Quality picks and WRITEUPS... Tuesday's NBA>>

New Jersey @ Orlando 7:05 PM EST

New Jersey -3.5 over Orlando (5 Units)
New Jersey/Orlando Under 198.5 (2 Units)

After finally learning how to live up to their role as road favorite over the past month, New Jersey looks to continue their recent success in this position when they travel to Orlando expected to take down the slumping Magic...

Those who have followed Buzz Word Sports know that we have made a pretty penny by banking upon New Jersey's lengthy ineptitude as a road favorite... however, the tide has turned as of late, as the Nets have now gone a very sporting 7-2 ATS in their last nine games when favored on the road, and now get the enjoyable task of taking on an Orlando team who they have dominated in their recent head-to-head history...

It's very difficult to argue against a team that has won five straight games against the competition they are facing in their next contest, as New Jersey has run off a smoldering 5-0 SU/ATS run against the Magic, including two covering efforts in that old bugaboo role as road fav in the past thirteen months... all told, the Nets have won and covered four straight games IN Orlando, and even covered the fifth as a dog, an accomplishment that has left Orlando a miserable 0-5 ATS in home games against the Nets since 12/1/2000...

The All-Star break was certainly needed for Orlando, who have dropped five of their last six games straight up, and are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall... at home, the Magic are on a stomach-churning 1-9 ATS run in their last ten games, and are just 3-7 SU in that span...

Normally, a home dog is a strong play in the NBA... however, that logic is faulty right now when it comes to the Magic, who are 0-3 straight up in that role this season, and have only covered the spread once in those occasions... as a dog in general, Orlando has won just one of their last eight games SU and are a pathetic 2-6 ATS... we don't believe the time off these past few days will be enough to keep Orlando from their losing ways against the Nets, who are a whopping 15-6 ATS the last three seasons when playing with 3+ days rest, and are 4-1 ATS on the road when coming off a SU road victory...

Finally, after a victory of twenty points or more, the Nets have followed up in their next contest with very impressive results, winning each of their last seven games straight up, and covering every contest but one (in which they won SU by 8 points as an 8.5-point favorite)... before the all-star break, these were two teams heading in completely opposite directions... having several days off should not change this momentum... so take the Nets to win and cover this one...

FINAL PREDICTION: NEW JERSEY 99, ORLANDO 89

Dallas @ Minnesota 8:05 PM EST

Minnesota +3.5 over Dallas (4.5 Units)
Minnesota/Dallas Over 204 (1 Units)

There are few situations we love more than the Minnesota Timberwolves getting points at home... four times this season, Minnesota has been installed as a home underdog, and in those contests, the Timberwolves destroyed the Lakers, Magic, and the Kings (twice) by a combined 44 points... installed as a home dog against the Mavs and Lakers last year, Minnesota won both of those games straight up as well... the year before that, four more teams (Utah, Portland, Houston, San Antonio) befell the same fate in the regular season... all told, the Wolves are now 14-1 SU/ATS as a home dog during the regular season, and with the Mavericks still struggling to recapture their early season magic, we believe Minnesota can get the job done yet again as a home dog...

Minnesota is a whopping 19-5 at home this season, and the Wolves have ripped off nine straight home wins against some pretty quality teams... meanwhile, the Mavs have compiled an impressive 17-6 SU mark on the road, but half of those losses have come in their last seven road games, and even a 17-6 mark is still worse than Minnesota's 19-5 overall mark at home... and with Dallas having their last three games against winning teams decided by three points or less, the idea of laying three points to the Wolves is downright ludicrous...

Despite the absence of Joe Smith and Rod Strickland, the Minnesota offense has not only survived, but they have thrived over the last several games, throwing down at least 99 points in each of their last five games, and an average of over 103 ppg in those contests against five consecutive winning squads... more important than their offense however, is a defense that is downright stifling at home, limiting seven straight opponents to 95 points or less and an average of just 86.7 points per contest... while we don't expect Dallas to be held to anything close to that total, we will use those numbers as a reference point to show that Minnesota can make the big stop when necessary down the stretch...

The Mavs have gone just 4-10 ATS in their last fourteen road games, a performance that becomes even worse when you realize that they are 1-9 ATS on the road against Western Conference competition, a position they find themselves in tonight when they face Kevin Garnett and friends... we all know the Western Conference is much stronger than the East, but the Mavs may be more aware of that fact after going just 3-12 ATS in their last fifteen games overall against the West... The underdog in this series is already a whopping 6-1 ATS, and when Minnesota is finished pulling off the outright upset, that mark looks to rise to 7-1... take the Wolves and the points...

FINAL PREDICTION: MINNESOTA 107, DALLAS 101

New Orleans @ Miami 7:35 PM EST

New Orleans +1.5 over Miami (3.5 Units)

When a team is an underdog against a squad whom they have beaten on seven consecutive occasions, it's certainly worth a solid play for them to make it eight straight victories over that team... That is the situation in which we find ourselves tonight, as the New Orleans Hornets shoot for their eighth straight win against the Heat, and their fifth straight win and cover in Miami...

The Hornets have adjusted much better to the loss of Baron Davis this time around than when they initially lost him earlier in the season... Jamal Mashburn and company have stepped up their offense immensely in their last three games by pouring in at least 103 points on each occasion... and while we understand that New Orleans' recent 2-10 SU mark on the road shouldn't instill much confidence in their ability to win tonight, we are a big believer that certain matchups take precedence when capping a game...

Even with Eddie Jones back in the lineup, the Heat have struggled quite a bit as of late, going just 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games, and dropping four of their last six home games straight up... and with the line being four points or less either way at home, Miami has faltered with a 1-5 ATS mark over their last six games... an interesting note comes in the fact that Miami is 1-11 ATS when allowing more than 85 points, and of their last eleven SU victories, only one has come when they have allowed more than 85 points, and that was a one-point SU victory/ATS loss against the Bulls...

New Orleans has scored at least 90 points in nine of their last ten games (averaging 98.7 ppg), and have dropped a minimum of 88 points against the Heat in their last seven matchups, with an average of 97.6 ppg in those contests... additionally, the Heat have failed to score more than 89 points in each of their last six home games against the Hornets (averaging 81 ppg in their last five)... with the New Orleans' offense humming, the Heat look primed to go cold on defense and allow at least 85 points on their way to yet another home loss to the Hornets...

FINAL PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS 95, MIAMI 87

San Antonio @ Portland 10:05 PM EST

San Antonio +4.5 over Portland (3.5 Units)

The San Antonio Spurs continue their road trip from hell tonight, as this trip to Portland marks their SEVENTH consecutive road game, with two more to come against the likes of the Lakers and the Spurs before they can head back home... however, the way the Spurs have been playing thus far on this trip, they may never want to come back, as San Antonio has now reeled off five consecutive road wins after opening the trip with a loss in Minnesota...

That loss in Minnesota marked the ONLY time that the Spurs have lost by more than five points since December 16th... since that date, San Antonio is a whopping 19-6 straight up, with five of those losses coming by a combined thirteen points... having the Spurs on the receiving end of points right now is a very positive thing, and considering that the Blazers' level of effectiveness as a favorite doesn't quite inspire us too much, San Antonio appears to be the play this evening, despite Portland's recent hot play themselves...

While the Spurs are a very impressive 5-1 ATS as a road dog in their last six games, the Blazers are just 2-5 ATS as a home favorite, with both covering efforts coming as a double-digit favorite... restrict the numbers to when Portland is a home favorite of ten points or less, and you have a Blazers team that has dropped each of their last four contests ATS, including an ATS loss against the Spurs as a four-point favorite last time they met...

San Antonio's covering effort in Portland last month marked the fourth time in five trips to Portland that the Spurs have covered the number, as they have gone 3-2 SU in those contests, with their two losses coming by a mere eight combined points... San Antonio's dominance in this series has led them to a 7-2 ATS mark in the last nine games between these teams, with the Blazers averaging just 88.4 ppg in those contests... and with the Blazers a pathetic 2-13-1 ATS as a home favorite when scoring 100 points or less since the tail-end of last season, we see their chances of success here as minimal at best... take the Spurs and the points, as even if the Blazers win, chances are that the final margin will be less than tonight's spread...

FINAL PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO 92, PORTLAND 89

Cleveland @ Indiana 7:05 PM EST

Cleveland +13.5 over Indiana (2.5 Units)

This is not an Indiana squad that should be laying double-digits right now... with Ron Artest on the sidelines due to suspension, it's been amazing seeing how unproductive the Pacers defense has become... and even with Artest scheduled to return tonight, we expect there to be plenty of rust due to the impsed layoff and the added time of the all-star break...

While Indiana has been allowing points in droves as of late (allowing 95+ in each of their last six games, and an average of over 100 ppg), the Cavs have actually started playing some halfway decent defense on the road, holding four of their last five road opponents to 97 points or less, a performance that has enabled Cleveland to cover two of their last three on the road, losing by no more than nine points in their last three on the road... shockingly enough, Cleveland has actually covered four of their last six overall, and in coming off a 105-102 win over Houston, find themselves in a fairly good situation - after a straight up win as an underdog, the Cavs are a very impressive 5-1 ATS this season...

Cleveland isn't extremely renowned for their defense, but in addition to their recent trend of allowing less than triple digits, the Cavs have had good success in limiting Indiana's scoring opportunities, holding the Pacers to between 93 and 99 points in each of their last five home games against Cleveland.. when Cleveland has won in Indiana, it's been due to them scoring (103+ points in three SU wins since December 2000), while their losses have been due to a lack of offense (84 points or less during the two losses in that timespan)... with the Pacers allowing more than their fair share of late, we like the Cavs to score enough points to slip in under the number... remember, the road team in this series is not just 6-1 SU, but they are 6-1 ATS as well... take the double-digits and side with Cleveland tonight...

FINAL PREDICTION: INDIANA 97, CLEVELAND 92

Boston @ Seattle 10:05 PM EST

Boston +4.5 over Seattle (2.5 Units)
Boston/Seattle Under 184.5 (1 Unit)

Utah @ Houston 8:35 PM EST

Houston -3.5 over Utah (2 Units)

LA Clippers @ Phoenix 9:05 PM EST

LA Clippers +6.5 over Phoenix (1.5 Units)

Denver +16 over LA Lakers (1 Unit)
Denver/LA Lakers Under 185 (1 Unit)