NBA PREVIEWS:

 Utah @ Indiana

Utah is such a confident team right now that with their big run in danger in their last game at Toronto, they were able to rally back in the 4th quarter by outscoring the Raptors by 28-14, winning the game and even covering the spread. This win has sent their winning streak to 11 games and we have to start wondering who can really stop them right now? Carlos Boozer didn't play in Toronto, but he is probable to play today in Indiana. On the other side, the Pacers are coming from a very good road trip, where they won at Sacramento and in LA against the Clippers and lost by just two points at Portland. The Pacers will now play in a typical flat out spot for them and without Granger and Dunleavy, but they always seem to be capable of being competitive against top teams. Utah is with a lot of momentum and they will be a road favorite in here by a nice margin, but for how long will they be capable to maintain such run? Also note that their last loss was against the Warriors, a team who plays with a similar style of the Pacers.


New York @ Milwaukee

The Knicks can't really gain any momentum to make a nice run and it looks like they won't be in the playoffs once again. They lost another ballgame this time in New Jersey and if they had won most of the ballgames where the team was involved, they would be in a playoff spot right now. Still, the Knicks are a very dangerous team and the fact is that their last 5 losses were by 5, 5, 5, 9 and 5 points, so it's not like they are getting destroyed. They will play in Milwaukee today against the Bucks, who aren't also exactly a team who can finish off the games very well. Milwaukee was able to stop their bad streak with a home win against the Warriors in their last game, but the fact that they have just beaten the Warriors and the Wizards in their last 7 games is really a concern for them. I predict this match to be a ballgame and then, the team who finishes off the game better will get the win.


Charlotte @ San Antonio

Look out for the Bobcats because they are onfire! Charlotte has won 6 games and considering four of them were on the road, we can really say that the Bobcats are one of the best teams of the league right now! Their defense is just amazing and their confidence is allowing them to perform very well on the offense too. They will comeback to Texas just for a match against the Spurs, but this match may be the perfect test for them to see if they can really be competitive against top teams or not. San Antonio is coming from a tough home win against the Suns and they are also in good form, as they have won 7 of their last 10 games. The Spurs are the rightful favorite in here, but the Bobcats are playing so well that I wouldn't be surprised to see this match getting decided on the last play of the game.


Dallas @ Phoenix

The Suns can't really beat the top teams and that's why they will most likely be out of the playoffs this season. They are coming from four games in a row where they lost against Miami, Orlando, Houston and San Antonio and even though they were close to win all four games, they couldn't win a single one at the end. The loss of Amare was a tough blow for the playoffs aspirations of the Suns, who can't really finish off the games well against top teams. On the other side, Dallas hasn't been amazing neither in games against other top teams and they are also struggling to get into a nice position in the western conference. Howard is out for this game and I predict this game to be really entertaining to watch, while I'm not sure if there is still a lot of fight inside the players of the Suns, after four tough losses in a row.


Oklahoma City @ Sacramento

One thing is certain in this game. One team will continue their good moment after having defeated a playoff team, while the other will see their momentum getting killed in this game. Both teams are coming from big wins against very good teams, but it's also true that both teams are struggling right now. The Kings were in a tough losing streak before beating Denver last night, while the Thunder have been competitive as of late, but they are without their best two players: Durant and Green. Both teams have a some kind of a recent rivalry, as they have played twice recently and both matches were extremely close. I expect the same thing to happen today and all the value will be on the underdog, if there is a clear underdog in this game.


Cleveland @ LA Clippers

The Cavs have once again traveled to the West, where they will play three games in a span of four days. This won't be an easy spot for the Cavs, but when you have Lebron, things get way easier for you even when you are in a supposed bad spot. Cleveland is coming from a nice win at home against Miami, where they once again bounced back very well from a loss. On the other side, the Clippers continue their disastrous season and they have lost their last five games. They continue to have a lot of injured players, but at least Chris Kaman is probably to return today and play limited minutes. This seems to be a very easy game for the Cavs, but note that the Clippers have defeated Boston two weeks ago and the fact that the Cavs will play at Phoenix next may make them overlook this game.

FREE PICK:

Charlotte Bobcats @  San Antonio Spurs

Honestly my first though about this game is that probably the bobcats would be underrated on the road against the Spurs and with a brutal record against them, that would make the Bobcats a possible valuable team tonight. However this is not the case because we are dealing with a 5 points line and my fair price is 6.5/7 points for the Spurs.

I understand and respect the 6 game winning streak of the Bobcats, but honestly this winning streak turns them into a top caliber team - I mean Dallas was +5 points underdog in San Antonio last week and Portland was +5 points underdog as well, so are the Bobcats at the same level as these two teams? Remember that the Spurs spanked both Dallas and Portland by 13 and 15 points.

A deep look in the 6 consecutive games and we see that the Bobcats only once defeated a positive record team and it was against Atlanta at home! (The Hawks are struggling on the road). They defeated the Kings, Warriors, Clippers and the Knicks on the road, but neither these teams had a respectable defense. In fact, the last time that the Bobcats faced a top caliber defensive team on the road, they were spanked by 78-99 in Houston. Remember that they are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record above .600.

The Spurs meanwhile are rolling at home even though Manu Ginobili is out for several games. They defeated Phoenix, Washington, Portland, Dallas and New Orleans by double digits points, with their only loss being against the Cavaliers (a true caliber team). The Bobcats are shooting 48.1 % from the field in the last 5 games, but I doubt they can reach such numbers today while facing a great defensive team like the Spurs. I believe that the Spurs will win this game by 8/11 points and having a chance to grab just 5 points is great. Take the Spurs in here. 

Regular Play on San Antonio Spurs (-5)

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