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Pirates Coach Kevin Willard did a fantastic job adjusting his lineup after early consecutive losses to Nebraska and Saint Louis. Today they’ll get one of their toughest challenges to date against Maryland. The Terrapins two losses on the year were narrow defeats against Virginia and Purdue. Their strength at guard should also help negate the Pirates lone main scorer in Myles Powell.

Look for San Francisco to sharpen back up on the offensive end today against Stanford. Stanford has done well against non top twenty five teams this year. In fact all of their losses have come to teams such as Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, and Wisconsin. Their close loss to Kansas may seem like a value buy for today’s game against a close cross town team. Yet San Francisco’s offense features a bevy of scorers unlike Stanford. Grab San Francisco.

DePaul looks to continue it’s surprise start with a home matchup Saturday against Boston College. DePaul’s balance beings with the senior guard tandem of Max Strus (20PPG) and Eli Cain 14 PPG. With an 8-0 home record there is pressure on the Demon Deacons to continue their hot start. Yet look for Boston College to be able to counter the Demon Deacons impact offense. Grab Boston College. 

The Houston Cougars have ascended into the top 25 with quality wins over Oklahoma State, LSU, Oregon, and BYU. Yet they’re not the type of team that’s showcased offensive synergy for two halves. With fan attendance likely down tonight look for Utah State to learn their lessons from losses to ASU and BYU. Grab the Aggies to cover ATS. 

Wednesday we get to see one of the best remaining non-conference matchups between UCLA and Cincinnati. The Bruins have shown flashes of their strong youth to begin the season 7-3. With both teams coming off losses this may seem like a typical Bearcats slow points production game. Instead look for the Bearcats to have their way on both ends of the floor. Grab Cincy. 

Western Kentucky’s starting lineup adjustments from a season ago has produced just a .500 record. They’ll face a Belmont team in which they lost a year ago 75-72. A positive for Western Kentucky is the fact that starting senior guard Lamonte Bearden returned for his first game action in their last outing. That’ll give them a spark but look for Belmont’s winning ways to continue in the win column and ATS.

Tuesday the Lakers will conclude a road trip stretch that spanned six of seven games. After tonight’s matchup in Brooklyn they will not leave the state of California until January 6th. That’s motivation as the team looks to respond after an embarrassing Sunday road performance in Washington. Grab the Lakers to end Brooklyn’s five game win streak.

Consecutive losses from Northern Kentucky on the road offers value as they return home Sunday.  This is a veteran team that many expect to take their conference title. Miami Ohio has the weapons offensively to not be deterred in a road environment. Grab the road value coming out of the MAC in Miami Ohio.

In their last matchup Arizona nearly pulled off a great comeback win over Alabama. They fell short to suffer their first loss against a non top-ten team this season. Saturday they’ll face a Baylor team that’s coming off it’s first road game of the season, a 71-63 loss to Wichita State. That’s presented value on a Bears team that’s at it’s lowest point in the eyes of oddsmakers in quite over seven years. 

The Zags tough non-conference schedule showcased they were susceptible to key runs. Lacking the full offensive repertoire has occurred for the Zags in recent games against Washington and Tennessee. Now further travel to North Carolina puts them in further jeopardy against a Tar Heels team eager to re-showcase itself. It’s last key matchup was a nationally televised 84-67 loss to Michigan. Grab North Carolina.

Transfers amongst top programs are usually skipped over as it’s such a common occurrence. Kentucky’s guard Quade Green made the announcement he will transfer after the Wildcats loss to Seton Hall. Look for his announcement and a week of rest to be a factor ATS against the Utah Utes.  Three recent losses by the Utes against Hawaii, Northwestern, and BYU by double-digits which has skewed today’s line.

Many pre-season analysts harped on the Atlantic 10 as a poor conference this season. While the teams do struggle to score they play above average defense. VCU is one of those teams that’s not going to light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis. Today they’ll face a College of Charleston team with similar makeup but a size advantage. Yet look for free throws to key an ATS decision on the Rams side and end the Cougars five game win streak. 

A young Bulls team was clearly distracted by their new interim coach’s tactics. It didn’t sit well and leaked out to the media. That brought about immense value on a small line in their last game against the Kings. Venturing on the road to Mexico City one would expect issues to further compound. Instead look for a focused Bulls team that can ease their tensions in a non-familiar NBA arena in Mexico City. Grab the Bulls. 

Often times a young team with talent will get a pre-mature high ranking in the polls. Oregon’s 5-3 start to the season has showcased they’re far from being a top 25 team. They’ll face a dangerous San Diego team that has covered in matchups against Washington, Colorado, Ole Miss, and San Diego State. Expect the Toreros to wear down in the second half in a tough road environment. Grab Oregon.

Wichita State has obvious holes in their team makeup that will keep them from the big dance in March. At 4-4 they had respectable close losses to Davidson and Alabama before a blowout road loss this past weekend to Oklahoma. They’ll return home to face a Jacksonville State team that is a bad matchup for the Shockers. Grab the value on Jacksonville State.

It appears that the Pacers guard Victor Oladipo may return to the lineup tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. Minus Oladipo the Pacers used key contributions from their bench to win six of eight games. They’ll face a Milwaukee Bucks team that’s getting back in rhythm after a recent sporadic stretch. Look for Oladipo’s potential return to be the improper ATS enticement. Grab the Bucks.

Oddsmakers had a tough choice to make when setting tonight’s line between the Raptors and Clippers. LA is coming off an overtime victory last night against the Suns, while the Raptors are on their furthest mileage road trip of the season traveling to LA. Losers of three of four the value is on the Raptors to break out of their slump in LA. Grab Toronto. 

The Cowboys have enjoyed six days off after their thrilling comeback win over South Carolina last Wednesday. After tonight’s game against Denver they’ll be off for ten more days. Rest and the fact that the Cowboys have not left the state of Wyoming since November 28th are factored into this spread. Grab the value on a Denver team that is winless on the road. 

For the second time this season Central Florida will host a smaller school as a ten point favorite. Against Northern Kentucky the Knights used a strong second half run to pull away and cover. Tuesday they’ll face a Georgia Southern team that was a smaller underdog against the Arizona Wildcats last week. Essentially oddsmakers are expecting the third straight road game of Georgia Southern to be an issue. Instead grab the value on Georgia Southern.

Steph Curry returned to the Warriors starting lineup at the tail end of the Warriors East coast road trip. It resulted in three straight wins and ATS covers for the Warriors, including a Friday nationally televised victory over the Bucks. Yet the value lies on the Timberwolves Monday as the atmosphere in the Bay Area with the team back is factored into the spread. Furthermore the Timberwolves 2-9 road record adds further dog value. Play the Timberwolves.

Neither Saint Louis or Oregon State’s strength of schedule is one to write home about. A strong upper class pairing for the Beavers is an advantage with Tres Trinkle Stephen Thompson. Both players are averaging over 17 PPG. With Saint Louis coming off a loss to Southern Illinois value may seem to be against them. Instead look for their defense that clamped down on Seton Hall earlier this season to be on showcase. Grab Saint Louis. 

Gonzaga has passed the gauntlet of tests thus far with wins over Duke, Creighton, and a survival win against Washington. It’s an unusual strong non-conference schedule for the Zags that has propelled them to the top team in the country. If not for an overtime loss to Kansas we could have been watching a one versus two showdown today. Expect the Vols to be the latest team to test the Zags as they cover the small number. 

When the radar is well known on bad teams that’s when attraction can be had. The California Bears were just trounced at home by the San Francisco Dons 79-60.  Yale, St. Mary’s, and San Francisco all toppled the Bears by thirteen points or more this season. Yet look for an unexpected contribution and for the Bears to be able to capitalize on a sluggish finish from the Aztecs. Grab California. 

Undefeated teams with weak non-conference schedules have been falling rapidly this past week in college basketball. After a mini-break in their schedule the Houston Cougars could be next in that department. They’ll face an Oklahoma State team that has dropped two straight on the road after an impressive home win against LSU. That’s where the value lies here as Oklahoma State does not pull off the ATS cover in their home return.

Not seen in college basketball are division one teams in a formidable conference winless. LaSalle is 0-9 but has ATS covers under their belt against both Philadelphia area schools in Temple and Villanova. In their arena today against another Big 5 Philadelphia school one would expect LaSalle to fight to break out of their winless start. Yet look for Penn’s sound basketball play to overwhelm the Explorers. 

The Pepperdine Waves have grown in the 2018-2019 season thanks to a key move by the coaching staff. Their allowing a young back-court to thrive led by sophomore Jade Smith and 19.9 PPG scorer in sophomore Colbey Ross. The continuity is already there with the starting five but takes hits another gear thanks to their sixth man playing starters minutes in senior guard Eric Cooper Jr. Grab Pepperdine on the point drop down against Riverside. 

The makeup of the California Bears does not look like a power five collegiate team. Overall they’re just 2-4 and if not for a couple of tune up non-conference games it likely would be worse. Wednesday they’ll take on a San Francisco team traveling back from Ireland after sustaining their first loss to Buffalo. Look for the Dons to experience a bit of road travel fatigue in the first ten to twelve minutes before toppling a Cal Bears team that isn’t up to their caliber. 

A starting five with balance is hard to deter on their home floor. San Diego State boasts a starting back court of seniors with Devin Watson and Jeremy Hemsley. All five starters are relevant as each is averaging double-figures. Yet look for the Toreros to continue their ascent led by dynamite scorer Isaiah Pineiro.

The Dayton Flyers faced the tough portion of their non-conference schedule and came out of it 1-3. Three straight losses to Virginia, Oklahoma, and Mississippi State were all fairly close respectable losses. Oddsmakers see it that way as they made them sizable favorites against a young but exciting Detroit team. Detroit has an electric freshmen in Antoine Davis. Dayton’s low-scoring ways will have to change to cover a mid-teens line. Expect that to come to fruition as they increase the pace of their offense to prep for Auburn.

Central Florida has shown their versatility as a team filled with upper class-men. To start the year they’re 6-1 and have won in a variety of ways. Their strength of schedule should have them prepared against a Missouri team that’s struggling out the gate. Yet this is also UCF’s first true road game. Look for the number to be a factor and advantage for Missouri. 

The Friars will take on a Rhode Island team transitioning from prior Coach Dan Hurley. Extended rest of a full week for the Rams will not lead to expected synergy against their in-state rivals. Instead grab the value on the Friars Saturday.

Adversity in college hoops sometimes comes with anticipated scheduling. That’s the case for Nevada as they embark on a tough portion of their non-conference schedule. After traveling to Loyola-Chicago they venture to LA to take on the Pac-12 USC Trojans. The Trojans are a high scoring threat and a chance to upset a top team always poses as a scare. Yet look for the veteran Wolf Pack to continue their rapid rise.

Aside from an overtime loss to the Wizards, the Clippers have been flawless. They’ve won eight of nine games while covering the majority of them. Tonight they’ll face a Sacramento Kings team that is coming off its second worst loss of the season, in a 133-112 home loss to the Jazz. Although they’re a young team look for the Kings to bounce back in this spot. 

One of the teams that many pegged to be a formidable team in 2018 were the Utah Jazz. Instead they’ve been inefficient and are quickly fading out of the picture in the West. Wins against struggling teams have to not be taken lightly by the Jazz going forward. Tonight’s an opportunity against a Nets team that is just 3-6 at home. Yet look for Brooklyn to eradicate the issues in blowing a win to the 76ers. Grab the Nets. 

San Diego has jumped out to a 5-1 start and could very easily be 6-0. Boasting four seniors will put them in contention to pose a threat as the second best team in the WCC. Their quality play against Pac-12 schools in Washington and Colorado is a barometer test tonight against an Ole Miss SEC squad that’s in program transition. Yet look for the Rebels depth to pose as an advantage and for the Rebels to squeeze out a late ATS cover. 

One of the eye-popping opening night comebacks in college basketball was Georgia Southern’s against George Mason. Down 20 points at halftime they roared back to win 98-89. It’s a program that’s found their niche in recruiting primarily in Georgia/Florida. While East Tennessee has the better strength of schedule Georgia Southern is the more efficient team. Grab Georgia Southern

Change over amongst the South Carolina Gamecocks features several new starters. The back court features a defensive transfer guard from Georgetown in Tre Campbell, whom should have an impact tonight against Wofford’s electric scorer Fletcher Magee. On the other side Wofford has all five starters back from last year’s blowout 73-52 loss to the Gamecocks. While the personnel has changed for the Gamecocks look for Frank Martin to deploy several defensive strategies with the Terriers veteran roster. Grab South Carolina.

Sometimes teams can grow getting away from their home environment. Just a week ago Seton Hall struggled playing twenty minutes away from home in a NYC tournament (lost both). Now in California they’ve grown quickly with proper rotation adjustments made by Coach Willard. Look for the Pirates momentum to continue against the undefeated Hurricanes.

Mentioned yesterday is the adjustments oddsmakers have to make making lines from neutral site tournament games to a true non-conference schedule. Wichita State’s graduating talent has left them with very little team camaraderie as they are re-developing a new starting five. Their over all play certainly doesn’t warrant a mid-teens line. Yet look for the Shockers to take advantage of a poor Rice defensive team that’s coming off allowing 105 points to BYU. 

Often times the rust of oddsmakers comes evaluating teams ATS outside of neutral site tournaments. Northern Kentucky is coming off their own home court hosted tournament that boosted their record to 6-0. Boasting an entire starting lineup of three and four year players a double-digit line is a peculiar offering. Pace of play will be an immense problem as well as Northern Kentucky adapting to a true road environment. Grab Central Florida. 

Small school tournaments often times still feature teams that are overwhelmed. That’s been the case for USC Upstate whom oddsmakers have been hesitant to place odds on the past two college basketball seasons. Consecutive blowout losses to Portland and Texas State in the Portland Classic places value on the Spartans in their final game against Cal Poly. Take the small underdog spread here.

The Utah Utes looked extremely flat on Thanksgiving in a blowout loss against Hawaii. Now in less than 24 hours they’ll take on a Grand Canyon team that has size at all positions. That’s a matchup contrast from yesterday’s small ball Hawaii team that poses as an advantage for the Utes. Look for a free throw edge and ability to find shooters to lead the Utes to an ATS win. 

Friday the Rockets travel to take on the Detroit Pistons which will cap a home-away mini series between the two. With the Rockets aiming for their sixth straight win it’ll be interesting to see how they begin the game. Coming off a holiday a sluggish start is possible. Yet look for the Rockets win streak to give them an edge in the second half ATS. 

Penny Hardaway’s beginning tenure for the Memphis Tiger produced a great-effort close result against the LSU Tigers. The nationally televised game showcased that the Tigers have some key pieces for Hardaway to work with with senior guards Jeremiah Martin and forward Kyvon Davenport. Yet one of the biggest areas for a new coach is adjusting game to game. Expect Yale to show some of the intangibles seen in a seventeen point victory over the Cal Bears. Grab Yale.

Losing a high amount of seniors due to graduation showed a tough replacement problem for the Pirates. Against Nebraska Seton Hall was blown out 80-57 as the new guard lineup struggled. Combined the starting guards went 8-29 from the field and as a team shot just 13 percent from three. That’s created a value favorite line against a Billikens team that’s 3-0 resume was against soft opponents. Grab Seton Hall

Suddenly the Lakers have hit their stride and have won six of their last seven games. They’re getting high contributions in points distribution and two of their last four wins were featured nationally televised games. They’ll take on an Orlando Magic team that is very young at key positions and bench depth. Yet look for the travel factor to be an issue as well as the Lakers defense.

A small line is offered tonight between the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets. A prime reason for the Hornets being small favorites is their extended rest versus the 76ers playing in a back to back scenario. With the 76ers new look starting lineup one may expect value to be on them. Instead grab the Hornets who have a long standing personnel group that will be ready for the scenario. 

Clearly the Wildcats did not resemble a former national title team against the Michigan Wolverines. Part of that had to do with the tremendous turnover from the Wildcats and the experience factor of the Wolverines from last year’s title game. While Furman is off to a 4-0 start look for Wright’s Wildcats to get back to defensive basics and throttle Furman ATS.

After losing three straight games at home the Miami Heat won decisively on the road Wednesday at Brooklyn. The Nets were adjusting to the season-ending injury of 18 PPG guard Caris LeVert. Now they’ll face a well-rested Pacers team whom has not played since Sunday. Also factored into the point spread is the Pacers recent win in Miami. Look for the extended rest of the Pacers to boost the Heat in getting back into this game and covering the number. 

Typically in a neutral site tournament one will not see a high spread between two undefeated teams. Especially against a team such as Davidson that boasts several returning starters including do it all player Kellen Grady. Yet Davidson struggles with the half court defensive sets similar to the Boilermakers. Expect transition baskets and easy hoops for a well-coached Purdue team.

The San Antonio Spurs have caused severe detraction ATS with outright losses as favorites against the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Both outings the defense suffered and offensively the Spurs look out of sync. Tonight they’ll face a Clippers team that has used their home dominance at 6-1 to defeat the Warriors and Bucks. Both teams are the best in their conferences which creates peak ATS value on them. Grab the Spurs as they find a way to turn the corner from their current offensive rut. 

The Celtics record does not reflect their on court production. Thanks to a five game road trip in which the Celtics lost four of five. They return home Tuesday and will face a Bulls team that’s been good against the number against teams such as the Hornets, Pacers, Rockets, and Nuggets. Yet look for the Celtics to show no mercy as Brad Stevens expects a complete game from his starters-bench. Grab Boston.

The Brooklyn Nets won three straight games including ones over the 76ers and Nuggets before faltering on the back end of their road trip. They return home Wednesday and will be without their leading scorer in Caris LeVert for the rest of the year. With the Nets deep bench rotation one would expect LeVert’s absence not to be a problem. Yet look for the Heat and Coach Spoelstra to have answers even minus Dwayne Wade. Grab Miami.

The Wright State Raiders are coming off a poor road loss to Murray State. They return home tonight to take on a 2-0 Toledo squad. Two main factors are in-line for the oddsmaker spread. For one Wright State returned their entire starting five from last year’s 25-10 team. Secondly, they defeated Toledo on the road last season 77-69. Although the Raiders are well coached look for the Rockets to have last year’s loss fresh on their memories. Grab Toledo.

After capturing the market with a 9-1 record things have went in reverse for the young Nuggets. They’ve dropped three straight games but all were in close fashion. Two 2-point losses and a nail biter home loss to one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in the Milwaukee Bucks. They’ll face a Rockets team that has distractions involving Carmelo Anthony and is one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. That doesn’t bode well in altitude against the multi-scorers the Nuggets have. Yet the Rockets are digging themselves out of a hole and seem to be playing with a chip on their shoulder. Grab the Rockets. 

Off the radar tonight will be a battle between the Missouri Valley’s Drake Bulldogs and the Pac-12 Colorado Buffaloes. A one-game in-season experience edge lies with the Drake Bulldogs whom have been a competitive Missouri Valley squad as of late. They’ll take on a Colorado Buffaloes team that is playing their first game of the season tonight. This is a program that lost three players to graduation. Typically that makes it hard for a .500 team the prior season to adjust early the following year. Yet Colorado has a prolific scorer in McKinley Wright whom will have his chance to be the number one option. Grab the Buffs Tuesday.

One of the big off-season announcements came out of the Sun Belt and Georgia State. Their prolific scorer D’Marcus Simonds made it known that he will not transfer to a big school even though the option was there. The 20 plus points a game scorer has a bevy of upperclassmen around him including senior forward Jeff Thomas. They’ll face a Mercer team Tuesday that’s been an oddsmaker conundrum for years. The Bears are adjusting to a new starting five that features zero double-digit scorers from a year ago and none from this season’s small sample size. Yet look for the Bears to play a competitive game and close within the number.

One of the big name off-season coaching changes came with Rhode Island losing Dan Hurley to UConn. That’s expected to rattle a Rhode Island program that had a nice two to three year run with program players. Graduated their new roster is going to be a work in progress. That’s an oddsmakers calculated spread in tonight’s matchup against UCOC. The Cougars boast three starting seniors including 16PPG Jarell Brantley and 27.5 PPG scorer in Grant Riller. Yet this is a team prone to droughts offensively. Grab the value on the slight dog in Rhode Island.

The Sacramento Kings have had a bit of a slide lately after starting the season 6-3. They’ve lost three of four to drop to 7-6 as the youth mix has had its trouble recently against veteran teams. Tonight look for the team to rally for the city against a Spurs team that’s catching too many points based on their recent win over the Rockets. Grab the Kings here. 

Middle Tennessee has officially lost their talented players from their NCAA tournament run of a few years ago due to graduation. An influx of new starters mixed with transfers has led them to a 2-0 start against non division one teams. Tonight should be a different story against the octane Belmont Bruins. Under valued ATS for the Bruins is the fact that they start three freshman. They’re paired with two seniors that will be enough to clear the hurdle ATS. Grab the Bruins

Opportune value ATS is high with small dogs with poor road records. That’s an identified exact scenario with the Philadelphia 76ers against the below .500 Miami Heat. Certainly this line may have moved to a pick or on the 76ers side as favorites with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. Catching more points now look for the 76ers to rally behind the move as their starters and second unit handle the Heat. Grab Philadelphia.

An interesting NBA Sunday matchup features two of the up and coming teams from both conferences.  Yet the Bucks have lost two of three games on their current road trip and the Nuggets have lost two straight. Add in the factor of the Bucks playing in a back to back scenario and this creates value on them. Grab the line movement shift on Milwaukee

On the year the LA Clippers have failed to win more than two games in a row. That’ll be put to the test again against a Portland Trailblazers team that has been exceptional this season. In fact they’re coming off a grandiose performance against the Milwaukee Bucks. That win was as a slim underdog and has created extra value for tonight. Grab the Clippers to play a competitive road game here. 

A nationally televised game tonight features the Timberwolves against the Lakers. On paper both teams have similar struggling records. The main difference ATS is the Timberwolves horrid road record of 0-6. During their current road trip they’ve been blown out by double digits in all. Yet look for a stronger showing tonight from the Timberwolves as they cover the number. 

After playing six of their last eight games at home the Milwaukee Bucks will venture onto the road Tuesday night. Theyll take on a 7-3 Portland Trailblazers team that has built leverage with a strong bench. This has created an interesting ATS conundrum against the strong 8-1 Bucks.  Typically the Trailblazers would have the edge but look for the size and skill set of the Bucks to give the Blazers problems.

Perhaps no team got as much off-season exposure as the Duke Blue Devils. They played in a nationally televised exhibition in August and have had multiple other profiled exhibitions. They boast a starting five that’ll be tough to contend with as the season progresses. Yet look for tentativeness from the new core of players as Kentucky counters with better execution.

Last season ASU was the team that shocked everyone in college basketball as they dominated in non-conference to ascend to third in the country. Retaining several key players along with Bobby Hurley’s strong recruiting class is a recipe for another great non-conference start. Yet this is where last year’s non-conference domination has skewed todays spread. Cal State Fullerton boasts one of the top scorers in the country in senior Kyle Allman. The veteran Fullerton squad should be much improved and show more balance than their first round 74-48 exit to Purdue. 

Anytime schools meet from the Big 5 of Philadelphia it’s expected to be a grudge match. Tuesday LaSalle and Temple will meet in a rematch of a close 87-83 LaSalle win last season. With the Explorers retaining the back court of Pookie Powell and Saul Phiri one would expect them to have the advantage. Yet the loss of BJ Johnson to graduation is going to be a tough offensive void. Grab the Owls. 

One of the under the radar changes in college hoops came with the Charlotte 49ers. Their new coach in Ron Sanchez was a former assistant at Virginia. He’ll look to change over a program that hasn’t had success in five years. Starting strong under a new regime is expected especially against a struggling Southern Conference opponent in Chattanooga. The turmoil with the Mocs has decimated their program. Three players transferred out in Nat Dixon (SMU), Rodney Chatman (Dayton), and Makale Foreman (Stony Brook). In fact only one player remains from last year’s top seven player rotation. Those keys are factored into Tuesday’s line. Grab the Mocs.  

The Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers meet for the second time this season Saturday. The earlier matchup featured a close overtime win for the Detroit Pistons. In that matchup the 76ers were without Ben Simmons. That factor plus the 76ers undefeated home record are variables to side with the underdog Pistons.

The Dallas Mavericks venture to California to take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday. The Lakers continued losing is puzzling as they’ve been in the majority of their games. Now the pressure is on Lebron and his young teammates to get wins. That’s an ATS factor against a winless Mavericks team on the road. Grab Dallas.

Out the gate the Memphis Grizzlies have shown a renewed spirit. Healthy on floor veteran leadership is back with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, and new veteran additions in Kyle Anderson and Garrett Temple are helping. Opposite tonight are the Washington Wizards whom are concluding a peculiar five game road trip. That’s the value angle as the Wizards will be prepared tonight against the Grizzlies. 

Teams in back to back scenarios Sunday and Monday are noticeably poor ATS. Oddsmakers have caught onto that and rightfully boosted the Spurs tonight. Dallas ranks near the bottom of the NBA yielding over 117 points per game and were just defeated handily on their home floor Sunday night. Yet, this is far too many points on the Spurs side as San Antonio plays their third straight home game and have double-whammy Lebron-inflation. Grab the Mavericks.

A debate amongst the best conference in the NBA is non-negotiable with the high dominance of the Western Conference. Portland’s early success against the Lakers and Spurs have improperly boosted them against Eastern Conference opponents. Although the Trailblazers are getting dynamic bench contributions from a host of players, the Pacers home court edge will prevail. Grab Indiana. 

The number ATS continues to be an issue for a Thunder team that is obviously much better than their 0-4 record. They’ll face a Phoenix Suns team that’s been blown out in three straight games including last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. With extra emphasis on the Thunder needing this win and the Suns in a back to back scenario that’s created value on the Suns.

Line movement has occurred in tonight’s Lakers vs Spurs matchup. Los Angeles has put together consecutive wins with a blowout over the Suns and a great win over the Nuggets. They’ll also get Rajon Rondo back and face a Spurs team that they had on the ropes in LA days ago. Yet look for the Spurs to showcase similar offense that they did in LA and take advantage of the Lakers recent success. Grab the Spurs. 

The Boston Celtics were on the brink of faltering to 2-3 against an ultra hungry OKC team. On the road they rallied and held a winless OKC team to another loss. Now they’ll travel to Detroit to face the undefeated Pistons where value is on the Celtics. Detroit has had a home friendly schedule with all games decided in close fashion. Grab the Celtics to hand the Pistons their first loss. 

The undefeated Bucks venture to the Western conference to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday. An edge for bettors is oddsmakers dismissing the Bucks early season schedule which is common with such a small sample size. The depth of the Bucks is very underrated and will be the edge to clear a small road number to put them at 5-0.

An 0-3 Lakers team ventures to take on a young Phoenix Suns squad Wednesday. As bad as the Lakers start has been their are positives to sidestep their early season record. Even minus two key players the Lakers should have enough of an arsenal to get by a Phoenix Suns team that is coming off consecutive lopsided road losses.  

Injuries have repeated a similar pattern as last season for the Chicago Bulls. Early in the season it’s unaccustomed to see a team have as poor of a schedule as the Hornets. Wednesday marks their fourth straight road game that started in Florida and ventured to Toronto, Canada two days ago. Spotting the Hornets as a road favorite in this spot speaks to oddsmakers faith in the Hornets overcoming their road fatigue. Grab the Hornets. 

The 76ers have officially ruled Ben Simmons out for today’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons. That’s the type of value one is looking for early in the season in the NBA. Detroit’s 2-0 record have featured close tight games. A narrow three point victory over Brooklyn as well as a two point victory over Chicago. Look for the 76ers cohesiveness to pay dividends as they land the early season road victory. 

The new look Spurs were able to hang on at home against the Timberwolves to start the season. Now they’ll travel to take on a Blazers team that looked superb to open up the season against the Lakers. The depth and home court edge for the Trailblazers figures to give the Spurs problems. Yet look for the Spurs to be able to answer the Trailblazers runs and cover the number. 

The well documented struggles of the Warriors in Utah are long standing. They fall into the category of many teams that struggle with rotations in the altitude of Salt Lake City. Early in the season this figures to be a problem as the starters aren’t going to play a high volume of minutes and the bench rotation is the weakest it’s been in years for Golden State. With Utah’s vast depth there will be issues of the Warriors playing from behind. Yet this team knows how to close and I wouldn’t be surprised of a big second half run that closes the door on the Jazz. Grab Golden State. 

The New York Knicks lit up the scoreboard in their opener over the Atlanta Hawks. The blended roles of youth shined and now they’ll get the fortune of playing their second home game right up the street in Brooklyn. That’s where the value lies as the short trek to Brooklyn in New York City is an attractor on a small line. This early in the season it’s enough of an indicator to take the proper value on the Nets. Grab Brooklyn.

The Lakers moves for improvement went beyond Lebron James. They added several key veterans in Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo. These additions are expected to mesh well with the Lakers young talent and their fast pace style. Yet Portland is a stout home team that will have extra motivation. They had a quick exit in last year’s playoffs in which they lost four straight to the Pelicans, but they’ll also be playing for recently passed owner Paul Allen. Grab the value on Portland to spoil Lebron’s first game in LA.

Zack sees value on the Magic for his second release of the NBA season. The Heat figure to be a top threat in the Eastern Conference but come into the regular season with injuries to several key players. Dion Waiters, Justice Winslow, James Johnson, and Wayne Ellington are all likely out. This is where their success last season with injuries creates value against them Wednesday. The Magic were the second worst Eastern Conference team last year and an in-state game figures to give the Heat the upper hand. Instead look for the Magic to show proper cohesion and get the cover on the small line. 

The Boston Celtics had one of the more impressive runs based on injuries in postseason memory last year. Now they must find a way to blend in Irving/Hayword and blend in everyone else’s roles. These chemistry issues were on full display as the Celtics struggled in pre-season. This is a factor in Tuesday’s small line against the experienced and hungry 76ers team that has revenge on their minds. Yet look for the Celtics to combat the 76ers and show they are the team to beat in the East. 

The Lakers showed last year that they take the summer league as serious as any team. They played key young talent and both rookies in Lonzo Ball/Kyle Kuzma extended minutes. The same has been showcased this year along with key young talent in Josh Hart and Alex Caruso. Still, look for the Bulls to limit the offensive explosion the Lakers showed in their debut Friday. Grab Chicago. 

A day off of rest and a new arena could be troublesome for the Memphis Grizzlies summer league team. They’ve made the trek down from Salt Lake City as they take on a Detroit team that will be looking to bounce back from a loss yesterday. Summer league play usually has teams switch the look of their rosters as days go on. This should bode to the advantage of the Pistons getting a steep plus four Saturday.

Summer league continues Saturday as the Brooklyn Nets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nets fell short on Friday as their roster was not indicative of whom they played on the floor. The big name NBA roster players are not playing which has created value against the Thunder whom lost by a point Friday. Terrance Ferguson is one of the big names that generated solid minutes with the Thunder and creates this value opportunity.

Summer league continues Saturday as the New York Knicks will host Trae Young’s Hawks. Anyone whom watched the Hawks saw Young’s struggles as his team looked out of sync. Young couldn’t buy a basket and will now face tougher defense in a bigger tournament in Las Vegas. Yet look for the Hawks to finally display a team effort as they get the cover Saturday. 

Summer league provides opportunities of value based on makeshift short term teams. Value today lies with the fact that the Denver Nuggets first round pick in Michael Porter Jr. won’t be playing throughout the summer league. This comes via a team that traded away some of their younger assets in Emmanuel Mudiay and others. Grab the value on them as slight underdogs. 

Finding value in the summer league can get tighter as days go on. The reason being is more dynamic players begin to rest and some wrap up contracts to play overseas. Yet the new Sacramento/Salt Lake schedule brings high value. One today lies with the Memphis Grizzlies as they take on the host Utah Jazz.  Both teams are coming off day one dynamite victories but look for the Grizzlies to continue to shine offensively. Grab Memphis. 

On paper the Celtics seemingly are under manned. Yet the results beg to differ as the Celtics immense depth has flourished with their youth. They’re under valued home court has dominated ATS in the playoffs with a 5-0 mark. Yet the level of offensive efficiency witnessed in game one is not a familiar scene for the Celtics. Expect the 76ers high talent to adjust appropriately. Grab Philadelphia.

Key returning stars are always hard to re-implement in the playoffs. Steph Curry’s return surely will take away minutes from bench contributors as well as shots from the first-unit. The Pelicans have gelled with their post DeMarcus Cousins roster where nearly every player knows their role. Curry’s return combined with the Warriors game one dominance has created value on the Pelicans for Tuesday.

The Thunder and Jazz series is showing what we’ve become accustomed to with superstar player led teams. A more balanced Jazz team has the arsenal and schemes to outdo the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Carmelo’s downgraded play has been the majority of the season it’s Russ and Paul George’s play that’s more troubling. Both have been held in check for stretches in this series. At home in a potential season ending game value lies on the Jazz.

Recognition of line movement in a playoff series is crucial. After a dominating game three win by the Jazz, oddsmakers curiously lowered the game four spread. It’s noteworthy and centered around the improbability of the Thunder winning the series if they sustain another loss. Expect the Thunder to be much more prepared for game four even as Billy Donovan tinkers with rotation minutes. Grab the Thunder.

Instances of chaos this season amongst the Washington Wizards players were well documented. Yet the fact of the matter is the Wizards missed Wall for key games that derailed their true seed. Games three performance seemed to give the Wizards the jolt they need. While they may not have the same dominating output look for a cash out plus the points.

At the start of the NBA playoffs few teams have shown carry over value from the regular season. One team that has are the Western Conference top-seeded Houston Rockets. Houston destroyed the number and the Timberwolves in game two as the Timberwolves could not contain Houston. Yet, today is a value spot with yet another home team. As great as the Rockets have been against the Timberwolves this is a heightened line. Grab the underdog.  

The Pelicans have now won seven straight games as they defeated Portland in games one and two on the road. Thursday’s game will put to the test both teams as it’s a quick transition of just a couple of days rest. With the Pelicans struggles in second halves this may open the door for another close finish. Yet, look for the Pelicans to continue to get just enough from role players to go along with AD and Holiday. Grab the Pelicans to secure their eighth straight win and small line cover.