Betting against San Antonio at home always comes with some risk, especially when you consider that it is coming off an extended road trip. However, it also makes quite a bit of sense sticking with hot teams both SU and ATS when they are playing as well as New Orleans. The Pelican’s current winning streak is going to end sometime, but not this Wednesday night in San Antonio. Look for Davis to put on another show against a shaky Spurs’ defense to help his team extend the streak to seven.

It is effortless to fade Milwaukee in this scenario given the fact the Bucks have played two marathon games, one of which was just last night where they came up with a loss. When you combine this with Milwaukee's subpar play on the road this year and Detroit's presence on its home court, Detroit looks like easy money here with a small swim back.

However, when a team looks too easy, that means they usually are. Detroit has been in poor form as of late and is a team that should not be spotting points to anyone or anything at this stage. However, the Pistons have landed Blake Griffin at power forward, and that in itself causes takers to pay a premium to back Detroit even if the transaction has not yielded the dividends that it hoped many would entail. Milwaukee has been dominant in this series, and there is no reason to suspect here they cannot use the recipe they have had at their disposal to repeat that success.

In some cases, home court advantage can play a pivotal role in the outcome of a game. The market is adept at this, and thus we saw Philly open as a pick-em in this spot. Sure, the Sixers may be the better team on paper, but the market is not confident that the Sixers can pick up the win here. As a result of a public lean on Philly, the Heat are priced at above evens as an outright. As a result of these movements combined with trading away a point, Miami offers value on the Money Line. We’ll play it just like that.

Minnesota has been a terrible bet lately, but it also knows that this is the time of the season where you must start winning the games you are supposed to with some level of authority. The Kings are going nowhere fast, and the whole issue of tanking should be factored into the equation on a nightly basis. That is why I am going with the Timberwolves both SU and ATS on Monday night.

Anytime you back the Warriors you can expect to pay a hefty premium to do so. This premium is especially the case when the NBA's best team is facing off with an outfit that ranks in the lower echelons that enters the match in poor form. However, West Coast teams traveling to the East Coast can find themselves cooling off due to travel constraints. Meaning, Golden State may be in line for a mediocre night in the shooting department. If that is the case, spotting double-digit points can be quite risky here. New York with the lumber is the call.

Sometimes you just have to ride the team with the hot hand. Philadelphia has been in exceptional form of late against the league at-large and in this particular series. The low-hanging fruit would suggest here that the Sixers are in the position to win yet another fixture against Washington to establish themselves as a threat in the East. However, many may find this tough to believe given the fact the Sixers are known as the recent "knock around" team in the conference. The times have changed. We will trade in the bucket and play this one outright. Sixers get the call on the Money Line.

At this point, the Celtics are one of the trendiest teams in the NBA given how well they have played this season so far. As a result of this, you can expect to pay a premium to back them here. The rivalry aspect of this game makes the Celtics are dangerous to play given the fact they are spotting points to a team that plays up to competition at home. When you add in an extra day rest for New York, the risk on the Celtics is that much greater. Knicks with the points get the call.

The Grizzlies are known for having a renowned home court advantage it is for this reason that the price on this market is far more delectable to the eye of Cavaliers backers. We had seen Memphis in this situation before in 2016 where the Maulers were even favored against the renowned Cavaliers and managed to cover a seven-point line. Overall, Memphis has been 3-1 ATS in their last four against the Cavaliers, and that is a result of Cleveland also being prone to be overvalued as a household name across the NBA. However, Memphis will have the moxie to play up to one of the NBA's elite teams, and the Cavaliers also have a charted record of playing down to opponents they should easily handle. For these reasons, the Grizzlies offer tremendous upside with the points. It would not be a shocker however if Memphis were to pull an upset outright in this clash.

In the early going, we have seen significant action come in on the 76ers. This is reflected in 92% of the cash and 98% of the ticket action being played on Philly. Nevertheless, the line has moved downward by a half of a point. On the Money Line, Philadelphia is offered as a -230 road favorite compared to Chicago who comes in as a +190home dog. The Over/Under Line is currently offered at 214 and has remained stagnant since its open despite 98% of the cash and 96% of the ticket action coming in on the Over.

Despite the impressive win when the last two met, the market is reluctant to give Chicago any more points in this situation. This jumps out at us considering the form that both franchises enter, as well. The stock on Philadelphia is soaring while the Bulls have once again lost equity in the eyes of many. Nevertheless, Philadelphia comes into this contest in a notorious trouble spot for many takers. The Sixers got hot before the break and had had eight days to cool off. On the contrary, Chicago has had time to regroup and collect itself as it aims to finish off the second half of the season. Given how Chicago has played at times this year in the Windy City, the Bulls offer tremendous upside here with the points. Do not be surprised if Chicago pulls an upset outright given all the variables. However, we will be conservative and take the lumber.

The Lakers are on double duty heading into the break with another road game on Thursday night against Minnesota. While they would love to end this three-game road trip with a pair of victories coming off that recent loss to Dallas, I like the Pelicans at home on Wednesday both SU and ATS. Coming off two big road wins of its own, New Orleans has an excellent shot at heading into the break on a three-game run (SU and ATS).

Despite Atlanta taking it to Detroit days ago, the public is not buying into Atlanta once again generating a cover against the Pistons here in different environs. It is true, the Hawks have not fared well on the road this season, and they assuredly seem penciled in for a loss here. While this may be true, takers can expect to pay a premium to not back Atlanta in this market as a result of their win and loss record away from the ATL. We have to like that scenario given the fact the Hawks will enter this fixture with even more mojo given the fact they defeated one of the trendiest teams in the NBA at the moment. There is more than enough lumber on the table here to take advantage of a likely overlay.

Last time Miami came to visit they were a four-point dog, and they pulled an upset outright. Now, we are getting the Heat at nearly double the price with the same variables and that in itself dictates the play. However, Toronto's recent slew of wins combined with Miami's hiccups has compelled takers to hit the swell switch on Miami and the buy button on Toronto. This is a clear-cut case of an overreaction, and we will take advantage of a friendly point spread that comes as a result.

Mismatches in the NBA do not come much more significant than this, but the Warriors’ shaky play as of late should make bettors nervous when it comes to covering such a huge spread against a division opponent. Golden State is simply looking for SU wins heading into this week’s All-Star break so while I would not lay the points betting the side, I will go with the OVER on the total line as my “best bet” pick.

Buying low and selling high is a practice that we champion. Nothing typifies this scenario perhaps more than the different directions that these two teams are headed in at the moment, purveying an unusual situation for us to take advantage of. The Sixers are not commonly a team that we are accustomed to seeing spot this many points. In fact, recent history would dictate that the Sixers were on the receiving end of such lumber to entice action on them. The times have changed drastically. When you back the  Sixers here, you are essentially paying not to support the Knicks who are in poor form with a terrible road record. What this creates is a potential overlay and undoubtedly inflated point spread. Given the potency of this rivalry, laying such a figure can be a dangerous activity. Take the points.

The diminished stock on the Hawks allows us to step in on what is like an inflated number even when Detroit has shown to have significant difficulty winning on the road. The Pistons stock had reached astronomical levels before they were defeated outright in an upset hosting the Los Angeles Clippers. The upset was showcased on national television, and despite this, the public is more inclined to sell on the Hawks because they have shown to be one of the weaker teams in the East this season. However, the long-hanging fruit here would suggest that the market is astute to the fact that Pistons may have trouble getting out of the ATL with a win. That's how we'll play it here and trade the bucket for Hawks outright on the Money Line.

Given the current state of the Bulls, the markets are likely giving away points on Chicago to entice action on them. As a result, we have an opportunity to take advantage of a possible inflated point spread on a team with a penchant for playing at a higher level at home. With the recent dominance of Washington in this series is factored into the equation that propensity is that much greater to inflate the line. The fact remains the Wizards are without their best player, and that makes them all the more vulnerable in a notoriously hostile environment like the United Center. The Bulls may be able to orchestrate an upset outright here, but we will play it conservative and take the points.

If there were ever a situation where Detroit can stub its toe, this would probably be it. Not too long ago, the Pistons were the mediocre team in the East with a plethora of injuries to their crop of talent. Then came Blakey, The Kid Griffin, and the Pistons, have been on fire since. Now, the Pistons find themselves as one of the hottest teams in the NBA prone to an enormous let-down. The low-hanging fruit would suggest that the Clips are in a position to orchestrate an upset; the public propensity indicates that Detroit looks too easy here. We agree. However, we'll take the contrarian approach and trade away the points. LA outright gets the call.

Spotting near double-digit point totals is a ludicrous initiative in almost all NBA basketball games. Even if the two teams vary greatly in quality, the lumber in itself alone exposes takers to a potential backdoor cover. Just last night, Brooklyn was able to foster a cover by virtue of this very phenomenon against Houston. The Rockets led at one point by as much as 16 in the fourth quarter before the Nets would come through the back door. This can likely happen here if Detroit gets a big lead and calls off the dogs early. Take the points.

With all the fanfare going through the streets of Philadelphia with its first Super Bowl win, there are bound to many distractions that trickle onto the court. This is the Sixers' first game since the historic championship win for the Eagles, and you can best believe that there may be a city-wide hangover from a result of what transpired on Sunday night. Washington, on the other hand, looks to be a team on a mission, playing with a chip on its shoulder since it lost its best player to a two-month injury. Very simply, the Wizards are too dangerous of a team to give this kind of lumber to. We'll go ahead and take the points.

Utah’s strength has always been on the defensive side of the ball, especially when it comes to points allowed. It has been bucking that trend in its recent winning streak with an average of 114.6 points over its past five games. New Orleans remains one of the highest scoring teams in the league even with Cousins on the shelf. Given each team’s current form, this sets the stage for a play on the OVER in Monday night’s matchup.