NBA News and Notes Wednesday 12/10

Hot and Cold Bets - Week 7
By Matt Fargo

The NBA is now in full swing and our eight-month marathon of the pro basketball season is underway. Matt Fargo will be looking into Hot and Cold NBA bets throughout the season and he takes a look at four games that you will want to pay attention to.

NBA Cold Bets This Week

Wednesday – Milwaukee Bucks at Golden St. Warriors 10:30 PM ET

Heading into Monday, Golden St. has lost nine straight games (2-7 ATS) to move to 5-15 (8-12 ATS) on the year and things are not good in the bay area. The Warriors are extremely young, the youngest team in the league actually, and they tend to fall off course quite easily. Defensively, Golden St. is the worst in the NBA as it is allowing 112 ppg on the season and the Warriors have given up an average of 120.1 ppg on 50.5 percent shooting during the losing streak. Seven of the games have been on the road but a 3-5 home record is nothing to be proud of. This is a team that needs to be faded until they can show they can actually win. Milwaukee has been up and down this season, going 9-13 but is 15-6-1 ATS as it has been able to stay within some pretty inflated numbers. The Bucks are 4-9 on the road (9-3-1 ATS) but after going 7-34 on the road a season ago, the four wins look very solid. Milwaukee lost both meetings to the Warriors last season by 20 and 30 points and those losses are hard to forget.

NBA Today

SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Phoenix at L.A. Lakers (10:30 p.m. EST). The Suns expect to be without Shaquille O’Neal, who will attend the funeral of his 92-year-old great-grandmother, when they face his former team, the Lakers (17-3), who have the best record in the Western Conference.

STARS

Tuesday

— Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, Spurs. Duncan scored eight of his 32 points in the decisive second overtime, Parker added 29 points and 10 assists, and San Antonio beat Dallas 133-126.

— Shaquille O’Neal, Suns, scored a season-high 35 points in Phoenix’s 125-110 victory over Milwaukee. It was O’Neal’s first 30-point game since March 9, 2007, for Miami.

— Caron Butler, Wizards, scored 33 points as Washington overcame a miserable start to rally for a 107-94 victory over Detroit.

— Yao Ming, Rockets, scored 24 points and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds in Houston’s 92-84 victory over Atlanta.

— Drew Gooden, Bulls, had a season-high 22 points and 16 rebounds as Chicago beat New York 105-100.

SKID SNAPPED

Sacramento snapped an eight-game losing streak with a surprising 113-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings’ first victory in nine home games was one of the NBA’s most improbable results of the young season and ended the Lakers’ (17-3) team record-tying run to start the season. Sacramento (6-16) had lost 11 of its 12 games coming in.

RECORD SETTERS

On a night when their top two players set franchise records, the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a league mark with a 114-94 romp over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. LeBron James passed Mark Price (734) for the club’s steals mark, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas surpassed Brad Daugherty (5,227) as Cleveland’s career rebound leader. The Cavaliers became the first team in league history to win nine consecutive games in a single season by at least 12 points. Cleveland came in tied with Portland (1990-91), Chicago (1996-97), Detroit (2003-04) and Houston (2007-08).

ANYWHERE BUT HERE

Milwaukee lost in Phoenix on Tuesday for the 21st straight time, 125-110. The Suns matched the San Antonio Spurs’ string of 21 straight home victories over Golden State for the longest active streak. The last Milwaukee victory in Phoenix came on Feb. 21, 1987, when the Suns played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the city’s West Side. … The Hawks have lost 10 straight in Houston after Tuesday’s 92-84 loss.

ONE GAME DOWN, 20 YEARS TO GO?

Kevin McHale coached his first game this season in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 99-96 loss to the Utah Jazz, who were playing on the 20th anniversary of Jerry Sloan’s promotion to the team’s head coach. The Timberwolves have changed coaches four times in the last four years after McHale replaced Randy Wittman. Their latest move was the 223rd coaching change in the NBA since Sloan became coach of the Jazz on Dec. 9, 1988.

NEW LOOK, SAME RESULT

Detroit debuted its new lineup in Washington, but lost for the fourth time in five games and dropped to 7-9 since the trade for Allen Iverson. Iverson started at shooting guard, Richard Hamilton moved to small forward, Tayshaun Prince moved to power forward and Rasheed Wallace replaced center Kwame Brown, who was benched. Rodney Stuckey started at point guard.

SPEAKING

“They keep feeding me like that, those are the type of numbers that they can expect out of me. But sometimes I get those shots and sometimes I don’t.”— Shaquille O’Neal, after scoring a season-high 35 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 125-110 victory over Milwaukee. O’Neal hit 14 of 19 shots from the floor and 7-of-12 from the line in his first 30-point game since March 9, 2007, for Miami against Minnesota.

INDIANA (7 - 13) at TORONTO (8 - 11)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 5-2 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

NEW YORK (9 - 11) at NEW JERSEY (11 - 8)
Top Trends for this game.
NEW JERSEY is 150-113 ATS (+25.7 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
NEW JERSEY is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 4-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 5-3 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

CLEVELAND (17 - 3) at PHILADELPHIA (9 - 12)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 4-3 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 5-2 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

MEMPHIS (6 - 15) at OKLAHOMA CITY (2 - 20)
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 44-59 ATS (-20.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 32-45 ATS (-17.5 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 66-43 ATS (+18.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-4 against the spread versus MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 4-4 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

CHARLOTTE (7 - 14) at NEW ORLEANS (11 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
CHARLOTTE is 12-29 ATS (-19.9 Units) against Southwest division opponents since 1996.
CHARLOTTE is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 64-46 ATS (+13.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 47-31 ATS (+12.9 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 35-22 ATS (+10.8 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 41-22 ATS (+16.8 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 51-31 ATS (+16.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 3-2 against the spread versus CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 3-2 straight up against CHARLOTTE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

ATLANTA (12 - 7) at SAN ANTONIO (11 - 8)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 27-49 ATS (-26.9 Units) in road games in December games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 459-394 ATS (+25.6 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 23-11 ATS (+10.9 Units) as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 64-46 ATS (+13.4 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 3-1 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 4-0 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

MINNESOTA (4 - 15) at DENVER (14 - 7)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 43-56 ATS (-18.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 34-48 ATS (-18.8 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 18-31 ATS (-16.1 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 19-32 ATS (-16.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 5-5 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 8-2 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

MILWAUKEE (9 - 13) at GOLDEN STATE (6 - 15)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 2-2 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 2-2 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

INDIANA vs. TORONTO
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana

NEW YORK vs. NEW JERSEY
New York is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games when playing New Jersey
New York is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
New Jersey is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

CHARLOTTE vs. NEW ORLEANS
Charlotte is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
Charlotte is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
New Orleans is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
New Orleans is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

CLEVELAND vs. PHILADELPHIA
Cleveland is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Cleveland is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Philadelphia is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games

MEMPHIS vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
Memphis is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Memphis is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Oklahoma City is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games when playing at home against Memphis
Oklahoma City is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Memphis

ATLANTA vs. SAN ANTONIO
Atlanta is 4-15 ATS in its last 19 games when playing San Antonio
Atlanta is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

MINNESOTA vs. DENVER
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Denver is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota

MILWAUKEE vs. GOLDEN STATE
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Milwaukee is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Golden State is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Golden State is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

PHOENIX vs. LA LAKERS
Phoenix is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Phoenix is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
LA Lakers are 17-8 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix

Cleveland (18-3, 17-4 ATS) at Philadelphia (9-12, 8-13 ATS)

The streaking Cavaliers go for their 10th consecutive double-digit win when they pay a visit to the Wachovia Center for a battle with the 76ers, who are off to a disappointing start to their season.

Cleveland ran its winning streak to nine in a row with Tuesday’s 114-94 rout of the Raptors as a 12½-point favorite and is now off to the best start in franchise history. Not only have the Cavaliers won nine in a row, but they’ve cashed in all nine contests, each of which has come by a dozen points or more – an NBA record – with the last four being blowouts of 20 or more. The average margin of victory during the Cleveland’s winning streak is 19.6 points per game, and 15 of the team’s 18 wins have been by double digits.

Despite the presence of LeBron James, who is second in the league in scoring at nearly 27 ppg, Cleveland has been doing its damage on the defensive end, holding 17 of 20 opponents to less than 100 points and giving up an average of just 81.6 ppg in its last five.

While the Cavaliers have been rolling all season, Philadelphia has failed to live up to preseason expectations and comes into this game in a 2-5 SU and ATS funk, including four consecutive SU and ATS losses at home. The Sixers have been off since Saturday, when they fell 95-84 to New Jersey as a 2½-point home chalk. Philadelphia has scored 96 points or fewer in 14 of 21 games this year, including being held under 90 points nine times.

Cleveland has won six of the last eight meetings against the 76ers, including three straight wins at the Wachovia Center. However, Philadelphia has cashed in three of the last four head-to-head battles. Finally, in the last six games in this rivalry, the visitor is 5-1 ATS and the underdog 6-0 ATS, including four outright upsets.

The Cavs have won and covered in six of their last seven road games, and they’re 7-2 ATS on the highway this season. Additionally, they’re on ATS streaks of 24-5 overall, 22-6 against the Eastern Conference, 17-5 versus the Atlantic Division, 8-0 against teams with a losing record, 4-1 on Wednesdays and 5-1 when playing on back-to-back nights.

In addition to its ATS ruts of 2-5 overall and 0-4 at home, Philadelphia is 1-7 ATS in its last eight on Wednesdays and 7-16 ATS in its last 23 against the Eastern Conference.

The over is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings between these teams, including 5-1 in the last six clashes at the Wachovia Center. However, Cleveland currently is on under streaks of 6-1 overall, 4-1 on the road, 11-5 against the Atlantic Division, 4-1 against the Eastern Conference, 4-0 when playing on no rest and 6-2 on Wednesdays. Also, the under for the Sixers is on stretches of 5-2-2 overall, 22-8-1 at home, 10-2-2 versus the East and 8-3-1 against the Central Division.

ATS ADVANTAGE: CLEVELAND

Atlanta (12-8, 10-9-1 ATS) at San Antonio (12-8, 11-9 ATS)

The Hawks continue their four-game road trip and conclude three three-city swing through Texas when they invade the AT&T Center looking to cool off the Spurs.

Atlanta began its trip with Saturday’s 100-98 loss to Dallas as a 6 ½-point favorite, then went to Houston on Tuesday and got outscored by 10 points in the fourth quarter in losing 92-84 as a five-point underdog. Atlanta is still 4-2 ATS in its last six games, including 3-1 ATS on the road. Prior to this recent ATS surge, Atlanta and failed to cover in its previous seven contests.

San Antonio trekked to Dallas on Tuesday and outlasted the Mavericks 133-126 in double overtime, covering as a two-point road favorite. The Spurs are playing solid basketball, winning three in a row, seven out of nine and 10 of their last 13, with the SU winner covering the spread in each of those 13 games. In fact, the SU winner is 20-1 ATS in San Antonio games this year. Gregg Popovich’s squad had held 14 of its 15 opponents under triple digits prior to last night, giving up less than 90 points nine times during this stretch.

The Spurs have swept the two-game season series from Atlanta the last two years, going 2-1-1 ATS. Last year, San Antonio won 95-83 as a six-point road favorite and 89-74 as a 12-point home chalk. The Spurs are 11-4-1 ATS in the last 15 clashes with the Hawks, all as a favorite, including 7-0-1 ATS in the last eight meetings at the AT&T Center.

The Hawks are on positive pointspread runs of 4-2-1 versus the Western Conference, 4-1 against the Southwest Division and 4-2 versus winning teams. Meanwhile, in addition to its current 10-3 ATS run overall, San Antonio is on pointspread streaks of 4-1 at home and 8-2 against the Southeast Division, but the Spurs have failed to cash in four of their last five on Wednesdays and five of their last six when playing on back-to-back nights.

For the Spurs, the under is on runs of 21-8 overall, 12-3 at home, 5-0 against the Eastern Conference, 11-5 on Wednesdays and 14-3 after an ATS triumph. Also, the under is 3-0 in Atlanta’s last three overall and 6-1 in its last seven against winning teams. Lastly, the under is 5-1 in the last six Spurs-Hawks battles.

ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN ANTONIO and UNDER

Phoenix (13-9, 9-13 ATS) at L.A. Lakers (17-3, 11-9 ATS)

Nearly three weeks after smoking the Suns in Phoenix, Kobe Bryant and the smoldering Lakers try to do it again when they host Shaquille O’Neal and the Suns at the Staples Center.

Los Angeles ventured up the state Tuesday night and suffered a stunning 113-101 loss to the Kings as a 12½-point road favorite, ending a three-game winning streak. The Lakers, who are just 5-8 ATS in their last 13 games and 2-5 ATS in the last seven, had scored at least 104 points in 11 straight games prior to last night. Tonight, they return home, where they’re 10-1 on the season and outscoring visitors by an average of 13 ppg.

Phoenix snapped a four-game SU losing skid with Saturday’s 106-104 home win over Utah, then walloped Milwaukee 125-110 Tuesday, cashing as a 6½-point home chalk. The Suns, who have allowed 102 points or more in seven straight games and nine of their last 11, are still mired in a 4-11 ATS rut, including 1-5 ATS on the road.

The Lakers cruised to a 105-92 win at Phoenix on Nov. 20, covering easily as a 4½-point road favorite. Los Angeles has won two in a row and four of the last five against the Suns, and they’re 5-1 ATS in the last six clashes overall. However, the road team has covered in six of the last seven meetings, and Phoenix is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 trips to the Staples Center.

In addition to their ATS woes of 4-11 overall and 1-5 on the road, the Suns have negative pointspread numbers of 2-9 against the Western Conference, 5-11-2 on Wednesdays and 0-4 against winning teams. Meanwhile, the Lakers are just 3-5 ATS in their last eight home games, but otherwise are on ATS hot streaks of 35-17 in divisional games, 20-8-1 versus the Western Conference, 4-0 on Wednesdays and 4-0 when playing on back-to-back nights.

The over is 5-2 in the last seven Suns-Lakers tussles overall and 5-2 in the last seven clashes in L.A. Also, the over is on stretches of 7-2 for the Lakers overall, 8-2 for the Lakers at home, 7-0 for Phoenix overall, 4-1 for Phoenix on the road, 4-1 for Phoenix on Wednesday and 6-0 for Phoenix when playing on consecutive nights.

ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. LAKERS and OVER

Gametimepicks.com

NBA RESEARCH REPORT
By Indiancowboy

Indiana vs. Toronto

It's hard to imagine Toronto being favored over anyone right now. But, 63% of the public is backing them and who knows, the Raptors could show some heart as they returned home. After all, in their last game at home (remember, they have new coaching as Sam Mitchell was fired recently) they lost by just 1 point to Portland and covered the 3 point spread. Hence, they could win today ending their five game skid. Indiana comes off a hard fought overtime loss to Boston and looks to bounce-back here. I'm not the ones to take public favorites usually but at some point Toronto needs to win big at home and this is a good spot as any for them. Toronto is 1-7-1 ATS of late, I do have a lean on the over here considering that Indiana will be an active dog and Toronto will want to put up points in part because of their lack of scoring at Cavs, in part b/c they need a blowout win and in part, the Pacers will put up their fair share of points. But, still is a rich line to take for an over. no thanks.

Knicks vs. Nets

Note, that Simmons for the Nets is questionable. The Knicks come off a tough loss to the Bulls on the road losing by 5. These two teams are no fan of each other, over 63% are backing teh Knicks here which is typically not good news for the public dog. NY has covered their last 3 including being a 10 point dog at Atlanta, defeating the Pistons outright at home (by the way, the Pistons are udner .500 with Iverson in the lineup as they are 8-9 for the year) and the Nets have covered 5 of their last 6. I actually lean on the Nets here as they are playing great basketball with Devin Harris, having said that, I don't want to lay 9 points to the Knicks who are coming off a loss.

Charlotte vs. New Orleans

Note, that Wallace is still listed as doubtful for this game as he did not play at Charlotte's loss at Miami. Note, that Charlotte did cover that game and Richardson played despite having a family loss. As per this game, New Orleans has a big revenge game against Charlotte today from an earlier season outright loss back in November. The Hornets come off big wins over Memphis and Phoenix and will look to blow out another team at home with revenge. Lean on the Hornets here despite the big spread as Charlotte is also playing a back to back while the Hornets are rested.

Memphis vs. Oklahoma City

Memphis is feeling the love by about 65% of the public after their big win over the Rockets at home. Memphis has won 6 games this year while OKC has only won 2. Of course, OKC is 12-10 ATS this year. But, did you know that this is a revenge game for Memphis? They lost to OKC back on November 29th as favorites of -7.5 points and now look to return the favor on the road. OKC comes off a SU loss and an ATS loss after covering 6 straight and despite Memphis being backed by most of the public, I lean on them with the revenge here.

Cleveland vs. Philadelphia

Note, that Brand will likely return for this game. Hence, the line has not come out yet. But, how good are the Cavs this year? This Clevleand team is the #1 ATS team in the league as they are 17-4 ATS and a dominant 12-0 at home. This team has one more win that the Lakers if I am not mistaken at 18-3 this year and has won 9 straight and comes off a big win over the Raptors. The Sixers come off a home loss to the Nets and look to bounce-back here, but either way, the Cavs are on fire right now and the only question is whether you bet on this team or not as they are once again, the best ATS team this year as they sit at 17-4 ATS.

Twolves vs. Denver

The Twolves with their new coach in Mc is behind the bench and have you notifed each time there is a new coach the team with the new coach covers the first game? Take a look at the Twolves yesterday against the Jazz, OKC and the Wizards to name just a few. Well, if you want to take a leap of faith on this Twolves team you can. But, just be wary that although I usually love the points, Denver has been solid at home of late covering spreads as they have covered big against the Raptors, Rockets and Bulls. But, the Twolves do have revenge in this game from an earlier season's loss at home to Denver.

Mavericks to be without Josh Howard indefinitely

DALLAS (AP) -Josh Howard put his problematic left ankle into a walking boot Tuesday, and the Dallas Mavericks don't know how long they'll be without their second-leading scorer and rebounder.

The former All-Star had missed eight straight games because of the injury. The frustrating part for the Mavericks was that every time he seemed close to returning, the ankle would swell and get sore again.

''You're talking about a dynamic athlete that needs to be up to near full capacity physically to do the things he does,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. ''So you can't put him out there unless he is pain-free and swelling-free and right now he's not.''

Multiple MRIs have shown no structural damage and nothing requiring surgery; Carlisle described it as ''nothing that's out of the ordinary.'' Thus, the best option was to mobilize the ankle in hopes that a long rest is all he needs.

''He's made progress, but he isn't there yet so we're going to shut him down for a little bit,'' Carlisle said. ''He's made a great effort to get back, but there's a yo-yo effect going on with the swelling. Right now, this is the right thing to do. Rather than get into a speculative amount of time, we're just going to say it's for a while.''

Howard averages 20.3 points and 8.2 rebounds, both trailing only Dirk Nowitzki. The swingman also is among the club's best defenders, able to cover guards and forwards.

Since Howard got hurt, Dallas was 7-1 going into Tuesday night's game against San Antonio, but Carlisle stressed ''we're much better with him.'' The Mavericks lost both games Howard missed earlier this season with a sprained wrist.

Jerry Stackhouse is not among the likely replacements because of a foot problem that's sidelined him since mid-November.

''There's something there that's still being addressed,'' Carlisle said.

Without Stackhouse or Howard, Carlisle has continued a season-long juggling of his lineup. Devean George was expected to start his fourth straight game Tuesday night, with Dallas also relying more on a three-guard lineup featuring Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea and Jason Terry. Shawne Williams has earned extra minutes lately, too.

''Until we can talk about (Howard) being ready to go, we'll have to just keep doing it by committee,'' Carlisle said. ''Without him out there, we're not the team that we need to be.''

Indiana at Toronto
Indiana: 22-11 ATS after allowing 110+ points
Toronto: 12-25 ATS when total is 200 or higher

New York at New Jersey
New York: 26-11 Over off BB ATS wins
New Jersey: 4-14 ATS off BB SU wins

Cleveland at Philadelphia
Cleveland: 15-2 ATS when favored
Philadelphia: 28-14 Over vs. Cleveland

Memphis at Oklahoma City
Memphis: 5-22 ATS off SU win
Oklahoma City: 7-2 ATS off Under

Charlotte at New Orleans
Charlotte: 1-9 ATS Away off division game
New Orleans: 11-1 ATS at home with same season revenge

Atlanta at San Antonio
Atlanta: 3-12 ATS Away off BB losses
San Antonio: 38-16 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points

Minnesota at Denver
Minnesota: 14-28 ATS off ATS win
Denver: 65-43 Over as a favorite

Milwaukee at Golden State
Milwaukee: 44-24 Over vs. Western Conference
Golden State: 8-0 Over at home

Phoenix at LA Lakers
Phoenix: 2-8 ATS playing with revenge
LA Lakers: 4-0 ATS playing on back-to-back days

NBA Wednesday Previews
By Andre Gomes

Indiana @ Toronto

Both teams are expected to come to this game in a bad mood, as both teams are in the bottom of their divisions. The Raptors lost their last 5 games and the Pacers are 3-10 in their last 13 games, but we can also say that both teams had the toughest schedule that any team could have. The Raptors played against Lakers, Denver, Utah, Portland and yesterday against the Cavs, while the Pacers played against Orlando, Lakers, Boston, Cavs and Boston again. We are talking about the best teams in this league! This is a back to back game for the Raptors, as they were spanked last night by the Cavs and Chris Bosh shot only 4-11 FG for 9 points. So I expect a kind of bounce back from him today. The Pacers are 2-8 on the road, but they had more time to prepare this game and this will be likely a game where the hungriest team will win.

New York @ New Jersey

Rivalry game in here with two teams that are over performing this season, especially the Nets, they are 9-3 in their last 12 games and they won last back to back games by double digits against Minny and Philly and so bounced back from an home loss against the Wizards in a great fashion. Meanwhile, the Knicks lost yesterday on the road against the Bulls by 100-105, in a authentic ballgame. Note that they only used only 7 players in the rotation and this may be a factor for tonight's game, but we can also say that this team is used to this situation. The Nets are a big favorite tonight and they are playing very well right now, but does this team deserve to be a 9 points favorite? Fatigue may be a factor in here, but if the Knicks can stay relatively with fresh legs, I expect them to be competitive.

Memphis @ Oklahoma City

The Thunder maybe really wants to be the worst NBA team ever and they are in the right pace to achieve that, as they are 2-20 this season and last game against the slumping team of the Warriors without their best 3 players (Ellis, Jackson and Maggette), they trailed by 20 points on the second quarter, so they are really an awful team. One of their 2 wins this season was against the Grizzlies, so of course this game will be a huge revenge game for Memphis, who is coming from a huge win at home against the Rockets, so I guess they are a confident team right now, which I think it's bad news for them, as a letdown is likely to happen. I have a lean on the Grizzlies to get revenge, but I can't trust neither team, especially as a favorite.

Charlotte @ New Orleans

The Hornets apparently regained their last season form by winning 6 of their last 7 games and all their key players are playing great right now, especially Peja Stojakovic who had a rough start of the season. Today they will face the Bobcats and remember the Bobcats defeated them at Charlotte earlier in the season, so the Hornets will be seeking revenge in here. The Bobcats lost a ballgame in their last game against Miami and even without Gerald Wallace, they managed to be competitive. I remember that they are 7-2 ATS as a big dog role and although the Hornets looks to get revenge in here, we have to be careful in here.

Atlanta @ San Antonio

The Spurs got their revenge at Dallas last night, in a thriller double overtime win and today they play again this time at home against Atlanta. We all know they are a veteran team and a back to back game after a double overtime isn't a good spot for them, however the good news is that they will face a young team who struggles to be consistent. The Hawks started yesterday's game in a 0-13 hole, but they rallied back just to fell short down the stretch. As the youngest team of the two, they have a theoric advantage in playing back to back games, but the Spurs are an experienced team and Popovich certainly knows how to slow them down.

Minnesota @ Denver

Kevin McHale almost won in his first game as the new Wolves coach but Minnesota allowed the Jazz a 12-2 run and late missed free throws made them blow up an excellent opportunity to win the ballgame. Today they will face the Nuggets who bounced back nicely after their home loss against the Spurs by winning big in Sacramento (118-85). These two teams played each other a couple of weeks ago and Denver won 106-97, so the biggest question for this game is to find out if Minny will be competitive or not, the "new coach" factor can bring toughness to this team in a road game? If yes, I believe that this game will likely go over and if Minny stays in the game, we may watch a possible backdoor cover for them.

Cleveland @ Philadelphia

The Cavs are amazing this season and they are being an ATS machine with 17-4 ATS and 18-3 SU. Yesterday they spanked the Raptors with a 20 points win and going against them right now requires a lot of courage. The Sixers once again showed their inconsistently by winning in Detroit and then losing at home against the Nets. Note that Elton Brand is questionable for today and the Sixers can be an active dog tonight, but backing a team who loses at home against the Nets, in a game against the red hot Cavs seems too dangerous to try it.

Milwaukee @ Golden State

The Bucks lost once again at Phoenix (21 in a row) and they are 0-2 on this road trip. Today they play a back to back game against a Warriors team who finally won a game. The Warriors snapped a 9 game losing streak by beating easily the Thunder. Note that Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette are questionable for today and this team can be a dangerous team at home. Meanwhile, the Bucks allowed 74 half time points to the Suns and although they had good performances by Jefferson, Redd, Bogut and Villanueva, no team can win while allowing 58.7 % FG and 57.1 % 3pts. This game will likely be a ballgame down the stretch.

Phoenix @ LA Lakers

Almost the whole world expects the Lakers to bounce back today after a dismal loss yesterday at Sacramento and the oddmakers set the Lakers as an absurd -12.5 points favorites for this game against the Suns. So, this line basically asks the Lakers to rout their biggest divisional rivals. The Suns played last night and defeated the Bucks in an high scoring game by 125-110. For this game, Shaq will be out, so the Suns will have more problems, especially as Shaq is coming from a monster game. However, the spot isn't good for the Lakers. I remember this team had a road trip on the East last week, then played at home and last night played at Sacramento. But as they had a deep roster, this situation won't be so evident. I think the Lakers will win today, but when we have 12.5 points on the table, I think the Suns will be competitive today, in order to give a better image than they give on the last game between these two teams, so we may watch a backdoor cover in here.