In game 1, I mentioned that the Celtics played well with 3 or more days rest. Both teams are equal in the rest department for Game 2 though. Miami has thrived when playing with 2 days rest in between games. The Heat outscore teams 114.4-107.8 when playing with 2 days off, winning 9 of 12 games outright.

The Heat are now 7-4 versus the spread their last 11 first round playoff games. They are 3-1 ATS when trailing in a playoff series. The Celtics are 7-9-2 ATS after allowing 100 points or less and 5-8 ATS after playing 3 consecutive home games. Grab the big points with the visitors!

Home teams were 4-0 both straight up and versus the spread yesterday. All 4 wins were by double-figures and this will be another blowout win for the home team. This isn't a fair fight. The Heat are a well-coached, playoff-tested team. The problem is that they're missing their heart and soul in Jimmy Butler (and others) and they're up against a superior opponent.

The Celtics outscore teams by more than 15 points per game here. They are 7-3 ATS and 8-2 straight up their last 10 tries in the first round of the playoffs. They are also 10-6-1 ATS their last 17 tries, when playing with 3 or more days rest. They won the regular season meeting by 18 here and this will be another blowout. Lay the points!

The Suns soundly beat the Timberwolves to close out the regular season. When it really matters, on April 20th, we will see a much different result. The Suns are 9-17 versus the spread after a win by 10 points or more.

The Timberwolves are a perfect 10-0 their last 10 tries, both straight up and against the spread, when playing with revenge from a home loss. Minnesota is also 9-4 ATS And 11-3 SU after an upset loss. Minnesota allows the fewest points in the entire NBA. The Wolves were 30-11 at home and only allowed 103.7 points a game here. Lay the small number!

They may have ended the year on a down note but the Hawks have a very dangerous team. They're still not completely healthy but they've got Trae Young back. The Bulls are only 9-14 versus the spread as home favorites. They lost 12 of those 23 games outright. One of those 12 outright losses came against Atlanta on the first day of this month.

I feel a lot better," Young said. "I'm just trying to make sure I can play at least close to my minutes that I played in the regular season in the play-in game." With Young complemented by players like Murray and Bogdanovic, the Hawks have the weapons. The Bulls are missing a number of players themselves. They will struggle against an Atlanta team with more recent postseason experience.

The Kings have long been in the shadow of the Warriors but they will have a great chance to step out from them on Tuesday night. Golden State knocked them out of the playoffs last season, Curry getting 50 in Game 7. Now it's Sacramento's turn.

The Kings aren't the same team that lost to the Warriors last year. They are older and wiser and they have had a taste of the playoffs. Last year, was their first time there in 16 years. They are also better defensively than last year's team.

Kings guard Davion Mitchell said: "It’s exciting. We get to get a little payback for last year ... We’re playing a home game and it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be physical, but I think we’re ready for it. I think the whole year, we’ve prepared ourselves for it, playing physical on both ends of the floor, and I think we’ll be ready." Last 3 meetings were all decided by 1. Kings will win outright. Grab the points.

This is the biggest game of the season for Orlando. The Magic have their sights set on a top 6 position which would mean avoiding the play-in round. A win over the Bucks gets them there.

"We control our destiny in this situation," said Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley, "so the way in which we have to play, the focus we have to have, and the attention to detail in how we start games and how we finish games is going to be very important."

"We just need one win and we're good," Magic forward Franz Wagner said. "One more game and we have to focus on that one and get a win."

The Bucks are still without Giannis Antetokounmpo and have lost 7 of their last 10 games. A win gets them the #2 seed but they don't seem overly concerned about it.

"You're going to play somebody good in the playoffs no matter what. There is no easy path. We learned that in the past before -- winning it and also losing it.

The Magic are 25-11 versus the spread, when favored. They've had a great season and they will finish it strong. Lay the points!

This is a lot of points to be giving a desperate home underdog. The Kings are playing with 0 days rest but the last time that they did that, they lost by only 1 point at Boston. This is a Sacramento team which badly needs to get on track before its too late. They will fight with everything they've got. The Suns are 8-9 in division games, the Kings are 10-6.

The Kings are 9-4 versus the spread after allowing 130 points or more. The Suns are 9-16-1 versus the spread off a win by 10 points or more. The Suns are also 8-20 ATS versus good offensive teams - scoring 116+ points/game. The Kings are 17-10 ATS as underdogs. Grab the points! **Pacific Div. GOM**

The Houston Rockets can't afford any losses. The Rockets are four games behind the Warriors with only five remaining in the regular season. That obviously doesn't give them much of a chance. They have fought all year though and they are going to continue to battle until the bitter end.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka: "Just finishing on the right step, on the right foot and playing the right way."

Dallas isn't entirely healthy and wants to make sure it it for the playoffs. Doncic missed the Mavericks last game and is questionable. So is Kleber. Those guys would play if this was a playoff game but they may not for this one. Rookie sensation Lively is out. Green remains out.

The Rockets are 7-3 versus the spread after 3 or more consecutive losses. Grab the points! **Southwest GOY**

The 76ers were minus their big guns last month at Memphis. Embiid was out but Maxey was also absent. The Grizzlies might argue that they have been dealing with missing players all season. They've done well, all things considered. But they do remain extremely short-handed and now the 76ers are healthier. Memphis will have no answer for a Philly team hell-bent on revenge and now being led by their stars.

The 76ers are 56-40-1 versus the spread their last 97 tries in the revenge role. They are 28-19 ATS when laying points this season. The Grizzlies are only 4-8 versus the spread when playing 2 games in 2 days. Their tired legs won't be ready for what the 76ers will throw at them. Lay the points!

The Rockets have many factors in their favor tonight. They are playing with Double-Revenge with the Warriors having won both of this season's previous meetings. Golden State has been strong on the road this season but the Rockets are even better at home. The Warriors need wins but the Rockets need them even more!

The Warriors play at Dallas tomorrow night. Its a really big game and a rematch from Tuesday. If there is a game to look ahead to, its a game against Luca Doncic and the Mavericks! The Rockets have been underestimated all year. They are 13-7 versus the spread as home underdogs and they won 11 of those game outright. They are 12-3 ATS against Pacific Division teams and they will have their revenge on Thursday night!

In case you haven't been paying attention, the Trail Blazers are terrible right now. They have lost 9 straight. The last loss came by 60 points! The Trail Blazers are 1-6 versus the spread against Southeast division opponents.

The Magic thrive as favorites. They are 24-7 versus the spread in the role of the favorite. As a home favorite of more than 12 points, they are 2-0 ATS. This Magic team makes short work of weaklings. They are 24-5-2 ATS against losing teams, 14-3 ATS their last 17. That level consistency comes from quality coaching. They don't let down. They beat Memphis by 30 last game and this will be another cakewalk!

Who needs Trae Young? The Atlanta Hawks are playing their best basketball of the season. They have won 4 in a row and 2 of those wins came against Boston! The Hawks are 20-17 at home and the Bucks are 17-20 on the road. The Bucks are off a loss and they are missing Lillard. And we still get points with Atlanta!

The Hawks are 10-5 versus the spread their last tries against a team with a winning record. The Bucks are 8-19 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. The Bucks scored only 100 last game and Atlanta has scored 120 or more in 4 straight. The Bucks are 2-4 versus the spread after scoring 100 or less. Grab the points!

It's important to put the schedule to work for you. This is the 4th and final game of a 4-game homestand for the Heat. They play their next game at Washington and then they have 2 more difficult games at home, followed by 3 on the road. They are already 1-2 in the first 3 games. They are also 6-1-1 versus the spread in 8 tries, after playing their previous 3 games at home. If you add it all up, the Heat absolutely need to take advantage of this easier opponent. Its the largest pointspread which they've been asked to cover all season and there is a good reason for that.

The Trail Blazers, 1-5 versus the spread against Southeast Division teams, are really bad. They are 19-54 on the season. The Heat have had 2 days off and the Washington game isn't until Sunday. They won by 10 at Portland and this will be an even bigger "cakewalk!"

If you pay attention to how teams fare in certain situations, you'll understand why this the case of the wrong team being favored. Both teams are off a victory last night. That works in favor of Dallas. The Mavericks are 8-3 versus the spread their last 11 tries, when playing with 0 days rest. The Kings are only 4-8 ATS when doing so.

The Kings played great defense last night. The problem is that they are only 2-9 ATS their last 11 tries, after allowing 105 points or less. The Mavericks are 29-18-1 ATS (30-18 straight up) when revenging a home loss, 12-5 ATS their last 17. The Kings won twice at Dallas but the Mavericks get them back tonight!

This is as essentially as big a mismatch as it gets in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets are the defending champions. They need to keep winning and they dominate teams at home. The Memphis Grizzlies are playing for nothing. This is a team which is beleaguered by injuries.

The last time that these teams faced each other, the Nuggets won by 37 points. The Nuggets have won 41 of 50 meetings here and many of them have been blowouts. The last 5 Denver home wins over Memphis have all been by at least 13 points. With the Grizzlies only 4-7 versus the spread their last 11 tries with 2 days rest, this one will see the Nuggets win by at least 20! **WESTERN CONF GOM**

Give me the points with Timberwolves! The situation is that the Nuggets are off a buzzer beater loss on Sunday and the Timberwolves are off a comeback win last night. Because of the lack of rest, the Nuggets are laying a hefty number as a road favorite. Too hefty!

If we look at Minnesota's 10 games with 0 days rest we find a 7-3 straight up record. Closer examination reveals that all 3 losses came on the road, the last 2 both by single-digits. The Timberwolves are 4-0 straight up when playing a home game after playing the previous day. Twice they've played a home game after playing an away game and they won those games by an average of 118-107. On the season, the Timberwolves have a better home record than Denver does a road record. Give the me points! *Northwest GOW

I wasn't surprised that the Hawks showed up for last night's game. I don't believe that they'll be able to do it two nights in row though. Atlanta is 4-7 versus the spread when playing with 0 days rest. When playing the 2nd of back-to-back road games, the Hawks are 0-2 both straight up and against the spread. They lost those 2 games by an average score of 120-111.

Overall, the Hawks are only 12-19 ATS as underdogs. They are really bad when they are off an upset victory. In that situation, they've gone 10-27 ATS their last 37 tries, 3-7 ATS this season. The Lakers lost at Atlanta in January but they smashed the Hawks by 16 the last meeting here. Another big win coming up tonight!

Despite being the better team, LAC isn't at full strength right now. Russell Westbrook is out and James Harden is questionable for this game. Having said that, this line is too big. In their last four meetings with each other, the Hawks have either won, or kept it within single digits.

Although Atlanta is on a losing streak, the Clippers have also been struggling lately. Also, Atlanta's losses have been close. They're still 3-3 their last 6 games and the Hawks last 2 losses were by only 6 combined points. This is a big game for the Hawks as they don't want to slip any further as the final play-in tournament team right now. The Hawks upset LA here last year. This line is considerably too high and don't be shocked if the Hawks win this one outright.

The Wizards are going to be outmatched at Miami today. Miami is 28-22-1 versus the spread its last 51 against division opponents. Off a cover at OKC, the Heat are 11-4-1 versus the spread, their last 16. The Wizards are 3-6 ATS their last 9. The Wizards, who have nothing to play for, are just 6-27 on the road!

The Heat fought hard against the Thunder, despite playing their second game in 2 days, and a similar effort will pay dividends today. Coach Spoelstra commented: "We'll get better from this. There were a lot of good things to take away. None of us want to talk about (the positives) right now because we're competitors." The Wizards won last game but are only 1-8 (SU) after a win. Lay the points and expect Miami to win in a "Cakewalk!"

The Trail Blazers upset the Rockets at Houston in this season's first meeting. The Rockets were 10 point favorites for that game and they've been waiting to get their revenge ever since. Though they lost that 1/24 game against Portland, the Rockets are 12-6 versus the spread as favorites. They are also 15-10 versus the spread when playing against a team with a losing record.

Home has not been kind to Portland. The Trail Blazers are 9-21 here. The Trail Blazers may have a better chance of beating Toronto tomorrow but tonight the Rockets will be too much for them to handle. Lay the points.

After they got destroyed by the Pacers in their last game, we're going to get a big effort out of the Dallas Mavericks tonight. The Mavericks are 10-6 versus the spread after getting defeated by 10 or more points. They are also 10-3 ATS their last 13 tries, after losing three straight games. Not only that, the Mavericks are 9-2 ATS when off an upset loss.

The Heat haven't been very good as underdogs. They're 11-13 ATS when getting points. They're 0-2 ATS their last 2 games overall and they continue to play without Hero, Love and Richardson. Last season, both home teams won. The Mavericks won the game in Dallas by 25. Lay the points!

Off three straight road games, Portland returns to the Pacific Northwest. Playing at home is not an advantage for the Trail Blazers. They are 10-18-1 versus the spread here. The Trail Blazers are also 16-31-1 versus the spread, after playing 3 consecutive road games.

The Thunder average 120.9 points per game. The Trail Blazers average only 107.6. When matched up against low-scoring teams like Portand, the Thunder tend to dominate. They are 31-9-1 versus the spread their last 41 versus poor offensive teams - those. scoring

Here's a case of 2 teams heading in opposite directions. Memphis stayed competitive for some time this season but things have fallen apart. Massive injuries have finally caught up to the Grizzlies. Including last week's 25-point loss to the Nets, at Memphis, they have dropped 5 straight games. Off consecutive 10+ point wins, the Nets have won 2 in a row and 3 of 4. This should be another big Brooklyn win.

Some teams are good at snapping losing streaks but when the Grizzlies start losing, they continue to lose. They are 6-13 versus the spread (5-14 SU) the past 19 times that they were off three or more consecutive losses. The Nets, 9-7 versus the spread after allowing 105 or fewer points, are 4-1 ATS their last 5 versus poor offensive teams - those which score

Who's ready for a blowout on Sunday afternoon? The Warriors have been hot but their winning streak will come to an end in Boston this afternoon. Golden State is 4-6 versus the spread its last 10, after winning its previous 3 games. If the Warriors were playing somewhere else, the streak might continue. Not here. Not with the Celtics ready to avenge a December loss in the Bay area.

Over the past few years, he Celtics are a dominating 50-29-3 versus the spread (63-19 SU) in the 2nd half of the season. They didn't lose a single game in all of February and rolled right into March by destroying Dallas. They are healthier and they will deliver another blowout on ABC TV this afternoon.

On Sunday, we won with Sacramento over the LA Clippers. Off that upset road win, we played against those same Kings on Monday, backing Miami over Sacramento. Off that upset road win, we will now play against the Heat. Miami is only 3-4-1 versus the spread with 0 days rest. The Heat get outscored by 6 points per game in that situation.

Off last night's win over the Kings, the Trail Blazers will be easy for the Heat to look past. Understand that Miami has the Denver Nuggets, the NBA champions on deck. Missing some players, they won't be at their best tonight. This is the end of a long stretch of home games for the Trail Blazers and they are going to really want to close it out with a victory. Grab the points!

I had the Kings last night. Great game by them. They went to LA and hammered the Clippers, a hated division rival. That puts them in a difficult position tonight. They are 3-5 versus the spread when playing with 0 days rest. They are also 3-5 versus the spread when off an upset win as an underdog.

The Heat are playing their best basketball and they come in fresh and well-rested. They are 8-1 versus the spread since end of January, 7 of those wins coming outright. That streak began with a 9 point win over Sacramento. Last season's games were both close, decided by 4 and 6 points. With the schedule in their favor, grab the points with the red hot Miami Heat.

Give me the points with Sacramento in this important Pacific Division battle. The Clippers won both this season's meetings but both of those were in 2023. The Kings have been playing well on the road since losing here earlier and they are 44-25-1 versus the spread their last 70 tries in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 230.

The Clippers are 1-5 versus the spread their last 6 games. Their last 4 wins have all been by 6 or less. The Kings are off consecutive wins and their alst loss was by only 5. This game is also likely going to be decided late. Grab the points. **PACIFIC DIV GOM**

The Charlotte Hornets upset the Jazz last night and have actually won a few in a row. Reality will set in tonight. The Golden State Warriors blew out the Lakers 128-110 last night and are 8-2 straight up and versus the spread their last 10 games. They had to travel last night. The Warriors did not.

The Warriors are 3-0 their last 3 games against teams from the East. They beat Indiana, Philadelphia and Brooklyn by 56 combined points, an average of nearly 19 per game. The Hornets are 9-17 versus the spread on the road and this will be another beating.

The Pistons still find themselves on the road, even after the break. They are 0-2 versus the spread after 3 or more days rest and 0-5 ATS after playing 3 consecutive road games. They are 4-23 on the road, getting blown out in many of those.

The Pacers beat the Pistons by 8 at Detroit but the game at Indiana wasn't even close. The Pacers won 136-113. Detroit hung with the Pacers for a half but didn't have the firepower to keep it up for the whole game. With the Pistons averaging 113.9 points on the road and the Pacers averaging more than 126 at home, that's likely to happen again. The Pacers are 9-2, both straight up and versus the spread, against division foes. They will pull away and crush this team.

The Grizzlies fought tooth and nail to beat the Rockets last night. They will feel the effects of that victory tonight. They are 3-6 against the spread this season, when playing with 0 day's rest in between games, 0-3 ATS when playing a home game after playing a home game the previous day. They were outscored 114 to 102 in those 3 home games and none game against a team as strong as this one.

The Bucks are 30-19-1 ATS their last 50 tried, when off an upset loss as a favorite. They lost by 41 points here last season and will return the favor with a big blowout win of their own tonight.

I've now played on the Milwaukee Bucks twice in a row. The Bucks crushed Charlotte on the weekend and they dominated Denver last night. Tonight's game presents a far greater challenge.

Last night's win was a big one. The Bucks were home underdogs against the world champions and they served notice that they deserved more respect than that. That's exactly the type of win that a team can experience a let down from. The Bucks are 3-8 straight up and against the spread their last 11 tries, when off a SU win as an underdog.

The Heat have won 4 of their last 6 and both losses came by 8 or less. They are 5-1-1 ATS after playing 3 or more consecutive home games. Take the points!

The Bucks are back. I won with them when they throttled Charlotte in their last game. Charlotte is weak and it allowed Doc Rivers' team the opportunity to work through some of their issues and restore their confidence. The 36 point blowout victory followed by 2 days of rest was exactly that they needed.

Doc Rivers said this after the last game: "I thought we set a tone defensively. We were flying around tonight. Our energy was high." Now the Bucks will get a chance to host the defending champions. The timing couldn't be better. The Nuggets just lost their last game by 29 points. They are 7-13-1 against the spread, as road favorites.

The Nuggets beat the Bucks in Denver this season, just as they did last year. Last season, the Bucks beat them here at Milwaukee. Tonight, they will do it again.

The Milwaukee Bucks played last night but that won't save the Charlotte Hornets from the beating which is coming their way. The Bucks won this season's earlier meeting by 31. Charlotte definitely hasn't gotten any better since then and is walking into a hornet's next.

The coaching change to Doc Rivers hasn't paid immediate dividends for Milwaukee. The Bucks have now lost 3 straight games and 5 of their last 6. To be fair, 5 of those games were on the road and last night's was against a top level team from the West, the one with the most road wins of any team in the NBA. Clearly, this is a big drop in class.

Charlotte lost at Detroit back on January 24th. That marked the first loss of the Hornets' current 9-game losing streak. Seven of their last 8 have come and the Hornets still couldn't get a win. The only road game over that time resulted in a 20-point loss.

The Bucks next 2 games come against the defending NBA champions and the defending Eastern Conference champions, Denver and Miami. After that, the Bucks go on the road again. Rivers knows his team needs a big win and that he needs one, too. He will make sure that that the Bucks don't squander this opportunity.

The Bulls have the talent edge and are healthier. They've got plenty of their own injuries though and they're on the road. They're also the type of team that the Grizzlies can outwork.

When they're at their best, the Bulls can be quite good. They beat Minnesota last game. That was at Chicago. They are only 9-15 on the road. They've got Orlando on deck and the Magic beat them twice. A look-ahead spot past Memphis. The Grizzlies are 20-5 against the spread their last 25 against teams from the Central. Grab the points.

The Wizards may not be a very good team but this is a case of the Cavaliers laying "too many points." Everyone is high on Cleveland right now and down on Washington. That's led to the Wizards catching double-digits at home. They're bad but they're not "that bad." The Cavaliers weren't even laying this many points for the 2 games at Cleveland.

Washington is off a blowout loss to Phoenix. The Wizards last 3 games against Eastern Conference opposition have been a lot closer though, an 8 point loss to Miami, a 14-point win over Detroit and a 4-point loss to New York. The Wizards are also 12-9 against the spread off a loss of 10 or more points and 11-6 ATS after allowing 130 or more.

The Cavaliers are 16-24-2 ATS their last 42 tries when up against a losing team in the 2nd half of the season. Washington is well rested and has tomorrow off. Cleveland faces Brooklyn tomorrow. Let's take what the books are offering and cash in with the big points on the home underdog Wizards.

Both teams have been playing great but this one sets up nicely for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are 9-5 against the spread and 11-3 straight up when the total was 230 or more. The Cavaliers are also 10-6-1 ats when in a revenge situation.

Sacramento is at the end of a very long road trip. This will be the Kings' 7th straight road game. They last played at home on January 22nd. It's only natural for them to be thinking about getting home.

Cleveland embarks on a road trip after this and will want to make sure to win at home tonight. Off 5 straight wins and with a 13-1 record their last 4 games, the Cavaliers are the hottest team in the NBA. The defense has been dominating and they keep it rolling on Monday!

The Trail Blazers hung with the champions for most of Friday's game but they will not be able to do do twice in a row. There was still some question about Jokic's health before Friday but the Denver big man dominated and is fully ready to go for this one.

The Trail Blazers may have covered 48 hours ago but they are still 14-26-1 against the spread in divisional game the past 2 years.

Portland was practically patting itself on the back for losing by only 12 on Friday. Denver will demonstrate its dominance from the opening tip tonight. The Nuggets are simply much stronger at both ends of the floor. A win of greater than 15 points is expected!

With both teams off a game last night, its important to know how these teams typically handle playing 2 games in 2 days. A quick look shows that Golden State tends to do a much better job than Atlanta.

The Warriors are 5-3 against the spread, when playing 2 games in 2 days. Upon closer examination, we find that they are 3-0 ATS when playing a road game after also playing on the road on the previous day.

The Hawks, 1-13 against the spread after a non-conference games, are 1-7 against the spread when playing 2 games in 2 days, 0-2 ATS when playing a home game after playing at home the previous day.

The Warriors had an easier time last night than the Hawks. They are 6-1 ATS off a win by 10 points or more. Give me the points.

Great setup for the Heat. After a long stretch of pointspread futility, they answered with a win and cover last game. Now they are off a win, had a day off and have tomorrow off. Better yet, they get to take on one of the weakest teams in the NBA.

Though they've managed 6 wins on the road, the Wizards have the worst home record in basketball. They are 3-19 here, 7-15 against the pointspread. Visiting teams outscore them by an average of 10.6 points.

This has been a profitable venue for Miami for years. The Heat are 37-16-2 against the spread their last 55 trips here. Expect them to win convincingly.

Charlotte isn't a good team. Bad teams can still be profitable, if you back them at the right time. This is one of those times. Charlotte is rested and facing a mediocre Chicago team which lost against Toronto less than 24 hours ago.

Chicago is only 3-5 straight up and against the pointspread when playing 2 games in 2 days. The last time that the Bulls were in that situation, the team that they were playing (San Antonio) was in the same boat. No advantage. The previous time, when up against a rested team, the Bulls lost by 16. They are 1-3 against the spread when playing a road game after playing at home the previous day. The win was the previously mentioned Spurs game.

The Bulls have beaten them 3 times already this season. The Hornets want to avoid a sweep. Chicago is only 8-15 on the road. Grab the points!

Nice win for the Magic over Phoenix yesterday. Defeating Dallas on the second leg of a 2 games in 2 nights situation will be much harder. The Mavericks have owned the Magic here for years and beat them by 9 here last season.

The Magic have only 2 wins in 9 tries when playing 2 games in 2 days. They just lost by 27 points at Cleveland less than a week ago, after beating Miami the previous day. The time before in that situation, they lost by 12.

Playing their 2nd game in 2 days, the Mavericks lost their last game. They since had yesterday off. Refreshed, they bounce back and handle their business, moving to 17-11 against the spread, as favorites.

The Knicks are stepping up in class level. With the exception of a game against Dallas, which they lost, the Knicks have been facing some weak opposition for weeks. Opponents included Washington, Portland, Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Washington (again) Toronto and Brooklyn. The defending champions are on a different level. The Knicks are 7-14 against the spread against winning teams.

A small pointspread means that that a victory should also result in pointspread cover. The Nuggets have won 29 of 40 straight up when favored. They have won 3 in a row and this will make 4 straight.

Portland fought really hard in last night's loss at Oklahoma City. The Trail Blazers lost by only 2 points. Great effort but it will catch up to them tonight!

The Rockets are 16-7 at home, both against the spread and straight up. They allow only 107 points per game here. Portland allows 118 on the road. The Rockets are also a very respectable 9-4 ATS (69.2%) as favorites.

The Rockets had the last 2 days off. My belief is that they will come in fresh and they will dominate this game from start to finish.

Give me the points with the home underdog Nets! The Nets are 12-6-2 against the spread at home. The Knicks are 6-10 against the spread, when off a double-digit win.

The Knicks have won 3 straight games. They are only 2-4 against the spread after winning their previous 3. The Nets lost to the Clippers to close out their trip. They pounded the Lakers before that though. Two of their last 3 losses have been by 2 points or less.

The Knicks won here last month but the Nets have still won 4 of the past 5 meetings here. Nets get some payback by upsetting the Knicks on Tuesday!

Both teams are off consecutive blowout losses. That's OK for Memphis but the Raptors demand better. Despite dealing away some of their top players with the hope of improving in the future, this organization still has pride and expects to compete. Currently extremely depleted, Memphis is a team they can handle. The Raptors beat the Grizzlies last month and now they catch them at home.

The Raptors are much healthier than Memphis. The Grizzlies' injury list is long and filled with their best players. Take the injured Memphis players and put them up against the team which will take the court tonight and my money is on the injured players.

The Raptors are 4-1, both straight up and against the spread, after scoring 100 or less. They will blow out the Grizzlies tonight.

Miami won the first two games of the season series but the third meeting comes at the wrong time. The Hawks are showing some real signs of snapping out of their season long funk. They're off back to back victories and have won 3 of their last 5 games. The Heat just got destroyed by a short-handed Toronto team. In their previous game, they only beat Brooklyn by 1 point.

Games here are usually quite close between these teams. Five of Atlanta's last 6 visits here have been decided by 10 or less. The only exception was an 11 point win by the Hawks. The Hawks average 120.9 points a game. Miami averages 111.5. The Heat are only 7-11-1 against the spread against losing teams. Grab the points.

The Cavaliers have built up their recent run against weak opposition. Their last 5 games have come against Washington, (twice) San Antonio, Brooklyn and Chicago. The Wizards and Spurs are both 7-32 and the Nets and Bulls are both below .500. Before that, they faced the Raptors and the. Bucks and lost both games. The Cavaliers limited Chicago to 91 but are only 2-4 against the spread after allowing 100 or less.

The Bucks are healthier than the Cavaliers. The Bucks are also fresh. They've had the past 2 days off, after playing 4 straight at home. They are 18-8-1 their last 27 against the spread (24-3 straight up) after playing their previous 3 at home and they will improve on that streak tonight.

The Thunder beat up the Clippers at OKC just before Christmas. This time, the Clippers catch them on their home floor. That's a big deal. the Clippers are only 9-10 on the road but they're 16-4 at home. The Thunder are 16-5 at home and 11-7 on the road.

The Clippers were playing their second game in two nights for the first game. OKC was rested. The shoe is on the other foot now. The Clippers are rested and the Thunder played yesterday.

The Clippers are 5-1 against the spread their past 6 tries when off an upset loss. They win big tonight.

It hasn't caught up to them yet but Haliburton's absence is going to hurt the Pacers today. He's an elite player and Indiana won't be able to keep up without him.

The Pacers play some very high-scoring games. Fine by Denver. The Nuggets are 23-15-1 against the spread their last 39 home games with a total set at 230 or greater.

One of those wins came here one year ago against the Pacers. The Nuggets were favored by 9 and they won by 23. This will be another blowout.

Tyrese Haliburton has been responsible for a great deal of Indiana's success this season. He's been so good that he's a top 10 player in terms of the MVP race. The Pacers won't have their superstar tonight though and the Hawks will hurt them because of it. Haliburton is out with a hamstring strain. The Pacers are going to realize just how much they rely on Haliburton tonight. They hammered the Hawks 150-116 a week ago at Indiana and now they will feel like what its like to be on the other side. The Hawks have wins over the Thunder and the 76ers in their last 2 home games. They haven't had many blowout wins but this will be one of them. Lay the points.

The Timberwolves are walking into a hornet's nest. Minnesota had an easy time with Orlando last night. Revenge-minded Boston presents a far more difficult challenge.

The Wolves are 0-2 against the spread when playing their 2nd game in 2 days. The only time that they played a road game after playing the previous day, they lost by 18!

Boston, 8-2 SU its last 10 in a revenge spot, hasn't forgotten a 114-109 loss early in the season. The Celtics are also still angry about a 133-131 loss at Indiana on Monday. They're 9-1 against the spread the past 10 tries, after allowing 130 or more points in their previous game. The Celtics beat this team by 12 here last season and this will be another double-digit win. ***REVENGE GOM***

These teams are both off close losses last night. The Suns fell by 6 to Memphis. The Clippers lost by 3 against the Lakers. This will be the second meeting in less than a week. The Clippers won at Phoenix, on 1/3.

The Suns are better than the Clippers when playing their 2nd game in 2 days. They're 4-1 SU in that situation this season, 20-11 their past 31. The Clippers are 2-3 SU in that situation this season, just 13-21 the past 34.

The only time that the Suns lost a back-to-back spot was a very competitive game. They lost by 4 at Brooklyn. The 4 wins came by 56 combined points.

The Suns aren't going to want to lose twice in a week to this team. They will continue their success when playing 2 games in 2 days. ***PACIFIC DIV GOM***

Both teams got trounced yesterday. Bad luck for Utah. The Jazz will now encounter an angry Philadelphia team. That will be too much for the overmatched visitors.

It doesn't help that Utah played on 1/3. That makes this the 3rd game in 4 days for the Jazz. That's not the case for Philadelphia. Before yesterday, the 76ers last played on the 2nd. This will be Philadelphia's 3rd game in 2024 but Utah's 4th. That extra game will be noticed and felt in the legs.

The Jazz are soft on defense and the 76ers are 21-9 against the number their last 30 tries against teams which allow 116 or more points per game. This will be a wipeout. ***WEEKEND WIPEOUT***

The Atlanta Hawks are starting to play winning basketball. They closed out 2023 with a road win at Washington and they began 2024 with a victory over a strong OKC club.

This may be a difficult spot for the Indiana Pacers. They are off back-to-back games against division rival Milwaukee. Also, starting tomorrow, they play Boston twice in a row. With this game stuck in the middle, the Hawks could easily get overlooked. Indiana is 15-27 against the spread its last 42, when off a division game, 2-8 ATS the last 10 tries.

The Hawks won here last January and have taken 3 of their last 4 visits. They score the upset in this one! ***ROAD WARRIOR***

This will be the 5th meeting, due to an extra in-season-tournament game, and the second already in 2024. Indiana won at Milwaukee on New Year's Day and has taken 3 of 4 overall. Though the Bucks can't win the season series, they will bounce back with a big win tonight.

The Pacers are 14-27 ATS their last 41 off a division game, 1-8 ATS this season.

The Bucks are 26-16 ATS the past 42 times that they were off an upset loss. They are also 4-0 ATS last 4 with home revenge. Lay the points. ***ROAD WARRIOR***

The Pelicans enter 2024 playing better basketball than the Nets. Brooklyn has dropped 3 straight. The Nets lost those games by 44 points. New Orleans is off back-to-back wins. The Pelicans won those games by 27 points.

Homecourt matters to both clubs. The Pelicans are 11-7 at home, both straight-up and against the spread. The Nets are only 6-10 on the road, 7-9 against the number.

The Nets' problem on the road stems from the fact that they don't play defense. They allow more than 120 points a game away from Brooklyn. The Pelicans are 28-14 SU and 23-19 ATS their last 42 against teams that allow 116 or more points. They add to those numbers with a blowout win on Tuesday! ***SLAM DUNK***

This is the 4th meeting. The first two saw Indiana win 126-124 (at Indiana) and 128-119. The second of those was the Eastern Finals for the In-Season-Tournament, in Las Vegas. That loss didn't sit very well with the Bucks. With the third meeting being played at Milwaukee, they beat up the Pacers 140-126.

The Pacers have won 3 straight for the 3rd time this season. Each previous time they lost their next game. Each defeat came by 9 or more.

The Pacers are 7-9 ATS against winning teams. The Bucks are 8-4 ATS against winning teams. Lay the points with Milwaukee! **CENTRAL GOM**

The setup favors the home team. New Orleans had yesterday off. The Lakers, playing on Lebron's birthday, lost an emotional battle at Minnesota. That will give New Orleans an advantage.

The Pelicans got Larry Nance back last game and he makes them better. Coach Green said this about Nance's return: "Having Larry back was huge for us. That's the Larry we're all accustomed to seeing, and credit to him, he worked his tail off to get himself ready to come in and play and be who he is to this team."

The Lakers blew out the Pelicans in the in-season tournament and now New Orleans gets even. ***Weekend Wipeout***

San Antonio won here last night. Portland won't let it happen again. Last night's game was over before it started. The Spurs were up 38-14 by the end of the first quarter. The Trail Blazers will get off to a better start tonight.

San Antonio's star rookie Victor Wembanyama had 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and seven blocks last night. He won't play tonight.

The Trail Blazers are 3-0 against the spread the last 3x they played 2 games in 2 days. The Spurs last 3 tries in a b2b spot all resulted in double-digit losses. They are 5-14-1 ATS their last 20 when playing 2 games in 2 days.

The Trail Blazers have a long road trip after this game. They can't afford to get swept by the Spurs. Portland wins big! ***REVENGE GOW***

The Thunder have payback on their minds from a close loss at Minnesota last month. They are 10-5, straight-up and against the spread, at home. They outscore teams by 7 points a game here. Minnesota is 4-6-1 against the spread in road games with a total of 220 or more. The strength of the Timberwolves is their defense but the Thunders are 29-13-2 against the spread their last 34 against teams which allow 108 or fewer points. The Thunder are also 24-10-1 against the spread the past 35 times that they played with 2 days off in between games. Lay the short number. ***Div. Dominator***

Give me the points with the Warriors. Warriors lost by 3 points here in November and GSW is 55-38 against the spread in the revenge role last few years. Last 2 meetings have both been decided by 3 or less. Warriors are 5-2 against the spread last 7 visits here. Nuggets have won 4 in a row but they failed to cover the last game which brought them to 1-7 ATS after 3 or more straight wins. They are 18-34 against the spread their last 52 in that situation. In another close encounter, Warriors will move to 4-1 against the spread when off a win by 10 or more. **Western Conf GOM**

I backed the Warriors in their last game. They beat Boston outright. That makes 3 straight wins. They are hot and playing some of their best basketball ahead of tomorrow's game against Portland and their Christmas Day showdown in Denver. The Warriors, 29-16 against the spread their last 45 home games with a total of 230 or more, had the last 2 days off. The Wizards gave everything they had last night, earning a 1-point win at Portland. At the end of a road trip, they will be exhausted tonight. Last 2 times that the Wizards played 2 games in 2 days, they lost by 40 combined points. This will be another wipeout. ***NBA SUPER SMASH***

This is it! The Pistons Christmas wish will be answered. In their final home game before the holiday, the Pistons get to face a Utah team which is terrible on the road and which is playing in a back-to-back situation. Well-rested and happy to be back home, the Pistons will extend a 13-8-1 against the spread record, after playing their previous 3 games on the road. Detroit covered the spread last game and has shown signs of fighting, despite playing much better teams than Utah. The Jazz are 2-13 on the road. This will be their 6th game in 9 days. Stop the presses. Detroit wins a game! ***Underdog GOY***

This is the first meeting of the season between these Atlantic Division rivals. The home team won all 4 meetings last season. The Knicks won by 24 and 18 points at Madison Square Garden. The Nets prevailed by 7 and 27 points when they where the host. Both teams were recently on the road against Western Conference opposition. Off 3 straight losses to close their trip, the Nets are going to be going all out to stop their losing streak. The only previous occasion where they lost 3 in a row saw the Nets respond with a 15 point win over Miami. The Knicks are 1-2 against the spread off an upset win. The Nets are 10-2-1 against the spread at home, 4-0 ATS at home when the total was 230 or more. Brooklyn gets it done! ***ATLANTIC DIV GOM***

Boston is good but this is too many points. The Celtics aren't as strong on the road as they are at home. Warriors are better at home. The Celtics were favored here last season but the Warriors won by 16. They also lost by only 3 at Boston. Warriors are 66-45 against the spread at home last 2 years. Celtics are already 0-2 against Western Conference opponents. They will have a difficult time again tonight. Grab the points! ***Underdog GOW***

Strong spot for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland scored 127 in Saturday's 8-point win over Atlanta. The Cavaliers had Sunday off. Not so for the Rockets. They played at Milwaukee on Sunday. The last time that the Rockets played 2 games in 2 days saw them lose by 10. The Cavaliers won by 17 points and by 18 points in last season's 2 games with the Rockets. Even dealing with some injuries, the Cavaliers, 4-1-2 against the spread in December, will win big again on Monday. ***NBA GOW***

The Spurs are off a rare victory. That win came against a tired and injured Laker team which was without 3 starters and which was playing its 3rd road game in 4 nights. The only other time that the Spurs won by double-figures, they lost and failed to cover against Toronto in their next game. Popovich's team will have trouble against a rested Pelicans team which is playing its best. New Orleans has won the last 6 meetings with the Spurs, including a 121-106 win 2.5 weeks ago. Valanciunas had 29 points and 13 rebounds in leading the Pelicans to a 3rd straight victory on Friday. They won big here both meetings last year and will be too much for the Spurs to handle again this afternoon. ***Super Smash***

The Knicks beat the Clippers 111-97 on November 6th, at MSG. They pulled away in the second half and spoiled the debut of James Harden. Six weeks later, the Clippers will have their revenge. The Clippers have won 6 straight games and they are 4-1 against the spread their last 5. They didn't play on Friday. The Knicks played last night at Phoenix. The Knicks are 2-3 against the spread when playing the second of back to backs. The Clippers won by 11 last meeting here. Look for NY to fall to 3-8 against the spread against winning teams. ***Revenge GOM***

This is a case of too many points, given the scheduling situation. The 76ers just destroyed the Pistons at Detroit. They will be over-confident tonight. With a Saturday road game to follow, they will take it easy late in the game. The Pistons are 2-0 against the spread when they were road underdogs of 12.5 or more points. They play with 2x revenge and will play with a chip on their shoulder. This season's first meeting was close, the 76ers winning by 8. This will be too. Grab the big points. ***Eastern Conf GOW***

I won with the over when these teams faced each other earlier this month. This time, the play is on Portland. The Jazz won yesterday but have dropped all 4 games when playing 2 games in 2 days. Their 3 road games in that situation all lost by double-figures. One of those was a 16 point setback at Portland. The Jazz are only 1-11 on the road overall, the worst road record in the league. The Trail Blazers are 9-5-1 against the spread their last 15 in a revenge situation. Lay the small number and look for a big win for the home team. ***Northwest Div GOM***

The Pacers have been scoring points at a high rate and have done very well to get this far. Lebron may be downplaying it but he is on a mission to add in-season tournament champion to his resume. James, Davis and the Lakers will not be denied. The Lakers have allowed only 89, 103 and 97 points over their last 3 games. Indiana will get more but not as many as it normally does. The Lakers superior defense will be on display on ABC TV and will separate them from the Pacers. ***Non-Conf GOM***

No Durant. No problem. Even though they're short-handed, the Suns will be bringing their best on Friday night. Remember, that Booker carried the load before Durant arrived and that he can still do so. With Durant out, we get the Suns as underdogs and don't have to worry about laying any points. The Kings are 4-8 against the spread as favorites and they're 3-6 against the spread the past 9 times that they played with 3 or more day's rest. The Suns are 74-31 straight-up their last 105 in this building. They score 118.2 at home compared to Sacramento's 112.9 on the road. Booker will have a monster game and the Suns will move to 12-8 against the spread their last 20 home games with a total of 230 or more. ***Pacific Div GOY***

The Lakers have managed to win both of this season's games. That changes tonight. The Suns had Durant for the first 2 games but not Booker. Tonight, they'll have both. Booker is averaging 27.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists through 11 games. Each of the first 2 games were very close. Adding Booker to the Suns makes them far more dangerous than the team that LA saw in those first 2 games. The Lakers are 0-3 against the spread on the season, after allowing less than 100 points in their previous games. In two of those instances, they allowed more than 130 points in losing the next game. Booker, Durant and the Suns will take this one. ***Pacific Div. GOM***

The Celtics humbled them 155-104 at the beginning of November and the Pacers haven't forgotten! Indiana is 9-4, both straight up and against the spread, its last 13 times in the revenge role. The Pacers lost by 4, in OT, the last time that they hosted the Celtics. The previous meeting here saw Indiana win decisively. The Pacers are averaging 128.8 points a game, most in the league. They just beat Miami 144-129 and they are 14-8 against the spread the past 22 times that they were off a game where they scored 130 or more. Grab the points! ***Eastern Conf. GOM***

It's not easy to blow a team out two games in a row. Orlando hammered Washington a couple of days ago. It won't happen again! The Wizards have been at their best when off a bad loss. They're 71.4% against the spread when off a loss of 10 or more. Magic 12-15-1 against the spread last 28 when off a win of 10+. Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr: "We just have to get there with a little more urgency..." The Wizards will play with a sense of urgency and they will improve to 13-7 against the spread their last 20 tries after giving up 130+. **southeast GOY**

I can understand that some bettors don't like taking a team like the Pistons. Personally, I don't like to pass up opportunities. The Pistons got blown out last night. That has allowed us to get a couple of extra points. Detroit doesn't mind playing 2 games in 2 days though. They have been in that situation 4 times this season. They won 1 game and the other 3 losses all came by 11 or less. They almost upset Denver. They are 17-13-1 against the spread in back to back situations the last 2 years. The Knicks have a division road game tomorrow night. They will be tested. Grab the points! ***Eastern Conf GOW***

The Grizzlies are going to really want this game. They're still winless at home and need to fix that. They're also 0-2 against Utah already this season. They're going to want to fix that, too. Adding to the revenge angle, the most recent of those games had some controversy. Memphis player Jared Jackson got ejected with a double-technical. Coach Jenkins said: "One of the most poorly officiated games I've ever seen," which led to him being fined $25,000 by the NBA. He went on to say: "Our team is competing their tails off, and this is what happens? The interaction right now with the officials, complete disrespect. It's unbelievable. ... I don't understand it." Grizzlies are 40-30-2 against the spread in the revenge role last 2 years, 12-8-2 against the spread when avenging a home loss. They will improve to 16-8 against the spread their last 24, after scoring 100 or less. ***Revenge GOM***

Orlando has been rolling but Charlotte is also a lot better than people realize. Myles Bridges has made a big difference. The Hornets are off back to back victories, of those coming against Boston. LaMelo Ball is playing his best. Ball had 34 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds last game. That's 7 times in 9 games that he's scored 30 or more. Bridges said this of Ball: "He's playing at an unbelievable level. He's made the leap into being a superstar. He was an All-Star, but now he's a superstar. If he's not on any of the All-NBA teams I'll be surprised. He's a winner." The Hornets are 5-1 against the spread the past 6 times that they played with 3 or more day's rest. Grab the points. ***Southeast GOM***

The Jazz already beat this team and they will do so again tonight. Both teams played yesterday. The Jazz are healthier and deeper. They will be able to handle the back-to-back situation more effectively. The Jazz are 3-1 against the spread here the last 2 years. Points might seem attractive until you learn that Portland is a putrid 45-72 against the spread as an underdog the last 2 years. The Jazz are favored for only the 3rd time. They were 2-0 against the spread in the first two occasions. Both were big wins. Lay the points. **Road Warrior**

After playing 3 games in 4 days, the Hawks got a nice break. They are coming in rested and ready to go. After this comes Brooklyn and then a long stretch on the road. It's imperative that the Hawks make hay while the sun is shining. The Pacers can't be trusted on the road. They are getting outscored by an average score of 132.7 to 121.7 in their away games. The Hawks scored 143 against them last meeting here! They will drop a massive number on this defensively challenged team once again. Indiana will score a lot, just not enough. Let's go Hawks! ***Eastern Conf. GOM***

Portland rested yesterday. OKC played against the Warriors. This will be the first time this season that the Thunder play a "road" game after having played the previous night. The Thunder got destroyed in their only previous division game. The Thunder won all 4 meetings last season. All four games were won by 9 or fewer points though and 3 of them were decided by 6 or less, 2 by 3 or less. Really close games from these division rivals! Portland has a great chance of winning this game and will at least keep it close again. Grab the points! **Northwest Div. GOY**

Bucks have finally gotten it going. Mavericks are at the end of a road trip. Bucks swept last year's 2 games. and they won by 9 in their home game. Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said the following after last night's big victory: "I love how we shared the ball and moved the ball and we're looking for each other. That's something we've been stressing in the last probably week or so." Mavericks are only 24-38-4 against the spread last 66 in Non-Conf action. The Bucks will get this done! ***Non-Conf GOW***

The Celtics are definitely playing well but they've got a few question marks for tonight. Brown and Porzingis are questionable. Horford is probable but not 100%. Those are 3 important players to this team. Even if all 3 go, they could play at less than their usual potential. Regardless of what lineup the Celtics ultimately settle on, they are going to face a very competitive Toronto team. The Raptors just got blown out by the Bucks. They are 20-14 against the spread their past 34 times they were off a loss of 10 or more points, 21 outright wins. Over the same period, they are 49-42 against the spread in the revenge role, 54-40 against teams with a winning record. Boston is only 30-39 against the spread against losing teams over that time. Both the Celtics losses have come on the road. The Celtics allow 108.7 points on the road and the Raptors allow 108.8 at home. The last time Boston played here, it was a 2-point game. The time before that, it was a 4-point Toronto win. Grab the points! ***Atlantic Div GOY***

Nets won when these teams played at Miami on November 1. It marked the 4th loss in a row for the Heat, who were dealing with some injuries at the time. Since then, the Heat have found their groove. They've won 6 straight games since the Nets were here last. Heat are 22-14 against the spread, last 36, after playing previous 3 on the road. Brooklyn just 19-32 against the spread last 51 after allowing 105 or fewer points. Lay the small number with Miami! ***pick and roll***

With a cover tonight, the Grizzlies will improve to 33-17 against the spread their last 50 times up against Pacific Division opponents. They upset the Clippers last game. It seems that Davis and Lebron are permanently probable/questionable/doubtful but the Lakers do have a revenge game against Sacramento on Wednesday. Its not impossible to imagine Lebron missing tonight, after he missed last game (his first) with a calf contusion. Though still without Morant, the Grizzlies are coming together. They will surprise the Lakers tonight. ***western conf. wipeout***

Suns have handled the Thunder here and they blew them out the last meeting on this floor. Though Booker is doubtful, Beal is probable. This game is projected to be high-scoring, total of 235, and those are the kind of games that suit the Suns well. The Suns are 28-12 straight-up and 25-15 against the spread the past 40 times that they played a game with a total listed at 230 or more. Only previous time this season was an opening game win against the Warriors. Suns wins. ***western conf. wipeout

Turnabout is fair play. The Wizards just beat the Hornets in Charlotte. Now, the Hornets will beat the Wizards in Washington. The Wizards are only 23-33 against the spread, when laying points, the last 2 years. Hornets 2-1 ATS on the road and a respectable 45-38 (better than 54% and much better than their home against the spread statistics) Over that time, the Wizards have only 1 win in 9 tries, after scoring 130 or more points. Today, the Hornets will settle the score! ***NBA Road Warrior

Both teams won last night. The Bucks won a close one and the Pacers won a blowout. Milwaukee is better suited to play two games in two days. The Bucks' only against the spread victory came the only previous time that they played the second back-to-back games. The Pacers lost outright to Charlotte when they previously played the second of back-to-back games this season. It's only November 9th but this will already be Indiana's 6th game this month. The Bucks have played one less this month and this season. In this back-to-back situation, that extra game will contribute to Indiana's tired legs. The Bucks are 6-2 against the spread their last 8 against the Pacers, a perfect 4-0 in games played at Indiana. Go Bucks! ***Central Div GOY

The Kings are the much better team and they will blow out the TrailBlazers tonight. They beat Portland 138-114 last meeting and 120-80 the previous meeting. The one before that was a 17-point win for Sacramento. Portland is a terrible 43-68 against the spread in the underdog role the last 2 years. Kings are 18-7 against the spread their last 25 times that they were off 3 or more losses in a row. Sacramento in a blowout! ***western conf. GOW

The Kings struggled without Fox when these teams recently met. They've got enough to overcome his absence tonight. Davian Mitchell will draw the start again. They won't loss two in a row to the Rockets. Kings are 18-10 against the spread last 28, off an upset loss as a favorite. Rockets are 7-13-1 against the spread (3-18 money-line) after allowing 105 or less. Kings will have their revenge! ***nba road warrior

The Hornets have had 2 days off. They're coming in fresh. Expect a big game from Charlotte's frontline of Mark Williams and P.J. Washington against an Indiana team involved in a back-to-back spot. Recent games between these clubs have been close. Charlotte won the last by 6, an outright win as an underdog. With that result, the Hornets improved to 5-1 against the spread their past 6 against the Pacers. Give me the points. ***road warrior

This is what I said before Cleveland's last game: "The Knicks beat up on the Cavaliers last night in Cleveland. As they say, turnabout is fair play. With a chance to immediately right that wrong, the Cavaliers will elevate their intensity for the rematch ... They start the new month with an upset." Sure enough. The Cavaliers delivered me an upset victory, holding NY to 89 points. Once again, they get an early chance to exact some revenge against a team which has already beaten them. The Pacers caught them in a back-to-back situation the first game but that's not happening this time. The Cavaliers won by 19 last time they were on this floor and they'll win again tonight! ***eastern conf gow

This is a bad spot for the Spurs. They just stunned the Suns a couple of days ago. The Suns let them hang around and the Spurs took advantage with a last second victory. Rest assured, the Suns won't make the same mistake twice. It's a new month and these teams are going to go in opposite directions, starting tonight. The Spurs were 10-18 against the spread the past two Novembers, winning only five games straight-up. The Suns were 20-11 against the spread the past two Novembers, 26 of those resulting in outright victories. The Suns have been at their best off an upset loss the last 2 years. They're 21-11 against the spread in that situation. Expect a decisive victory! ***nov gom

The Knicks beat up on the Cavaliers last night in Cleveland. As they say, turnabout is fair play. With a chance to immediately right that wrong, the Cavaliers will elevate their intensity for the rematch. The Knicks lost their only home game this year and are just 38-47-3 ATS here the past two seasons. The Cavaliers, who won this year's only road game, were 18-9-3 ATS the past two Novembers. They start the new month with an upset. ***road warrior

Raptors fought really hard only to lose by a point to the Bulls last night. It was a game that they had seemingly locked up. Blowing the lead will hurt their play today. Philadelphia rested. The 76'ers won the last three meetings. Last game in Canada resulted in a 112-90 victory for the visiting 76'ers. The 76'ers are 91-34 from a straight-up perspective the past 125 times that they were favored. They're more talented than the Raptors and they'll have much fresher legs. With their coach looking to get back at his former team, the 76'er will improve on that record while also covering the pointspread. *Atlantic Div GOM

We played against the Lakers in their Opening Night loss. That was at Denver, Jokic and the defending champions were getting their rings. A home game against a Suns team expected to be without Beal is a different story. Phoenix is only 30-41 ATS last 71 after allowing 105 points or less. Lakers beat the Suns by 14 last meeting here. The home team won all four meetings by double-figures. Lebron and the Lakers get it done in front of the home fans. *Western Conf. GOM

The Pacers haven't won a season opener since 2020. That changes this evening. The Wizards beat the Pacers here in last year''s opener. This year, Washington has gone through a major rebuild and won't be ready to compete the entire way with Indiana in this one. Wizards only 34-45-3 ATS last 82 on the road. Pacers lost the opener against the Wizards but are still 36-14 SU the last 50 meetings and they won by 10 the last time they hosted the Wizards. I've got them taking advantage of the favorable matchup and winning this one by at least that many. *Eastern Conf GOM

The Nuggets will be raising their championship banner and getting their championship rings and will not let the Lakers come in and spoil the party. When handing out championship rings, teams are 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS the last last ten years. Though they may lack some depth, the Nuggets starting five is very strong. The Lakers have a lot of new faces. They should be competitive this season but they won't be ready to compete with Jokic and the champions tonight. The Nuggets are 68-27 at home the past 2 years. They pull away down the stretch for a big win. *TNT Thunder

You know the setup. The Nuggets won Game 1 and the Heat came back to win Game 2. The Heat may have stolen homecourt advantage but the Nuggets are still heavily favored to win the series. Most shops have them in the -275 range to do so. That means that they're expected to win at least one game at Miami. No time like the present to make that happen either. The only other time that the Nuggets were tied in a series was Game 5 against the Suns. Denver won by 16 and only trailed for 14 seconds of that entire game. The Nuggets are 3-0 straight-up and ATS their last three when tied in a series and they're 12-7-2 ATS when coming off an upset loss as favorite. The Heat are only 7-13 ATS when playing with 2 day's rest. Lay the small number with the Nuggets in Game 3. *Playoff GOY

The Celtics have now done what only 14 teams previous to them have accomplished. That is to force a Game 6 after falling 0-3 in a playoff series. Now they seek to do what only three other teams have done after falling behind 0-3 - force a Game 7. (No team has ever come back to win the series after being down 0-3). 

Boston’s confidence has to be booming after the 110-97 win in Game 5. Basically, they led for double digits the entire game. Meanwhile, Miami’s confidence has to be waning. This was a Heat team that was really overachieving; they finished the regular season with a negative point differential and negative net efficiency. 

The Heat are 5-11 ATS this season following a double digit loss. Gabe Vincent (ankle) remains questionable for tonight and we know Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo are already out. This team is running out of bodies and is really reliant on Jimmy Butler carrying the scoring load.

Boston, on the other hand, had four 20+ point scorers in Game 5. They’ve shot 51% as a team the last two games including 40% from three. It’ll be difficult to maintain those percentages, but there is no denying which of these two teams has the deeper roster. 

The thing about Miami is they actually shot well in Game 5 and still ended up with only 97 points. All the momentum in this series has shifted and I’m laying the short number with the better team. 10*