best NBA bets

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best NBA bets

Toronto Raptors at New Jersey Nets

The Raptors escaped with a last-second win over the Hawks on Wednesday but make no mistake; this is still a team in complete disarray.

Jay Triano?s coaching tactics are being questioned, Chris Bosh has called out his team on numerous occasions and Jarrett Jack is disgruntled after his removal from the starting lineup.

Last week following a loss Triano called his team?s play selfish but Jack wasn?t seeing eye-to-eye with his coach.

"I don't think guys were selfish. Obviously we encourage people to take shots when they think they have 'em," Jack said. "Maybe coach can elaborate on it if that's what he saw. I didn't see it that way."

The win over Atlanta was Toronto?s second in its last 12 games. The Raps were humiliated at home by the Thunder on Friday night and are 4-14 ATS in their last 18 games.

As long as Devin Harris is back in the lineup on Saturday, the Nets should get the victory.

Pick: Nets

Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies

Forget about the Bucks, the Warriors are the Association?s cash cow right now.

Heading into Friday?s game, Golden State had covered the spread in five straight and was 8-2 ATS over its last 10 games.

Despite being plagued by a myriad of injuries that forces G-State to play a fistful of D-leaguers, the Warriors have been one of the most profitable teams in 2010, going 23-13 ATS.

One concern going into this game is the health of rookie guard Stephen Curry. Curry sprained his left ankle in the team?s last game but traveled with the club for its two-game road trip. He did not suit up in Friday?s matchup against the Spurs.

There isn?t a line on this game because of Curry?s injury but it should be close to double digits regardless. The Warriors are 10-3 ATS this season when double-digit underdogs.

Pick: Warriors

 

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Today's NBA Picks

Today's NBA Picks

Today's NBA Picks
Boston at Dallas
The Celtics look to build on their 8-3-2 ATS record in their last 13 games as a road underdog of 1 to 4 1/2 points. Boston is the pick (+4) according to Dunkel, which has Dallas favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Boston (+4). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20
Time Posted: 10:30 a.m. EST
Game 501-502: Chicago at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 111.297; Philadelphia 116.097
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 5; 207
Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia by 4; 203 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-4); Over
Game 503-504: Toronto at New Jersey
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 110.516; New Jersey 114.012
Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 3 1/2; 208
Vegas Line & Total: Toronto by 4 1/2; 205
Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (+4 1/2); Over
Game 505-506: Charlotte at Miami
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 118.098; Miami 123.001
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 5; 179
Vegas Line & Total: Miami by 6; 182
Dunkel Pick: Charlotte (+6); Under
Game 507-508: Golden State at Memphis
Dunkel Ratings: Golden State 114.842; Memphis 120.609
Dunkel Line & Total: Memphis by 6; 235
Vegas Line & Total: Memphis by 11; 230 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Golden State (+11); Over
Game 509-510: New Orleans at Utah
Dunkel Ratings: New Orleans 113.769; Utah 121.800
Dunkel Line & Total: Utah by 8; 211
Vegas Line & Total: Utah by 10 1/2; 213
Dunkel Pick: New Orleans (+10 1/2); Under
Game 511-512: Milwaukee at Denver
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee 116.944; Denver 128.495
Dunkel Line & Total: Denver by 11 1/2; 210
Vegas Line & Total: Denver by 10; 203 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Denver (-10); Over
Game 513-514: Boston at Dallas
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 120.844; Dallas 121.373
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 1; 202
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 4; 201 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+4); Over

 

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Chicago Bulls (31-37) at Philadelphia 76ers (24-45), 7 p.m.

Chicago Bulls (31-37) at Philadelphia 76ers (24-45), 7 p.m.

Chicago Bulls (31-37) at Philadelphia 76ers (24-45), 7 p.m.

The Chicago Bulls will take their untimely losing streak to the road tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center.

Chicago has lost 10 straight and is winless in its last six road games. The Bulls lost for the fifth straight time at home with Friday's 92-85 setback to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Taj Gibson finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in a losing effort.

"It's frustrating. I feel like we played really hard tonight," said Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich, who ended with 10 points and eight assists. "We just kind of ran out of gas. Losing 10 in a row is frustrating."

James Johnson had 16 points and Flip Murray added 12 for the Bulls, who are 2 1/2 games off the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Chicago was without starters Derrick Rose (sprained left wrist), Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) and Luol Deng, who will miss the next two to three weeks with a strained right calf.

Rose is questionable for tonight, while Noah is probable. Chicago, which is 12-23 as the guest, hasn't dropped 11 straight games since a 16-game losing streak from January 8-February 6, 2001, and its last win was a 115-111 overtime decision versus Portland on February 26.

The struggling Sixers are back home for two consecutive games versus the Bulls and Magic, and are 11-22 in the City of Brotherly Love. After ending a five- game skid with a home victory against New Jersey on Wednesday, Philadelphia suffered a 92-88 loss to the Knicks last night at Madison Square Garden.

Elton Brand scored 19 points and Andre Iguodala posted 17 and seven rebounds for the 76ers, who lost for the 11th time in 13 tries. Jrue Holiday recorded 15 points and eight boards in the loss.

"When a team plays zone, they are trying to get you out of your flow," said Sixers guard Jason Kapono, who added 11 points off the bench. "We just have to do a better job of not letting that put us on our heels. We just played too slow."

The Bulls have won two of three meetings with Philly this season, including a 122-90 rout in the last encounter on February 20 at the United Center. The Sixers have won the past two matchups as the host in this series.

 

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Charlotte Bobcats (35-33) at Miami Heat (35-34), 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte Bobcats (35-33) at Miami Heat (35-34), 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte Bobcats (35-33) at Miami Heat (35-34), 7:30 p.m.

The Miami Heat will try to avoid being swept in the season series against the Charlotte Bobcats when they close out a six-game homestand Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat have lost the first three meetings with Charlotte this season, but are 8-3 as the host in the series.

Miami is 3-2 on the homestand and will try to put the brakes on a two-game slide tonight. In Thursday's 108-102 overtime setback versus the Orlando Magic, Dwyane Wade had 36 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who erased a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation before losing for only the third time in nine tries.

"We came back a lot and gave ourselves a chance," said Wade, who has averaged 30.9 points and 7.4 assists over his last nine games. "This team just continued to make shots. We threw every punch we had at them, and they came back and countered it almost every time."

Jermaine O'Neal added 14 points and Carlos Arroyo had 11 in defeat. Wade has also scored at least 20 points in a season-high-tying 10 consecutive games and in 56 of his 65 games this season for the Heat, who are 20-16 as the host and will hit the road for three bouts after Saturday's game.

The Heat are currently seventh in the East standings, just a half-game behind the Bobcats for the No. 6 spot and three games behind fifth-seeded Milwaukee.

Charlotte hopes to gain some ground in the conference standings when it resumes a three-game road trip this evening in south Florida. It has lost two of three games since a six-game win streak and suffered a 93-92 overtime loss in Atlanta last night, as Stephen Jackson ended with 19 points for the Bobcats, who are one victory away from setting a franchise record for wins in a season. The Bobcats' win over the Thunder on Wednesday gave them 35 wins, tying last year's total.

"We gave great effort tonight, but we're not very happy," Bobcats head coach Larry Brown said. "I thought the play of Gerald Wallace was great, especially not having played in a few days. That's why he's an All-Star. He gave us a chance to win. We had a lot of opportunities to win, and we had a great shot in regulation to win the game, but it's just one of those things. You can't explain it, but you have to give (the Hawks) credit. They made the plays to win the game. Joe Johnson made a great shot."

Raymond Felton had 25 points and Wallace returned from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury to post 20 points and 16 boards in defeat.

Brown's club will also visit Washington and is 10-25 as the visitor.

 

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Toronto Raptors (33-34) at New Jersey Nets (7-61), 7:30 p.m.

Toronto Raptors (33-34) at New Jersey Nets (7-61), 7:30 p.m.

Toronto Raptors (33-34) at New Jersey Nets (7-61), 7:30 p.m.

The Toronto Raptors are clinging to the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, and hope to stay there when they open a short trip Saturday against the New Jersey Nets at the IZOD Center.

The Raptors will also visit Minnesota and are 10-23 away from Canada this season. They are currently 2 1/2 games ahead of Chicago, which has dropped 10 in a row to hamper its playoff chances.

Toronto has lost six of seven and 10 of its last 12 games, including Friday's 115-89 setback versus the Oklahoma City Thunder at Air Canada Centre. Chris Bosh paced the Raptors with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrea Bargnani ended with 15 points for Toronto, which shot 43.8 percent from the field.

"They came in acting like the better team and they carried themselves that way," Bosh said of the Thunder. "They were trying to run us out of our own building."

Bargnani entered the game averaging 17.0 points and 6.2 rebounds over his last five games. Bosh was averaging 19.0 points and 8.7 rebounds through six games before Friday's loss.

New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA at 7-61 and is trying desperately to avoid finishing with the worst record in NBA history, set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers (9-73).

The Nets have lost six in a row overall and 12 straight as the host. Tonight they'll open a four-game residency versus the Raptors, Heat, Kings and Pistons, and are 3-29 at the Meadowlands in 2009-10. In Wednesday's 108-97 road loss at Philadelphia, Chris Douglas-Roberts had 23 points off the bench and Kenyon Dooling chipped in 15 for New Jersey, which is winless in its last five road games and played without guard Devin Harris for the second straight contest due to an upper respiratory illness.

"One thing about this team that has been consistent is they don't give up," Nets coach Kiki Vandeweghe said. "They keep coming back, they keep fighting. I thought that we just dug ourselves too big of a hole."

Harris and forward Yi Jianlian (ankle sprain) are both probable for this evening's game.

Toronto is aiming for a four-game sweep of the Nets tonight and is unbeaten in the previous four meetings. The Raptors have won three in a row at New Jersey.

 

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Golden State Warriors (19-49) at Memphis Grizzlies (36-33), 8 p.m.

Golden State Warriors (19-49) at Memphis Grizzlies (36-33), 8 p.m.

Golden State Warriors (19-49) at Memphis Grizzlies (36-33), 8 p.m.

The Memphis Grizzlies are still mathematically alive for a postseason berth and will play host to the Golden State Warriors tonight at FedEx Forum.

Memphis and Houston are both 5 1/2 games behind Portland for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, but time is running out for both teams. The Grizzlies lost for the third time in nine tries when they dropped a 107-94 decision to the Rockets on Wednesday, as Zach Randolph racked up 30 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort.

Rudy Gay scored 14 points, while Marcus Williams and Mike Conley each netted 11 for the Grizzlies, who had their franchise-record seven-game road winning streak snapped.

"It's tough when you get behind and try to get back up," said Conley. "The effort was out there, and we played hard. They just shot the ball so well. It was tough to get where we wanted in the second half."

Memphis is 11-1 at home this season against opponents with losing records and 21-15 overall as the host. In injury news for the Grizz, center Marc Gasol is doubtful for Saturday's game against Golden State because of a neck issue.

The Warriors hope to put an end to their season-high 12-game road losing streak when they close out a quick trek tonight in Memphis. They fell to 4-29 as the guest after Friday's 147-116 loss at San Antonio, as Monta Ellis led all scorers with 39 points and Corey Maggette racked up 30 in defeat.

"We didn't compete at a level we needed to even have a chance against this team," said Warriors coach Keith Smart. "I'm not even saying to probably win it, but you need to have a very high competitive level from the very first quarter to have a chance to make them have to play with Duncan on the floor a little bit more. That wasn't the case early on and then we had to play catch- up, and then it just snowballed from there. We don't have enough people to play against this type of team. We're very small, they're very big."

Golden State played without guard Stephen Curry (sprained left ankle). The rookie is questionable for tonight.

Warriors coach Don Nelson enters tonight's game five wins shy of breaking Lenny Wilkins' all-time record for victories (1,332).

The 2009-10 series between the Warriors and Grizzlies is tied at a game apiece, but Memphis has won four of the past five matchups. Golden State has lost two straight and seven of 10 trips to Memphis.

 

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Boston Celtics (44-24) at Dallas Mavericks (46-22), 9 p.m.

Boston Celtics (44-24) at Dallas Mavericks (46-22), 9 p.m.

Boston Celtics (44-24) at Dallas Mavericks (46-22), 9 p.m.

The Boston Celtics are closing in on their third straight Atlantic Division title and will resume a three-game western road trip Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

Boston has won three in a row and opened the trek with last night's 94-87 victory at Houston behind 26 points from Paul Pierce and 19 points and six assists out of Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds for Boston, which improved to 23-12 on the road and is tied with Atlanta for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

"We just played aggressive basketball in the fourth quarter," Garnett said. "The second unit played big tonight."

The Celtics will also visit the Utah Jazz on the trip and are 10 1/2 games ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic. Pierce tied Sam Jones (871) for ninth place on the Celtics' all-time games played list, while Don Nelson is eighth with 872 games and Larry Bird is seventh at 897.

Meanwhile, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks will close out a four-game homestand tonight and is 2-1 on the residency following a 113-106 triumph versus the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Caron Butler scored 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 26 for the Mavs, who won for the 14th time in 15 games and improved to 24-10 in Big D. J.J. Barea registered 15 points, Shawn Marion scored 12 and Rodrigue Beaubois tallied 11 points to help Dallas bounce back from a shocking 34-point home loss to New York on Saturday.

The Mavericks also saw the return of Jason Terry. The veteran guard, who had missed the last five games due to facial surgery, registered nine points in nearly 25 minutes of action.

"When you come back from two weeks and able to hit your first shot and get right into it offensively, that's great," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Conditioning is going to be a bit of a factor here for a few games until he's really back into 100 percent."

Dallas is a half-game behind Denver for the No. 2 spot in the West.

The Mavs defeated Boston, 99-90, back on January 18 at TD Garden to snap a four-game slide in the series. Dallas has won eight of 12 matchups with the Celtics, who have dropped 11 of 14 visits to Big D.

 

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Milwaukee Bucks (37-30) at Denver Nuggets (47-22), 9 p.m.

Milwaukee Bucks (37-30) at Denver Nuggets (47-22), 9 p.m.

Milwaukee Bucks (37-30) at Denver Nuggets (47-22), 9 p.m.

The Denver Nuggets will try to close out a three-game homestand on a perfect note tonight, when they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to the Pepsi Center.

Denver has won the first two tests of the residency and seven straight at home, including Thursday's 93-80 victory versus the New Orleans Hornets. Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points and grabbed a career-best 18 rebounds for the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets, who are three games ahead of Utah in the division and a half-game in front of Dallas for the No. 2 spot in the West.

"I was going for 20 (rebounds). That was my goal," Anthony said. "I knew we were going to need it."

Nene added 20 points and J.R. Smith 17, as Denver won for the eighth time in nine tries overall and improved to 30-5 as the host. Dating back to March of last season, Denver has won 40 of its last 45 home games.

With 13 games left in the regular season and an overall record of 47-22, the Nuggets own a magic number of five to clinch their seventh straight playoff berth.

Milwaukee will wrap up a three-game road trip Saturday and has split the first two contests of the trek. After having its six-game winning streak stopped in a loss at the LA Clippers on Wednesday, Milwaukee rebounded with last night's 114-108 double-overtime triumph in Sacramento.

Brandon Jennings scored a game-high 35 points on 8-of-13 from three-point range for the Bucks, who are 14-21 as the visitor and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. John Salmons had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Andrew Bogut added 21 and 11 boards in the win.

"We obviously stole a win tonight," Bogut said. "It was good to be on the other end of it. They kind of had their steam taken out of it because they thought they had the game won."

The Bucks converted on 14-of-30 three-pointers and outscored the Kings, 13-7, in the second overtime.

Milwaukee defeated Denver, 108-102, back on November 11 this season at the Bradley Center, as Jennings scored 32 points and dished out nine assists in that one. The Bucks, however, have lost three straight and 15 of their last 18 trips to the Rocky Mountains.

 

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New Orleans Hornets (33-37) at Utah Jazz (44-25), 9 p.m.

New Orleans Hornets (33-37) at Utah Jazz (44-25), 9 p.m.

New Orleans Hornets (33-37) at Utah Jazz (44-25), 9 p.m.

The Utah Jazz will kick off a short homestand tonight versus the New Orleans Hornets at EnergySolutions Arena.

Utah will also welcome Boston to Salt Lake City, where it has won five straight and owns a 27-8 mark this season. It is three games behind Denver for the Northwest lead and fourth in the Western Conference standings, just a game ahead of both Oklahoma City and Phoenix.

The Jazz had a brief two-game winning streak halted and lost for the third time in five tries with Friday's 110-100 loss at Phoenix. Carlos Boozer logged 23 points and 16 rebounds, while C.J. Miles recorded 17 points and Paul Millsap added 12 and 11 rebounds in losing fashion.

"They brought it to us from the jump," Boozer said. "They played fast, and we got behind. A couple of games before that they got on us early, and we were able to come back, but not tonight."

Deron Williams had 13 points but only six assists, which snaps a 21-game streak of nine assists or more. Jazz center Mehmet Okur left the game because of a stomach ailment and is questionable for Saturday.

New Orleans will close out a five-game road trip this evening and fell to 1-3 on the trek following Thursday's 93-80 setback at Denver. Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton each scored 15 points for the Hornets, who will likely miss out on the postseason. They're currently nine games behind eighth-place Portland with Houston and Memphis in between.

"I don't think we've ever been talking about whether or not we can get into the playoffs," said Hornets forward David West, who had 14 points and six rebounds. "We've just been trying to find a level of competitiveness to go out and play these games."

Emeka Okafor contributed 11 points and 10 boards in defeat.

The 2009-10 season series between the Hornets and Jazz is even at a game apiece. Utah, though, is 14-5 in the previous 19 matchups between the teams.

New Orleans has dropped 14 of 18 contests in Salt Lake City.