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Play Miami -3

Play Celtics +5.5

Play Knicks +7.5

Play Orlando Magic +8

Play Timberwolves +3.5

Play Atlanta Hawks -6.5

To open up the NBA season we'll be grabbing the Atlanta Hawks at home. Detroit did finish last season on a better note but the Hawks are a focused underrated team. They lack a true go-to star with Jeff Teague being the main catalyst. But they play as a group from all five positions that extends to their bench. Grab the Hawks to use their team style and home court edge to get the cover opening night.

07/17 01:30 PM  NBA   (553) MIAMI HEAT VS (554) SACRAMENTO KINGS edit

Take: (554) SACRAMENTO KINGS 

Reason: Play Kings Miami has lost a couple of games now. To Boston and the other night. They've been down right away in these games as they've been slow out of the gate. The Kings will look to do the same. Early leads are hard to erase and even though the Heat may come back in the later quarters, I'll still grab the 3.5 and buy to 4 here.

07/17 01:00 PM  NBA   (551) HOUSTON ROCKETS VS (552) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS edit

Take: (552) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 

Reason: Play Philadelphia We'll play on some summer league action Friday. Philadelphia has carried the underdog role just like they do in the regular season. Here I love the points as Philadelphia showed some grit the other night coming back from a 15 point half time deficit. They'll fight hard today. Grab the value with four points.

05/15 04:00 PM  NBA   (745) ATLANTA HAWKS VS (746) WASHINGTON WIZARDS edit

Take: (745) ATLANTA HAWKS 

Reason: Play Atlanta plus 3 The Hawks have a chance to wrap up their series tonight on the road against Washington. Last night we saw the Clippers lose to head to game seven and the Cavaliers finished off the Bulls. Atlanta has not played well it seems like the entire playoffs, but their last two games they've started to resemble more of what we saw in the regular season. Their spacing the floor better and defending the basketball better. Washington's offense seems to be bogging down a bit. Paul Pierce has been expected to take more shots than what he signed up for and inside you never know what type of game you're going to get from Nene or Gortat. Grab the Hawks tonight as they find a way to close this out or keep things close enough for the cover

05/10 12:30 PM  NBA   (725) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS (726) CHICAGO BULLS edit

Take: (726) CHICAGO BULLS 

Reason: Play Bulls plus 2 Buy the half point in this situation. The Lebron factor has carried bettors for half a decade through his last year in Cleveland and four years in Miami. Warning signs have been there all season at this being an adjustment year for the Cavaliers. That was with full health. Kevin Love is obviously out and Kyrie Irving is dinged up. This was the position of the Bulls a month ago with Rose, Gibson, and Butler hurt. They're at full strength and I believe this team will pull off yet another stunner on Sunday. Paul Gasol is day to day but this team has depth in the interior and should get better defense from his substitute if needed. Game three was a sloppy win for the Bulls, but don't be shocked to see this game shape out the way game one did.

05/09 05:00 PM  NBA   (723) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS (724) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES edit

Take: (723) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 

Reason: Play Warriors -4 Game two was confusing to see the Warriors offense befuddled as much as it was. They seemed to be a bit shocked by the play of Mike Conley. He was expected to play but no one anticipated him being able to have the impact he did. Maybe the Steph Curry MVP ceremony also was an emotional high for the Warriors. This is playoff basketball though and I believe the Warriors will have the answers offensively to separate in game three from the home squad of the Grizzlies. Grab the Warriors.

05/09 02:05 PM  NBA   (721) ATLANTA HAWKS VS (722) WASHINGTON WIZARDS edit

Take: (722) WASHINGTON WIZARDS 

Reason: Play Wizards plus 4.5 Money moved significantly in game two and barely caught bettors the line shift from 6 to 9. Today it's also moving slightly on the Hawks side with the impact injury to John Wall. His status and value on the court is the big unknown. What's not is the fact the Hawks just have not played as a number one seed throughout the playoffs. Washington has the size inside and may have to shift their offensive focus for the remainder of this series. Getting Nene and Gortat more involved needs to be a focal point for success. Attacking inside is how the Nets made a series of the first round against the Hawks. Grab the value today on the Wizards

05/08 05:05 PM  NBA   (717) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS (718) CHICAGO BULLS edit

Take: (718) CHICAGO BULLS 

Reason: Play Bulls -2 The Bulls did their job in Cleveland and won one game. Now they'll have to respond to the much more aggressive LeBron James. No team is prepared to see such a drastic shift in a superstar's aggressiveness, and the Bulls just were caught off guard in the first quarter of game two. That coupled with the Cavs red-hot three point shooting may have been a bit of an aberration. I still expect this series to go seven games and I expect the Bulls to make necessary changes in game three. To get that done they'll need to close the gaps of penetration by LeBron James. Poor shots on the offensive end led to missed shots and quick run outs from the Cavs. A team can get back on defense but without guarding the runners on the perimeter it led to wide open three point shots. Better offensive execution has to take place for the Bulls in game three. Grab the Bulls to respond at home as a veteran team that has the roster to shake itself from game two's miscues.

05/04 04:05 PM  NBA   (703) CHICAGO BULLS VS (704) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS edit

Take: (703) CHICAGO BULLS 

Reason: Play Bulls plus 5 If this series is as expected, it'd should start off with a fantastic game one. Lebron has had a history with this Bulls squad from his days back with Cleveland the first go around. This Bulls veteran squad has the young pieces to give the Cavs a run for their money. This is the series where LeBron may have a tug of war battle with his young point guard Kyrie Irving and added traded pieces. Grab the Bulls plus five to start the series.

04/26 03:35 PM  NBA   (505) TORONTO RAPTORS VS (506) WASHINGTON WIZARDS edit

Take: (505) TORONTO RAPTORS 

Reason: Play Toronto plus 6 You don't see to many series that go the course of the underdog such as this one. Toronto just has not been able to contain the Wizards spurts. Each of the first three games has featured a crucial run that sways the game to the Wizards. But for the most part each game has been a back and forth battle. It's tough to measure a teams heart but I'll side with the Raptors plus 6 from what I've seen thus far in the series

04/25 05:05 PM  NBA   (749) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS (750) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS edit

Take: (749) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 

Reason: Play Golden State -7 A steep number for a playoff matchup that has featured a series that does not resemble a 1 vs 8 matchup. That it doesn't, but I expect this game four to be the key game we finally see from the Warriors. There are a lot of headlines to draw from game three but the one I latch onto, is how much is left in the tank from Anthony Davis? All that effort that has resulted in him slowing down in fourth quarters. Plus they've had above expected results from their guards in Gordon/Evans/Cole. Look for the Warriors to finish this series and beat the number.

04/24 06:35 PM  NBA   (743) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS VS (744) SAN ANTONIO SPURS edit

Take: (743) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 

Reason: Play Clippers plus 4 Is there really a 2.5-3 point differential on the side of the Spurs home advantage versus the Clippers home advantage? I do not believe so. The Spurs played about as good as they could in game two, and exerted a lot of effort to sneak away with the win. If the Clippers weren't a veteran ball club I would have stayed away from this number and watched to see how they responded. But with the Spurs nicked up and the value here, I'll grab the Clippers to keep this game close.

04/23 04:05 PM  NBA   (733) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS (734) BOSTON CELTICS edit

Take: (733) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 

Reason: Play Cleveland -4 The first two contests of this series went to the wire of the point spread. This one should be different. Boston has had offensive success in spurts with guard Isiah Thomas and others. Defensively though they've struggled in all phases. It's almost as-if LeBron has waited for moments to seize control and carry his team. On the road I do not expect LeBron to take any chances. I expect an all out effort and for the Cavs to play their best game thus far of the post season.

04/22 07:35 PM  NBA   (731) SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS (732) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS edit

Take: (732) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 

Reason: Play Clippers I truly believe this is going to be an advantage series for the home teams. With that being said the Clippers own the home court advantage. If they come ready to play with the same game one intensity we should see the same results. The Clippers are no longer a young team. Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, etc have been around the league for quite awhile. This is just as much an opportunity with the door closing as it is for the Spurs. Grab the Clippers -1 tonight.

04/20 07:35 PM  NBA   (719) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS VS (720) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS edit

Take: (720) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 

Reason: Play Golden State -11 Game one's are usually a bit unpredictable from a point spread stand point. Seeds play a large role and the line was -12 in game one as a result. Golden State controlled the game and had a comfortable spread win dwindled to a loss in the fourth quarter. The fact of the matter was that Golden State played game one like a regular season game. They drew a large lead and got comfortable; while the Pelicans played a full game intensity wise at a playoff level. I expect Steve Kerr to have his team ready for a full entire game and to grab this ATS cover for bettors Monday. Grab the Warriors -11.

04/19 07:35 PM  NBA   (715) SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS (716) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS edit

Take: (716) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 

Reason: Play LA Clippers -1.5 Many believe just because the Spurs are in the playoffs they will trudge along with ease. Not even last year's championship team did so. This is an aged Spurs team that will be tested by a group of young Clippers that senses the door closing. This should be a patented long series and I expect the Clippers to grab game one.

04/18 06:35 PM  NBA   (707) DALLAS MAVERICKS VS (708) HOUSTON ROCKETS edit

Take: (707) DALLAS MAVERICKS 

Reason: Play Dallas plus 5 I'm not going to dive head-first into the NBA playoffs. There will be plenty of action for bigger cards from now through June. One play I do like involves Dallas plus 5. Houston has the mold of a young Mavericks team years back. Run and gun and they try to defeat you by outscoring opponents. They're going to have a hard time relying on a secondary and third scorer behind Harden in this series. Dallas is filled with veteran players that will step their defensive intensity up in the playoffs. Expect a long series and I'll take the Mavericks plus the points in this spot

04/15 05:05 PM  NBA   (511) SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS (512) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS edit

Take: (512) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS 

Reason: Play Pelicans plus 5.5 Playoffs are on the line for the Pelicans. Unfortunately they have to face the red-hot veteran Spurs. The Pelicans control their own destiny to get in the playoffs with a win. I won't suggest money-line here but I do anticipate them hanging in this game and covering the 5.5.

04/15 05:05 PM  NBA   (515) ORLANDO MAGIC VS (516) BROOKLYN NETS edit

Take: (516) BROOKLYN NETS 

Reason: Play Brooklyn -8 Orlando has fought well down the stretch and been competitive against Toronto, Chicago, and others. This matchup I'll side with the Nets. They have an advantage in the back court and should play much stronger than they did against the Bulls a few nights ago. Grab the Nets to end the regular season.

04/14 07:35 PM  NBA   (705) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS VS (706) PHOENIX SUNS edit

Take: (705) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 

Reason: Play Clippers -10 Tonight grab the Clippers -10 against a Suns team that has very little to play for. They seemed to play with effort against San Antonio a few nights ago but still lost by mid-teens. I expect less effort tonight and for the Clippers to play a more potent offensive game than the Spurs showcased.

04/12 12:35 PM  NBA   (705) CHARLOTTE HORNETS VS (706) DETROIT PISTONS edit

Take: (705) CHARLOTTE HORNETS 

Reason: Play Charlotte plus 8 The Bobcats have had two poor performances against the Raptors and Hawks. Two potent offensive teams that torched the unbalanced Bobcats. Detroit is not the caliber of either the Raptors or Hawks. To see the line movement jump from 6 to 8 would have to do with the poor performances of the Bobcats. This is where I'll back the underdog Bobcats against a young Detroit team that Stan Van Gundy is still trying to mold.

04/10 04:05 PM  NBA   (701) TORONTO RAPTORS VS (702) ORLANDO MAGIC edit

Take: (702) ORLANDO MAGIC 

Reason: Play Orlando Magic plus 6 In theory the Magic should not be playing for much and the Raptors have all to gain as they look to play in top form before the playoffs. That's not the way I'm going to handicap this play. The Raptors defeated a Bobcats team in blowout fashion the other day and the Magic came from behind against a Bulls team that scored against them with no problem. The Magic are getting solid play from their young players and I expect them to hang in this game at home. Grab the six points.

04/08 05:35 PM  NBA   (717) HOUSTON ROCKETS VS (718) SAN ANTONIO SPURS edit

Take: (718) SAN ANTONIO SPURS 

Reason: Play San Antonio -6 The Spurs are starting to look like the "Best in the West" at an opportune time yet again. With the playoffs lurking they're playing their best basketball. Houston is also playing well. This seems to be a high spread considering how offensively balanced the Rockets are. I expect the Spurs momentum to carry-over to tonight and would not be surprised to see a double digit win here.

04/08 05:05 PM  NBA   (715) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS VS (716) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES edit

Take: (715) NEW ORLEANS PELICANS 

Reason: Play New Orleans plus 5 The Pelicans showed they're not going away, with a great effort and win last night against the Warriors. Memphis is always a tough place to play but I like the young leadership Anthony Davis is showing right now. Each time these teams play scoring has been a premium. With scoring low--I'll take the points even in a back to back game situation for the Pelicans.

04/08 05:05 PM  NBA   (713) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS (714) MILWAUKEE BUCKS edit

Take: (714) MILWAUKEE BUCKS 

Reason: Play Milwaukee Plus 8 LeBron and the Cavs are getting towards that **asterisk** playoff mode. This team has had two waves this season. Before LeBron sat out at the end of December no one knew the direction of this team. After his return they've played fantastic with new additions. At this point their second seed is all but locked and I expect this game to be a bit of a challenge. Jason Kidd's Bucks play with toughness each time on the court, and I look for them to cover the large number of eight.