Atlanta @ Miami

Both Atlanta and Miami are entering this contest on a pretty bad mood. After all this is the first time in the season that the Hawks have lost 3 consecutive games this season and the Heat are in a similar spot, as they have lost their last 3 games as well (second time this season that such bad streak has happened tothem), so naturally that we are dealing with two teams that want badly to bounce back tonight. Probably there isn’t any other series with so many games played since last season, as this contest will be the 11th game between these two teams since last season, so both teams know perfectly each other. The Hawks have already defeated the Heat at home this season and if the trend of this series goes on the Heat should get their revenge today on a blowout fashion, however the Hawks are the better team and they want to bounce, so we must have some caution in here.

Oklahoma City @ Chicago

Despite all the struggles, the Bulls are in a playoff spot even with their 14-17 (that’s the way the East is right now) and we can say that they are playing their best basketball of the season. Derrick Rose is finally playing better, Tyrus Thomas is back and even Kirk Hinrich is making some stripes in the starting lineup. The Bulls are coming from a awesome game against the Magic (101-93 win) and for tonight they are in a good spot against the Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming from a bad tasted loss in Overtime at Milwaukee and I have to say that they are one of the best bounce back teams in the league, with an amazing 12-2 ATS record after losing one game including 6-1 ATS as road underdogs. Kevin Durant has been a stud all season long and formidable down the stretch, but with both Westbrook and Green struggling as of late, he really needs to carry this team on his shoulders.

New Orleans @ Utah

The Jazz are coming from a disappointing home loss against a depleted and shorthanded Nuggets team that was playing without Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony. They tried to match the Nuggets speed on the court and they were blasted in both ends of the floor: they committed a season high 26 turnovers; they allowed a season high 64 points in the paint and 26 fast break points as well. Like the Thunder, the Jazz are a terrific bounce back team and at home, they are even better with a 7-1 ATS mark (note that the lone loss was last game against Denver), so we can expect them to bring more energy to the court tonight. Meanwhile the Hornets are riding a nice 2-game winning streak and on their last game against the Rockets, they made a formidable rally down the stretch to win the game. However, they are just terrible on the road with a 2-13 record and they always seem to find a way to lose on the road. David West is playing much better right now and he is the key for the Hornets today. The Jazz traditionally own the Hornets at home, as they have won the last 6 h2h games at home with a 5-0-1 ATS mark, however note that last season in both contests the Hornets went to Utah in a back to back situation and we all know that this is problematic for any team heading to Utah.

Portland @ LA Clippers

The latest injury report shows that the Blazers don’t have any more injured players and that’s good news for them because they are suffering constant injuries and for tonight against the Clippers, they will have to play without Aldridge, Blake, Fernandez, Oden, Outlaw, Przybilla and Battum – 9 of their 10 best scorers last season! They have just Brandon Roy left and amazingly it was enough for them to defeat the Warriors and the Clippers in their last 2 games. Now on the road the task is even more difficult and the Clippers are waiting them with revenge on their minds. The Clippers are coming from a nice win against the Sixers at home as their third consecutive win at home and for tonight I expect them to have a big edge down low with Kaman and Camby against an undersized Blazers frontcourt. It might sound strange, but in the last game between these two teams, the Blazers outrebounded the Clippers by 40-33 with a 12-7 edge on the offensive boards and the Clippers must address this department in order to win tonight. I remember that the Blazers are 3-0 ATS in the last 3 games as road dogs and in all of them they played shorthanded, so we have to respect them.