ALL COMPS
Frank Jordan
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks
Play: New York Knicks +5.5
In each of their 7 losses the Knicks were down at one point or another by 20 points. The case was the same Monday, but they showed some guts as they closed the game and had a shot at the end of the game against Utah at home to win or tie, but missed. None the less the Knicks are going to start to play tougher as they defend their home court and beat the Hawks on Wednesday. Play New York
Matt Fargo
Denver Nuggets at Milwaukee Bucks
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
Denver is coming off a very fortunate win last night as it was able to get the victory after the officials revered what would have been a winning shot by the Bulls with 0.3 seconds remaining. That win spells nothing but a letdown especially considering the fact that this is the final game of the Nuggets current roadtrip. Denver is 3-2 in the first five games and while it no doubt would like another win to finish with a winning, it will be hard for it not to look ahead to its home game on Friday with the Lakers. Playing against these teams that are finishing long roadies and wanting to get home have been very profitable and the fact that there is a big game on tap only adds to it. Milwaukee came into the season with very low expectations and it was expected to be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Injury prone Michael Redd is already sitting on the pine with a knee injury but the Bucks have done anything but fold as they are 3-2 on the season including a perfect 2-0 at home. One of those two losses came by a single bucket in Chicago so the record could even be better than it currently stands. The Bucks have had four days off prior to this game while Denver is in off the second of a back-to-back set so we have a big advantage as far as rest is concerned. Milwaukee is palyign excellent defense this season as it has yet to allow 100 points as is giving up an average of just 85.2 ppg on 41.7 percent shooting which are both second in the NBA and that is pretty solid both categories were middle of the pack last season. Milwaukee falls into a solid situation. Play on home teams that have won four or more straight games against the spread in a game involving two teams that are winning between 60 and 75 percent of their games. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. Denver was extraordinary against the number last season but it was only 2-4 both straight up and ATS in the second of back-to-back games when both were on the road. 3* Milwaukee Bucks
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Tom Freese
Charlotte Bobcats vs. Detroit Pistons
Play: Under 172
Detroit is 6-0 UNDER their last 6 home games and they are 8-2 UNDER their last 10 games overall. The Pistons are 34-16-1 UNDER their 51 games when playing with 2 days of rest and they 4-1 UNDER as a favorite. Charlotte is 6-1 UNDER off a double digit home loss and they are 4-1 UNDER their last 5 games off a loss. The Bobcats are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 games as underdogs and they are 6-1 UNDER on Wednesday. PLAY ON 'UNDER'
Glenn Andrew
Charlotte Bobcats vs. Detroit Pistons
Play: Under 172
This is a match-up of 2 defensive teams that are lacking the "Star Power" offensively. The Pistons are virually a shell of what they were a few years ago. Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace have left and Detroit failed to pick up any players to fill their offensive output. Charlotte has been built for the future. They have several key defensive players (Chandler, Bell, Diaw), but none of them have stepped into the lead role on offense. Expect a low scoring game with the winning team scoring in the low 80's. Take the under!
JR TIPS
Hornets at Suns
Steve Nash has been red-hot lately for the Phoenix Suns and will matchup against Chris Paul who twisted his left ankle shortly before halftime Monday night but returned in the third quarter to lead New Orleans to a 112-84 win over the Los Angeles Clippers with 24 points and 10 assists despite sitting out the fourth.The Hornets were blown out 104-88 by the Lakers for their fourth loss in five games before they beat the Clippers on Saturday. Steve Nash has been at his best recently leading the league with 12.6 assists per game and is coming off the NBA's first 20-point, 20-assist game since 2006. Nash scored 21 points and posted his second 20-assist game of the season Monday night in a 119-115 win at Philadelphia. Phoenix is coming off a 4-1 road trip which included victories over division leaders Boston and Miami although New Orleans has won six of the last seven matchups and Chris Paul has averaged 27.0 points and 12.1 assists while Steve Nash has appeared in six of those games, averaging 20.5 points and 10.8 assists, but he's also had 28 turnovers while Paul has 15. Chris Paul is one of the league leaders with 26.3 points and 9.8 assists per game despite the Hornets starting off the season with their worst start since he was drafted. Jason Richardson has averaged 28.3 points and gone 16 of 22 from 3-point range in he last three games while the Hornets top 3-point threat for New Orleans Peja Stojakovic who made his first start of the season Monday to replace Julian Wright. Stojakovic hit two 3's and scored eight in the first quarter as the Hornets raced to a 10-point lead in their last game. This is another situation like Memphis last night in which you have a team playing their first game at home after a long road trip and this time the Suns are coming off a long East Coast road trip which will make it real tough in their first game back at home in over a week. The Hornets are in a good spot to win but and will definitely keep this game under the spread.
TAKE HORNETS +6
Freddy Wills
Toledo vs. Central Michigan
Play: Central Michigan -17.5
It's not a premium play for me as I went back and forth a bit with the total for the under, but the inability for Toledo to keep opponents under 30 and their ability to score points as well as Central Michigan's motivation after their 31-10 loss kept me from making this a premium pick. Now with that said I think the only play here is on the Chippewas and I'll tell you why. Dan LeFevour will be playing on Sunday's next year he is the MAC's version of Tim Tebow. Toledo won't be able to stop him their offense is ranked 101st in the nation and that's against an average ranked 84th offense so you know they are as bad as they look. They can't get off the field on 3rd downs and they are allowing opponents to score 89% of the time in the red zone and have just 11 sacks on the season. That all does not sound good to me and Toledo on offense has a lot of talent, but they won't be able to keep up with Central Michigan here who will be able to do whatever they want as Toledo's defensive front is among the smallest in the MAC. If Miami (OH) Zac Dysert can throw for 344 yards and 60 yards on the ground what do you think the conference's best QB LeFevour will do? This could get very ugly early and I predict it will. Look for a 3 TD game as Toledo can score some points, but the question marks at QB allow me to take Central Michigan for a small bet here on Wednesday. In their last game they had 3 QBs in the game and I think the same might happen tonight Opelt's shoulder is still not 100% although he'll give it a go. After that the inexperience could cause for alot to go wrong as Central Michigan at 7-2 has their eyes on the MAC title and more! They are not happy about losing to Boston College and will show it here tonight. I don't normally play big favorites like this, and I looked for a reason to play Toledo. Unfortunately I could not find a single reason. Only common opponent was Western Michigan where Toledo lost 26-58 at home while Central Mich won on the road 34-23. Central Michigans ability to score and keep opponents off the scoreboard and on the other hand Toledo can't keep opponents off the scoreboard allowing just 1 opponent to score under 30 points. Take Central Michigan -17
LT Profits
Oklahoma City Thunder +2.5 at Los Angeles Clippers
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a tough three-point loss last night, but the fact that they are playing the back end of a back-to-back seem to be overrated here as the Los Angeles Clippers are almost always fade material whenever they are favored.
The Clippers are now 7-17 against the spread the last 24 times that they have been favored, and they are already 0-2 ATS in this role this year. They have been terrible defensively allowing 101.8 points per game, and they have actually been slightly worse here at home, where they are allowing 102.8 points per contest.
On top of all this, the visiting team is 4-1 both straight up and ATS the last five times these clubs have met, including a 126-85 blowout win by the Thunder here at Staples in the final game of the regular season last year.
While the Clippers have shown very little improvement, the Thunder have made much bigger strides, especially on the defensive end. Oklahoma City was one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, but they are allowing just 90.9 points per game this season while liming opponents to 43.9 percent shooting. Given that the Clippers are only averaging 94.1 points per contest, we see no reason why the Thunder cannot continue to showcase that defense tonight.
Finally, playing without rest is not really much of a concern for a young Oklahoma City team that was 11-7, 61.1 percent ATS in the second of back-to-backs last season, so take the Thunder to post a road win.
Pick: Thunder +2.5
Karl Garrett
Charlotte +4 at DETROIT
Great opportunity for the Bobcats to procure a road win this evening in the Motor City.
For one thing, you know former Pistons coach Larry Brown will bring a little added zest to the coaching box tonight as he takes on one of his former teams that he lead all the way to his only NBA title.
For another thing, Detroit's Tayshaun Prince will not be a factor tonight, as he is sidelined with an abdominal injury. Also, Rip Hamilton is nursing a nagging ankle injury, and is most likely sidelined for this game as well!
Charlotte has split their last 2 visits to Detroit, and the Bobcats are a positive 5-2 against the spread in their 7 games to date, covering 2 of 3 on the road.
Detroit has covered 2 of their first 3 at home this season, but being a little shorthanded tonight will prevent them from covering this one.
Take the Bobcats plus the points!
3♦ CHARLOTTE
Stephen Nover
Charlotte +4' at DETROIT
The Bobcats are a well-coached, pesky tough defensive club that rank first in rebound percentage.
The Pistons, on the other hand, aren't as good as perceived. They have injuries, are adjusting to a new coach again, have the lowest assist per game average in the NBA and are among the bottom third teams in rebounding.
Yes, Charlotte played last night and didn't look good in losing to Orlando. It's no shame to lose to the Magic, especially when Vince Carter is back in the Orlando lineup. Keep this in mind, too, the Bobcats have covered the past five times they've played in the second of back-to-back games.
Detroit is without sharpshooter Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, one of its better defenders. The Pistons are 3-4. They rely almost totally on streaky Ben Gordon for their perimeter points and 35-year-old Ben Wallace to get their rebounds.
Charlotte can counter Gordon with Raja Bell, one of the better defensive guards in the NBA. The Bobcats rank No. 3 in defense, holding foes to 88.4 points per game. This is one of the lowest totals of the season, so getting this many points is big in what figures to be a defensive battle.
The oddsmaker overrates Detroit. The Pistons have failed to cover in 11 of their last 15 games. They are 6-16 against the spread in their last 22 home games versus teams with losing road records.
Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton is averaging 19.3 points and 5.6 assists in his last three games against Detroit. The Pistons are averaging only 14.4 assists per game, last in the NBA.
Larry Brown doesn't like to lose to his former team or his former assistant coach, John Kuester, who is now heading up the Pistons.
3♦ BOBCATS
Jeff Benton
4♦ NEW ORLEANS
JEFF ALEXANDER
1 Unit on Atlanta Hawks -5
The Knicks are in a world of hurt, off to a 1-7 start this season, and it is going to be very tough for them to bounce back from such an emotionally and physically draining loss to the Jazz on just a day's rest against a more talented Hawks team that hasn't played since the 7th. The Hawks are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5 points and I look for this trend to continue tonight. Take Atlanta for 1 Unit.
Roz Juarbe
Bulls at Raptors
Toronto is nothing special to be a favorite over the Bulls. Toronto is on a 2-4 SU/ATS run, even losing at Memphis as a favorite, giving up 115 points. Chicago had to play last night and won’t be in a good mood after a last second shot was overturned, giving Denver a one-point win. That ended a 3-game win streak by the young Bulls. A good bounce back spot for the talented young visitors against the struggling Raptors. Play the Chicago Bulls.
MTi Sports
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
Prediction: Over
Toronto is off a 131-124 loss in San Antonio in which they shot 59.2% from the field and an even better 64.7% from the arc. Toronto has responded to these types of losses with high-scoring games. The Raptors are 8-0 OU (+16.8 ppg) after a loss in which their DPS was positive and 5-0 OU (+18.5 ppg) at home with at least one day of rest after a game in which they shot at least 50% from the field. Consider these two OVER.