SEbastian-OVER Texas
Winner Line-Houston
Tom Russo-UNDER Orlando
OTM-UNDER Orlando
Kevin Kennedy-Memphis


James Patrick Sports

Syracuse vs. Notre Dame
Play: Notre Dame

This Big East series has gone to the underdog in (9) of (13) contests and the Fighting Irish are a much more dangerous opponent at home in South Bend. When Notre Dame takes the floor off a prior home loss they respond with winning ATS tickets at a perfect (4-0) rate. enjoy all the fast paced action of the NHL with the Big Man. Your wealth depends on this selection from the Blue Line




Marc Lawrence

Philadelphia 76ers at Minnesota Timberwolves
Prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves host the 76ers in a MLK matinee game at the Target Center knowing they are 4-0 ATS against teams off au upset win this season. On the flip side, Philadelphia is just 5-10 ATS as a favorites this campaign. Look for the underdog to improve to 11-1-1 ATS in this series here today. Stay at home with Minnesota.





Cajun Sports

Orlando Magic +6

The Magic will be playing their fourth and final game of a west coast road swing which has seen them lose their last two games after defeating Sacramento 109 to 88 to open the trip. Orlando is 15-4 ATS after playing three consecutive road games. The Lakers are coming off a revenge game versus their in-city rivals the Clippers winning 126 to 86 as a 10.5 point favorite. The Clippers had defeated the Lakers back on January 6th in their first meeting 102 to 91 as a five-point underdog. LA has been .500 both SU and ATS over their last six games using back-to-back wins over Dallas and the aforementioned Clippers to reach the .500 mark. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since meeting last summer in the NBA Finals. Everyone remembers who won the championship but many may not realize that Orlando took both of the regular season meetings between these clubs. The Magic have been solid when installed as an underdog going 39-18 ATS and 20-9 ATS when facing teams from the Pacific Division. Orlando also plays well against solid offensive units who average 99 or more points per game going 63-38 ATS the last three seasons. Finally Orlando is active in a league-wide system that tells us to play on NBA road teams after a road game in which they shot less than 61 percent from the foul line, these teams rebound with a record of 30-6-1 ATS in their next game. Take the points





BIG AL

San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets
Prediction: New Orleans Hornets

The Spurs have dropped back to back games in their four game road trip, which concludes this afternoon in New Orleans. And don't be surprised if the Hornets hand the Spurs their 3rd straight loss. In Saturday's six-point defeat to the Grizzlies, San Antonio was outrebounded 51-44, and committed an unsightly 16 turnovers. The Spurs also shot just 41% from the floor, including an 0-for-6 effort from Richard Jefferson -- his first game without a field goal in nearly four years! This will be another tough game for the road-weary Spurs to win, as New Orleans has been victorious in 13 of its last 14 home games, including the last seven in a row. With revenge from a 17-point defeat on Opening Night, take the Hornets on this MLK Day.




VEGAS EXPERTS

Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors

Let's take advantage of a relatively low total (by Warriors standards) as they host the Bulls Monday afternoon. Golden State is 19-9 Over in the home favorite role, including 16-6 when laying six points or less. They are also 53-34 Over at home when the total is 210 or higher. Chicago's scoring average has gone way up with 110+ points in three of their last four outings.

Play on: Over





Rob Vinciletti

Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tenn St
Play: Western Kentucky -1.5

The Wildcats will be ultra competitive here at home tonight. They are undefeated at home this year and are winning by an average 22 points per game. When they play winning teams this year they are 8-1 straight up and against the spread. After allowing 80 or more points in their previous game they have won 11 of 14 times that past 3 seasons. Last year these two teams split the series and Kansas State had a nice win in Texas. The Longhorns are the #1 ranked team and are playing with a bulls eye on their back in every game. They narrowly escaped Texas A@M on Saturday, a game which they won in overtime after never having the lead in regulation. Texas has lost 3 of the last 4 times the total has been posted at 160 to 170 and are just 10-9 in the second half the past few years vs teams who average 77 or more points per game. In a game where the line is basically a pick. Take the Kansas State Wildcats.





Jack Jones

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets
Play: Houston Rockets -6

The Bucks have been awful on the road this year, going 5-15 while scoring just 93.2 ppg and shooting 41.5% against teams who allow 99.4 ppg and 45.6% from the floor. Defensively it doesn't get any better as they give up 46.6% from the field.

The Rockets have done a good job of kicking their offense up a notch on their home floor, scoring 103.8 ppg against teams who normally allow just 99.8 ppg. This is a big reason why they are carrying a 12-5 record in Houston.

Third game in four days for Milwaukee and they just played last night in Golden State. Not sure they are going to be ready for this early start today against a Houston team that is well rested. I'll lay the points as I'm expecting a blowout.






EZWINNERS

Charlotte Bobcats -6

Charlotte is hot and Sacramento is not. The Bobcats have won eight out of their last ten games that include wins over the Spurs, Suns and Rockets. The Kings have lost eight out of their last ten games and I expect them to struggle against one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Kings are 0-5 against the spread in their last five trips to Charlotte and they are 0-6-1 against the spread in their last seven games overall. Lay the points.






JIM FEIST

SACRAMENTO KINGS / CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
TAKE UNDER

The Sacramento Kings are riding a three game losing streak after Saturday's setback to Washington, 96-86. The Kings are now 1-8 SU and 207 ATS in their last nine games. Moreover, the Kings have seen their last 7 games go UNDER the total. The Charlotte Bobcats are playing their best ball of the season, riding a four game winning streak and also having won seven of their last 10 games. The defense has played well, holding five straight opponents to under 100 points. In fact, the Bobcats have the best scoring defense in the league with a 92.7 points allowed average. They also allow the fewest points at home (90.45 ppg). The Bobcats need the stingy defense since their offense ranks a very poor 28th in the league (93.71 ppg). While this is the first meeting of the season between these clubs, the series has seen three of the last four meetings go UNDER the total including each of the two meetings from last season. We don't expect a lot of scoring in this one with the stingy Charlotte defense and an offense that won't exactly light up the scoreboard. Take the UNDER here on Monday.






Karl Garrett

San Antonio -1 at NEW ORLEANS

St. John's a Sunday winner for the G-Man, now 6-1 the last 7 days with my free plays.

For Monday afternoon, I am going with the Hornets to gain some revenge on the Spurs.

The Spurs routed the Hornets 113-96 on opening night this season, as the home-oriented trend in this series continued. That makes 5 straight wins by the home team, and 9 wins in the last 10 meetings overall.

San Antone is finishing up a 4-game road swing that has seen them lost their last pair both straight up and against the spread, while New Orleans is definitely on an upswing, winning 8 of their last 10, while covering in 7 of those 10 games.

New Orleans gets revenge on the road-weary Spurs.

Take the Hornets here.

2♦ NEW ORLEANS







Stephen Nover

Phoenix at MEMPHIS -2'

Memphis continues to fly under the radar screen. The Grizzlies are 20-10 in their last 30 games and actually is in serious playoff contention. That's playing in the much tougher Western Conference.

The Grizzlies are going for their ninth straight home victory. They certainly won't lack for motivation as this is a rare nationally televised game for the Grizzlies. It's a chance for the country to see just how improved the Grizzlies are.

Phoenix has been terrible on the road, winning once since the end of November. The Suns are 1-10 away from home in their last 11 road contests, surrendering an average of 113 points during this road span.

The Grizzlies buried the Suns, 128-103, earlier this month as an 8-point road underdog. The Suns had trouble containing Zach Randolph, O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol. They combined to shoot 27-of-42 from the floor.

Now the Grizzlies catch Phoenix at the tail end of a road trip playing its fourth road game in six days.

The Suns are not playing well, having lost and failed to cover four of their last five games. They were blown out by Charlotte in their last game, 125-99, on Saturday.

Right now the Grizzlies have the confidence and are playing well. The Suns are at low ebb. This is the Grizzlies' opportunity to show themselves to the country. The Grizzlies have gotten good enough to take advantage of this situation.

5♦ MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES






Bobby Maxwell

Dallas +5' at BOSTON

Scored the FREE winner Sunday with Villanova over Georgetown and improve my red-hot free streak to 52-22, including 29-8 over the last 37 days. Today, I've got a comp winner for you on the Mavericks as they visit Boston to take on the Celtics.

Just too many injuries for Boston as the Celtics have Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce listed as doubtful for this one. Dallas obviously didn’t show up Sunday in Toronto so they will want to put out a little more effort in today’s big game against the Celtics.

The Mavericks are 13-7 SU and ATS on the road, including 11-5 in their last 16. And other than the last two seasons, Dallas has normally owned the Celtics.

Boston has been alternating wins and losses lately, losing 96-83 at home to the Bulls on Thursday as a 6 ½-point favorite. They’ve lost two straight at home and they are just 6-11 ATS at TD Banknorth Garden and they are scoring just 94.1 points a game at home.

Dallas has the ability to light up the scoreboard and I expect them to tonight in this marquee matchup. Boston will have trouble keeping up.

Grab the points and play the Mavericks in this one.

4♦ DALLAS








Dominic Fazzini

Orlando at L.A. LAKERS -6'

I scored another victory with my complimentary selection Sunday, taking the under in the Cowboys-Vikings game. That improved my record to 59-38-2 over the past 99 days, including 42-25-2 over the last 69!

I've got an NBA winner lined up for today, taking the Lakers to cover in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals.

The Magic has been struggling lately, going 2-6 SU and ATS in their last eight games. They are on the final leg of a four-game road trip, and have lost at Denver and Portland in their last two games.

The Lakers went 4-1 SU and ATS against Orlando in the NBA Finals, and they have won two straight games after losing three of their previous four.

Forward Pau Gasol is back in Los Angeles' lineup, and his return will help take much of the scoring load off of Kobe Bryant.

Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter have been struggling for Orlando, which is 1-4 SU and ATS in its last five road games.

The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games, and 4-0 ATS in their last four as a home favorite. Take Los Angeles to roll to an easy victory tonight.

3♦ L.A. LAKERS





Brett Atkins

I'm 6-3 with my last nine free selections but I'm improving on that today with an NBA winner for you as I lay the chalk with the Hornets who welcome the Spurs to New Orleans today.

This has been a series dominated by the home team, winning nine of the last 10 matchups, so we’re not going to stray from that and go ahead and lay the small chalk with the Hornets.

San Antonio has looked horrendous the last two games, losing at Charlotte on Friday and at Memphis on Saturday. They got crushed by the Bobcats 92-76 as a two-point favorite and then they fell at Memphis 92-86 as a 1 ½-point underdog. The Spurs aren’t very good on the road at just 7-9 SU and ATS this season and putting in just 96.1 points a game.

New Orleans has won eight of its last 10 games (7-3 ATS), including a 101-96 road win in Indianapolis on Saturday, cashing as a 2 ½-point underdog. This team is back to full force after a rash of injuries early in the season. Saturday, Chris Paul had his normal huge game with 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and David West had 24 points.

The home team is 12-2 ATS in the last 14 clashes between these two with the favorite holding a 9-3 ATS edge in the last 12. New Orleans owns its home court, going 6-1 ATS the last 7 times the Spurs have come calling.

Play the Hornets today as they take advantage of the tired, road-weary legs of San Antonio.

3♦ NEW ORLEANS






Jay McNeil

I don't give out many totals, but I nailed the Cowboys-Vikings under Sunday, picking up a victory with my free play, improving my record to 15-11 over the last 26 days.

Texas was taken to the limit Saturday by Texas A&M before escaping with a 72-67 overtime victory, and the game had to have taken a lot out of the Longhorns. Now they have to travel to Manhattan, Kan., to take on a talented Kansas State team.

The Wildcats are 40-5 at home under coach Frank Martin, and they are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games overall and 4-0 ATS in their last four home games.

Kansas State has a strong backcourt with guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, and the Wildcats average 83.1 ppg with four players averaging at least 11.1 ppg.

Kansas State plays a physical style and should be able to stand up to any challenge the Longhorns give them, especially playing at home. Take the Wildcats to cover the points today.

2♦ KANSAS STATE






Joel Tyson

MLK Day matinee in Atlanta today, and I will grab the points with the improved Thunder.

Oklahoma City comes into this one having covered 11 of their last 16 in the road dog role, and they are fresh off a home outright win over Miami, 98-80.

Atlanta is riding a 3-game winning streak, but the Hawks were extended on Friday night in their home win, but no cover against Phoenix.

I think this one will also go down to the wire.

Series numbers show the Thunder having covered 9 of the last 10 series meetings, and that is good enough for me.

Take the points.

3♦ OKLHAHOMA CITY







Chuck O'Brien

Free-play run is now at 7-2 over the past nine days (5-1 last six days) after yesterday’s outright winner with Indiana over Minnesota, and let’s stay in college basketball Monday by taking the points with Kansas State over Texas.

Texas continues to cling to the No. 1 ranking – the first No. 1 ranking in school history – but the operative word is “cling,” as the Longhorns have pulled consecutive Houdini acts since climbing to the top of the polls. On Wednesday, they barely escaped with a win at Iowa State, then on Saturday, the needed overtime to dispose of Texas A&M – the same Texas A&M that four days earlier lost 88-65 at Kansas State!

The Longhorns have now failed to cover in four straight games overall (including their first three Big 12 games), and they’ve also failed to cash in 20 of their last 28 conference games and eight of their last 11 road games. The Wildcats are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine overall and 10-0 at home this year (5-0 ATS). They’ve also held their own against Texas in recent years, winning four of the last nine clashes while going 7-1-1 against the number, including last year’s 85-81 upset win at Texas as a 10½-point road pup.

4♦ KANSAS STATE








Bryan Leonard

Chicago at Golden State

The Bulls have won four straight games but they have been less than impressive in our eyes. Three of the wins were at home against some of the worst teams in the league, Minnesota, Washington and Detroit. The fourth win was at Boston in a game the Celtics were playing without Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett. Chicago is just 5-8 straight up against the Western Conference including a 96-91 home victory over Golden State. The Bulls are only 4-13 straight up away from home.

This is an extremely important game for the host who has dropped three straight on this home stand. They face Denver on Wednesday before ending the home stand against New Jersey. The Warriors are 9-6-1 ATS vs the Eastern Conference and 10-7 ATS playing at home. In the last three weeks they have beaten Phoenix and Boston in this building and dropped a 3 point decision to Cleveland. Off three straight home losses you know the Warriors will be the more focused team today.

PLAY GOLDEN STATE







Larry Ness

Texas +2 vs Kansas St.

Texas beat 14 of its first 15 opponents by double digits to open 15-0, its best start in 77 seasons. A week ago Monday, the Longhorns supplanted Kansas as the nation's No. 1 ranked team, the first time in school history that Texas has held that spot. However, as the saying goes, "uneasy is the head that wears the crown." Texas edged Iowa St 90-83 in Ames on Wednesday and back in Austin on Saturday, needed OT is get past Texas A&M 72-67. Texas visits Manhattan, Kansas tonight to take on the 13th-ranked Wildcats (15-2). KSU is one of the nation's top-scoring teams (83.1 PPG), led by its high-scoring guard duo of Pullen (19.7-3.4 APG) and Clemente (14.9-4.1 APG). The frontcourt contributors are the 6-7 Samuels (12.1-4.6), the 6-8 Kelly (11.1-6.2), the 6-5 Sutton (8.1-5.9) and the 6-10 Colon (2.6-4.4). The Longhorns are led by the the 6-7 James (17.8-11.2), who could contend for player-of-the-year honors. Big man Pittman got himself in great shape last year and after barely playing in his first two seasons (about six MPG while averaging 2.7-2.1), he averaged just over 16 minutes last year with 10.1 PPG and 5.5 RPG. Pittman is getting just over 20 minutes of playing time this year, while averaging 12.8-6.5. Junior Balbay (4.3-3.5-4.5) is joined in the backcourt by freshman Bradley (12.2) and vet Mason (2.6-1.9) but Mason is becoming an afterthought. Two more freshman, guard Brown (11.1) and the 6-7 Hamilton (9.4-3.6), are making significant contributions, as is 6-7 junior forward Johnson (8.4-5.2). KSU is 10-0 SU (5-0 ATS) at home but the Longhorns are something special. They are averaging 87.2 PPG (2nd-most in all of CBB) and in this virtual "pick'em situation," I'm taking the nation's No. 1 team. Hook'em Horns!








Chris Jordan

Dallas at BOSTON -5'

Something tells me this won't be a problem for the Celtics, despite their continuing struggles without Kevin Garnett.

Rasheed Wallace is expected back tonight, but it won't matter, as Boston will take care of a tired and weary Mavs team.

The Mavericks, who lead the Spurs by 1-1/2 games in the Southwest Division, have dropped three of four, including yesterday's 110-88 setback at Toronto to open up a season-high five-game excursion.

It was the fourth straight game and eighth time in nine Dallas failed to reach 100 points. That might make things much easier for the tenacious Celtics, who will be hungry for a win and who are trying to avoid losing three straight at home for the first time in more than two years.

Dallas has lost four straight overall to Boston, and topped the 92-point plateau only once during that stretch.

Play the C's here.

3♦ CELTICS






LT Profits

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Atlanta Hawks

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the most improved teams in the NBA, and we look for them to showcase their young talent again today when they visit the Atlanta Hawks in a Martin Luther King Day matinee.

Kevin Durant still fills the stat sheet nightly for the Thunder, as he leads the team in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, steals and blocks. That said, while he is obviously the team leader, Oklahoma City is no longer a one-man show, as Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green are bother averaging double-digits in points and Westbrook leads the club with 7.4 assists per game.

The result of all this is that the Thunder have a winning record this season at 22-18 after having one of the worst records in the NBA last season. Even more impressive has been their play on the road, where Oklahoma City has a winning 10-9 straight up mark and a fantastic 13-6, 68.4 percent record against the spread. They are even outscoring their opponents on the road by an average of +1.2 points per game.

Now the Hawks are not chopped liver and they are 16-4 SU and 14-6 ATS at home. That said, the Thunder went 2-0 ATS in the head-to-head meetings last season, and while the Hawks are just as good as they were in 2008-09, Oklahoma City is obviously much improved. In fact, if you want to go back further, the Thunder/Sonics franchise is 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings with Atlanta.

Granted, that goes back a bit too far for our liking considering that these clubs face each other just twice a year, but returning to the here and now, the Thunder have snuck up on many teams this season on the road that do not realize just how good this team is, and we look for the same thing to happen today vs. what may be an overconfident Eastern Conference team.

Take the points here as we would not be at all surprised if an Oklahoma City team that has become accustomed to facing the tougher teams in the West emerges here with an outright upset.

Pick: Thunder +5.5







Tom Freese

Manhattan College at Siena
Prediction: Siena

Siena is 14-4 overall and 7-0 in Conference play. The Saints are led by Edwin Ubiles and his 15.7 points a game. Guard Clarence Jackson scores 14.9 points a game and he is just under 40 from beyond the arc. Forward Alex Franklin chips in with 14.5 points and 8 + rebounds a game. Forward Ryan Rossiter 12.9 points a night while pulling down 10.1 rebounds a game. Manhattan is 7-10 overall and 2-5 in Conference play. Guard Rico Pickett with 16.1 points a game Darryl Crawford scores 15.2 points a game. Antoine Pearson scores 10 points a game but no other player on the team scores more than 6.9 points a game. Simply put this is men against boys. PLAY ON SIENA -






Jeff Alexander

1 Unit on Golden State Warriors +2

Bottom Line: We'll grab the Warriors in the home underdog role today as they are an impressive is 21-8 ATS as a home underdog since the beginning of last season. Looking back even further, they are 39-12-2 ATS in their last 53 games as a home underdog, and today they are catching a bucket against a Bulls team that is just 4-13 on the road this season. The Warriors are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing on 2 day's rest. Take the Warriors.





Johnny Banks

Oklahoma City vs. Atlanta
Play: Atlanta -6

The Hawks roll at home Monday afternoon against a Thunder team that has covered the spread in just 2 of their last 11 games after a win by more than 10 points. The Hawks are 20-11 ATS as a favorite this season and they have covered the spread in 14 of their 20 home games.





Stan Lisowski

Milwaukee vs. Houston
Play: Houston

The Rockets are a 64% spread proposition off of a loss the past several seasons, while they stand 110-78 ATS vs. teams from the East. The home team in this series has won 7 of the past 10 meetings.