North Florida is a team that will remain an attractive ATS team for the rest of the season. This has to do with their surprising early season efforts of outright wins against South Carolina and Georgia Tech. They also covered against Georgia. Yet, this is already their second time seeing UNC Asheville this season, and they lost the first matchup 89-75. Take UNC Asheville to once again handle the Ospreys at home.

A neutral site game will be held in Henderson, Nevada as Colorado State takes on VCU. VCU is a potent team but this tournament travel benefits Colorado State. They are use to coming to Las Vegas for both conference play and the Mountain West tournament. Look for two balanced halves from the Rams against VCU.

Atlanta is playing superb basketball right now where they have won seven out of their last eight games. After trailing in the first half by double digits against the Knicks, they overtook the game with a tremendous second half. This Bucks team has endured an ugly start to the season and are back in the driver’s seat of an NBA Cup semi-finals appearance. Look for the Bucks to handle this better than they did last year against Indiana. Lay it with the Bucks.

NJIT has one of the worst records on today’s big slate in college basketball at 2-10. They failed in their last matchup as a trendy underdog against Delaware State. Yet, they have been competitive even in their losses. They had a three point loss to Cleveland State, hung around Seton Hall, and did defeat Navy two games ago. Take the home underdog here in NJIT.

The Providence Friars lost all three games in a late November tournament, and are coming off losing to undefeated Rhode Island. A positive is Bryce Hopkins has contributed sixteen points in both games since his return from injury. On the road in Big East play against DePaul look for the Friars to lean on their trademark defense. After a 7-0 start to the season with an easy schedule, look for DePaul to drop consecutive games. Take Providence

As non-conference play gets closer to conclusion we will see some smaller school in-state matchups. That is on display tonight as Davidson hosts Charlotte. The Wildcats may be 4-0 at home, but have been vulnerable lately. In their last matchup Friday they were nearly upset by lowly Charleston Southern. Look for Charlotte to be the latest to attack a suspect half court defensive team in Davidson. Grab the points.

Penn State had one of the easier run away wins of the season against a ranked opponent. They blew out Purdue to cruise to a ten point victory. Now they will play their first matchup since that victory tonight on the road against a desperate Rutgers team. Rutgers has dropped three straight games, as their talented youth has been challenged. Take Rutgers to respond and end their losing streak with a Big Ten victory.

On a very light slate in college basketball and the NBA, I’ll attack one game with an underdog in Hofstra. Hofstra is a completely different team from the one that defeated Norfolk State by sixteen points last season. Yet, I expect the coaching staff to be able to implement a similar defensive plan that limited Norfolk State to just 58 points. Additionally, Norfolk State has a had a full week off after a six-game road trip. Grab the points here with Hofstra. 

Small lines that trickle up tend to be wrong more times than not. Missouri State opened around 2-2.5 point favorites and jumped to 4.5. Even with Indiana State losing so many skilled players and their ex-Coach to St. Louis there’s been a reboost charge to this team. In a conference opener value the points here with the underdog.

Expect the Lakers free fall to continue as they face a red hot Atlanta Hawks team. The Hawks have won five straight games and are doing it not just with offensive excellence. They are showing an increase in defensive ability, as we saw in their last victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. This could also end up being a refresh and reset game for the Lakers who may rest Lebron James. Lay it with the Hawks.

One of the shortest road trips of the season lies tonight with Kennesaw State making the short bus drive to Atlanta, Georgia to face Georgia State. The Owls are coming off a three-game tournament in Canada where they had a dip offensively, largely because of the opponents they faced. Look for that to change against a Georgia State team that gives up 78 points per game. In last year’s win over Georgia State, Kennesaw State scored eighty eight points in the victory. Take the slim underdog here.

Typically one does not see a smaller school that struggled lose their top two players and get better. UC Santa Barbara has quietly been an impressive team to start the season with a 6-1 record. This comes after losing Ajay Mitchell to the NBA, and Yohan Traore who transferred to SMU. Their game tonight against UC San Diego may be the most meaningful conference game on the slate to a team. The Gauchos went 0-2 to UC San Diego a season ago, and will showcase their improved play tonight. Take UC Santa Barbara.

Victor Wembanyama will not play in Thursday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls. This has already showcased as being a big value angle before as the Spurs defeated the Thunder as ten point underdogs. This is also a reduced spread as the Bulls have played just one game since last Friday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. Take the value here on the Spurs finding that one second half run to pull away from the Bulls on the short number.

There are teams that begin their non-conference play with a deceptive record. Incarnate Word is one of those teams at 4-3, as they have several key talent from last year’s team. Last season they were actually 3-2 to begin the season, and went just 3-15 in Southland conference play. This included two blowout losses to Northwestern State of 97-71, and 81-61. Tail the underdogs here with Northwestern State.

The Denver Nuggets over their last ten games are only .500 with a 5-5 record. Yet, they picked up a come from behind win on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors that may finally spark them. They came back from a 7 point deficit with four minutes left, and held the Warriors scoreless under the final two minutes and thirty two seconds. As impressive as the Cavaliers start has been to the season, they are just 4-3 over their last seven games. Grab the points with Denver.

The Orlando Magic continue to cash for bettors as they have won twelve of their last thirteen games. They have benefitted from a friendly schedule as they have been in New York City since last Friday’s first matchup against Brooklyn. That is a big reason why this spread has dropped two points from the opener. Yet, look for the Knicks to play with the heightened energy in an NBA Cup game as they are 3-0 in cup play. Lay it with the Knicks.

An off the radar game of value lies with a home underdog in Florida A&M. Presbyterian shot their ATS value up with by winning a tournament hosted by Stephen F Austin. Their victories also included a 25 point win over Youngstown State and a ten point win over Monmouth. Yet, tonight will mark their sixth straight road game, as they have played a home game since November 13th. Take the points here with Florida A&M.

Tuesday, the ACC and SEC challenge will begin with one-sided spreads in favor of the SEC. The reason is the ACC has been extremely poor early on in the season against major competition. Boston College may be the home team and have a better record than the Gamecocks but they lost their lone tough matchup to VCU by 25. They are also coming off a five point loss to Dartmouth. Lay it with the road favorite here in South Carolina.

A rest advantage lies tonight with the Chicago Bulls hosting the Brooklyn Nets. The Bulls last played on Friday in a competitive game against the Boston Celtics. Furthermore, an already thin Brooklyn Nets team is playing in a back to back spot after scoring just 92 points yesterday against the Magic. As thin as the Nets are, attacking the paint and shooting overall is going to much easier then what they’ve seen the last two games against the Magic. Grab the points against a soft defensive Bulls team.

On a light Monday college basketball slate, a 7-0 undefeated Rhode Island team finds themselves as slim favorites against Yale. Often times there’s a reason undefeated teams are not ranked and with Rhode Island it’s evident by their weak non-conference schedule thus far. Take Yale to threaten their undefeated start, and cover the slim number plus the points. 

The Kansas City Roos record exhibits a team that is .500 at 4-4. That is misleading as all four victories have come against non division one schools. That gives us a bit of spread value against a Southeast Missouri State team that Kansas City handed their worst defeat last season.  The lopsided result was Kansas City by thirty points in a 74-44 victory. Not a blowout here but look for the Roos to handle the close out minutes in the final seven. Take KC.

Any time a team loses a tournament game in overtime there is concern for the following tournament matchup. The Rice Owls were on the verge of playing in the Nassau Championship but faltered in overtime to Hofstra. Look for a regroup spot in an over shot spread against Arkansas State. I would not be shocked if they win outright, but grab the Owls with the points.

The Brooklyn Nets return from a West Coast raod trip on a three game winning streak. They defeated Sacramento, Golden State, and the Phoenix Suns and have won four of their last five games. Today, they will see a common opponent in the Eastern Conference that defeated them by fifteen points earlier this season. Take the Magic to end the Nets three game winning streak.

Post holiday travel is always a bit of a concern, but I expect the Ospreys to be ready today against SIU Edwardsville. After a rugged early season schedule that saw the Ospreys have had eight days off. For the Cougars their last action against a division one school they lost by twenty five points against Green Bay. Look for North Florida to get out to a hot start and hold off SIU on the road. Tail the Ospreys.

A pattern in school hosted tournaments has been small underdogs covering. Today lies another opportunity as Lafayette hosts the Lafayette Tournament against Long Island. The Sharks will be playing their third straight road game, and fifth over their last six games. Yet, Lafayette has struggled on the season with just one win over a division one school. Take the points with the road team here in Long Island.

A small scale matchup that will have high meaning for both teams will take place between George Mason and James Madison. The two Virginia campuses are separated by less then two hours, and have the same identical records at 4-3. For the Patriots their record could be 6-1, but they have struggled in close games. They lost to East Carolina in double overtime and Central Michigan by a point. Look for that issue to be easier to overcome on a short road trip against a James Madison team that can go cold offensively for stretches.

The Miami Heat are in a back to back spot tonight against the Charlotte Hornets. In yesterday’s home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks they were flat out the gate, maybe effected by the late scratch of Giannis not playing. Tonight is important for the Heat to get back to .500. Look for the Heat to lean on their prior road trip to Charlotte where they won by eight points. Lay it with the Heat.

In college basketball a team that has had a big layoff, tends to be flat right before a holiday. Western Michigan has not played in a full week since losing to South Dakota 80-76. Meanwhile, Youngstown State will be looking to recover from a poor lower level tournament showing in blowout losses against Presbyterian and Stephen F Austin. Lay it with Youngstown State who did take Syracuse to overtime earlier this season.

Sunday, the Indiana Pacers got back in the win column after losing five of their prior six games. Monday, they will be in a back to back spot and playing their third game in four nights. Do not look for that to deter a Pacers team that will be in a revenge spot after losing to the Pelicans 125-118 on November 1st. Lay it with the Pacers as the Pelicans lose their fifth straight game.

East Texas A&M may be the top small school in the country as far as their early season strength of schedule. They faced Iowa, Texas A&M, UConn, and Oklahoma. Each game they sustained a loss of twenty two points or more. Tonight, they will finally get an equal opponent in Stonehill. Look for the Lions to play above their 1-5 record, as a result of their difficult schedule. Tail the Lions.

The Memphis Grizzlies are probably a game away from getting Ja Morant back who is listed doubtful for their road matchup against the Bulls. Traveling to Chicago should bring forth a spirited effort from the entire team. In the first matchup the Grizzlies blew a seven point fourth quarter lead to lose outright. Grab the Grizzlies.

Jacksonville State through six games has not played a poor game yet. They lost a tough road spot at Air Force where the altitude got them in the second half. Yesterday, they lost by just two points to Toledo. Yet, today is a different matchup against a James Madison team that has size and matches up well with them. Lay it with James Madison.

Morgan State travels to Buffalo for their second road game in three days. That is certainly going to affect their offense early on. Yet, the Bulls are a team have underwent vast changes from being a consistent contender in the MAC conference. They are also one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country, ranking 312th at 63 percent. That will be a factor to keep this game close. Take Morgan State plus the points.

Transition with smaller college basketball schools take a handful of games. Coastal Carolina hired Justin Gray from Western Carolina, and he brought with him Rasheed Jones and Colin Granger. Jones is averaging a team best fifteen points per game, and today is the matchup for Coastal Carolina to build forward. Grab Coastal Carolina in a buy low spot off an eighteen point loss to Jacksonville State.

An early season undefeated matchup will take place tonight between Oregon State and Oregon. Both teams have faced lower level competition to begin the season, but we can lean on the former Pac-12 matchups of recent seasons. Last year the Ducks won but by just two points over the Beavers. Additionally, Oregon State has some new talent including Nate Kingz who is shooting the three point shot at 57 percent. Tail the Beavers as the underdog.

Once again a smaller school is getting spread value on Thursday thanks to their issues on the road. Presbyterian through five games, is 0-3 on the road this season. Yet, this is the lead up to a tournament being played Friday and Saturday. Expect the coaching to be different to preserve legs and minutes for three days of tournament action. Grab the points with Presbyterian here against Stephen F. Austin. 

The same exact spread movement has occurred between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons as their first matchup. Charlotte opened as -1.5, and flipped to the Hornets side as the favorite. Charlotte won by a point thanks to a Brandon Miller game winner. A big reason for their win was the free throw disparity. Charlotte made sixteen while the Pistons took only five. Detroit’s lack of an ability to get to the free throw line does them in again. Take Charlotte.

Early in a college basketball season there are rare instances where teams don’t travel. California Baptist will host their fifth straight home game tonight as they take on Northern Colorado. Up until the Lancers last game against Long Island, their prior three games were decided by five points or less. Take the value here on Northern Colorado in the night cap plus the five.

The Elon Phoenix have just one win on the season, and it came against a non division one school in Bluefield University. That typically is a bad sign traveling on the road this early in the season. Yet, the Phoenix challenged North Carolina to just a fourteen point loss and lost by just one point to Gardner-Webb. They have better balanced scoring then last season, including TJ and TK Simpkins both scoring in double figures. Take Elon.

SIU Edwardsville has won three straight games as they go into today’s matchup against Wisconsin Green Bay. In fact, their only two losses on the season were against Big Ten opponents in Indiana and Illinois. Tonight, though I am worried about road legs derailing their momentum. This will mark their sixth straight game on the road, including Saturday’s neutral site game against Canisius. Take Wisconsin-Green Bay to prevail on the small number. 

The Los Angeles Lakers won a high intensity game last night over the Spurs, 120-115. In a back to back spot look for the Lakers overall roster depth, and trust JJ Reddick has in an expanded rotation to pay dividends. The Pelicans just ended a six game losing streak and have not won consecutive games since their first two games. Lay it with the Lakers.

In initial opening lines the Toronto Raptors opened as slight favorites over the Detroit Pistons. Detroit has garnered the attention of bettors thanks to pushing Milwaukee to overtime, and their prior four games were all decided by two points or less. As poor as the Raptors overall record is, they have been excellent at home ATS with four straight covers. Take the Raptors returning home from a five game road trip.

The Seattle Redhawks have started the season 0-2. A slower start was expected after losing two key seniors in Cameron Tyson and Alex Schumacher. They seemed to have adapted in their second game against Liberty, up six late, but did not close the game. In a heart breaking defeat they went scoreless down the stretch in the loss. Expect the Redhawks to put forth a sharper outing and get their first win of the season against Cal Poly. Lay the points.

The LA Clippers had their four game win streak end on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in what was just a six point loss. Now, the Clippers head to Houston where we will see James Harden return to where he played the best basketball in his career. This is the first of consecutive games against the Rockets, which is always a bit tricky for the road team. Tail Houston in the first matchup as they seek their longest win streak of the season at three games.

Northeastern nearly knocked off the expected top team in the Ivy League in their last matchup, Princeton in a narrow three point loss. Today, they will host a Harvard team that has had consecutive poor losses to Navy and American. In their third straight road game look for the Crimson to settle in and perform better for two halves of play. Additionally, Harvard has beaten Northeastern in three straight matchups. Take the underdog with Harvard.

The Dallas Mavericks are in search of a team pickup spot to get them going. At .500 they have lost consecutive games but both were narrow defeats by two points or less. Look for the Mavericks to be inspired by Klay Thompson’s return to Golden State, and cover against a Warriors team that over performed on their recent road trip. Grab the points with Dallas.

The disarray that the Milwaukee Bucks are in is not going to get better in the long term. In the short term tonight is an advantageous spot against the Toronto Raptors. Toronto is 0-6 on the road this season and coming off a four-game West coast road trip against the Nuggets, Kings, Clippers, and Lakers. Even with the Bucks short handed minus Damian Lillard there should be two to three stretches of dominant basketball on the Bucks side. Take Milwaukee.

An eight win team from last season finds themselves as a double digit favorite tonight in Incarnate Word. The Cardinals had one of the biggest on court issues last season, where several players were suspended for an on court brawl. With the majority of their key players back, and the addition of Davion Bailey from Ball State the Cardinals should eclipse double digit wins this season. Tail the Cardinal tonight.

Oddsmakers have continued to be off with North Florida as they have began the season 3-0. Tonight, a steep rise from the opener has occurred on Georgia’s side, and I believe the number is still short. The Ospreys are playing their second game in forty eight hours on the road. Expect the shots that fell against Georgia Tech for 105 points to come up short, and for Georgia to thrive in transition. Lay it with the Bulldogs.

The San Antonio Spurs had a poor Saturday loss to the lowly Utah Jazz. They did get back Devin Vassell though who put in 21 points in 22 minutes. Tonight, they will take on a Sacramento Kings team that has had issues over their last five games in second halves. Expect that to reoccur in a back to back spot after defeating the Phoenix Suns last night.

Austin Peay pulled off a big upset over Butler as 16.5 point underdogs on Friday. Following up those type of performances is tricky, and will be tonight against Chattanooga. The Mocs head into their third straight road game after opening the season against USC and Saint Mary’s. They did not fold in the loss to Saint Mary’s, and may have discovered reserve Makai Richards deserves more minutes on the floor. Play the Mocs to get their first win of the season.

The Utah Jazz at 1-7 are in a tough spot once again to conclude their road trip against the San Antonio Spurs. In their last six losses they have lost by eight points or more.  Today’s early start time is troublesome considering the Spurs just defeated the Jazz by eighteen points on Halloween. Take the Spurs as their ATS value is going to be on the rise entering their tenth game with their new starting five. Tail the Spurs.

Graduation and portal transfers have hit mid-majors harder then ever in college basketball. A team that may be feeling the affects early on this season is Wright State. Typically they have been a solid team ATS to back but the makeup of their team is not to the standard of years past. Take Miami Ohio as they build off their outright win over Appalachian State. 

The Milwaukee Bucks finally got a win last night by twenty three points over the Utah Jazz. In their prior two games they nearly knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in two losses by two points or less. Traveling to Madison Square Garden in a back to back spot is the definition of a bad spot. Grab the Knicks to emphatically end their two game losing streak.

The Furman Paladins lost key pieces to their tournament team two seasons ago, including guards Marcus Foster and JP Peagues. Yet, the Paladins have always been solid at rebuilding quickly. Seniors Garrett Hien and junior Ben Vanderwal give Furman a leadership presence. While the offense will take some time look for the Paladins to hang around tonight against Belmont with their defense. Take Furman. 

Two teams that had contrasting results in terms of scoring will meet tonight in Air Force and Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks scored nearly double the points Air Force did in their game one victory with 112 points. Yet, that was against a non division one school. Easy offense can become difficult when pace of play is dictated as is expected from the Falcons. Look for their first road game combined with altitude to result in Jacksonville State’s first loss of the season.

Typically one won’t see a team in a back to back spot that just lost by 27 points be a favorite. The Spurs find themselves as one after losing 127-100 to Houston last night. A positive in the loss was the offense picked up with 61 second half points. Look for the Spurs to come out with energy that was missing in the first half of yesterday’s loss to Houston. Take the Spurs as Portland has a let down spot off their 18 point win over the Pelicans.

Early season upsets over a power conference school in game one are commonplace in college basketball. The letdown spot in the next game is also a repetitive pattern. Look for that angle tonight as North Florida comes off an outright win over South Carolina. Charleston Southern is also in a revenge spot from last season’s 81-70 loss to North Florida. Tail the Buccaneers.

The Seattle Redhawks will head into the 2024 season having to fill the production of Cameron Tyson and Alex Schumacher. As difficult as that will be Seattle gained valuable extended play last season by playing in and winning the CBI tournament. Look for the Redhawks to use their senior experience with Paris Dawson and Kobe Williamson to take down an Eastern Washington team that struggled against Colorado. Play Seattle.

The Memphis Grizzlies have had difficult covering as favorites this season where they are 1-4 ATS. They are also down two starters in Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart. Yet, the Lakers have struggled defensively on this road trip. Additionally, the Grizzlies had to face six straight Eastern Conference opponents. Seeing the Lakers and a familiar Western Conference matchup bodes to their favor. Take Memphis.

Monday night the Sacramento Kings will finish their four game road trip in Miami. Sacramento had won three straight until a tough spot against Toronto on Vince Carter’s jersey retirement night. Look for the Kings to bounce back against a Heat team returning from playing the Washington Wizards in Mexico City. Take the Kings.

Going into a new season with a new coach presents ATS value in all main sports. That is the case for Siena who will now be led by Gerry McNamara. McNamara comes from years at Syracuse as an assistant, with strong ties to the New York region. Look for McNamara to get Siena off on the right foot against Brown. The Bears caught fire at the end of Ivy League play with seven straight wins, but struggled in non-conference play. Take Siena. 

One of the more drastic point spread rises on opening night lies with Georgia Southern. The Eagles began last year 0-12 but endured the struggles and grew as a team as the season went on. They return several starters including sophomores Eren Banks and Avantae Parker. Look for the Eagles to showcase a true 360 as they take down Northern Illinois. Lay it with Georgia Southern.

A spread that is near perfect comes in the MAC-SBC showdown between Western Michigan and Coastal Carolina. Coastal Carolina has the home court advantage but lost four of their five starters from a season ago, and their top sixth man off the bench. New Coach Justin Gray brought in high level talent including guard Rasheed Jones with him from Western Carolina. Yet, the continuity takes time to establish especially in the first game of the season. Take the points here with Western Michigan.

The Brooklyn Nets have had a strong week with wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, and in a back to back spot defeated the Memphis Grizzlies as double digit underdogs. Yet, look for the Bulls to cool them off. Chicago is coming off a fantastic defensive effort where they limited the Orlando Magic to just thirty seven second half points. Take the Bulls to hinder the Nets recent success as the slight road underdog. 

The Denver Nuggets travel to Toronto as the biggest road favorite on the day, despite being 0-2. They will face a Raptors team that has inexperience due to being without multiple starters including Immanuel Quickley. Their one victory on the season was against an undermanned Philadelphia team. Take the Nuggets to have optimal focus and avoid an 0-3 start.

The Golden State Warriors last season were a strong team on the road with a 25-16 record. Additionally they won all four matchups against the Utah Jazz last season. This included a twenty two point road win, and the other road matchup they scored 140 points. Take Golden State as the Jazz lose their first two games at home, to a deep talented Warriors team

Shock value always can provide ATS value in NBA betting markets. That is the case with the 76ers who will not have Paul George or Joel Embiid in the lineup. Yet, Tyrese Maxey became a top option with his experience without Embiid in the lineup last season. He is more than capable of handling the duties and the 76ers added veteran depth to their lineup with Andre Drummond and Caleb Martin. Also, the Bucks last four road openers they have lost three with the one they did win being by two points.

The new look Minnesota Timberwolves will now no longer have Karl Anthony Towns. In game one there may be some rusty stretches against the LA Lakers. Yet, this is a Lakers team that under Lebron has been abysmal in game one’s of the season. In fact they are winless with an 0-6 record. Take the Timberwolves behind superstar Anthony Edwards.

Each game so far between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks has been down to the wire. That is not typical of a postseason series, and I expect game five to be the game that is not competitive. Minnesota limited PJ Washington, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving all below thirty three percent shooting in game four. They’ll continue to have success on the defensive end, and look to end a 1-4 postseason stretch at home. Tail the Twolves.

It’s going to take rapid adjustments from the Minnesota Timberwolves to even the series after losing game one to the Dallas Mavericks. Offensively they had a couple of surges to begin the fourth quarter and erasing a 97-89 deficit, but could not put it together. Look for Minnesota’s adjustments to come on the defensive end, in particular on Luka Doncic who looks as healthy as he has been in the postseason. Take the Timberwolves to respond in game two.

A weakness for the Dallas Mavericks in the postseason has been their performances in game ones. They lost decisively by twelve points in both game ones to the Oklahoma City Thunder and LA Clippers. The stage is different now and I believe they will be ready for the road challenge against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Take the value on the underdog with the Timberwolves coming off a series win over the defending NBA champions.

I’m tailing the Denver Nuggets as the final game seven of today. It’s clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves have the better overall team in my opinion, but the Nuggets have the edge in coaching and home court. Look for the home crowd to spark Denver and Michael Malone to have his team ready to get back to the WCF. Take Denver. 

Indiana and New York has been a fantastic series, and one that each team has traded blows to get to seven games. What we do not know is the level of effectiveness Josh Hart or OG Anunoby will provide the Knicks on the floor. Expect those minutes to possibly hurt the Knicks as the Pacers play determined basketball. Grab the Pacers as the slight underdog.

The Oklahoma City Thunder should already be eliminated with as poor as they have played offensively against the Dallas Mavericks. Yet, they found a way in game four with a late rally at Dallas, and all it takes is that one game for a team to wake up in the postseason. Take the Thunder to finally look a bit more fluid offensively for the first time since game one.

During this postseason we have seen the Indiana Pacers be a resilient group off a loss. Game five featured a high level effort from the Knicks in particular Jalen Brunson. Expect the Pacers to re-adjust defensively and be more aggressive on the offensive end of the floor. This goes seven games like the Twolves-Nuggets. Lay it with the Pacers.

The youth of the Oklahoma City Thunder may cost them in this series against the Dallas Mavericks. They had the Mavericks on the ropes in game three but completely unraveled in the third quarter allowing a big 15-0 run. Yet, they still had a chance to win late and in their first test of needing a win I think they respond tonight. Take the Thunder in game four, as this series has seven games written all over it.

Postseason patterns have been apart of the Boston Celtics playoff runs for years. Game two has been an issue thus far in both postseason series, but look for Boston to turn it up a notch in game three. From an offensive stand point expect a night and day difference from game two. The Cavaliers may be in the second round but they are extremely vulnerable as witnessed in three losses to the Magic, and game one to the Celtics. Lay it with Boston.

The Thunder had their first postseason loss in game two on their floor to the Mavericks. Dallas responded well with a bump up in play from their bench led by Tim Hardaway Jr. Yet, this Thunder team will make adjustments, including playing Wiggins more than struggling Josh Giddey. Expect better defense on Doncic as well. Grab the Thunder in game three

Denver heads to Minnesota for game three in a heap of trouble. They were blown out at home in game two, and now find themselves attempting the impossible. This series is likely going to go the Timberwolves way, but I look for the defending champs to put together a better effort tonight.  With three days off since game two, take the points with Denver.

Denver is going to have their difficulties against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but game two I believe goes there way convincingly. For as mediocre as Denver played in game one, they still had the lead for stages and had a chance to win late. Expect Denver to have better team balance and get more shots for Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and their star guard Jamal Murray. Play the Nuggets on the spread.

This spread in game one is a bit high in my opinion. We have the Knicks coming off a physical series against Philadelphia, to now facing a team that plays with tempo in Indiana. Indiana has the better overall depth that could test the Knicks, and they won two of the three regular season matchups. The lone loss was by just four points. Take the Pacers on a generous second round spread.

We finally saw a competitive game in game five between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. I think we see one once again as the Cavaliers try to avoid the blowouts we saw in games three and four. Jarrett Allen was at shoot around this morning, so having Allen would be a huge upgrade to the Cavaliers. Take the Cavs as they get the cover in Orlando tonight.

The New York Knicks should be resting after letting game five slip away multiple times. As great as Tyrese Maxey was, the Knicks have to feel comfortable with how well they’ve kept the 76ers in check the majority of the series. Expect Jalen Brunson to defer the ball a bit more, and give his teammates the open shots that are there. Take the Knicks plus the points in game six.

The Pacers played very poor in game five, where the road element likely got to them. Milwaukee over the last three games has shown their veteran makeup, pushing Indiana in both games at Indiana, and the blowout on their home floor. Yet, Indiana had these type of letdowns in the regular season, and is just to potent of an offensive team. They’ll bounce back with or without Gianna/Lillard on the floor. Play Indiana.

One has to wonder how much is left in the tank for the Milwaukee Bucks. They fought hard in Indiana taking game three to overtime, and hanging around for the majority of game four. Yet, with Damian Lillard out in game four the Bucks made ten less three pointers than Indiana. Fatigue along with that factor will be the difference in game five. Take the Pacers.

Of all the NBA series, the Philadelphia 76ers and Knicks has been arguably the most competitive. Three of the four games so far have went down to the wire. Closing out a team in the playoffs is so difficult, and I expect the Knicks to feel that pressure on their home floor. Additionally, both Josh Hart and Donte Divencenzo struggled in game four. Take the points here with Philadelphia.

In a crucial game four for the LA Clippers, there is no doubt we will see a heightened effort. Where Dallas has grown is their ability to wear down the Clippers on the offensive end of the floor. In both games two and three they scored below ninety six points. That leaves the door open for one key run for a talented team like Dallas to push past the number late. Take Dallas on the spread.

In the NBA playoffs right now we are seeing lopsided series in the West with Dallas winning consecutive games, Minnesota up 3-0, and Denver up 3-0. The Pelicans if they are going to take one game the best opportunity will be in game three. Oklahoma City is coming off an A+ offensive game in which they put in over 120 points. But in the third quarter the Pelicans got their star finally going in Brandon Ingram. He should be much more aggressive in game three and the Pelicans will feed off his energy. Take the Pelicans.

We saw the Dallas Mavericks flip the switch in game two on the defensive end of the floor. They forced tough shots the entire game from the Clipper’s star players in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Paul George. Now expect the Mavericks to defend their home court as they were the top team in the NBA down the stretch of the season.

The Boston Celtics are once again huge favorites in game two. Thanks to a big fourth quarter run from the Miami Heat in game one, I expect an even faster start from the Celtics in game two. Additionally, Celtics star Jayson Tatum will play with a chip on his shoulder after Caleb Martin collided into him at the tail end of the game. Miami just does not have the personnel to run full speed with the Celtics for four quarters. Take the Celtics to cover once again.

Look for the Pacers to respond in game two tonight in Milwaukee. As poor of a first half as the Pacers played they fought back to cut the deficit to just twelve points. They held Damian Lillard scoreless in the second half, and Milwaukee to just forty points post half time. Look for Indiana to shoot much better from the field and not be held under 100 points again. Take Indiana.

At first I leaned towards the Oklahoma City Thunder side but sometimes we see teams get better through a key injury. The Pelicans know they will be without Zion, but have one of the better developed rosters in the NBA. Ingram looks ready to go, and I expect CJ McCollum to bounce back from two rare off games in the play in. Additionally, the Pelicans had one of the eight wins on the Thunder’s home floor this season. Take the Pelicans. 

One of the toughest elements of the postseason is handling a team’s talent and escalated pressure. For the Minnesota Timberwolves they had a banner year but now enter a phase they have not experienced as a higher seed in the Western Conference. To make matters worse the Suns have won nine out of the last ten matchups including a road win last Sunday. Take Phoenix to get another win over the young Timberwolves. 

Atlanta goes into the play in with a record of just 36 and 46. At ten games below .500 they lost the final six games of the season. Yet, this team has adapted after missing Trae Young for nearly two months. Furthermore, Chicago is a team they defeated at the United Center on April 1st by a margin of twelve points. Grab the generous amount of points here on the Hawks side.

The Sacramento Kings are a team that down the stretch of the season did not look like a postseason team. Yet, they have two young talents in D’Aron Fox and Sabonis that can override their depth issues for one game. Additionally, the Warriors appear to have peaked towards the end of the season. Lets not forget they Rockets were a game back of catching them for the tenth spot. In a Northern California battle grab the Kings plus the points.

The Milwaukee Bucks head into Sunday’s matchup against the Knicks with three straight losses against the Wizards, Grizzlies, and Toronto. Piling on to the matter is the fact that Giannis is questionable. Expect the Knicks to give maximum effort as they are two games back of the Bucks for the 2nd seed in the East. Tail the Knicks as the Bucks woes continue.

The Detroit Pistons put forth a disastrous effort and performance yesterday against the depleted Memphis Grizzlies. That creates a buy low opportunity today against a Brooklyn Nets team they defeated last month by six points. Jaden Ivey had his second best performance of the season with 34 points, and is coming off thirty one points in yesterday’s loss to the Grizzlies. Take the points here with Detroit.

The Philadelphia 76ers used a late surge to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last game. The win was Joel Embiid’s return, but also devalued because the Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Thursday, the 76ers get a solid matchup against a Heat team they defended well and limited to 91 points on March 18th. Grab the 76ers as the slight underdogs.

One constant for Indiana State during the NIT has been their offensive excellence. They can play from behind as they did against SMU and Cincinnati, and they can hold off runs as they did from Minnesota and Utah. Seton Hall had problems with the Sycamores type of offense in particular against St. Johns. Look for Indiana State to complete their NIT title and get the win over the Pirates.