Basketball Picks: January 7

Don’t have time for analysis but here are the five games I like today:

North Carolina State (+14.5) over Virginia

Grizzlies (+3.5) over Hawks

Pistons (+9) over Mavericks

Maryland (-2.5) over Illinois

California (-1) over USC

Basketball Picks: January 2

Cavaliers (pick) over Hornets: LeBron James is hurt for Cleveland so there will be some value on the Cavaliers if the point spread overreacts to his injury. Charlotte is also missing their star in Al Jefferson.

Magic (+1.5) over Nets: The Nets are coming off a big win in Chicago, and the Magic were embarrassed at home against Detroit. I think Orlando bounces back at home.

Pistons (-2.5) over Knicks: The Knicks return home after a grueling West Coast road trip. The Pistons are still undefeated after getting rid of Josh Smith.

Celtics (+5.5) over Mavericks: Rajon Rondo returns to Boston in what I imagine will be a emotional game for him. I think the Celtics will be motivated to beat their former point guard.

Jazz (+4) over Hawks: The Hawks amazing run goes out West and I think Atlanta has a let down after beating Cleveland on Tuesday. The Jazz are are tough team to beat at home.

Advertisement

Basketball Picks: December 22

Hawks (+4.5) over Mavericks: The Hawks have had three impressive wins against Chicago, Cleveland and Houston. No reason to think they are can’t keep up their streak, or at least cover. The Mavericks are still getting used to Rajon Rondo. Dallas struggled agains a short-handed San Antonio team on Saturday, and I expect more of the same as the point guard gets acclimated to a new roster.

Basketball Picks: December 17

North Carolina State (-5.5) over Tennessee: A young Tennessee team goes on the road to play North Carolina State. The Volunteers just beat a ranked opponent in Butler and I think they have a let down here. North Carolina State was just upset by Wofford so the Wolfpack will be focused.

Mavericks (-6.5) over Pistons: This line might be a little lower than it should because the Mavericks played in New York last night. The Mavericks routed the Knicks, which allowed their starters to rest late and be ready for this game. Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler all played 25 minutes or less. Detroit is playing their first home game after a west coast trip. I love the Mavericks here but my only hesitation is that Dallas plays San Antonio in their next game on Saturday. They might overlook the Detroit but still think they will win by double-digits.

Basketball Picks: December 5

I passed on the basketball games for Thursday but have five NBA games I will pick for today:

Hornets (-4.5) over Knicks: The Hornets are really struggling but face a Knicks team that just played the Cavaliers on Thursday night.

Cavaliers (+4) over Raptors: Toronto’s first game back after a long west coast road trip. It was a costly trip for the Raptors as they lost guard DeMar DeRozan to injury. The Cavaliers will be focused for this game against one of the better teams in the conference.

Hawks (-1.5) over Nets: The Hawks are quietly 11-6. The Nets are coming off an overtime win against the Spurs.

Spurs (pick) over Grizzlies: I think the Spurs bounce back after an overtime loss in Brooklyn. Memphis is back home after a long road trip, which is a situation where I like to fade a team.

Suns (+5.5) over Mavericks: Dallas is also playing their first home game after a road trip. They went 4-0 away from home but played some close games. They won in double overtime in Chicago on Tuesday and won on the buzzer-beater over Milwaukee the next night.

Basketball Picks: December 3

Hornets (+3) over Bulls: The Bulls played a double overtime game last night against the Mavericks. Now they have to go back on the road after a brief stop at home.

Bucks (+5) over Mavericks: See above

Duke (+4) over Wisconsin: I think this is a bucket game either way. Duke is a young team and Wisconsin has a great home court advantage. However, I think Wisconsin should only be a two-point favorite and are getting respect because of their final four run last year.

Basketball Picks: December 2

Starting now until the end of the NBA playoffs, I will post basketball picks for the NBA and college.

Pistons (-1) over Lakers: The Pistons are a terrible team but so are the Lakers. Detroit will eventually play better and they can start now against a team they know they can beat. The Lakers played a overtime game on Sunday at home where they pulled out a victory against Toronto. I don’t think they show up in this game.

Bulls (-1) over Mavericks: Bulls are back at home after a long road trip and that’s why the line is low. I think it’s too low especially since the Bulls’ starting lineup is healthy for now. Dallas is a much better team at home than on the road.

Illinois (+4) over Miami: My first college pick of the year will be in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. I’m going to pick a team that I think is underrated and will make surprise people when conference play comes around. Illinois has a quality group of guards that I think will outplay Miami. The Illini also have revenge on their mind from when the Hurricanes defeated them in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.