SPORTS ADVISORS
NBA
Dallas (37-21, 24-34 ATS) at Atlanta (36-20, 34-22 ATS)
The Mavericks try to run their winning streak to six when they visit Philips Arena for a showdown with the Hawks.
After losing its first game after the All-Star break, Dallas has rattled off five straight wins (3-2 ATS), including a 101-96 victory over the Lakers on Wednesday, cashing as a 1½-point home favorite. Dirk Nowitzki led the charge for the Mavericks with 31 points and nine rebounds as they beat Los Angeles without the services of newcomer Caron Butler, who missed the contest with an illness.
Atlanta comes in riding a two-game winning streak (1-1 ATS) after losing three of four (SU and ATS). The Hawks edged the Timberwolves on Wednesday 98-92, coming up well short as 12-point home favorites. Josh Smith had a huge game for the Hawks with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Atlanta is 22-6 in front of the home crowd, cashing in 18 of those 28 contests.
Back on Dec. 5, the Hawks went to Dallas and scored an 80-75 upset as 5½-point underdogs. They’ve now won two straight over the Mavs, including last year’s 95-87 home win as a five-point favorite. Atlanta is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 series clashes, including 5-1 ATS at home.
Dallas has been a disaster at the betting window lately, currently on pointspread skids of 6-16 overall, 1-4 as a ‘dog, 8-20 after a straight-up win, 3-12 after getting one day off, 3-13 after a spread-cover and 2-7 against Southeast Division teams. Atlanta is just 2-5 ATS in its last seven after a straight-up win, but is otherwise on positive ATS streaks of 29-14-1 as a home favorite, 13-5 after a non-cover and 4-1 against Southwest Division squads.
The Mavericks have stayed below the total in 11 of 16 against Southeast Division teams, but topped the total in five of seven on Fridays, six of eight after a straight-up win and seven of 10 as a road ‘dog of up to 4½ points. Meanwhile, the Hawks are on “under” streaks of 4-0 after a day off, 12-3-1 after a straight-up win and 8-3 as a home favorite of up to 4½-points. In this series, the “under” has been the play in each of the last four.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ATLANTA and UNDER
Cleveland (45-14, 29-29-1 ATS) at Toronto (31-25, 28-28 ATS)
The Cavaliers used a huge second half to blow out the Celtics on Thursday night and now turn around and head north of the border to take on the Raptors inside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Cleveland outscored Boston 60-32 in the second half to score a 108-88 victory Thursday, cashing as a 2½-point road favorite to halt an 0-4 ATS slide. LeBron James led the way with 36 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Thursday’s result aside, it’s been a tough second half of the season for the Cavs, who lost three straight after the All-Star break (SU and ATS) and who’ve failed to cash in six of eight overall.
The Raptors had won five of six overall (3-3 ATS) before losing at home to Portland on Wednesday, falling 101-87 as a three-point home favorite. With All-Star Chris Bosh sidelined with an injury, Hedo Turkoglu had 24 points for Toronto, but it couldn’t stop the Blazers who shot 42-of-85 from the field. Still, the Raptors are 21-8 at home this season, cashing in 16 of those 29 contests.
Both squads could be without their big men tonight, as Bosh remains questionable while Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal left last night’s game in Boston with a thumb injury and didn’t return.
The home team has won both meetings between these two this season, including an Oct. 28 game in Toronto when the Raptors scored a 101-91 victory as seven-point home pups. Cleveland got revenge on Jan. 19, prevailing 108-100 but came up short as 10-point favorites. The Cavs have won eight of the last 10 clashes (6-4 ATS) and cashed in 10 of the last 14 meetings in Toronto.
Cleveland is on ATS slides of 1-4 overall, 1-4 against Atlantic Division teams and 0-4 on the second night of a back-to-back. The Raptors are just 11-27-1 ATS at home against teams with winning road marks, but they are on positive ATS runs of 13-6 against Central Division teams, 7-3 after getting a day off and 4-1 on Friday.
The Cavaliers have topped the total in five of six against Atlantic Division teams and six of nine overall, but they have stayed “under” the number in eight of 11 Friday games and five of eight against winning teams. Toronto is on “under” runs of 4-1 overall, 6-2 at home against teams with winning road records and 8-3 against teams with winning records, but it has gone over the total in 17 of 23 against the Eastern Conference.
In this series, the under is 6-2 in the last eight overall and 13-3-1 in the last 17 played in Canada.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Orlando (39-19, 30-27-1 ATS) at New Orleans (30-28, 29-29 ATS)
The Magic head to New Orleans Arena looking to hand the Hornets their third straight loss and seventh in their last 11 contests.
Orlando has won two in a row (SU and ATS) and seven of their last 10 (6-4 ATS). On, Wednesday the Magic clobbered the Rockets in Houston 110-92, easily cashing as 4½-point road favorites. Dwight Howard delivered a big game, going 11-of-11 from the field for 30 points and pulling down 16 rebounds.
Even though they have dropped two straight, the Hornets are 6-2 ATS in their last eight. However, they’re coming off Wednesday’s ugly 115-95 loss in Milwaukee as six-point underdogs. They were outrebounded by nine and allowed the Bucks to shoot 52.2 percent from the floor.
The home team has won the last three meetings between these two, including a Feb. 8 contest in Orlando when the Magic eked out a 123-117 win, but came up short as 9½-point favorites. The Hornets are 6-3-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings with the Magic. In this series, the road team is on an 11-4-1 ATS run while the underdog has cashed in nine of the last 12.
Orlando is on ATS streaks of 4-1 on the road, 4-1 as a favorite and 5-1 after getting a day off, but it is on ATS skids of 1-4 on Fridays, 2-5-1 against Western Conference teams and 1-4 after a spread-cover. New Orleans comes into tonight’s contest just 3-7 ATS in its last 10 at home and 3-13 ATS in its last 16 on Fridays, but riding positive ATS streaks of 5-0 after getting one day off, 23-7 at home against teams with winning road records, 6-2 as a home pup and 18-6 against teams with winning records.
The Magic are on a plethora of “under” streaks, including 9-3 overall, 23-9 on the road, 21-8 against Western Conference teams, 41-18 after getting a day off and 13-3 on Friday. The Hornets have topped the total in six straight after a non-cover, seven of 10 as an underdog and 11 of 16 overall, but they are on “under” runs of 29-14 at home and 20-8-1 as a home pup.
Finally, in this series, the under has been the play in nine of the last 12 meetings, including five of six in the Bayou.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(15) Butler (25-4, 12-17 ATS) at Valparaiso (15-15, 16-9-1 ATS)
Butler, which has already wrapped up the Horizon League regular-season championship, looks to finish off a perfect conference season when it travels to Valparaiso.
The Bulldogs ran their overall winning streak to 17 in a row with Saturday’s 70-53 rout of Siena in a “Bracket Buster” contest, easily covering as a nine-point home favorite. Butler started conference play with an 84-67 rout of Valpo on Dec. 5 (coming up just short of covering as an 18-point favorite), then split four non-conference contests before resuming Horizon League action on New Year’s Eve and ripping off 16 straight wins. Including the non-conference victory over Siena, Butler has held five straight opponents under 60 points, giving up an average of just 54.2 ppg during this stretch.
Of Butler’s 17 Horizon League victories, 13 have come by double digits, including the last six in a row. Despite that, the Bulldogs are just 7-10 ATS in conference play, including 4-5 ATS on the road.
The Crusaders went to Bowling Green for a “Bracket Buster” contest on Saturday and got drilled 87-70 as a two-point road underdog. Prior to that, Valparaiso had been on a 9-3 SU and ATS run (all in conference action). The Crusaders are tied for third place in the Horizon League at 10-7, but unlike Butler, they’ve been money against league rivals, going 12-4-1 ATS. They’re also 9-2 SU and 6-3 ATS at home this season.
Butler has won all seven meetings since these teams became Horizon League members in 2005-06, including three victories at Valpo by margins of 13, 3 and 13 points. However, the Crusaders are 3-1-1 ATS in lined action in this rivalry, cashing in the last two meetings (both at Butler). The visitor is 4-0-1 ATS in the five lined contests.
The Bulldogs have failed to cover in five of their last seven league games and eight of nine when coming off an ATS win, but they’re 11-3 ATS in their last 14 on Friday. Meanwhile, Valpo is on pointspread surges of 9-3 overall, 4-1 at home, 9-2 in Horizon League action, 7-1-1 after a non-cover, 7-1-1 against winning teams and 4-1-1 on Friday.
Butler has topped the total in four of its last five road games and four straight Friday contests, while the Crusaders are on “over” runs of 21-8-1 overall, 5-0-1 at home, 16-5-1 in the Horizon League, 5-2 on Friday and 4-0 after a non-cover. Finally, the over is 4-1 in the five lined meetings between these squads.
ATS ADVANTAGE: VALPARAISO and OVER
Nelly
Minnesota + over Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City was one of the top ATS teams of the first half of the season but the numbers are catching up to the Thunder, a team now getting a lot more attention with the big numbers being put up by Kevin Durant. The Thunder enters this game having lost four in a row ATS including a narrow two-point win in Minnesota last week. The Thunder made 22 of 23 free throws in that game and shot over 47 percent yet still needed a great finish to sneak out a narrow win. Minnesota is hardly a team to trust in a revenge spot but the Wolves are a winning ATS team for the year and this has been a competitive team since the break. Minnesota is 1-5 S/U in the second half but the last three losses have all been decided by six points or less and the Wolves won at Miami on Tuesday. Minnesota has covered in three of the last four meetings between these teams and the Thunder have fallen to just 14-13 ATS in home games. This will be a steep spread for an Oklahoma City team that simply has not produced a great deal of blowout wins regardless of opponents. The Thunder have allowed 102 points per game in the past five games while Minnesota seems to be making an improvement on the defensive end now that the lineup and rotation has been more consistent.
Marc Lawrence
Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder returns home, looking to snap a two-game losing slide when they host the Timberwolves in Oklahoma City this evening. While Minny has been mighty of late with three straight ATS win, the fact of the matter is they own only one ATS win in their last nine tries as a visitor in this series. They are also just 4-7 ATS on the road against opponents off a SU and ATS loss this campaign. With that, look for the Thunder get back on the win track as they improve to 15-2 ATS in games off a SU and ATS loss this season here tonight.
Cajun Sports
Dallas Mavericks vs. Atlanta Hawks
Play: Atlanta Hawks -3.5
The Atlanta Hawks play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night with tipoff set for 7:05PM EST. The Hawks recently returned home from a road swing that saw them go 2-2 straight up with their big win in Utah securing a .500 road trip. Last Wednesday night they defeated the Timberwolves 98 to 92 which marked their twenty-second win at home in twenty-eight tries. The Mavericks enter tonight’s game after defeating the LA Lakers at home in what had to be a very physical and emotionally draining win. They held on for the 101 to 96 victory but the game saw a total of twenty-four lead changes giving the Mavs their fifth straight win. Prior to that win Dallas was struggling losing six of their previous eight games and one has to wonder if they will be flat after what seemed like a postseason contest versus the best team in the West in the Lakers. The Mavericks have had a hard time against this Hawks team losing the first meeting of the season at home 80 to 75 and dropping their last two visits to ATL. One key component in those wins has been the fact the Hawks have been successful in slowing the offense of the Mavericks allowing them an average of 90.5 points per game compared to their season average of 100.7 points per game. Dallas is only 2-5 ATS their last 7 when revenging a home loss. Dallas is just 2-5 ATS their last seven versus teams from the Eastern Conference and 2-7 ATS in their last nine versus teams from the Southeast. Dallas has been one of those teams that normally gets out of the gate fast but fades late and their ATS record versus winning teams during the second half of the season certainly supports that point as they are a miserable 28-40 ATS in this situation over the last three seasons. The Hawks have found ATS success when facing teams from the Southwest posting a record of 4-1 ATS their last five games. Atlanta has been solid in the role of favorite going 26-16 ATS and also protecting their home floor with a record of 18-10 ATS their last 28 home affairs. With our TPR Index favoring the Hawks at home by 5.5 points also receiving significant technical and situational support we will back them here as they continue their recent dominance over the Mavericks on Friday night in Atlanta.
PROJECTED FORECAST: 2* Atlanta Hawks 96 Dallas Mavericks 89
Rob Vinciletti
Niagara vs. Manhattan
Play: Niagara -3
Niagara already owns an easy 24 point victory vs Mnahattan this year. In fact the last 3 games between these 2 teams have all been blowout wins for the Purple Aces all by at least 19 points. Tonight we note that Niagara is 10-1 since 1997 in road games when the total is 135 to 140 and they have won 16 of 21 games the last 3 years in February. As a road favorite of 3 or less they have won and coverd 7 of 10 times. Manhattan is just 1-6 straight up and against the spread as a home dog of 3 or less the past 3 years and are 3-12 and 5-10 vs winning teams. Look for Niagara to win and cover here once again.
Sam Martin
Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder
Minnesota has played competitive recently, covering three straight and actually scoring a win in Miami the other night, but we'll fade the Timberwolves here in the last game of a three-game road trip. Oklahoma City has dropped two straight against Phoenix and San Antonio, and the T-Wolves are the perfect opponent for the Thunder to right the ship against. Prior to those two losses, Oklahoma City had won nine straight, and they'll come out focused tonight to get back in the win column. Minnesota is due for a blowout loss, and we think it happens tonight! 5* Play on Oklahoma City.
David Chan
Portland Trail Blazers @ Chicago Bulls
PICK: Portland Trail Blazers +3.5
This line should be closer to pick’em. The Blazers are thin inside with Marcus Camby battling an ankle injury and Greg Oden out for the year, but the Bulls are in rebuild mode and fundamentally soft. The Bulls have won-and-covered 5 of 6, but let’s look at those opponents: the Knicks (home and away), the T-Wolves, Sixers, Wizards (loss, no cover) and Pacers. Not exactly murderers’ row. The Bulls have a losing record against teams with a winning record, and should not be asked to surrender points here.
The Blazers won this season’s game in Portland 122-98. Oden had an easy double-double. Of course they’ll miss him here but they won’t miss him enough that they’ll need points. Portland has won its last three on the road including games in Phoenix and Toronto—that shows that the team is maturing.
Jim Feist
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Play: Philadelphia 76ers +11½
The 76ers are playing respectable basketball, on a 5-5 SU, 6-4 ATS run. They already have a win on this West Coast trip, winning 110-102 at Golden State. This is the final game of a 4-game trip. The Lakers got Kobe Bryan back the last game after a 3-week absence. The team wasn't in sync despite a good overall shooting night, losing at Dallas, giving up 101 points. LA is 0-4 ATS the last four games. Philadelphia is a perfect 5-0 ATS its last five games as a double digit dog, including a win at Boston as a +12 dog. Play the 76ers.
James Patrick Sports
Knicks vs. Wizards
The Knicks have played well against the Boys from our Nation's Capitol cashing winning tickets in (8) of (11) contests. Washington has plans for the future as evidenced by their unloading some big contracts while HC Mike Dantonio of New York just wants to put a current (8) game losing streak to an end. Big Game James Patrick's Friday selection in NBA Hoop action is New York Knicks.
Terron Chapman
Butler vs. Valparaiso
Play: Valparaiso +8.5
The No. 15 Butler Bulldogs (25-4) will go for perfection tonight when they visit in-state rival, the Valparaiso Crusaders (15-15) at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. on ESPNU. Valparaiso was unable to capture a victory in its final non-league game of the regular season, falling to Bowling Green State University 87-70 Saturday afternoon in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Bulldogs pulled away from Siena, 70-53 last Saturday in their bracket buster.
The Bulldogs have won all five meetings since Valpo joined the Horizon League, including an 84-67 victory in Indianapolis on Dec. 5 of this season. The Crusaders actually shot 53.3% from the field for the game and nearly matched the Bulldogs from the floor, but Butler earned 15 more points from the free throw line to earn the win. Don’t expect such a disparity this time around on the Crusaders home floor. Valpo came into the season as one of the least experienced teams in the league. The Crusaders have battled back from a rough start to the season which should have been expected due to their youth. The Crusaders took on four teams ranked in the nation’s top-25, all on the road, within the first nine games of the season, part of a stretch that saw Valpo play 10 of its first 13 games away from home.
Valpo is a stellar 9-2 at the Athletics-Recreation Center this season. The Crusaders are the league's highest-scoring (73.1) and best-shooting (47.2 percent) team. They average league bests in assists (15.1) and 3-pointers (7.7). They won’t lay down tonight and should be plenty motivated on Senior Night with revenge on their minds. The Crusaders will be eager to put a disappointing loss their last time out behind them. They have excelled in this role under coach Homer Drew, going 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 games following a straight-up loss. Look for an inspired effort from the Crusaders in their home finale, take the points. Play on the Valparaiso Crusaders for 1 unit.
Matt Fargo
Brown @ Harvard
PICK: Brown +15.5
Brown is coming off a weekend sweep last Friday and Saturday against Princeton and Penn and both of those came on the road. The Bears have had a disappointing season and they could have tossed the towel in long ago but they continue to play hard and will close out the season doing so. There were not a ton of expectations this season for Brown but things should have been better with two All-Ivy League players in Matt Mullery and Peter Sullivan. The big issue this season was injuries. There were not a lot of missed games but nagging injuries would cause players to play hurt and finally this team is back to 100 percent. The Bears have now won three of their last four games and they are a very respectable 3-2 on the road in the Ancient Eight. A loss at Columbia was a bad won but a 14-point loss at Cornell was a decent showing as they were in the game for the majority of the time before a second half run put the game out of reach. This team is playing with enough confidence right now and the goal with four games remaining is to finish the season with a .500 conference record meaning it will need to win three of those final four games. I give Harvard a lot of respect. After getting blown out at home against likely Ivy League champion Cornell last Friday night, it came back on Saturday and played a very focused game in the dismantling of Columbia. With the Ivy League Championship lone gone, the Crimson will be playing out the season and hope to get into one of the other postseason tournaments and with an 18-6 record, that is a good possibility. While a win here is a must, the game tomorrow night is the one that is going to be in the forefront. It is the final home game of the season for Harvard and more notable, the final home game in the spectacular career of guard Jeremy Lin, who recently moved into eighth place on the all-time Harvard scoring list. Brown is 5-2 ATS this season as double-digit underdogs while Harvard is 1-2 ATS when favored by 15 or more points. This is a revenge game for Brown who lost at home to the Crimson by 14 points less than two weeks ago. Playing the road revenge factor is tough especially when the line is as big as it is but we do not need the outright here and the Bears have proven to be solid in these spots in the past. Brown is 19-7 ATS in its last 26 road games revenging a loss where the opponent scored 75 or more points. Meanwhile, Harvard is just 6-15-1 ATS in its last 22 games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. 3* Brown Bears
Bobby Maxwell
Orlando (-4') at NEW ORLEANS
I'm 58-26-1 with my last 85 FREE selections and tonight I've got another winner for you as I lay the chalk with the Magic as they visit New Orleans to take on the Hornets.
New Orleans is a mediocre team without Chris Paul in the lineup. They aren’t going to be able to hang with the upper echelon in the NBA and tonight that is exactly what they get when the Magic come to town.
I’m going to lay the chalk with Orlando on the road. The Magic just crushed the Rockets on Wednesday, winning 110-92 as 4 ½-point favorites. They got a great game from center Dwight Howard who was 11-for-11 from the field for 30 points and he grabbed 16 rebounds. Vince Carter is playing solid basketball right now and if they ever get those two going and have Rashard Lewis knocking down shots, this team is tough to beat.
The Hornets have dropped two in a row and got destroyed in Milwaukee on Wednesday, losing 115-95 as six-point underdogs. They lost on Tuesday in Cleveland, falling 105-95, but cashing as 11 ½-point underdogs. They are just 3-13 ATS in their last 16 Friday games and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Orlando has put up 103.6 points a game over its last five and is shooting 48 percent from the floor. They are starting to get the offense going and it won’t be hard against the Hornets.
In this rivalry, the road team is 11-4-1 ATS in the last 16 clashes and I expect the Magic to come out and deliver a beating to the Hornets. Lay the chalk and go with Orlando tonight.
3♦ ORLANDO
Karl Garrett
Charlotte (+5) at NEW ORLEANS
Thursday winner on California minus the points, the G-Man now 3-1 my last 4 comp plays.
Time to take a shot with the Bobcats plus the points in Memphis this Friday night!
February has not been kind to Larry Brown's team, as Charlotte comes to the FedEx Forum sporting losses in their last 3 games, and 7 of their 10 games this month. The points haven't helped much either, as Charlotte is just 2-8 against the line in those 10 games.
The Grizzlies have fared a little better of late, as they have split their 6 games since the All-Star break, and are coming off a road win and cover at Washington.
Series numbers show the Bobcats with outright wins in the last 3 meetings, and 4 of the last 5. This tells the G-Man that the matchups look good for the 'Cats.
Take the points as desperate Charlotte makes a stand tonight in Memphis.
2♦ CHARLOTTE
EZWINNERS
San Antonio Spurs -3
The feel good story that was the Houston Rockets has come to an end and reality is starting to set in. Houston was finally able to trade T-Mac which should help them down the road, but for now they are a struggling team. Until Kevin Martin acclimates himself and, more importantly, starts knocking down shots, this is a team who is still does not have a superstar that can score in bunches, answer other teams' spurts, or get get a good shot clock running down. San Antonio is having a sub par season themselves, but they still have more weapons than the Rockets and they will be seeking revenge to a home loss to Houston earlier in the season. The road team is 4-0 against the spread in the last four meetings and the Rockets are on a 1-12 slide against the spread in their last thirteen home games. Lay the points.
SPORTS WAGERS
USA -½ +1.04 over Finland
Somehow the Fins are getting a little too much credit here. They opened the tourney with a 5-1 win over Belarus and followed that up with a 5-0 win over Germany. Big deal. In its third preliminary game they fell to the Swedes 3-0 and looked overmatched in doing so. To advance to this stage the Fins beat the Czechs 2-0 and it’s safe to suggest the Czechs did not have a great tournament, as they beat Latvia 3-2 to get here and it’s only notable win coming over the underachieving, and as it turned out, very beatable Russians. The Fins could not find the back of the net against Henrik Lundqvist and things sure as hell won’t be any easier against Ryan Miller. Finland has some very decent talent but all of its top players are second line NHLers with the exception of Backstrom and not top line guys. Its defense is average at best and to prove that point all you have to do is look at the roster and see Toni Lydman on the squad. The Americans have yet to lose a game and that includes its memorable win over the powerful Canadians. USA has the firepower, they have the goaltending and a date with the Canadians on Sunday for Gold is unlikely to be hindered by the Fins. Play: USA -½ +1.04 (Risking 2 units).
Portland +1.46 over CHICAGO
The Bulls are a decent squad, make no mistake about that, however, they’re also a beatable squad and when they play quality teams they don’t look nearly as good. A close look reveals that the Bulls last seven wins have come against Indiana twice, the Knicks twice, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami. All those teams are below .500 and the win over the Heat was at home and they won by four. The Bulls last three losses were to Washington, Atlanta, and Orlando, the latter two, both teams well above .500, by 10 and 20 points respectively. The Trail Blazers are about as tough as they come, both mentally and physically. They’re coming off back-to-back wins over the Nets and Raps and should have three wins in a row after they blew a 25-point lead to the red-hot Jazz and eventually lost in OT. The Bulls stock is overvalued because of a string of very high offensive productions but again, that was against some of the league’s worst defensive squads. The same fate does not wait them here. Portland can play defense and they can play it as good as anyone. They have dominated the Bulls over the years, beating them five straight with the last three all being blowouts. We also have a case of East vs West and that, too, is significant. Play: Portland +1.46 (Risking 2 units).
NEW ORLEANS +4½/+1.70 over Orlando
These small road favorites on Friday nights have a long history of rolling snake eyes and after those small road favorites went 3-0 last night you can be damn sure a couple or more upsets will take place tonight. The Hornets are coming off back-to-back losses to the Cav’s and Bucks but the 10-point loss to the Cav’s is a very misleading score. The Hornets were in that one right down to the wire and gave Cleveland a huge run for its money. The next night they were a bit gassed in that loss to the Bucks but Milwaukee is playing terrific ball right now. The Hornets are still 19-9 at home and remain one of the more undervalued teams in the league. By contrast, the Magic remain one of the more overvalued clubs. They have a great record but they’re not as good as last year’s squad. They’re 17-13 on the road but they’re just 5-6 on the road against Western clubs with only wins coming against the T-Wolves, Clip Joint, Sacramento twice and Houston. That’s not very impressive at all and they pretty much always lose to quality western teams on the road. The Hornets qualify as such. Play: New Orleans +4½ (Risking 1.05 units to win 1) Play: New Orleans +1.70 (Risking 1 unit).
OKLAHOMA CITY –9½ over Minnesota
The best part about this game is that the Thunder are coming off back-to-back losses and will not take this night off. This is a determined group that will not take the T-Wolves for granted. Minnesota is coming off four very intense and close games in a row and that takes its toll, especially on bad teams. They very often get blown away and picking the spots when that’ll occur is tricky but this one sets up beautifully for that to happen. Aside from those four close games, the T-Wolves will play its third straight on the road before heading home to play Portland tomorrow night and asking them to stay close to the hungry Thunder is an assignment they likely won’t be prepared to deal with. Play: Oklahoma City –9½ (Risking 2.06 units to win 2).