Cleveland knows what to do here up 3-0 in the series with some matchups tomorrow from the east where teams are up 3-1. They need to close this one out and get extra rest as the path gets a lot more difficult from here. We think they are up to the challenge. Cleveland has scored 120+ in every game of this series and their defense has also been spectacular. The Heat teams of the past really turned it on in the postseason, but this looks like a new era in Miami and this is just not a playoff caliber team this year.

These teams showed they can both lock down on defense in Game 3, and we think this game will be more like the second half of that game than the first half. These are two of the best defensive teams in the league and buckets will be hard to come by. The under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings, and Orlando really has found some things that will work well with slowing the Celtics down. And there is always a good chance that the Magic will have a real low team total. Boston has scored under the century mark in four of five meetings in Orlando, and we think that is likely to happen again.

We think the Lakers are overrated. They always are. They are the biggest public team in the NBA since the 80s, and their lines are normally shaded. They have a good team this season, no doubt, and Luka will be a force for years to come. But he came in a little late in the season to fully gel with his teammates. Minnesota started off slow as they needed time to gel, but they are a complete team now and a true championship contender. Game 3 is always a big one, and we expect them to rise to the occasion tonight. They have won four straight against LA at home.

The Clippers could easily be up 2-0 in this series. They are the better team despite the seedings. The Clippers are a team built for the playoffs. They are only the lower seed because of injuries early in the season. But this is the best Clippers team in the history of the franchise and they are a true championship contender. Besides OKC, they are probably playing the best basketball in the league right now. We think home court will reign supreme tonight and we expect the Clippers to pull ahead in the fourth and win this one pretty comfortably.

We think this is an extremely fair price for the Celtics tonight. They didn’t even play their best in Game 1 and won by 17. We think they should do even better tonight. They can play lock down defense as well as the Magic or maybe better, and they are a much stronger offensive team. Tatum is out here for Game 2 for the Celtics, but this team has incredible depth and they went 8-2 in games he missed this season. Strangely, those two losses were against the Magic, but Boston had large injury reports in those two games, both in Orlando. They are much healthier here, and at home, and they have plenty of players to make up the slack for Tatum. And this team knows the importance of closing this series out early against a much inferior opponent, so we don’t think they will let up here and we expect a strong team performance all around. The home team has won and covered now in eight straight meetings, and we expect that trend to continue here, at least for one more game.

We have tried to resist taking the Thunder too much and going against them sometime as the lines swelled, but they just keep covering and winning big. They embarrassed the Grizzlies in Game 1 by 50+. Most times we would like the losing team to come back strong and more focused, but Memphis just doesn’t seem like that sort of squad this year. OKC has now covered in nine of 10 meetings, and we think this series will continue to be one sided. OKC will face some adversity in future rounds, but this should be smooth sailing for them tonight.

3-Unit Play Take Houston -1 over Golden State (9:30 p.m. EST, Sunday April 20)

We think this is a good matchup for the Rockets and we think they have a great chance to send the Warriors home early, Golden State played well down the stretch and the Butler trade gave them a Big 3 again, but Curry and Green are just not the players they were in their prime. Houston lacks the star names but this is a more complete team and they have been very strong at home. We think this series will probably go the distance, but Houston will make a statement here in Game 1.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

5-Unit Play Take LA Clippers +2.5 over Denver (3:30 p.m. EST, Saturday April 19)

The Nuggets have pretty much been a one-man team most of the season. Their role players have been up and down but this just doesn't look like a championship caliber team this season. The Clippers do. They are healthy and have been playing their best basketball of the season down the stretch. This team has some of the best depth in the league and they have been playing great team basketball. Kawhi Leonard looks like he is on a mission to prove the doubters wrong, and this team seems to have great morale and confidence right now.

4-Unit Play Take Dallas +6 over Memphis (9:30 p.m. EST, Friday April 18)

Dallas looked great in their road play in game against the Kings. We just really like them to keep this one close or win outright. This team lost their two stars, with Doncic traded and Irving injured, but they still have the best player on the court in Anthony Davis, and a lot of players with winning experience in the postseason after their run to the NBA Finals last season. We think the NBA would want the Mavs in the postseason also over the bad-vibes Grizzlies, so we might get some calls that go our way as well.

Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

The NBA is all about its stars in the playoffs, and Atlanta with Trae Young is the best player on the court tonight. The Magic just aren’t the same team they were last season and this doesn’t seem like a team built for postseason success this year. Atlanta has been solid on the road this season, and they come into this one with some momentum, with three straight wins to close out the regular season, including one vs. Orlando (most starters rested in this one). We think the Hawks have a great chance to win this one outright.

The old Lob City Clippers were always owned by the Warriors, but this new version of the Clippers has dominated Golden State. They have won six straight and covered in five straight. They are just the better team, they are in better form, and they are one of the hottest teams in the league. Neither team is in a safe position in the playoffs, so this will be like a postseason game, and we think the Clippers will rise to the occasion and they have a great chance for the outright win.

The Clippers have won three straight in this series and five of seven. We feel they match up very favorably to the Kings. That’s not to mention that the Clippers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They are playing at a Championship level right now. The Kings don’t have anywhere near that kind of ceiling. Sacramento is locked into the play in tournament, while the Clippers are in the regular playoffs as of the start of action today but have two play in teams (not the Kings) hot on their trail so these last games of the season are the most crucial for them. LA has some players on the injury report tonight, but this team has great depth so they will have a chance to win comfortably with the team they field tonight. The Kings haven’t had much home court advantage lately as they have won only one of their last six home games, and that win was against Portland. We think LA keeps their momentum going tonight.

This is a key game for the Western Conference and the Timberwolves are currently in the play in tourney but one game out of the playoffs. Memphis is that team that they are one game behind. Minnesota had a tough start to the season but things have mostly come together at the right time for them, and they are the better team in this matchup. They are healthy and rested and we expect a strong performance tonight.

The Clippers should have covered last night vs. the Spurs but a late flurry kept the score closer than the game actually was. This game is very important to the Clippers but not so much for the Rockets, who are more locked in to their playoff spot. Kawhi was a scratch last night against the Spurs, so he will probably play here. He will be fresh, and the Clippers have great depth, so we doubt a back-to-back, at home no less, will be much of a factor.

The Clippers are playing as well as any team in the league right now and they are one loss from dropping into the play in, so this is the most important game of the season, just like their next game will be. We think they demolish the Spurs here. San Antonio has had an incredibly tough season, and this team as much as any is looking towards next season. They lost their coach and best players, and they just need a reset. They have been competitive in some matchups, but they have lost five of their last eight games by double digits.

The Sixers have been the most disappointing team in the NBA this season, and they don’t have much hope for a strong finish to the regular season. They have had a crazy amount of injuries this season and the body count keeps rising. They are fielding a glorified G-League team right now, and Miami is motivated tonight and should win this one in a blowout. Philly has covered only one of their last ten games despite some very generous spreads. The Heat have covered in seven of the last nine meetings.

Boston is pretty much locked into their playoff position and it’s extremely doubtful they will give 100% here. Washington probably will, as it’s always a big game when any team from the East plays Boston. We could suffer a blowout here and still win ATS. Brown and Tatum are both listed as questionable for the Celtics, and you really have to question if they will play of get ample playing time here in a matchup they are not needed for.

It’s telling that these teams played on Friday and the Clippers scored an easy blowout yet we are getting a smaller spread this time out. We were on the Clippers yesterday but we think it’s not only hard to score two blowouts in a row over one team but even win consecutive games. We don’t know what the rosters that take the floor will look like but most likely anything out of the norm would go against the Clippers (Davis and Thompson returning for Dallas or Kawhi out for LAC). We think the Mavs will make some adjustments and at least keep this one close.

5 Unit Play. Take #681 Florida over Auburn (6:09p.m., Saturday, April 5 CBS) Just feel Florida is the better and healthier team in this matchup. Florida already won at Auburn earlier this season and they have the best player in the floor in Walter Clayton, Jr. Sonner or later he will got hot in this game and go on a run by himself and win this for his team. Auburn has naggy injuries to a couple of key players and that will catch up to them. The Gators have a winning record in the semifinals 3-2 and they advance on to the championship game.

The Spurs have been horrible on defense down the stretch. This team has dealt with a lot of bad luck this season from the coach all the way down to their two best players. If any team wants the season to end and focus on next year, it’s these Spurs. And that porous defense is not ideal against one of the best offensive teams in the league. The Spurs are coming off a win at Denver where any good player the Nuggets had was out, and they should be Fat and Happy and we don’t see them putting in much effort here.

These teams played in late March, here in Washington, a 120-105 Orlando win. We actually think that the Magic can do better than that offensively here. They have shown they can put up big numbers against bad defenses, and they desperately need wins so they will leave nothing up to chance. The over is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings. Washington is a ragtag group as they have lots of injuries, but they should bring some pace here and the Magic will play along. And being at home, they have a better chance to earn their share of the total.

This just looks like a blowout to us. The Spurs are on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights. They were blown out in both those games. They don’t have much to play for here, and the Nuggets are fighting for playoff position. With the top of the West so competitive, a losing steak could even send a team like Denver into the play in. So they have to be focused here towards the end of the season, and we think this is an easy win for them tonight.

3 Unit Play. Take #666 Villanova over Colorado (8:30p.m., Tuesday, April 1 FS1) The Wildcats have an interim coach, but I expect them to play well in this tournament. Colorado had a terrible season and beating TCU a couple of times will not benefit them in this game. I am looking for the Wildcats in front of Kevin Willard to win this game by double digits.

2 Unit Play. Take #656 Washington State over Georgetown (11p.m., Monday, March 31 FS1) This is a late-night start for the Hoyas coming from the eastern time and they game likely will not start on time as well. Wazzou wants to be in this tournament, and I see them trying to make a statement coming from a mid-major conference.

The Clippers are on a back-to-back after playing the Cavs last night and they played well in a loss. They have dropped into the play in tournament and are one game out of the regular playoffs, creating a must win situation here after the loss last night. The Magic are in the play in and will stay there as they don’t have a realistic chance of moving up. If the Clippers were in the East they would be one of the top seeds even with an up and down season. The Clippers are the better team and have more motivation. This is a very deep squad and the B2B should not be a huge deal. And Kawhi could play tonight, and he would be fresh after sitting in Cleveland.

Kawhi is out here for the Clippers and we think the oddsmakers are punishing them too much for this on the line. This is a deep team and they are playing well at the moment and we expect a close game. The Clippers have won two straight meetings and scored a blowout win over Cleveland in LA on March 18. Forget about the revenge angle as enough time has passed for Cleveland to put that loss in the rearview. The Cavs have covered only two of their last eight, so they have been a bit overvalued by the oddsmakers. We feel that is the case here again tonight.

2 Unit Play. Take #648 Houston -150 money line over Tennessee (2:20p.m., Sunday, March 30 CBS) Rick Barnes just does not win many big games in the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers have never made the Final Four and I look for that to continue on Sunday. Houston is the better defensive team and Tennessee will struggle to score points.

2 Unit Play. Take #642 Under 175 in Alabama vs Duke (8:49p.m., Saturday, March 29 TBS) The law of averages says this game will stay under. Duke has a strong defense, and Alabama cannot shoot it that well for a second straight game can they?

The Clippers have won by double digits in the last two meetings and they had one of their biggest wins of the season and one of the biggest blowouts in the NBA this season when these teams met in January in a 126-67 Clippers win. Forget about revenge. Brooklyn has lost to a lot of teams since then and they are probably more focused on the offseason since they have been eliminated. The Clippers are barely in the playoffs right now and they need to win to avoid the play in tournament. This is essentially a must win, and the Clippers are rested and healthy, while the Nets have starters on the injury report.

10 Unit Play. Take #636 Michigan State over Ole Miss (7:09p.m., Friday, March 28 CBS) It might not always be pretty, but Michigan State will find away to pull away late and win this game by 8-10 points. The Spartans were the best team in the Big 10 this season and have great depth that will cause problems for Rebels in this game. Ole Miss did not finish the season strong and they played two teams that were nowhere near as good or well coached than the Spartans. Chris Beard has already proven he was a great hire, but his team’s run will end in the Sweet 16.

The Magic have been playing really well lately. They have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and now all of the sudden their offense is clicking. They have scored 110 or more in seven of their last ten, and they have had a couple games against bad defenses where they scored in the 120 range. Well, the Mavs have been playing some of the worst defense in the league recently and this team has given up 120+ in eight of their last 10 games. It’s safe to say that they haven’t covered many games giving up those types of point totals. If Orlando can keep playing like they have, they have an outside shot of playing their way out of the play in tournament and into the regular playoff field. They need to win almost every game, however, and they need to especially win against no hope teams like Dallas who are waiting for the offseason to begin.

10 Unit Play. Take #627 BYU over Alabama (7:09p.m., Thursday, March 27 CBS) Alabama has not been the same team this season and I believe BYU is a better offensive version of them. The Cougars are riding high after scoring a ton of points in their first two games of the NCAA tournament. They have lost just one time since February 9 and I feel they have a great chance to win this game straight-up. If BYU can jump out early look for them to control the game and Alabama will feel the pressure.

The Clippers have been playing championship caliber basketball recently and this is a team no one will want to face in the playoffs if they stay healthy. You can tell the Knicks miss Brunson a lot as their offense isn’t working well and they have been overall inconsistent. They don’t have a performance recently that was extremely impressive and they have been beating the teams they should but losing to solid teams. They lost to the Clippers earlier this month in a low scoring game. The Clippers have won and covered in four of five meetings.

We went big on the over last night for the Lakers/Magic contest and that was one of Orlando’s biggest wins of the season. We think this will be a flat spot for their offense. It’s hard to get excited about the Hornets coming to town after playing against LeBron and company last night, and a back-to-back is always tough as the Magic gave 100 percent in their win. The Hornets stink and there’s a good chance the Magic blow them out regardless. A blowout would bode well for the under as Charlotte can be held under 100 here easy.

The Lakers have a couple key players on the injury report but should mostly be at full strength here. There could be a line move depending on injury updates, but we think this one will go well over the posted number. The Magic are really clicking on offense right now and they are playing their best offensive basketball of the season by far. This team has been an Under machine for most of the season, where they struggled to reach the century mark on the scoreboard night in and night out. But they have scored 108 or more in eight of their last nine games. They have gone over 110 in six of those games, and over 120 in two, including last time out against the Wizards. Orlando has picked up their pace of play, and they have been playing with real confidence on the offensive end. Seven of their last 11 games have gone over the posted number as a result. The Lakers are trending to the over, as six of their last eight have gone over the posted total. They allowed 146 last time out in a loss to the Bulls. They have been putting up 115 or more on offense on a regular basis lately. These teams put up 230+ in the last meeting in November. That was a close game, and we expect this one to be as well. Overtime is not out of the question. Five of the last six meetings have surpassed this total. We think the oddsmakers are a little behind on the way this Magic offense has improved, and as a result there has been value in their overs in recent games.

4 Unit Play. Take #868 Kentucky over Illinois (5:15p.m., Sunday, March 23 CBS) Just not buying the love Illinois is getting from the odds makers. They rallied for some nice wins to close out the regular season but got killed by Maryland in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Tournament. I do not believe they are great in any area and their defense is not strong this season. When they lose, they tend to get blown out and I see Kentucky dominating this game for start to finish. Kentucky is getting healthier, and this is an important game for Coach Pope to show they are moving in the right direction. They played in the SEC and I see more battle tested in this game. They shoot it well from the arc and are due for some ATS wins in the NCAA Tournament. Lamont Butler will play better in his second game back.

7 Unit Play. Take #860 Florida -9 over Connecticut (12:10p.m., Sunday, March 23 CBS) It ends today. The back-to-back champions will flame out on Sunday against the last team to go back to back. The Huskies just do not have the firepower to stay in this game and Florida will go on a run at some point and win it easily. The Gators played in the toughest conference in the country and blew out Tennessee and Alabama last week. The Gators are 26-6 ATS in their last 32 games. They did not cover the spread in the round of 64 but will cover the spread in the round of 32. UCONN lacks high end talent, explosiveness, and experience. It will come crashing down on Sunday and we will back the best team in the league.

We like what we have seen from the Bucks lately and they have covered in four of their last six games. This team has seen its share of ups and downs over the course of the season, but they have been playing playoff-quality basketball recently. They have a strong history here as they have won nine of 10 meetings, and these teams don’t play often so that streak stretched back many years.

4 Unit Play. Take #828 Wisconsin over BYU (7:45p.m., Saturday, March 22 CBS) We have rode Wisconsin for much of the season and feel this is the year Greg Gard and company can break through and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. They match up well with BYU and feel that the only advantage the Cougars have is that they have played at altitude more frequently. BYU shoots a lot of three-point shots and they will have to make a bunch in order to win this game. Wisconsin struggles with tall post players and their defense has improved during the second half of Big 10 play. Look for them to guard the arc and make BYU beat them inside. I do not believe that they will be able to do that.  

All the sudden the Clippers are looking like a championship caliber ball club. If they keep playing like this and enter the postseason healthy, this is going to be a team no one in the west will want to match up against. They have won seven of eight and covered in six of those games. They have had two days rest after absolutely decimating the Cavs at home on Tuesday. Memphis has been one of the best ATS teams this year but has covered in only two of their last 10. They have been overvalued by the oddsmakers and have not matched their early season play. They are also banged up, while the Clippers are healthy.

10 Unit Play. Take #779 Baylor over Mississippi State (12:15p.m., Friday, March 20 CBS) The Bulldogs got off to a fast start but faltered down the stretch losing 5 of their last 7 games. Playing in the SEC takes its toll and I do not feel Mississippi State will have much left for the tournament. Baylor is well coached, and I like their style of play for the NCAA Tournament. They are battle tested as well and played a difficult nonconference schedule. They beat St. Johns and half of their 14 losses have come by 4 points or less. Coach Drew has won 6 straight opening round games (5-1 ATS) and the Bulldogs have not won an NCAA Tournament Games since 2008.

Every now and then the Raptors have a bad game where they get run out of the building. That is pretty rare though as this team puts up a fight almost every night. So after a 40-point blowout in Phoenix last time out, we feel we will see a much better effort from this team. Toronto has had a couple days off since that loss and have two days off after this, so they can give max effort here tonight.

2 Unit Play. Take #770 Under in UC San Diego vs Michigan (10p.m., Thursday, March 20 TBS) Michigan looked dead tired in the Championship Game of the 2025 Big Ten on Sunday and expect that to be a carryover effect into this game on Thursday. We will side with the under, as UCSD is a defensive oriented team that holds most of their opponents into the 50s. Everyone likes the underdog, but we will focus on the under in this game.

2 Unit Play. Take #765 Drake over Missouri (7:35p.m., Thursday, March 20 TruTV) This is unfamiliar territory for Missouri, and I do not see them blowing out one of the best mid-major teams in the country. The Tigers did most of their damage at home this season and this will be at a neutral site in Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, KS. Drake also has the best scorer on the floor in Bennett Stirtz and a 30-3 record. They are close by as well and should bring a big crowd. Take the points as the Tigers have only made the second round once since 2011.

2 Unit Play. Take #773 Over in VCU vs BYU (4:05p.m., Thursday, March 20 TNT) Both teams have their moments when they can get up and down the court and I expect BYU to be able to control the pace of the game. The Cougars have gone over this posted number in 3 of their last 4 games. Teams tend to play it out in the NCAA Tournament with fouls even though the have no chance to win and that will be the case on Thursday.

2 Unit Play. Take #721 Northern Iowa over SMU (9p.m., Wednesday, March 19 ESPN2) We will grab the points tonight with a well-coached Panthers team that is happy to be in the NIT. SMU is coming off a tough loss to Clemson last time out and I expect there to be a carryover into this game for the Mustangs.

3 Unit Play. Take #683 Over in Cal State Northridge @ Stanford (11p.m., Tuesday, March 18 ESPN2) I always like to play the over in NIT games, as often coaching in less restrictive and they just let they players go up and down the court and have fun. Northridge has been scoring a bunch of points of late, and this game should reach the 160s in points.

As of this writing Tatum is questionable for the Celtics and Brown is out, so Brooklyn should be able to stay within double digits here. Every game from here on out is basically a must win for the Nets, who are well outside the play in tourney at the moment. Brooklyn has covered in four of their last five games and they have been exceeding oddsmaker expectations. These teams just played in Brooklyn and the Nets almost won. We think this will be another close game.

Any bet against Washington is a good one, and the Nuggets should roll in this one. We see no reason they don’t win this one by 20+. The Wizards have been given generous spreads all season yet they have a terrible ATS record and this squad is blown out on a regular basis. They are Fat and Happy, as we say, after a win over Detroit last time out in a quick revenge spot. They earned their night off tonight, and we don’t expect to see the same effort.

2 Unit Play. Take #609 Wisconsin over Michigan State (1p.m., Saturday, March 15 CBS) Wisconsin collected for us yesterday in blowout fashion with our Conference Tournament Game of the Year. We will ride the hot hand tonight again, as I expect this game to go down to the wire with Wisconsin edging out the victory. The Badgers beat Purdue last year in the semifinals and feel they will ride that wave to a victory on Saturday.

Orlando has failed to reach the century mark in two of the last three meetings. Whenever they take the court, it’s possible they don’t reach 100 points. And this certainly looks like one of those games where they will fail to do so. They come in on a back-to-back and they put up 113 in a game vs. the Pelicans where New Orleans didn’t play much defense. Now they face a Minnesota club that will lock down on the defensive end. And this looks very much like a flat spot for the Magic, a team without great depth. After a string of a few overs, Orlando has gone under in two straight, and we think the trend will continue. The only chance the Magic have here as a double-digit dog is to slow the game down as no team but them can do, with the slowest pace in the league. Minnesota held Denver to 95 last time out, and we think we could see another defensive masterpiece from them tonight.

7 Unit Play. Take #815 Wisconsin over UCLA (2:30p.m., Friday, March 14 BTN) Wisconsin has a game their belt in Indianapolis and got whole yesterday with two players back from injury. UCLA will come in cold and I feel Wisconsin will get up early and control the game. Wisconsin is the better offensive team and has revenge on their minds from losing at Pauley.

2 Unit Play. Take #782 Colorado State over Nevada (9p.m., Thursday, March 13 CBS Sports Network) Nevada suffered another injury on Thursday and I don’t think they have much left in the tank for this game. They will battle early but they have yet to defeat a top team in the MWC this season.

These teams played here on Tuesday, and the Pistons won in a blowout. It’s very hard to have the same result over one team in consecutive games. Washington is a terrible team. But they are now very familiar with these Pistons from the recent meeting and they will make some adjustments tonight. It’s telling that after Detroit covered on Tuesday that this line is smaller than the closing line in the last meeting. The sharp play here is the Wizards.

2 Unit Play. Take #780 San Diego State over Boise State (5:30p.m., Thursday, March 13 CBS Sports Network) The Broncos have not had much success in this tournament and I am surprised they be came the favorite in this game. Both teams are fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid and the Aztecs have had much more success in Las Vegas compared to the Broncos.

2 Unit Play. Take #739 Marquette over Xavier (2:30p.m., Thursday, March 13 Peacock) I am not ready to give up on the Golden Eagles during postseason play. Marquette faded down the stretch, but they are still the more talented team in this matchup.

4 Unit Play. Take #685 Butler over Providence (4p.m., Wednesday, March 12 Peacock) Just feel Butler is the more healthier team for this rubber match between two bad teams. Providence has won just one game since February and all of this losing has taken its toll on them. Butler is a streaky team and it would not surprise me if they make a little noise in this tournament.

We are big fans of what they are doing in Detroit and the way this team has been playing. However, we don’t think they are ready to lay this type of spread. They are coming off a four-game West Coast road trip and the first game back home can be tricky as players navigate personal lives. The focus might not be there for this game. Washington recently played a double set like they will against Detroit (these teams play again Thursday). Washington won the first game against Toronto before suffering a blowout in the second game. We think we might see the same pattern here.

These teams played yesterday and the Thunder laid a beat down but it’s not only hard to beat the same team on consecutive days but also hard to score a blowout in consecutive games. Not to mention that the Thunder don’t have much to play for down the stretch with the No. 1 seed well in hand. Denver has been playing well lately overall and they should be focused here. We always state revenge is an overrated handicapping aspect in pro sports. But it does come into play in situations like this, where the loss is still fresh on the losing team’s mind.

Minnesota has been overrated by the oddsmakers all season and this line looks inflated as well. Could the Timberwolves run the Spurs out of the building tonight? Sure. But we think San Antonio can keep this one within double digits. The Spurs suffered an embarrassing loss at Sacramento last time out where the team didn’t give full effort, so they will probably be more motivated to play hard here. San Antonio has covered in six of the last seven meetings, and we expect that trend to continue here.

2 Unit Play. Take #805 Over in Bradley vs Drake (2:10p.m., Sunday, March 9 CBS) This might be a winner take all game, as the MWC has fallen off the map in terms of NCAA relevance. Both teams will play it out to the end and foul if they are down and thus I expect the total to reach the 120s.  

We are basically always going to look closely at a home dog getting this many points. The game can be a blowout and we can still cover. The Hornets have been pretty good recently when getting double digit points. Maybe they check the lines and don’t want to be disrespected. Whatever the case, we think they will want to put up a fight tonight. The Cavs have covered only one of their last three. That isn’t too crazy, but this team is covering at a high rate this season. But they are playing their third game in four nights and they have Milwaukee on deck on Sunday, so they might not give full effort here in a game they don’t need to in order to win.

2 Unit Play. Take #866 North Dakota State -2.5 over South Dakota (7p.m., Friday, March 7) We will side with the traditional top half team in the Summitt in North Dakota State on Friday in this quarterfinal game in the 2025 Summit Conference Tournament. The Bison won both games this season by a combined 30 points including winning in South Dakota by 26 points.

It seems as if the Jimmy Butler trade has paid off for the Warriors and they are playing as well as any team in the league right now. They have won and covered in seven of their last eight. They have scored double digit road wins in three of their last five away from home, and those wins were over the Knicks, Hornets and Kings. Two of those were playoff clubs. It seems obvious that the Nets won’t make the play-in tournament and this team is fading down the stretch. They have lost five straight coming into this one. They have lost their last three games by a combined 54 points, and none of these teams were nearly as good as the Warriors. Brooklyn is one of those strange cases where they have played better on the road than at home this season. The fans haven’t had much to cheer about, and most in the building tonight will be there to see the Warriors stars in person. Brooklyn has given up 120+ in three of their last four, and that is not a good sign against a Warriors team that has been playing extremely well offensively.

2 Unit Play. Take #806 Omaha -3.5 over UMKC (7p.m., Thursday, March 6 Flo Sports) UMKC has been a major underachiever this season and they will be knocked out by the No. 1 seed in the Summit League Thursday night. The Mavericks have beaten Roos twice this season by a combined total of 31 points. UMKC is still getting too much respect from the odds makers, they are just not that good in 2025.

The Clippers are quickly falling out of the playoff picture due to a recent string of bad play. We don’t have much positive analysis for them here other than a gut feeling that they will circle the wagons tonight and at least give a massive effort on defense. If they had been playing better this would just be another game, but this now seems like one of the more important games of the season, especially after blowing a huge lead at Phoenix last night and losing that game. This does seem like an inflated spread and we think this will be a close, low scoring game.

3 Unit Play. Take #712 Connecticut over Marquette (8:30p.m., Wednesday, March 5 FS1) Just do not feel Marquette is strong this year and they struggle to matchup with UCONN. The Huskies need this game more since they want to get off the 8/9 for seeding. They already won in Milwaukee by 8 points and that is how I see this game going as well.

2 Unit Play. Take #655 New Mexico over Nevada (9p.m., Tuesday, March 4 CBSSN) Just feel Nevada is out of gas this season and does not have the scorers needed to beat the top teams in the MWC. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games including a blowout loss to rival UNLV last time out. New Mexico cannot afford any more losses if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. They need this game and will get it by 6-8 points.

Wins have been hard to come by for San Antonio and this team received a blow when Wemby was ruled out for the season. But that shock has passed and the Spurs still have a decent team. This is definitely a winnable matchup for them and we expect them to take care of business tonight. The Nets have suffered consecutive blowouts. They haven’t stayed within this number in any of their recent losses. The Spurs have won and covered in the last two meetings and three of the last four. Not sure what the motivation level will be for this Nets team tonight, but we are confident that the Spurs need a win and they should play hard in front of the home fans tonight.

Even though the Blazers are on a back-to-back, we still think there is nice value here as we had this game closer to PK. Portland has the look of a team on the rise and this team won’t be tanking to finish off the season. They want to build some momentum heading into next year. They have won four of five and they played a very strong game in Cleveland on Sunday in a close loss. Philly is a walking infirmary ward right now and this team has real low morale at the moment. No bet against them is a bad one right now.

3 Unit Play. Take #817 Wisconsin +4.5 over Michigan State (1:30p.m., Sunday, March 2 CBS) These are two of the top teams in the Big 10 Conference. Wisconsin has won 3 straight games in East Lansing, and I see them being able to take this game down to the wire. Wisconsin has the better offense in this game and if Crowl can hold up down low I like Wisconsin’s chances.

Golden State has won and covered the last four meetings. This team is just steamrolling the league right now, and we don’t see that stopping tonight. The Warriors have won and covered in seven of eight overall, and their offense is really efficient right now and their defense is creating a lot of extra opportunities. Morale in Philly is at an all time low. They lost Embiid for the season and they have lost nine straight and covered in only one of their last 10. This team is already several games out of the play in and now it will be tanking time for the remainder of the season. We don’t expect them to put up much of a fight here against an out of conference foe.

2 Unit Play. Take #655 Seton Hall +20 over St Johns (2:15p.m., Saturday, March 1 CBS) The Red Storm will come out tight, as they are playing for a regular season conference championship. The metrics do not like them as much as their record and to me that says they are high in the luck factor this season. Playing a rival will keep this game under 20 points. This line has been coming down all morning and I see them being around a 12-15 point victory.

2 Unit Play. Take #890 Purdue -5.5 over UCLA (8p.m., Friday, February 28 FOX) Purdue has been in free fall at the moment and will enter this game having lost 4 straight games. Sooner or later, they will break out of this funk and tonight will be that night. UCLA is not used to this environment.

Detroit has been playing great basketball but the line value seems to be gone with them now laying points to Denver. These teams don’t play often, but Denver has won and covered in four straight meetings. They will have extra motivation tonight since Detroit is on a big winning streak, and it is always a confidence boost for a team to snap a streak like that. Denver has lost two of three but we think that just gives them extra motivation here to snag the win.

2 Unit Play. Take #847 Over in St Mary’s @ LMU (11p.m., Thursday, February 27 CBSSN) The Gaels are ranked and coming off an impressive victory over Gonzaga last weekend. They are coming off 4 straight games of scoring at least 73 points and if they hit that number on Thursday we should be able to collect with the over. 137 points were scored in the first meeting between these two teams on January 7.

These teams have gone under in three of the last four meetings, including one earlier this month in the Bay Area, a 104-99 Warriors win. We see no reason this one won’t be a similar scoreline. Golden State has been putting up a lot of points lately, but Orlando is an old school style team and they play at the slowest pace in the league and they put up sub-100 scorelines on offense on a regular basis. The Magic have gone under the total in six straight games and we think they will do a great job of slowing the Warriors down. They allowed 122 to Cleveland last time out and that was an unacceptable defensive performance for this team. We think they make some adjustments here and play a much better defensive game against the Warriors. And while the Warriors are known for their offense, this is also a strong defensive team. There is a very good chance we could see the Magic end up under the century mark in this February rematch.

2 Unit Play. Take #738 Butler over St. Johns (9p.m., Wednesday, February 26 CBS Sports Network) Still not a believer that St Johns has fixed their offense and we will fade them hoping the third time is the charm. Butler has played much better of late and will enter this game at Hinkle Fieldhouse having won 4 of their last 5 games. I feel they can take this one down to the wire in what will likely be a low scoring game.

The Blazers always seem to play well here. In fact, they have won and covered in five straight visits. We expect more of the same tonight. We really like this Blazers team. They have some amazing talent and they play hard on a nightly basis. This is a team that is probably not going to make the play in tournament this season but they are still going to play hard down the stretch and they are a team we are buying into. The Wizards are just outright a bad team and they are likely tanking a bit for the remainder of the season. This team is by far the worst team in the NBA, and they have a horrible ATS record despite very generous odds from the bookmakers.

2 Unit Play. Take #663 Over in Wyoming @ Nevada (10p.m., Tuesday, February 25 MWCN) The Cowboys give up points and that should allow this Nevada offense to reach the high seventies in points and hit with he over.

2 Unit Play. Take #880 Nebraska over Michigan (8p.m., Monday, February 24 FS1) Michigan is coming off a brutal stretch of games and I think they will be due for a letdown in this game in Lincoln. Nebraska needs some quality wins if they want to make the NCAA Tournament and there is no better chance than facing one of the top two teams in your building.

Both teams are on a B2B but the Clippers get the worst of it with both games on the road. This road trip isn’t going well for Los Angeles, who haven’t looked the same since a horrible fourth quarter against the Bucks. They were blown out in Indiana last night and they will be missing a couple key players on the second end of this one. Detroit has won six straight and covered in eight of 10, and this team is very confident they can get the win tonight. They have covered in seven of the last eight meetings.

3 Unit Play. Take #811 Connecticut +4.5 over St. Johns (12p.m., Sunday, February 23 FOX) Connecticut has been better as an underdog this season compared to a favorite and I see them winning this game against an overrated St. Johns team. Connecticut will have a great crowd in the building, and they need it more since they already have 8 losses on the season. The Red Storm beat the Huskies last time out and UCONN will return the favor on Sunday.

2 Unit Play. Take #770 Duke over Illinois (8p.m., Saturday, February 22 FOX) Duke is hitting Illinois at the right time, as the Illinois have been reeling having lost two straight games via blowout fashion. Look for Duke to hand them their third straight double digit loss, as the Illini are still suffering from injuries up and down the bench.

2 Unit Play. Take #734 Alabama over Kentucky (6p.m., Saturday, February 22 ESPN) Alabama will enter this game having lost two straight games and needs to make a statement on Saturday against Kentucky. They will win it by double digits and keep their hopes alive for a No. 1 ranking.

2 Unit Play. Take #604 Wisconsin over Oregon (12p.m., Saturday, February 22 FOX) We will just keep riding Wisconsin until we are proven wrong on a consistent basis. The Badgers scored a top play winner for us on Tuesday in blowout fashion and I see this game being a double-digit victory as well. Oregon will not be able to keep pace with Wisconsin scoring wise.

This game is the second of a back-to-back for the Spurs played in Austin, down the road from their home in San Antonio. The Spurs got some horrible news yesterday that Wemby has been shelved for the season in his second season. This team was mediocre with him but they will be pretty bad without him. And it might make awhile for new addition De'Aron Fox to gel with his teammates. The Spurs played great on Thursday in their win over the Suns. But we saw them give a lot of effort there against a conference opponent, so we have to question not only their stamina here with a sudden lack of depth but also their motivation against a nonconference opponent. Oftentimes when a top player goes down, the rest of the team will step up for a game but there is no doubt losing Wemby hurts this team badly. Detroit has been playing excellent basketball and they are a legit playoff team in our eyes. This is their first game back after the break and they will have a lot of energy. We liked the Pistons here even before the news came out of San Antonio, and we like them even more now.

2 Unit Play. Take #885 Michigan State +3 over Michigan (8p.m., Friday, February 21 FOX) This line appears too low and thus I feel the smart money is on the visitor. These teams will meet twice before the end of the regular season and Michigan State needs this game if they have visions of winning the regular season crown.

As if the Bucks weren’t struggling enough with an underachieving season, news just came out that Bobby Portis was suspended 25 games for drug violations. This kind of distraction is the last thing the Bucks need, not to mention the hit it takes for their depth since you never know if their stars will suit up from game to game. We think the Clippers are a better team regardless, and this line indicates that Kawhi is likely to take the court tonight. The Clippers looked great heading into the break and we think they will continue right where they left off.  

2 Unit Play. Take #306603 Jacksonville over North Florida (8p.m., Thursday, February 20) Just do not feel North Florida is good enough to beat Jacksonville twice in the regular season. This is a rivalry game between two schools less than 10 miles apart and the Dolphins still have a chance to win the regular season championship should they win out in their last 3 games. The Dolphins have the better team and the best player on the floor in Robert McCray. That will be good enough to earn the victory on Thursday night.

2 Unit Play. Take #730 DePaul over St Johns (9p.m., Wednesday, February 19 FS1) The Red Storm are coming off 4 straight monster games and I feel they will have a letdown tonight with UCONN on deck. They are a defensive oriented team and thus will have trouble covering this big of a number. The Blue Demons have cover this number against UCONN, Villanova, and Marquette of late and should be able to keep this game around 8-10 points.

7 Unit Play. Take #636 Wisconsin over Illinois (8:30p.m., Tuesday, February 18 FS1) It is now or never when it comes to Wisconsin beating Illinois. The Illini have had good success beating the Badgers in recent years, but this is not the same team as in year’s past. Wisconsin is coming off two straight road wins and they are always a tough team to beat at the Kohl Center. The Badgers have a strong offense this year and the Illini do not play much defense. Illinois got blown out by Michigan State last time out and I see them losing this game by double-digits. Wisconsin has a revenge angle after losing to Illinois earlier this season and in the Big 10 Championship Game in 2024.

4 Unit Play. Take #620 Purdue -5.5 over Wisconsin (1p.m., Saturday, February 15 CBS) Purdue needs this game more and they are a different animal at home. Wisconsin only have one great win this season and most of their work has been done by beating the mid to bottom teams in the Big 10. Purdue did not get to the free throw line much this week at Michigan but look for that to change on Saturday. Purdue by double digits.

2 Unit Play. Take #891 Nevada over San Jose State (10p.m., Friday, February 14 FS1) This line might surprise you being this high, since Nevada is not that good, and it is a true road game. But San Jose Stat will likely be without two key players for this game and thus you get a touchdown spread. Nevada has beaten the bad teams this season and will enter having won 3 in a row playing their best game of the season last time out.

This is the last NBA game before the all-star break. Both teams are on a back to back and looked good on Wednesday, as the Jazz blew out the Lakers while the Clippers blew out the Grizzlies. But Utah doesn’t win often and we don’t see them replicating their play from last night. We have to figure that the Jazz are happy with their performance against the Lakers and ready for the All-Star Break, while the Clippers are dangerously close to slipping into the play in tournament section of the standings and need every win they can get. They are healthy and last night’s dominant win over the Grizzlies tells us this team is back playing well after some poor play to start the month. The Clippers match up well against the Jazz and have won five of the last six meetings. All those wins were by double digits, and four were absolute blowouts, including last Saturday, where the Clippers barely broke a sweat in a 20-point victory. LA has superior depth to handle the B2B even though Utah gets this one at home. But LA knows they have some time off coming up and should produce a strong effort tonight.

3 Unit Play. Take #794 South Dakota over UMKC (8p.m., Thursday, February 13) UMKC has been one of the most disappointing this season and I do not see them righting the ship on the road tonight. They have lost 8 of their last 9 games but did beat South Dakota earlier this season. Look for the Coyotes to get their revenge tonight at the Sports Center in Vermillion, SD.

Memphis has been tearing the league up with wins and a high cover rate, including a win and cover at Phoenix on Tuesday. But now they are on a very tough back-to-back against a rested Clippers team that matches up extremely well with them. Los Angeles hasn’t played since Saturday, when they scored a 20-point win over Utah. The Clippers have won four straight in this series and six of the last eight. Before that Utah game, the Clippers had a bad stretch of play, but it looks like they are back on track now, and this is a good matchup for them to keep the momentum going. LA also has a very high cover rate this season and they are quietly getting the job done on the court and at the betting window.

2 Unit Play. Take #686 Under in Iowa @ Rutgers (6:30p.m., Wednesday, February 12 BTN) Both of these teams are poor this season and we look for Rutgers to dictate the pace of this game since they are playing at home. The Scarlet Knights are 126th in the country in scoring this season and it has been even tougher for them to score during Big 10 play. I look for this game to be played in the seventies and thus the under will hit with whoever comes out on top.

The last two games for the Raptors show why they are a great squad to bet on this season. They lost to both Houston and OKC, and they had no real chance of winning those games. But they covered both of the matchups. This team doesn’t have big names and they are under the radar, but they play hard almost every night and they don’t give up until the final buzzer. That is why they have amassed a 31-21-1 ATS record. Philly is always overrated and has as a result struggled to cover too many lines (20-32 ATS). This looks like another matchup where the Raptors are underrated.

5 Unit Play. Take #618 Michigan over Purdue (7p.m., Tuesday, February 11 Peacock) Purdue is just not the same team when they play on a neutral or road site. They have a great homecourt advantage, but this is a game Michigan needs more. A win by the Wolverines will keep them atop the standings in the Big 10 and look for them to take advantage of their size in this contest. Michigan also has a revenge angle, as they were crushed by Purdue earlier this season. Look for them to bounce back.