NBA Handicap Picks for March 6

Back to my winning ways! Went 2-1 last night and looking for some more winners. Here are the picks!

Atlanta vs Miami -1.5 ==> Give me the Hawks on the road

Dallas -1.5 vs Chicago ==> Give me the Mavs in Chicago

San Antonio -1.5 vs Memphis ==> Give me the Grizz at home

Three games, three small spreads so you really have to treat each one like a pick'em scenario.

In the Atlanta/Miami game, I like the Hawks to win on the road. Despite the fact that Miami had an impressive home win against the Lakers at home just 3 days ago, Im going to take the mrore talented team in Atlanta. Theyre winners of 4 straight, I think they extend the streak to 5 with good defense and Joe Johnson leading the scoring.

In the Mavs/Bulls game, Im going to go again with the more talented team in Dallas, who happened to have won their last 10 games. Dallas since acquiring Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler from the Washington Wizards have been looking like championship contenders. I expect the Mavs to win this game considering the Bulls gave up a 15 point lead to the Grizzlies earlier this week. Just not enough defenders nor scoring talent to contend with the Mavericks, in my opinion.

Lastly, in the Spurs/Grizz game, I like Memphis to hold home court. San Antonio will be playing the 2nd game of a back to back and considering they are the oldest team in the league couple with the running, offensive style that Memphis employs, I expect the Grizzlies to win this game outright. It also helps that Memphis is playing this game at home where they are a significantly better team.

So there be the picks! Until next time!

53-35 record in NBA handicap picks

NBA Picks for March 5th

Another day, another 1-2 result. Sucks I know, but no time to feel discouraged. Another slate of games on the schedule, this time with more selections and (hopefully) a winning record. Here be the picks!

New Orleans vs San Antonio -8 ==> Give me the Hornets on the road with the points

Oklahoma City -4.5 vs LA Clippers ==> The Thunder on the road by double digits

LA Lakers -3.5 vs Charlotte ==> Give me the Bobcats in an upset of sorts

I like the Hornets to cover the spread on the road. Their current PG, Darren Collison has filled in admirably for all-NBA world PG Chris Paul. I expect Collison to have a good game attacking the net and as a result will keep this game close. San Antonio will really want to win this game, and I wouldnt be too discouraged if the Spurs are ahead by 15 by the end of the 3rd since the Spurs have a habit of removing their starters late in games to preserve their legs come playoff time (see Tim Duncan).

I like the Thunder to win on the road against the lowly Clippers. Although the Thunder arent as good on the road as they are at home, and although the Clippers arent as bad at home as they are on the road, the Thunder matchup well against them. Expect Kevin Durant to have a strong game against the Clippers and expect Eric Gordon and Baron Davis of the Clippers to have a tough time on offense as theyre checked by Thabo Sefolosha and Russell Westbrook, respectfully.

Finally, give me the Bobcats at home to beat the small spread. I like the Cats at home since LA is coming off an overtime loss on the road to Miami and are going to be playing an energetic team in Charlotte. The Bobcats are a good home team and should keep the game competitive for four quarters.

So there are the picks! Until next time, bidding you adieu!

51-34 with picks against the spread in the NBA

NBA - March 4

Alas, the winning-week-streak is over after going 1-2 in the last slate of games chosen. Time to start anew. Three games to choose from, hopefully a clean sweep for tonight. Here are the picks:

LA Lakers -5 vs Miami ==> Take the Lakers on the road

Memphis vs Chicago -5.5 ==> Take the Grizz on the road

Utah vs Phoenix -1.5 ==> Take the Suns at home in a toss up

I like the Lakers to win at home in a nationally televised game. Lakers are clearly the more talented team and I like to believe that Lakers forward Ron Artest can keep Dwayne Wade of the Heat underwraps.

I like the Grizz to win on the road against the Bulls. Both teams like to run and gun, but the Grizz actually have the talent to play that style of game more effectively. Expect Z-Bo, Zach Randolph, to have a good game for the Grizzlies as Taj Gibson is too thin to keep Randolph out of the paint and Joakim Noah is out for three weeks with plantar fasciitis for the Bulls. In fact, Im a little surprised at the line being as big as it is (Chicago to win by 6?!?). Even if the Bulls win tonight, I dont expect to be by that margin especially considering the injuries the Bulls face and the fact that the Grizzlies are the better team overall. In any event, give me the Grizzlies to at least beat the spread and, in my opinion, win the game.

Lastly, I like Phoenix to hold home court against the Jazz. The talent on both teams, for me, is equal and really the only deciding factor for this game is the fact that Utah isnt nearly as good on the road as they are at home. Give me the Suns to win at home in a close game.

Cheers for now!!!

50-32 in NBA games against the spread

NBA Picks for MAR 2

Hotter than a Habanero Pepper these last few days! 48-30 record picking against the spread but 11-1 in the last 4 days posted. Here are the picks!

Sacramento vs Oklahoma City -10.5 ==> Take the Thunder at home to win big

Indiana vs LA Lakers -11.5 ==> Take the Lakers to win big at home

Boston -4.5 vs Detroit ==> Take the Pistons to challenge

Yes, those are big scores to cover for the teams that I chose, but considering the circumstances, Im pretty confident that both teams will beat the spread. Sacramento will have a tough go on the road, especially in Oklahoma City who have a strong record at home (18-11). Add the fact that Tyreke Evans of the Kings will have a tough go tonight against Thunder guards like Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha (who should play Evans tough on the perimeter defensively), the Kings wont be able to go shot for shot with Kevin Durant and company.

With the Lakers, they shouldnt find too much trouble dealing with the Pacers. Outside of small forward, the Lakers outclass the Pacers at every position on the court. So long as the Lakers can keep Pacer forward Danny Granger from going off for 50 points tonight, the Lakers will win this game comfortably.

As for the Pistons pick, its just more of a vote of non-confidence in Boston than it is in Detroit. Detroit isnt a terrible team at home, while Boston has been struggling to find its playoff form (as evidenced by their loss this weekend to the lowly New Jersey Nets). Take the Pistons to challenge for a win.

There be the picks! Hope you come back soon!

PS: Just on a side, a little reminder for fans of MMA to catch this weekend's WEC event on Saturday at 10pm. If youre living in Canada, it should be pretty easy to catch since TheScore will be televising all WEC events live for the foreseeable future. WEC and the lighter weight classes put on some great, exciting fights so be sure not to miss it.

NBA - Mar 1

Went 2-1 with the picks I put up last time. 8-1 in the last 9 games chosen. Doing these last minute so sorry for the briefness. Here are the picks:

Dallas vs Charlotte -3 --> Take the Mavs with the points

Atlanta vs Chicago -1 --> Take the Hawks on the road in a tossup

Toronto vs Houston -6 --> Take the Rockets without Bosh in the lineup.

NBA Feb 26

6 Game Win Streak!!

Lets make it 9!

Here be the picks:

Cleveland -5.5 vs Toronto --> Take the Cavs on the road to win by double digits

Portland vs Chicago -3.5 --> Take the Blazers with the points

Minnesota vs Oklahoma City -9.5 --> Take the Thunder at home to win by double digits

NBA Record 43-29

NBA - FEB 24

Alright, so everyone in the room who went 3-0 on their picks last night, raise your hand. Mmmhmm, thats what I thought. Yes, yes, dont want to toot my own horn, but I did pretty well for meself last night. Hopefully this trend of winners doesnt lose momentum anytime soon. Here are the picks:

LA Lakers vs Dallas -1 ---> Take the Mavs at home with the win

Memphis -1 vs Washington ---> Take the Grizz on the Road

Detroit vs LA Clippers -3.5 ---> Take the Clips

I like Dallas to win at home against the Lakers. Its a big game for both teams considering they are among the elite of the Western conference and both want to use this game as a gauge to determine where they stand in the grand scheme of things. Dallas has looked good of late, especially after the additions of former All-Stars in Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. LA are coming off a last second win against the Grizzlies last night. In the end, I like the Mavs to win with the fresher legs, playing motivated basketball in front of a home crowd.

In the Memphis/Washington game, I like the Grizz to squeak by with a win on the road. The Grizzlies come off a crushing home loss against the Lakers and so they may be a little wary coming into tonights game. However, there are two factors in leading me to pick the Grizz over the Wiz. For one, the Grizzlies just have better overall talent on their roster. For another, the Wiz will be without one of their stars as former All-Star and recent addition to the team, Josh Howard, will be out for the remainder of the year with a torn ACL knee ligament. In the end, I expect the Grizz to come out sluggish in the 1st quarter/1st half, but they'll eventually work the kinks out to win the game on the road.

Lastly, I like the Clips to win at home against the Pistons. Simple reason for me in taking the Clips - Detroit's not a good road team (7-19). On the other hand, the Clippers play considerably well at home (16-12) and have some good matchups that they can exploit all night, namely Chris Kamen on the inside. So, expect the Clips to win by 6 -10 points, covering the 3.5 point spread easily.

NBA Record against the spread in 2009-10 --> 43-29