like this. Also, Milwaukee is a perfect 7-0 SU this season when playing the second game of a back to back. Additionally, the Bucks are 16-0 SU this season in road games with a posted total of 230 or more. The biggest key of all for this game, in my opinion, is that this is where Milwaukee's season ended last year in May. The Bucks were ousted from the playoffs in Toronto last season. Though they got some measure of revenge with a win at home earlier this season, they still want to get revenge on the very floor where their season ended last year. In other words, a road rout likely in this one. Adding to the odds that one will occur is the fact that the Raptors are a little banged up right now. Gasol and Powell are out and McCaw is questionable for tonight's game. 10* MILWAUKEE

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #566 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (-) vs Orlando Magic @ 7:35 ET - This is a case of two teams trending opposite directions and I expect it to continue here. Brooklyn has won 8 of its past 12 games while the Magic have lost 11 of their past 15 games. Also, the Nets have revenge from a loss at Orlando in their only prior meeting this season. That one took place last month and Brooklyn had 21 more attempts from beyond the arc in that game but shot a horrible 21% from 3-point land. That was the difference in the game as the Nets lost by a double digit margin. Much has changed since then and the Nets are playing with a lot more confidence of late. Brooklyn is a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in its last 5 home games. Orlando is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 road games. Overall, the Magic are on a 3-12 ATS run their last 15 games. Lay the small number with the surging Nets in this one as Orlando's free-fall continues. 10* BROOKLYN

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) @ Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - I know the Wizards road record is ugly this season but, overall, Washington had been playing better ball before their home loss to Cleveland Friday. Keep in mind, that was a rejuvenated and strengthened Cavaliers team which the Wizards faced on Friday. Now look for the Wizards, whom had won 5 of 7 games prior to losing to the Cavs, to now take advantage of a struggling and hurting Chicago team. The Bulls lost at home to Phoenix last night. They are dealing with a lot of injury issues and now in a back to back spot plus overall Chicago was already struggling badly. The Bulls have now lost 8 straight games. Chicago has won 4 of the last 5 meetings between these teams so the Wizards, also still alive in the playoff race, have plenty of motivation here. Washington has lost their last two visits here. Now it is payback time. Look for the Wizards send the Bulls to their 9th straight loss. 10* WASHINGTON

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #551 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs @ 7:05 ET - The Spurs are off a win at Utah Friday which stayed just under the total. That was preceded by a stretch in which San Antonio games recorded 5 straight overs. As for the Thunder, they are also off a victory which stayed just under the total and this was preceded by a stretch in which Oklahoma City games recorded 3 straight overs. 4 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have resulted in an over. The Spurs have allowed an average of 116.6 points per game in their last 10 road games. The Thunder have allowed an average of 110 points per game in their last 10 home games. The over is 10-3 in games in which the Spurs are road underdog of 6 or less points this season. The over is 9-5 this season when the Thunder enter a game having scored 105 points or more in 5 straight games. The fact is that both teams are "feeling it" right now and will stay hot as this one turns into a high-scoring affair. These teams each scored 65 points in the 2nd half of their game two weeks ago and the up and down style featured throughout the 2nd half of that game carries right into the rematch as OKC seeks revenge for that home loss and is ready to run and gun for the full 48 minutes in this one. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Saturday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (-) @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets have won 3 straight games but they faced 3 poor teams. Charlotte's 3-game win streak has featured wins over Detroit, Minnesota, and Chicago. Prior to this run over poor teams, the Hornets had lost 5 straight games (SU and ATS). Now Charlotte is hosting a Nets team seeking revenge for a loss in Brooklyn when these teams most recently met. Brooklyn is currently seeded 7th in the East and is hell-bent on making the playoffs this season. They are off a loss by 8 points at Philadelphia Thursday but that game actually went to OT and the Nets played very well against the 76ers. They now know Kyrie Irving is out for the season and can focus on getting the job done with the players on hand. Look for Brooklyn to resume the winning here at Charlotte. The Nets had won 6 of 8 games prior to the loss to the Sixers. Unlike the Hornets, Brooklyn's most recent wins included tougher teams like Toronto and Indiana. Grab the value here with the Nets, courtesy of being on the road, installed as a very short favorite here. 10* BROOKLYN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:35 ET - The Suns are getting healthier as a number of players expected to return tonight in the first game for Phoenix since the All Star break. The Raptors are fired up after a loss right before the All Star break ended their 15-game winning streak. In that defeat, Toronto was held to just 91 points. Keep in mind, in their prior 15 games the Raptors scored an average of 121.2 points per game. The Suns enter this game having averaged 111.2 points per game their last 10 road games. There were just 3 unders for Toronto during their 15 game winning streak. I look for the Raptors to get right on back with a win here out of the break and, as per usual  throughout their recent winning streak, the game goes over the total. The Suns are rejuvenated with better health and love to run and gun. The Raptors will happily oblige a fast-paced game here as well. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #513 Friday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) @ Washington Wizards @ 7:05 ET - Wizards coach Scott Brooks commented on the solid guard play of the Cavaliers. Keep in mind this is a team that also has Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson in the front court plus the recently acquired Andre Drummond. Love missed the Cavs most recent game but is expected back tonight and this team is looking much better than their record. Look for the coaching change that took place during the All Star break to pay immediate dividends for Cleveland. I know Washington has been winning some games and is still alive in the playoff race but there is renewed enthusiasm with the Cavaliers. The Cavs got a dominating win over Atlanta just before the All Star break and I would not be surprised to see another big win here. That said, I am certainly happy to grab the half dozen points being offered. The Wizards have been playing a little better of late but they are still a tough team to trust as their defense often leaves a lot to be desired! The road team has won and covered both meetings between these teams this season and I look for that trend to continue here. 10* CLEVELAND

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:05 ET - The Pistons are in a state of flux but don't expect any mercy from the Bucks in this one. Milwaukee has dominated Detroit including last season's sweep in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks welcome back Giannis Antetokounmpo after he missed the last two games before the All Star break. Also, Milwaukee did lose their final game before the break so there will be no let up in this game no matter the score. The Bucks want to put a beating on their next opponent after a rare loss. That said, the Pistons are the victim by default. I do like the fact that Detroit scored 108 points in regulation time in their final game before the All Star break. The Pistons have also averaged 108 points per game this season. However, the Bucks are 13 point favorites here with good reason and a road rout is likely. I don't trust laying the huge points here with Milwaukee as double digit road favorites as double digit road favorites in the NBA aren't a big favorite of mine! But I do trust the Bucks not to take their foot off the gas and this could turn into a very wild high-scoring game as a result. These teams tend to get a little testy with each other and that means plenty of free throws too. The last meeting here in Detroit was quite a rough and tumble affair and that one totaled 230 points. This one should get into that range as well. Look for the over to improve to a perfect 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these teams in the Motor City. The over is 7-3 in the Pistons last 10 home games. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #525 Thursday 10* Top Play Oklahoma City Thunder (+) @ New Orleans Pelicans @ 8:05 ET - The Thunder are off back to back home losses. That is a situation that has seen them go 6-2 SU in recent seasons. This season Oklahoma City is 8-3 SU when off a home loss so the loss to the Spurs (after falling just a point short against the Celtics) was a rarity in and of itself. The Thunder simply had a bad night offensively (except for Chris Paul) against San Antonio. I look for Oklahoma City to respond in a huge way tonight. They are an incredible 20-5 ATS in road games this season. The Thunder are a fantastic 24-5 SU this season in games against teams with a losing record. I know that New Orleans has been playing a bit better of late but Brandon Ingram is still questionable with an ankle injury and, even if he plays, won't be 100% here. The Pelicans have survived without him recently but that will be tougher tonight if he is out or limited as Oklahoma City comes in angry off back to back losses and is already 3-0 this season against New Orleans. The Pelicans are off a high-scoring win but are 1-4 SU this season when off a game in which they scored 130 points or more. The Thunder are the better team defensively and New Orleans is 10-20 SU after a game in which they allowed 115 points or more. Also, even though they are playing with revenge, the Pelicans are 11-24 SU this season when playing with revenge. 10* OKLAHOMA CITY

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - I know the Wizards are in a back to back spot but, in typical contrarian fashion, that is the team I am backing here. The fact is Washington has been building up momentum with wins in 4 of its last 6 games. They are still very much alive in the playoff race for the #8 spot in the east. Also, they are 2-0 SU the last two times they have played the 2nd night of a back to back. The Knicks are off a double OT loss Sunday so they come into this one as the more rested team. Also, New York had won 4 straight games before that loss. However, the problem with the Knicks is they are mired in turmoil right now about their head coach. That is doing nothing to help the confidence of the team or how they will play for their current coach. Additionally, an illness bug is going around the New York locker-room right now. Also, even though this is a back to back for Washington, these teams have the long All-Star break on deck after this game. In other words, the Wizards aren't going to play any less harder just because this is a back to back. Also, Washington has been using plenty of bench minutes and essentially running with a 10 man rotation. The Wizards had 10 players who all played at least 16 minutes last night. That certainly helps the fatigue factor as well as none of the starters saw truly heavy minutes. I am going to ride the hot team with the more stable coaching situation as they continue to close the gap on the #8 seed in the playoff race and I am happy to have the points here as the Knicks recent wins have all been tight. The Wizards have won 10 of their last 11 visits to New York and  that strong trend continues here. 10* WASHINGTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:05 ET - The Cavaliers attempted 95 shots in Monday's home loss to the Clippers but had a horrific shooting night. Certainly the pace was there for much more than the 92 points they had to show for it on the offensive end. Look for Cleveland to bounce back strong here. as they now face the Hawks instead of the Clips. Both the Cavs and Hawks have made some personnel changes but that really won't have much of an impact on these teams and the way they play until after the All Star break. There just isn't enough time now to make big changes. That being said, I look for this game to have a very fast tempo with plenty of points. Note that the over is 11-0 with 1 push in the last 12 meetings between these teams. Also, the over is 8-0 in the last 8 meeting between these teams at Cleveland. The Hawks enter this game on a 12-3 run to the over their last 15 games. Prior to the Cavs loss to the Clippers staying under the total, the Cavaliers were on an 10-1-1 run to the over in their prior 12 home games. That over trending at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse resumes here. These are two of the worst teams in the NBA and that is particularly true on the defensive end. With the pace they have each been playing with coupled with a lack of success on the defensive end, we should see plenty of points in what is the final game before the All-Star break for these teams. They'll go all out and push the pace hard throughout. It has been the "m.o." of both these teams for a long time now. 10* OVER the total in Cleveland

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #580 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 7:05 ET - Public enemy #1 in Philly is Kawhi Leonard. He hit the unreal shot as a member of the Raptors that knocked the 76ers out of the playoffs in clutch fashion in Toronto last year. Of course the Sixers haven't forgotten this and that gives this game some extra intrigue for sure. This is a fantastic situation in which to back Philadelphia. First off, we don't have to lay any points even though the 76ers are 24-2 at home this season while the Clippers are 15-11 on the road. Also, Los Angeles is playing its 3rd road game in 4 nights plus they have a game at Boston on deck for Thursday. I know the Clippers blew out Cleveland Sunday and so they were able to rest starters but they also are still without Patrick Beverley and he has been ruled out for this game. They haven't needed him against truly bad teams the last two games but they sure would have liked to have him tonight for facing a Sixers team that is 24-2 as a host this season. For Philly, this is actually their final game until after the All Star break. The Sixers don't play again until the 20th so they definitely are going to go hard for the full 48 minutes tonight and they want their revenge against Kawhi even if that now comes with him in a different uniform this season. Payback time here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #577 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are coming off an embarrassing 4th quarter performance at home against the Grizzlies on Sunday. That collapse in the final stanza allowed Memphis to pull away late as it resulted in Washington only scoring 99 points in a game they should have scored 120. Look for the Wizards to make up for it here. This should be a wild high-scoring game played at a frenetic pace as Washington was on a 7-1 run to the over in their 8 games preceding the low-scoring loss to Memphis. As for Chicago, they enter this game on a perfect 7-0 run to the over their last 7 games. The Bulls have allowed 126.3 points per game their last 4 games. The Wizards are allowing 120.4 points per game on the season! 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #567 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Milwaukee Bucks vs Sacramento Kings @ 8:05 ET - Non-conference match-ups tend to lack defensive intensity and this particular one has an incredible run of overs as a result. Keep in mind, non-conference foes meet only twice a year so it is tough to build up a lot of animosity toward one another. Games can tend to be a little more free-flowing with plenty of offense. This one has been nothing short of amazing in that regard as the over is a perfect 14-0 in the last 14 meetings between these teams. Considering that factor as well as the fact that the Kings are 4-0 to the over the last 4 times they have been a dog of 6 or more points, you can see why I like the over here. Overall Sacramento has shown sharp trending to the over the past 5 weeks. The Bucks are 3-0 to the over their last 3 home games against Western Conference opponents. Milwaukee averages 121.5 points per game at home this season. Sacramento has averaged 115.7 points per game their past 7 games. Look for this to fly over the total and it supported by combined trending of 21-0 to the over as noted above. 10* OVER the total in Milwaukee

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #559 Monday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:05 ET - The Nets play this game with double revenge as they lost each of the first two meetings this season even though those were in Brooklyn. Actually that continues a strong road team trend in this series as the traveler is now 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between these teams. The Nets lost the most recent meeting by 29 points and will be seeking payback here. They are catching the Pacers at the right time for an upset. Indiana has lost 5 straight games. Brooklyn is off a hard-fought 1-point loss at Toronto and will again show no quit here. That means the Nets should be in this one all the way. Brooklyn had gone 4-1 SU in their 5 games preceding the 1-point loss to the Raptors. Also, the cover in that game brings the Nets to 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games. Look for them to improve on that mark here as Indiana's struggles continue. 10* BROOKLYN

NBA TV Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz @ 7:05 ET - Off an ugly loss at Phoenix by a count of 127-91, the Rockets will respond here at home. Look for the over to improve to 8-4 the last dozen times that Houston was off a loss by a margin of 15 or more points in a game in which they were a favorite. Indeed that was embarrassing and the Rockets will explode with plenty of offense here at home. Yes, Utah has revenge against Houston from last year's playoff exit as well as this year's home loss to the Rockets. However, the fact is that the Jazz struggle to slow down the Rockets. Not only that, Utah has been getting involved in higher-scoring games now for many weeks. This is not the old plodding, defensive-minded Jazz we were use to seeing. Utah is off a high-scoring win over Portland. That went over the total at home. How about recent road games? The over is 7-1 in the last 8 road games involving the Jazz. Given the situation, look for that trend to continue here! 10* OVER the total in Houston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #552 Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Wizards (+) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 6:05 ET - This is a contrarian play as many are looking to play Memphis off their loss at Philly and fade Washington off their last second win over the Mavericks. However, the Wizards have now won 7 of their last 9 home games, are getting stronger bench play, and with wins in 3 of their last 4 games overall they are truly starting to believe. The Grizzlies are a talented but very young team and they struggle to win on the road. In fact Memphis does have a losing record on the road this season. The Grizzlies are 2-5 ATS this season when they enter a game having covered 6 or 7 of their past 8 games. In other words, Memphis has been hot at the betting window but has cooled down when in this situation this season. As for the Wizards, I am looking for them to win for the 8th time in their past 10 home games as they continue to get strong shooting off the bench and Bradley Beal continues his torrid stretch. The bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race is still very much alive for the Wizards and they have proven over the past week that they aren't done battling! 10* WASHINGTON

Divisional Blowout - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors are red hot. With their win at Indiana last night, Toronto has won 13 straight games. This is a tough spot for them however as they are now in a back to back and Brooklyn comes into this game with plenty of confidence as they have won 4 of 5 games. When teams are confident they tend to shoot the ball well and, of course, the Nets also like to run and gun. The Nets will look to take advantage of the Raptors in a back to back spot as Brooklyn has had two days of rest heading into this game. That means we should see a good pace to this game and I feel the total is too low when you consider how hot each of these teams are. The Raptors have scored an average of 120.2 points per game during their 13-game winning streak. The Nets have scored an average of 122.6 points per game in their last 5 games. None of these games for either team were OT games either. In other words, just great pace and solid shooting and I look for more of the same here on Saturday. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #528 Saturday 10* Top Play Orlando Magic (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 5:05 ET - The Bucks are 1-6 ATS this season when they enter a game on an ATS run of 3 or more consecutive wins. Milwaukee is 2-6 ATS this season when they enter a game off 3 straight SU wins by a double digit margin. In other words "the buck" stops here! The Magic have been struggling lately but they view this 4-game homestand as a chance to get back on track. Orlando is coming off a 3-game road trip that was punctuated by a 2-point loss to the Knicks and that has the Magic fired up to get back on track here. When on an ATS losing streak of 2 or more games Orlando is 8-4 ATS this season. Also, the Magic are 5-2 SU and ATS this season when off 2 or more consecutive road losses. Motivation matters in a game like this and Orlando may not win this game outright but they'll battle all the way through and keep it within single digits. The big win the Bucks just had over the 76ers was a revenge win from a Christmas Day loss at Philadelphia. This game is a true flat spot for Milwaukee. 10* ORLANDO

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Detroit Pistons @ 8:05 ET - This total dropped big this morning when it was announced that the Pistons would be without a few players. News flash folks...none of the guys on the injury report played in Detroit's game versus Phoenix on Wednesday and the Pistons scored 116 points in that win. Certainly Detroit is a bad team and they have issues but they can score some points and, at the same time, their defense so often leaves a lot to be desired! That said, Oklahoma City is a huge double digit favorite here with good reason and the Thunder should pile up the points but don't be surprised when Pistons players like Drumond, Jackson, Wood, and Galloway have big scoring games again tonight just like they did against the Suns. The Thunder enter this game red hot as they have won 8 of their last 9 games. Oklahoma City has averaged 118 points per game in those 8 victories. I am looking for a 120-105 type game here and that crushes this total by nearly a double digit margin. Grab the value. The over is 14-5 in Detroit's last 19 games. Before their non-covering win versus Cleveland Wednesday stayed under the total, the Thunder had seen the over go 5-1 in their last 6 games versus Eastern Conference opponents. That over trending resumes here. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #514 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:05 ET - Since the Grizzlies have been playing well that is keeping this line lower than it should be. Yes, the 76ers are on a 4-game losing streak but all 4 losses came on the road. This is still a Philly team that is 22-2 SU at home this season. They have had a wake up call with the recent results on the road and will be ready to respond huge at home. Having made some trade moves here within the past 24 hours it is also a wake up call for the entire team. They will not stand pat. It is time to get the wheels in motion and play hungry and focused and for the full 48. The fresh blood in house will help insure that happens starting tonight whether the new guys are on the floor or not. Heads are rolling in Philly and now they play like a team possessed tonight. They are at home and off 4 straight road losses and laying less than a half dozen points. This is the perfect spot to back a hungry and angry team as they take on a Grizzlies team off an outright upset win at Dallas in their most recent game. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 8:05 ET - The Bucks do have revenge here from a loss on Christmas Day at Philadelphia. However, the 76ers come into this game fired up as they are off 3 straight losses on this 4-game road trip. The ugliest loss just happened on Monday when they allowed 137 points at Miami. That is the kind of defeat that grabs a teams attention and the Sixers will be fighting mad by the time they take the court for this one. I know Milwaukee is a great team and wants revenge here but they are over-priced in this spot and I am going to challenge the Bucks to win this game by double digits. Philly has won 2 of the 3 last meetings and that includes winning at Milwaukee too and the lone loss in that 3 game stretch for the 76ers came by just 6 points. The Bucks are off back to back wins and covers (including one at home) but prior to that had been on a 2-5 ATS run in home games. The Sixers are 5-1 SU and ATS when they enter a game on an ATS losing streak of 4 or more games. The Bucks are 1-3 ATS this season when revenging a loss by a double-digit margin. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Ugly Beauty - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #579 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Atlanta Hawks @ 8:05 ET - Sometimes the ugliest games produce the prettiest results when it comes to sports wagering. That is what I expect here with an easy over. The Timberwolves are favored by a half dozen points in this game despite having lost a dozen straight games. How can that be? Well is the road-adverse Hawks that are in town and I expect Minnesota to put the hammer down early in this one against Atlanta. However, the Hawks (especially with Trae Young in the mix - probable here) can score plenty of points! The Wolves will be happy to run and gun and look to run Atlanta right out of the arena. Both teams are woeful defensively and we should see an absolute track meet here in Minneapolis tonight. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. The Hawks are 9-2 to the over in their past 11 games. The Wolves have allowed 126 points per game in their past 3 home games. Atlanta has allowed 131 points per game in its last 3 road games! This game should get well into the 240s and might even hit the 250s as it is simply the style these two teams play. The Timberwolves are desperate for a win and will push the tempo all night long in this one to impose their will at home. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #575 Wednesday 10* Top Play Indiana Pacers (+) @ Toronto Raptors @ 7:35 ET - The Raptors have won 11 straight games so they are the popular choice here. In typical contrarian fashion, I am grabbing the Pacers plus the points. Indiana is off back to back losses and that is a situation that has seen them go 4-1 SU and ATS this season. Also, the Pacers most recent loss was an outright upset as a home favorite. That is a situation that has seen Indiana go 12-6 SU (13-5 ATS). Also, this is a real rarity as the Pacers are off back to back home losses. That is a situation that has seen Indiana go a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS. The Raptors have been red hot and enter this game off B2B wins by double digit margins. However, they are 0-3 ATS this season when off consecutive victories by 10 or more points. Also, Toronto is 3-6 ATS when they are a home favorite of 6 or less points this season. Look for this one to go down to the wire and I look for the fired up Pacers to get the outright upset but will gladly grab the points as added insurance. 10* INDIANA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #564 Tuesday 10* Top Play New Orleans Pelicans (+) vs Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:35 ET - The Bucks are the best team in the NBA but there is a time and place for upsets of the top teams and this is one of those spots. Milwaukee has a revenge game against the 76ers on deck. The Bucks lost at Philadelphia on Christmas Day by a dozen points and it is a home date for Milwaukee hosting the Sixers that is up next on the docket. That said, traveling to New Orleans for a non-conference match-up that is a single road game in the midst of a home-heavy portion of the schedule is not a good situation for bringing out the best in the Bucks. Look for the Pelicans to take advantage. Keep in mind, the Bucks most recent game away from home was against a Hornets team that has now lost 17 of 20 games and yet Charlotte actually led Milwaukee much of the first 3 quarters of that game. The Bucks pulled away in the 4th but there will be no pulling away in this one at New Orleans. The Pelicans are coming off a tough loss at Houston but had won 14 of 21 games heading into that match-up with the Rockets. Also, New Orleans enters this game having gone 6-4 in their last 10 home games with the 4 losses coming by an average margin of 4 points per game. The biggest margin of defeat was 7 points and 3 of the 4 defeats came by 4 or less points. If the Pelicans do fall short of the outright upset here, look for this to be another tight loss by 4 or less points. In other words, great value with the home dog in this one. 10* NEW ORLEANS 

NBA TV Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Miami Heat @ 7:35 ET - The 76ers enter this game off back to back losses. Philly is also playing this game with double revenge. Philadelphia lost at home to the Heat by 4 points in mid-December and then the Sixers lost by a single point at Miami in late December. While the 76ers are fired up to get back in the win column and avenge those losses, note that the Heat are only 4-3 SU in their last 7 games and the wins came against teams with a losing record. Every time Miami has faced a tougher opponent of late they have lost. The 76ers are off a loss at Boston to begin February but they do have recent wins (January) over the Celtics as well as Oklahoma City and the Lakers. They will again step up here to get revenge and to get back to their winning ways as they are healthy again now. Other than the continued absence of Josh Richardson, it is again "all hands on deck" for the Sixers. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Golden State Warriors @ 7:05 ET - The Wizards are off a rare low-scoring win. The over was on a 5-0 run in Washington's games prior to the tight win over Brooklyn. Now the Wizards host a Warriors team that also is off a win and which also has been getting involved in plenty of high-scoring games of late. Golden State games are on a 5-1 run to the over and the Warriors have averaged 116 points per game in their past 4 road games. Golden State has allowed an average of 122.2 points per game in their past 6 games. The Wizards have allowed 124.5 points per game in their past 10 games. That is why, despite the big total posted on this game, it will prove to not be big enough. A match-up of two bad teams, but both off wins, means a drop-off in defensive intensity here. The over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between these teams and that trend continues here. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #535 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Denver Nuggets @ 12:35 ET - This is a bad scheduling spot for the Nuggets. The result should be plenty of points. I don't expect a lot of defensive intensity from Denver here. They are off a huge win (at Milwaukee) Friday. The Bucks are the #1 team in the NBA this season. On deck for the Nuggets are divisional battles versus Portland and at Utah. In other words, this is an ideal "flat spot" for Denver. Normally that would mean to fade the Nuggets but there is no way I can fade them with a team playing as poorly as Detroit. The Pistons enter this game on an 0-5 SU/ATS run. What I do expect here is plenty of offense. Detroit is off a rare low-scoring home game. Prior to the ugly home loss to Toronto, Pistons games were on a 14-4 run to the over. Detroit had averaged 114.1 points per game their 9 previous games. The Nuggets enter this game having scored an average of 115 points per game their past 10 road games. This total opened up at a 218 and has dropped to 215 as of early game day morning. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the line move but, as always, it is not without reason. Per the analysis above, a bit of a sub-par defensive game expected from Denver here but they can (and will) come roaring back on the offensive end against a bad Pistons team. That helps send this one flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Detroit 

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #521 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets @ 8:05 ET - Neither team known for its defense. Bradley Beal currently red hot for the Wizards. The Nets Kyrie Irving is off a game in which he scored 54 points last night. Also, in his most recent road game, Irving tallied 45 points. Even though this is a back to back for Brooklyn, they were able to rest guys thanks to winning by a blowout margin. Irving only had to play 32 minutes and no other Net played more than 30 minutes. That sets this one up well for Brooklyn to still have plenty left in the tank! That spells trouble for a Wizards team that has allowed an average of 137 points per game in its last 3 games. But Washington certainly scores well at home and the Nets have allowed 117 points per game their last 9 games. This total may seem "big" at 239 but folks you have to look at the numbers and Beal is "feeling it" right now for the Wizards and the Nets are coming off a huge win last night and are certainly "feeling it" too with their shots right now. Brooklyn has now scored more than 120 points in 3 of its last 4 games. More of the same expected here. The over is 7-2 in the Nets last 9 games. The over is 5-0 in the Wizards last 5 games. Those trends continue in DC on Saturday. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #517 Saturday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (-) @ Orlando Magic @ 7:05 ET - The Heat should have Kendrick Nunn back for this one. That is a key as he is the 2nd leading scorer on the team plus also averages 3.5 assists per game. A rookie, Tyler Herro, had been starting in his place the last 3 games. The Heat only went 1-2 in those games. The lone win was against the Magic and it came by a big margin. This one likely to be tighter because it is in Orlando, but I still expect the Heat to prevail by very close to double digits in this one. That said, lay the small number. The Magic have lost 6 of their past 7 games including 3 straight games at home. The Heat lost at Orlando by 20 points early last month. It is payback time here and, keep in mind, the road team had won 3 straight meetings in this series prior to that January 3rd home win for the Magic. Jimmy Butler and a healthy Nunn will help lead the way to a road rout here. 10* MIAMI

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #503 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:35 ET - The over is 6-2 in the Nets last 8 games. Brooklyn is averaging 110 points per game this season but also allows 112 points per game. Speaking of sub-par defense, the Bulls are allowing 110 points and 47.3% from the field in their road games this season. The over is on a 3-0 run in Chicago's games. Granted the Bulls most recent game did involve overtime. However, prior to that one Chicago had allowed an average of 110 points per game over their past 7 games away from home. The key to the over here is that the Nets are happy to play at a fast pace at home and the Bulls have been scoring well when facing teams with a losing record. There has been only one exception for Chicago in recent weeks when facing a team with a losing record and that is when they had a horrific shooting effort at home against the Kings. Other than that, in their last 5 games against teams with a losing record, the Bulls have averaged 115.6 points per game! You can see why I am expecting both teams to eclipse the 110 mark in this one and that will send this one flying over the total. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Brooklyn

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #502 Friday 10* Top Play Detroit Pistons (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 7:05 ET - The Raptors have won 9 straight games but they are a banged up team right now and playing the 2nd night of a back to back. Toronto did win the 2nd game of their very first back to back this season but, since then, the Raptors are only 3-3 in the 2nd game of a back to back. Not only that, 2 of those 3 wins came by 2 or less points! That is why I see value here at home with a hungry and rested Pistons team catching about 5 points as of early this morning. Detroit has lost both meetings with Toronto this season and also enters this game on an 0-4 SU and ATS run. To say the least, the Pistons are due for a big game and I expect them to get it here in an ideal situation. Note that last night's non-covering win for the Raptors dropped them to 1-3 ATS in their last 4 road games. They are over-priced here and Toronto will struggle just to win, let alone cover, this game. Grab the points with the home dog. 10* DETROIT

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - At first glance this would look like a great spot to back the home dog Hawks since the 76ers have a huge game on deck at Boston. However, Atlanta is ravaged by injuries right now and Philadelphia is simply the must healthier team right now and, of course, the much stronger team. Yes it is true that the Sixers might rest Al Horford here but fellow big man Joel Embiid is back and likely to be even stronger in this game than he was in his first game back after the time off due to injury. Also, even though the 76ers are embarking on a big road trip with big games on deck at Boston, Miami, and Milwaukee, none of the games are back to back. Philly, including Embiid, will be going all out here and the injury-riddled Hawks roster won't be able to stop them. Keep in mind Atlanta has allowed 120 points or more in 6 of its last 7 games. The 76ers have allowed an average of only 100.3 points per game their last 10 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Wizards vs Charlotte Hornets @ 7:05 ET - The Hornets tend to play lower-scoring games and the Wizards tend to play higher-scoring games. Something has to give here. I feel strongly that Washington, at home and off back to back losses, is going to dictate the pace here. That will mean plenty of points in this one. Note that Charlotte was happy to be coming off a win but certainly not happy about being held under 100 points. They do have fresh legs because of their recent road trip to Paris, France to take on the Bucks. Though that resulted in a lot of travel for the Hornets it also has resulted in plenty of rest. Charlotte's offensive production is likely to enjoy a huge uptick here as they have averaged 118.2 points per game in their last 6 games against Washington! The Wizards, in regulation time of their last 4 games, have scored an average of 126.5 points per game. The over is 4-0 in Washington's last 4 games. The Hornets are well rested and no that they can afford to be in a higher-paced game here and get plenty of good looks against a Wizards team that is one of the worst in the league defensively. The result is plenty of points in this one. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #561 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are off games yesterday in which they allowed less than 100 points. Memphis held Denver to just 96 points in a big win over the Nuggets and so I am fully expecting a more lax defensive effort here after that big home win. As for the Knicks, though it was surprising they allowed just 97 at Charlotte last night it was also surprising that they scored just 92 points. Look for a huge bounce back on the offensive end now that they are back home for tonight's game. New York averaged 111 points per game in their past two home games. The Knicks also are allowing 112 points per game this season and the Grizzlies are allowing 116 points per game on the season. After last night's unusual results, look for normalcy to return tonight. Memphis has allowed 112 points or more in each of its last 6 road games. The over is 7-3 in the Grizzlies last 10 non-conference games. The over is 4-2 in the last 6 road games for Memphis. More of the same expected here after last night's unusual results for each team. 10* OVER the total in New York

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #546 Tuesday 10* Top Play Cleveland Cavaliers (+) vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:35 ET - The Cavaliers snapped their losing streak with a big win at Detroit last night. Even though that make this a back to back spot for Cleveland, note that only 1 player logged more than 26 minutes in last night's victory over the Pistons. That player was Collin Sexton and he has played extremely well this season in back to back spots so I have no concern that he logged 38 minutes yesterday. The earliest number on this game had the Pelicans as a 4.5 point favorite but the line is now up to an 8 and this is simply too many points to be giving home dog Cleveland. Yes, I know they have had some ugly losses during their losing streak but coming off a big road win last night will have the confidence of the Cavs trending the right direction. Look for the Cavaliers to go very hard here in a quest for their first home win since prior to Christmas! The Pelicans took both match-ups last season so Cleveland is seeking payback here. The Pelicans are off a big win versus Boston and have a Western Conference foe (Memphis) on deck. Will New Orleans be able to maintain full focus against a 13-34 Cavaliers team? I say absolutely not and this game goes down to the wire. Give me the points! 10* CLEVELAND

Central Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #527 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 7:05 ET - Both teams enter off losses by a double digit margin in Saturday's action. The Pistons game did go to OT but Detroit already was on a hot run in terms of "overs" prior to that game. The over is now 14-4 in the Pistons last 18 games. I like looking for overs when two struggling teams are matched up. Neither team has been too focused on the defensive end. Note that Cleveland's games are on a 10-3 run to the over! When these teams are matched up the over is now a perfect 6-0 in their last 6 meetings. Pistons home games are on an 8-1 run to the over. The Cavaliers over is 8-3 when they enter a game on a losing streak of 7 or more games. The over is 12-4 this season when Cleveland enters a game off a home loss. The over is 11-1 this season in Detroit's home games with a posted total of 220 points or more. The Pistons have averaged 116 points per game their last 7 games. They should get even more than that here (against a struggling team) and this game should get into the 230 range and yet is currently in the 220 range as of early Monday morning. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #514 Sunday 10* Top Play San Antonio Spurs (+) vs Toronto Raptors @ 4:05 ET - The Spurs are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings with the Raptors. Here San Antonio is at home and coming off a home loss. Nice set up for them. Yes Toronto has been hot but they've played a lot of weak teams lately too. As for the Spurs, they had won 6 of 9 games prior to their home loss to Phoenix. The 6 wins included victories over the Celtics and Bucks and Heat as well as these Raptors. As for Toronto nearly all their recent wins have come against teams with very poor records. That means this situation is flying "under the radar" a bit and I look for the Spurs to take their run to 8-0 ATS in games against Toronto. The Raptors are 4-9 ATS this season in games with a posted total of 220 or more. The Spurs are 14-5 ATS (and SU!) as a home underdog of 6 or less points. I do expect yet another outright upset in that role for SA here but will grab the points as added insurance. 10* SAN ANTONIO

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks (+) @ Utah Jazz @ 5:05 ET - The Mavericks have Kristaps Porzingis back as he will be playing his 3rd game since returning from injury. That is a key "value add" for Dallas and, while Utah has certainly been very hot there is a key to note about the schedule these two teams have faced over the last 6 weeks. Note that the Jazz have played only 3 games against teams that currently have a winning record during this 6 week stretch. As for the Mavs, over the same period of time, they have played 10 teams that currently have a winning record! The point is that a significant reason that Utah has been so hot is their schedule! I like the fact too that this line has gone from a -2.5 to a -4 for the Jazz. The markets are loving the red hot Jazz at home and I am not surprised. But Dallas lost their last visit here by 16 points and it is now payback time here. The Mavericks are an incredible 15-5 SU and 16-4 ATS this season in their road games. Grab the underdog as the fact they have Kristaps Porzingis is being underestimated by the betting markets in this one. I'll gladly the points with the road dog in this one as they have a great shot at the outright upset. 10* DALLAS

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #573 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - A big total but definitely justified. The Rockets are off a big win versus the Nuggets and have a rematch at Denver on deck too. After holding the Nuggets to 105 points don't be surprised if Houston suffers a bit of a letdown on defense in this one. The Rockets certainly aren't known for defense in the first place! The same holds true for Minnesota. The Wolves have allowed 114.6 points per game this season and the Rockets have allowed 114 points per game this season. Minnesota has allowed an average of 127 points per game in its last 3 games against Houston. The Rockets most recent visit here stayed under the total but that was preceded by a 5-1 run to the over in meetings between these teams in Minneapolis. These teams have jacked up an average of 87 three pointers per game in their last 3 meetings and, of course, that lends itself well to plenty of points. The Timberwolves are fired up as they have lost 7 straight games and also have not been shooting well of late. Even with that, the over is still 7-3 in Minnesota's last 10 games and I am expecting a bounce back here in a game in which the Rockets will absolutely be willing to run and gun throughout this one. The over is 5-2 this season when Houston enters a game having lost 2 of their 3 prior games. The over is 23-12 when the Wolves are a home dog. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota