Winnipeg is 3-0. But the Blue Bombers are stepping up in class after beating Edmonton and BC twice. The combined record of those two teams is 1-6. 

Calgary pulled upsets against Hamilton and Toronto before getting upset at home two weeks ago by Ottawa. The Stampeders were idle last week. They have the advantage of rest and home field, which should mean a lot since this game has become part of the festivities of the Stampede, one of the biggest outdoor events in Western Canada. 

The Stampeders have the quarterback, Vernon Adams Jr., and top-notch runner, Dedrick Mills, to outscore the Blue Bombers while effectively playing ball-control. 

Adams has thrown for 1,061 yards and five TD's against the Blue Bombers the past two seasons. The Stampeders' offense has more stability with Adams under center.

The Blue Bombers needed a big fourth quarter to defeat Edmonton last week. Winnipeg isn't as good as its unbeaten record shows. The Blue Bombers are ripe to be upset. The situation and quality of opposition lays out well here for that upset to occur.

The Rockies could be the worst team of the modern era with an 18-65 record. When the Rockies lose, they lose by multiple runs. Colorado has lost by more than one run in 17 of its past 18 defeats (94 percent).

I'm going to fade the Rockies here on the run line backing the Brewers. Yes, Milwaukee is the home team. Normally I don't like to lay 1 1/2 runs with the home team, but this is offset by the Rockies having the lowest road on-base percentage while averaging a mere three runs in their away games.

Colorado starter German Marquez has a 5.79 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. Milwaukee starter Chad Patrick has a 3.72 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. The Rockies' bullpen has the fifth-highest ERA.

Retooled Indiana was supposed to be good enough to challenge for the WNBA title this season. Through 13 games, it hasn't gone that way for the 6-7 Fever.

Caitlin Clark is back from injury, but has missed 16 of 17 3-point shots during the past two games. The Fever lost each of those games falling to the expansion Valkyries and the Aces, who are below .500 themselves. Things are not looking up for the Fever as they play their third road game in a row taking on hot Seattle.

The Storm are playing their best ball winning six of their last seven games. Seattle has defeated much better teams than the Fever during this span, including the Lynx and defending champion Liberty although New York was missing two of its three best players in that game, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones.

This point spread is too low considering the circumstances. Seattle has won three in a row. The Storm's confidence is up and they are home. Nneka Ogwumike may be the hottest player in the WNBA averaging 25.7 points in her last three games. Skylar Diggins is an elite guard and Gabby Williams is the most underrated player in the league. Opponents get sky high for the Fever because of the presence of Clark and the media attention she brings.

The timing is bad right now for Indiana. Stephanie White was supposed to be a huge coaching upgrade on Christie Sides. White hasn't cleaned that low bar yet. White already has missed a couple of games due to personal reasons. Not a good look with this being her first year coaching the Fever.

Morale is not good for the Fever. Critics are saying White isn't running the right offense for Clark. The Fever was supposed to have upgraded their bench. But core veteran DeWanna Bonner is out for personal reasons and the reserves have been underwhelming during the current road trip.  

Clark and White are proven winners. They likely will get their ship back on the right course. But for now, they can't be backed.

The expansion Valkyries have been a major storyline in the WNBA going 6-6. They are the biggest overachievers in the league.

Now, for the first  time, the Valkyries are favored. And it's by a huge number.

Connecticut is way down this season. But the Sun are a prideful team having gone deep into the playoffs the past few years. They still have some star power with Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles. That gives the Sun the two best players on the court.

Golden State has never been in this position before as big chalk. I prefer the Valkyries as underdogs. They are well-coached and scrappy. However, they do not have much talent on their team. Their roster is full of good role-type players rather than stars.

It's a sandwich spot, too, for the Valkyries. They are off a hugely-satisfying, 88-77, home win against the Fever and Caitlin Clark. The Valkyries host the defending champion Liberty in their next game. So they can be excused if they don't approach this matchup with their normal intensity. If the Valkyries aren't playing well, I don't see them covering a game in this point spread range.

Can the Pacers become only the third team in the last 47 years to win a Game 7 NBA Championship Series on the road?

No.

The marketplace is in love with the Pacers for this Game 7. The oddsmaker opened Oklahoma City minus 9. Many bettors remember what they last saw and that was the Pacers wiping out the Thunder, 108-91, in Game 6.

That game was in Indiana. This one is in Oklahoma City where the Thunder have a home net rating of plus 20.7 in the playoffs. Oklahoma City also is 6-0 following a loss in the postseason. Indiana has not beaten Oklahoma City twice in a row during the series. The Pacers have lost by 11 and 16 points in their last two away games versus the Thunder.

Oklahoma City is the best defensive team in the NBA. No team creates more turnovers than the Thunder. Indiana's most dynamic player, Tyrese Haliburton, is not 100 percent. If the Pacers fall behind, which I expect, they will get desperate with this being Game 7. That could lead to even a larger winning margin for the Thunder.

Saskatchewan is 2-0. Toronto is 0-2 and has been outscored, 57-29. The Argos are a go-against as long their defense looks terrible and stiff Nick Arbuckle remains at quarterback until injured Chad Kelly returns.

The Roughriders can attack an inexperienced Argos defense that just lost perhaps their best defender, Wynton McManis, to injury last week by running the ball down their throat. Saskatchewan has AJ Ouellette, one of the best running backs in the CFL, to go with Thomas Bertrand-Hudon and Ka'Deem Carey.

I have no confidence in Arbuckle, who has four interceptions in two games, and is playing behind what already is a beat-up offensive line. The Roughriders' defensive strength is their defensive line. If the Argos are going to pull the upset, Arbuckle has to play well. I don't see that happening.

This isn't the best of spots for Atlanta. The Dream are back home for the first time in a week. They just lost to the Liberty, 86-81, in a marquee road game this past Tuesday.

After this game, the Dream host the Sky in a Sunday day matchup. That's a bigger game for Atlanta because of the Sky being so high-profile with Angel Reese.

The Mystics have rapid revenge for an embarrassing, 89-56, home loss to the Dream five days ago. Washington shot only 30 percent from the floor and missed 14 of 17 3-point tries.

That's the only game of their last four games Washington hasn't covered. The Mystics received a confidence boost with a 79-72 road victory against the Sky three days ago in their last game. Center Shakira Austin had her best game of the season for Washington. She's an underrated, key player for the Mystics.

The Mystics haven't been good offensively, but they are above average defensively and are the No. 1 defensive rebounding team.

I'm backing the Pacers knowing they might not have Tyrese Haliburton, or a severely banged-up Haliburton if he does play.

There is one certainty for this Game 6 matchup. The Pacers are home, in must-win mode and will be playing their guts out. Here's another fact, the Thunder are 1-8 ATS on the road during the playoffs. They just are not trustworthy away from Oklahoma City.

Indiana happens to be 3-0 ATS in Game 6's and 3-0 ATS when facing elimination under elite coach Rick Carlisle.  

The Pacers have had the stronger bench and all five of their starters averaged double-digits this season. They have the depth with T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard to compensate for Haliburton's situation. McConnell is playing at a high level averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 assists and two steals a game during 18 minutes of playing time.

Not only is Connecticut 2-9 and arguably the worst team in the WNBA. But the Sun have to play on consecutive days, something extremely rare in the WNBA. 

The Sun have to do this, too, traveling and off a physical, dirty game on the road against Indiana last night. There were multiple technical fouls called in the game and two Connecticut players were ejected, Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen. A third Connecticut player, Marina Mabrey, should have been ejected for shoving Caitlin Clark to the floor.

Tina Charles played a game-high 30 minutes. The 36-year-old Charles is Connecticut's best front-court player. You have to think she could be rested for this matchup.

All in all, it's simply one of the worst spots of the season for one of the worst teams.

Phoenix loaded up during the off-season getting Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to join holdover star Kahleah Cooper, who is back healthy. Thomas and Sabally are among the best dozen players in the league. Thomas should be especially motivated returning to Connecticut having played 11 years for the Sun. 

The Mercury are 8-4, finding their stride with a 5-2 ATS record in their last seven games. They last played on Sunday.

At 5-5, the expansion Valkyries are way ahead of their projected season win total of 8 1/2. Natalie Nakase would get my vote for Coach of the Year if the season ended today.

Unfortunately for Golden State it doesn't.

Things are about to get a lot worse for the Valkyries. That's because EuroBasket 2025 starts Wednesday. Golden State will be missing four of its top seven players because of it. The Valkyries will be missing two of their three best players - Temi Fagbenle, who is competing in EuroBasket, and injured Tiffany Hayes - not to mention losing much of their depth.

The timing for this game couldn't be better for Dallas. The Wings are in dire condition at a league-worst 1-11 after blowing an 11-point lead against the Aces with 3:34 left during their last game, this past Friday.

Dallas is the biggest underachievers in the league. First-year coach Chris Koclanes is coming under heavy fire. This is a true circle-the-wagons game for the Wings.

Dallas has the talent. Paige Bueckers is living up to the high expectations of being the No. 1 overall draft pick and future superstar. She's averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Arike Ogunbowale was the MVP of last year's All-Star game. DiJonai Carrington gives the Wings the three best players on the court.

I've seen enough. I don't know if the Pacers are quite good enough to win this championship series, but they sure are worthy of hanging around. So I'm not turning down this many points.

Yes, Oklahoma City has proven tough at home. Indiana, though, hasn't been chopped liver on the road in the postseason going 7-3 SU and ATS. The Pacers also have covered 66 percent of the time the past 74 times following a home loss.

I thought the Thunder would have a bench advantage. That hasn't been the case. Indiana has been able to play faster than Oklahoma City is comfortable with no matter what players are on the floor.

The series is tied at 2-2. That's because the Thunder got past the Pacers on the road in Game 4 after Indiana won Game 3 at home, 116-107. The Pacers could have won that Game 4, too. They certainly are not outclassed in this series, which this lopsided point spread indicates.

The points are too generous for me to pass up.

It's not a surprise Phoenix is a road favorite against Las Vegas. The Aces are way down from their championship team of two seasons ago and are without reigning league MVP, A'Ja Wilson. She remains sidelined being in concussion protocol. Wilson's importance can't be stressed enough. She leads the Aces in points (20.9), rebounds (9.6 rebounds) and assists (4.0). She also prevents opponents from driving the lane with her defense and shot-blocking.

The Aces had not been playing well even with Wilson. Their only victory against an above .500 team was against the 6-5 Storm.

Phoenix has the second-best record in the Western Conference at 7-4. The Mercury rank fourth defensively giving up 78.3 points a game. By contrast, the Aces rank ninth defensively permitting 84 points a game and now they don't have Wilson.

The 1-11 Wings, the worst team in the league, put up 84 points against the Aces despite scoring only two points during the final four minutes. The Aces exerted tremendous energy in coming from way behind to beat the Wings at home two days ago. They still could be tired from that game since it was their first full game minus Wilson. Rested Phoenix has been idle since Wednesday.

If there was a doubt that Oklahoma City was overrated against Indiana in these NBA Finals following Game 1, it was erased with the Thunders' smashing, 123-107, beatdown of the Pacers in Game 2. 

The scene shifts to Indiana now. But I don't see anything changing. I'm in agreement with the oddsmaker that Oklahoma City is much the superior team. 

I don't believe the overachieving Pacers have the antidote to the Thunder's deadly combination of tremendous depth plus superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City rode that combo to the best record during the regular season and no team in the playoffs has been able to combat it. 

You can't win an NBA championship without at least one superstar. The Pacers' closest player to that distinction is the mercurial Tyrese Haliburton. I'll take Gilgeous-Alexander above Haliburton, especially with Haliburton seen limping following Indiana's Game 2 loss.

The Fever aren't the only team that looks much improved this season in the WNBA. Atlanta is looking like a top-five team and has a better record than Indiana.

The Dream had won four in a row, the latest being an impressive road victory against the Storm, until losing their last game. That was a stunning upset to the Sun this past Friday.

Atlanta is not in letdown mode for this one. Quite the opposite. The Dream have had four days to stew about that defeat. They should be heavily motivated to take on the Fever, who not only will be missing superstar Caitlin Clark, but also Sophie Cunningham.

Indiana isn't in Atlanta's class without Clark. The Fever are 2-2 minus Clark beating the Mystics and Sky, whose combined record is 6-13, while scoring victories against the Sun and Mystics. Atlanta is the best team the Fever are facing without Clark.

The Fever are hoping to have Clark back for their following game, which is a nationally televised home game against the defending champion Liberty on Saturday. That's the game the Fever are pointing to.

Not only do the Sparks possess a huge talent edge against the Valkyries, but this also is a good situational spot for Los Angeles. 
Golden State could still be on Cloud 9 after stunning the Aces, 95-68, at home this past Saturday. That was the first-year Valkyries' biggest win in their short existence. 

It also puts the Valkyries in a letdown spot against the revenge-minded Sparks. Los Angeles lost to Golden State, 82-73, as 10 1/2-point home favorites on May 23. 

There isn't one player on expansion Golden State that I would rank above LA's top five players - Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens, Rickea Jackson and Odyssey Sims. Those players have made LA the No. 1 scoring team in the WNBA at 93.3 points a game. That's 16.3 points per game more than what the Valkyries average.

Montreal has been waiting and pointing to this revenge matchup the entire off-season. Toronto eliminated the Alouettes, 30-28, in the Eastern Finals on its way to winning the Grey Cup. Montreal, though, outgained the Argonauts by nearly 100 yards in that game. They were done in by five turnovers yet still only lost by two points.

Now the Alouettes draw Toronto without QB Chad Kelly, who still remains out with a leg injury, and a vulnerable defense full of question marks and holes in the defensive line and secondary. Montreal holds a huge defensive edge. Toronto QB Nick Arbuckle has a 27-to-32 touchdown-to-interception career mark.

I like Montreal QB Davis Alexander more than Arbuckle. Alexander replaces Cody Fajardo. The Alouettes have such confidence in Alexander they awarded him a three-year contract extension in the off-season. Alexander has a bevy of good receiving targets.

Unlike what this inflated point spread may indicate, this Game 1 moment isn't too big for the Pacers. It wouldn't even shock me if the Pacers stole this road game. 

The Pacers have four strong things going for them: They are the most accurate 3-point shooting percentage team in the postseason hitting at a 40.1 percent clip. They take care of the ball ranking third in turnover rate, which is where they finished during the regular season, and they are extremely well coached by Rick Carlisle. That results in the fourth factor, a tremendous point spread mark.

Indiana has covered 11 of its 16 playoff games for 69 percent! This includes a 6-1 ATS record during their past seven road games. When it comes to Game 1's, the Pacers are 3-0 with victories against the Bucks and straight-up road wins against the Cavaliers and Knicks as underdogs. 

The situation also is good for the underdog. Indiana last played on Friday. So the Pacers have had a good rest and the dangerous Carlisle has had ample time to draw up a solid game plan. The Pacers were 7-1 SU and ATS when they played this season with at least three days of rest. 

On the other hand, Oklahoma City has been idle for eight days. That's too long. It adds an extra element of randomness into the equation. Randomness is good for a large underdog. 

By the way, the Thunder had nine days off before they played the Nuggets after opening their postseason with a sweep of the Grizzlies. The Thunder were 10 1/2-point home favorites and lost that Game 1 to the Nuggets straight-up.

Since losing superstar Caitlin Clark to a quad strain, Indiana has gone 0-2. The Fever lost to Washington, 83-77, as a four-point road favorite last Wednesday and then was humbled by Connecticut - the worst team in the WNBA - with an 85-83 loss as a double-digit home favorite last Friday.

The Fever had veteran guards Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson when they lost to the Mystics last week. Now those two aren't expected to play because of injuries joining Clark on the sidelines. It leaves the Fever so thin at guard that they had to apply to the league to get an emergency hardship in order to sign guard Aari McDonald.

So not are the Fever going to be missing Clark and her across the board production and leadership - 19 points a game, 9.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 31.4 percent shooting from 3-point range - but they are down to their fourth-string point guard.

Washington is not a patsy. The Mystics tied for the best point spread record in the league last year at 25-14-1 (64 percent) and has a winning point spread record this season. They have the best guard on the court by far with Clark out in Brittney Sykes and a pair of rookie-of-the-year candidates, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

The Mystics are physical and they like to run. The Fever are going to have problems staying with them minus Clark.

The Fever are a frustrated bunch. Caitlin Clark is out with an injury and the Fever just suffered an upset road loss to the Mystics this past Wednesday. 
I look for the Fever at home to take their frustrations out on the perfect patsy, Connecticut. 

This isn't the successful Sun team of the two previous seasons that reached the conference semifinals each of those years under Stephanie White. The Sun are in total rebuild with a first-year coach and all new starters. They are the worst team in the WNBA at 0-5, 1-4 ATS. 

White is now Indiana's head coach. Worse for the Sun is they are banged-up especially in the backcourt where their second-leading scorer and assists leader, Marina Mabrey, is questionable and Lindsay Allen is out. Frontcourt player, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, is questionable, too. She's Connecticut's third-leading scorer and second-best rebounder. 

The Fever desperately want to prove they are far more than just Caitlin Clark. This is their golden opportunity to show that.

The Liberty are the defending WNBA champions. They are 5-0 this season. But I don't find the Liberty that great right now, especially without star center Jonquel Jones. She missed Thursday's home game against the expansion Valkyries because of a hamstring injury. New York only beat the Valkyries by five points. Golden State was down by just one point with less than 25 seconds left in the game.

Now the Liberty have to play without rest for the first time this season. It's also their third game in four days. If Jones remains out, it's even a worse spot for New York, which doesn't have the excellent depth it had last season.

All Washington does is cover point spreads. The Mystics tied Minnesota for the top point spread mark last season at 25-14-1. The Mystics are 4-2 ATS this year.

Washington is underrated ranking third in rebounding and fifth defensively. The Mystics last played on Wednesday when they upset the Fever at home. The Mystics have a pair of outstanding rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, and are getting a career season from point guard Brittney Sykes, who is the No. 3 scorer in the WNBA averaging 22 points.

The Knicks stole a couple of games from the Celtics then caught a break when Jayson Tatum got hurt. The Knicks weren't better than the Celtics and they aren't better than Indiana. Sure New York has been somewhat magical. But I don't see them coming back from 3-1 down in this Eastern Conference series. A team hasn't done that in the East since 1981.

Since I regard the Pacers as the superior team, I'm backing them as an underdog in this Game 5.

The game is at Madison Square Garden. But getting this many points with the Pacers is well worth them being the away team and fading the zig/zag theory. Indiana has won and covered each of its last six road playoff games.

The deeper the series goes the more Indiana has the advantage. I say this because the Pacers have the better depth and coach. Not helping matters for the Knicks is that Karl-Anthony Towns also could be limited due to a knee injury.

Even though Jalen Brunson has emerged a superstar during the postseason, the Pacers' starters have been superior to New York's. The Pacers are quicker and more explosive. They've forced the Knicks to commit an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers per game in the series. Tyrese Haliburton has negated Brunson's dominance by his speed and all-around skill set.

Chicago has yet to win this season going 0-4. However, I see that changing here with the Sky earning their first victory. They draw a 1-4 Dallas team that is playing its fourth straight road game. 

The Sky are the worst defensive team in the WNBA. Dallas, though, isn't much better. The Wings rank 11th out of 13 teams defensively. 
Chicago's first two games were brutal - at the Fever and against New York, the defending champions and best team in the WNBA. The Sky have begun showing improvement under new coach Tyler Marsh. Chicago led Phoenix by 16 points on the road before losing, 94-89, this past Tuesday. Dallas also has a first-year head coach, Chris Koclanes.

The Wings' lone victory is against rebuilding Connecticut, who I rate as the worst team in the league. The Wings have two stars in rookie Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale. The Sky, though, are not without talent. They have two of the best young frontcourt players in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso and a veteran backcourt of Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins. 

The Sky are not outclassed here. They are home and catching the Wings at the end of a long road trip. The spot is ripe for Chicago to win.

Yes, Oklahoma City is the superior team and playing at home. But the tax to back the Thunder is way too high, especially given Minnesota is facing elimination. The Timberwolves have covered the past two games losing by only two points and winning by 42 points.

Since Feb. 13, the Timberwolves only have been an underdog of eight or more points three times. All were against the Thunder. Minnesota covered all three of those games, winning two straight-up.

The Timberwolves are 5-2 ATS, 4-3 SU when facing an elimination game under Chris Finch. 

Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, Minnesota's two best players, made 21 of 32 shots for a combined 54 points in Game 3. The pair, however, were only 6-of-20 from the floor for 21 points in Game 4. They probably won't be as hot as they were in Game 3, but certainly should be better than their Game 4 performance. Even with those two shooting so poorly, the Timberwolves only lost by two points. That bodes well for the Timberwolves staying within the number here.

Even though Indiana is missing Caitlin Clark, the Mystics are going to have a big crowd for this home game and they won't lack motivation. This is Washington's first home game since May 16 when it opened with an upset of Atlanta.

The Mystics have been on the road for their four games. They went 1-3 in those games, but with the three defeats coming by a combined 11 points. The Mystics led late in the game, too, during all three of those losses.

Except for center Shakira Austin, who is questionable, the Mystics are finally healthy. They have the best guard on the court with Clark out in Brittney Sykes, who is having a breakout season under new coach Sydney Johnson. Sykes ranks No. 3 in scoring at 22.3 points and is ninth in assists.

Besides Clark's obvious scoring talents, the Fever are going to miss her leadership. Indiana is much deeper and better coached than last season. But the Fever players, particularly All-Star center Aliyah Boston, aren't going to be as effective without Clark getting them the ball at their right spots.

The Fever still have good players, but the Mystics are being underrated here. Washington ranks first in the WNBA in defensive field goal percentage and 3-point defense.

Washington tied with Minnesota for the top point spread record in the WNBA last season at 25-14-1 (64 percent) and they have a winning ATS mark this season.

Even when they won the WNBA championship last year, the Liberty's average winning margin was 9.1 points. Now look at this point spread. The perception is the Valkyries are the worst team in the WNBA because they are an expansion team. 

Well they are not. 

Golden State didn't go the normal expansion route. The Valkyries picked veterans instead of youth. They have a roster composed of decent players, many of whom would rank as either fringe starters or key role players. The Valkyries are 2-1. They could be better than three or four teams in the league. 

New York is fat and happy at 3-0. The Liberty returned to New York after nipping the Fever on the road in a marquee national televised game this past Saturday. This is a letdown spot for New York. 

The Liberty have played three bad defensive teams - Fever, Sky and Aces. The Valkyries give up the third-fewest points in the league at 77 per game. They can hang given this large of a point spread.

Now that the Timberwolves got their bad game out of the way, I'm expecting a much better performance from them in Game 2 of this Western Conference Finals. 

One of the keys is the open looks were there for the Timberwolves. They just couldn't connect, especially key reserves Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo. Those two were a miserable 4-for-25 combined from the field. 

Minnesota also didn't do a good job of setting up Anthony Edwards. He attempted only 13 field goals, his second-fewest shots in 38 career playoff games. Julius Randle was his steady reliable self, though. Randle scored 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. He's averaging 24.3 points in 11 playoff games this season hitting 52.3 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from 3-point range. So the Thunder just can't key on Edwards. 

Oklahoma City can't but feel relaxed and perhaps overconfident after winning Game 1 by 26 points. The Timberwolves have to feel humbled and highly motivated to redeem their honor. 

The Thunder is 1-4 ATS the past five times following a win. Minnesota has won eight of its 11 playoff games. The Timberwolves are 2-0 SU and ATS following each of their previous postseason losses. They covered six of eight playoff games as a road underdog last season. Minnesota also went 11-6 for 65 percent as a road 'dog during the regular season.

The last time the Timberwolves lost two in a row by more than seven points, was way back on Dec. 21 and Dec. 23. That's a span of 65 games!

I regard the Pacers as the superior team. So, of course, I'm going to accept this many points with them. Indiana has the highest winning percentage in the playoffs at 80 percent winning eight of its 10 games. If you dip into the regular season, Indiana is 15-3 in its past 18 games.

Being on the road shouldn't bother the Pacers. They won all three of their away games against the Cavaliers in their last series.

The Knicks are heavily reliant upon Jalen Brunson and the rest of their starters. The Pacers have the better depth and two-way players. Indiana's players are incredibly versatile. Brunson may be the top offensive player on the court, but it's Indiana that outscores the Knicks by an average of 11 points during these playoffs. The Pacers are hitting 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point range during the first two rounds.

The Pacers also are the fresher team. The Knicks still may be celebrating eliminating the Celtics.

I have enormous respect for Brunson, who's developed into a superstar for the Knicks. But after that give me Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. These guys aren't stars with the exception of Haliburton, but they complement each other well and are playing outstanding basketball. I see that continuing here.

Judging by the series price and Game 1 point spread it seems preordained that the Thunder are going to roll past the Timberwolves in this Western Conference Finals series.

Oklahoma City deserves to be favored. Just not by such inflated prices. The Thunder are especially vulnerable in Tuesday's Game 1 having just eliminated the Nuggets in Game 7 this past Sunday.

Minnesota, meanwhile, took care of business last Wednesday. The Timberwolves have had six days of rest and preparation for this series opener.

But it's not just the situation why I believe the Timberwolves will cover - if not beat the Thunder straight-up on Tuesday. People that should know better are sleeping on the Timberwolves.

Anthony Edwards is blossoming into a superstar. He's averaging 26.5 points in the playoffs. Jaden McDaniels is becoming one of the best two-way players and Julius Randle is playing the finest basketball of his life, which is a high bar. The Timberwolves are 30-6 in Randle's last 36 games.

Oklahoma City hasn't been in the position it is now, expected to win not only this series but its first championship. Minnesota has never won an NBA championship either. But the pressure is on the Thunder, not the Timberwolves.

While the Thunder had to labor seven games to take care of the Nuggets, the Timberwolves took out the Lakers in five games and then won four straight against the Warriors after losing the series opener.

The Storm are a good team. Not elite, but above average with plenty of star power and experience.

I'm not so sure about Phoenix. The Mercury have a big three of Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Cooper, but lack depth and backcourt experience.

It's a good time to play Phoenix right now. That's because Cooper is out with a knee injury. The Mercury are thin in the backcourt and the team is going through an adjustment period as Thomas and Sabally are new to Phoenix. It's a new look for the Mercury as Diana Taurasi retired after 20 seasons with the team and Brittney Griner left Phoenix in free agency after 11 years.

Judging by an 0-2 preseason, including a loss to the expansion Valkyries, the Mercury have yet to develop any chemistry.

So I don't see the Mercury ready yet to beat a borderline top-five team.

The Liberty are facing a huge distraction in this, their opening game of the season. That's because New York won its first WNBA championship last season. So there will be a ring ceremony and raising of the championship banner.

The Aces will be watching this unfold mad knowing the Liberty ended their two-year reign as league champion. I expect the Aces to be the more motivated team.

I also consider the Aces to be the superior team.

Unlike the previous two seasons, the Aces aren't drawing nearly so much preseason attention. The champion bullseye is on the Liberty not them now.

Las Vegas traded Kelsey Plum for Jewell Loyd, an even exchange. The Aces still retain A'Ja Wilson, the best player in the WNBA, along with star guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, who is healthier than she was last season. The Aces also have improved their bench with promising center Elizabeth Kitley and veteran guards Tiffany Mitchell and Dana Evans.

The Liberty could be without two keys. Defensive ace Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is out for the season due to an off-season knee injury and Leonie Fiebich is questionable.  

Getting points with the Aces is just a bonus.

Atlanta has a much more star-packed roster than Washington. The Dream have four players - Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones - who are better than anybody on Washington's roster.

Making matters worse for the Mystics is they will be without two of their four best players. Out for Washington is center Shakira Austin, its best frontcourt player, and forward Aaliyah Edwards.

The Mystics have a new coach, Sydney Johnson, who brings in a whole different system. It's going to take time for the Mystics, who are in rebuilding mode, to get comfortable in Johnson's system.

The teams met during preseason on May 7. The road Dream beat Washington, 80-70.

There's a reason why the Thunder are a road favorite against the Nuggets. They are the superior team. I look for the Thunder to close out Denver in Thursday's Game 6 Western Conference semifinal.

What gives me the confidence to say that is the Thunder are better defensively, have a much stronger bench, have less fatigue and their confidence and savvy has grown as the series has progressed. Oklahoma City has won the last two games in the series by poise and execution.

"We're a better team today than we were at the beginning of the series," Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault was quoted as saying. "We're definitely evolving and growing and learning."

The Thunder were the best team in the NBA entering the series - and are even better now.

Denver is wearing down as the series progresses. Interim Nuggets coach David Adelman had three players logging at least 42 minutes during Tuesday's Game 5. Aaron Gordon played 37 minutes. Michael Porter Jr.'s shooting is off because of an injured left shoulder.

By contrast, the Thunder had only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play more than 38 minutes on Tuesday.

The Nuggets primarily have used just seven players. The fatigue factor weighs heavy on them. Oklahoma City is the fresher team. That's another key reason why I favor the Thunder to close out the series here.

Returning home after a season-long 10-game road trip, the Dodgers were ambushed by the A's, 11-1, on Tuesday night.

Situational handicapping isn't nearly so strong in baseball as in other sports, but I have to believe the Dodgers will be serious about this game after having their pride stung. LA is 15-4 at home.

LA has its best pitcher going, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He might be the best pitcher in the entire National League. Yamamoto has a 1.80 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Yet Yamamoto also had his pride pricked during his last start. It came against the Diamondbacks in a loss last Thursday when he gave up five runs in five innings, easily his worst outing of the season.

Rookie Gunnar Hoglund is set to make his third big league start for the A's. He is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA. Hoglund has pitched well, but is stepping way up having accomplished those numbers versus the Marlins and Mariners. The Dodgers are first in the majors in batting average, second in homers and OPS and fourth in runs. Hoglund is not considered to be an elite prospect.

The A's bullpen has not been good, especially during the last 10 days where their ERA is 8.24. The Dodgers' bullpen, by contrast, has a 3.57 ERA during this time frame.

The absence of superstar Jayson Tatum and the continued poor coaching of Joe Mazzulla very well could mean the playoff outster of the Celtics to the Knicks. But I don't see that happening in Wednesday's Game 5 in Boston.

The Celtics are going to be super motivated with tremendous resolve to win this game having suffered three collapses in this series to the Knicks, a team they are superior to. The obvious question is just how much better are the Celtics to the Knicks without Tatum?

Given the circumstances - step-up situation, being home and with the season on the line - I envision Boston playing with fire and brimstone that results in a blowout victory.

The Celtics won 71 percent of the time with Tatum. They are 8-2 (80 percent) without him. So the Celtics actually have a higher winning percentage when they were missing Tatum. All of those victories without Tatum were by at least six points, too.

If there's a key number in basketball it's 6. So getting anything more than six points with the home underdog Knicks in this crucial Game 4 playoff game is good value.

The Knicks aren't in Boston's class. However, the Knicks are resilient. They stole two games in Boston coming from 20 points down in each game. They have six playoff victories - and trailed in the fourth quarter during each game.

I don't see the Celtics routing the Knicks like they did in Game 3 when they won by 22 points. That was the Celtics' season and manhood being challenged. Boston also shot 50 percent from 3-point range making 20 of 40 shots in the win.

The Celtics certainly were due to shoot better than 25 percent from beyond the arc, which was their combined 3-point percentage during the first two games of the series. But highly unlikely they make half of their 3-pointers again. Probably somewhere in the middle since they ranked 10th in the league during the regular season in 3-point accuracy at 36.8 percent.

The Knicks always have been above average defensively under Tom Thibodeau, who is well-respected in the NBA for his defensive acumen. The Knicks ranked 10th during the regular season defensively.

The Celtics restored some sanity to the NBA playoffs with their road blowout victory against the Knicks on Saturday. Now I'm expecting the same from the Thunder against the Nuggets in the Western Conference.

Denver leads this series, 2-1. But Oklahoma City is the superior team. The Thunder have led 82 percent of the time during this series. Not only are the Thunder a top-notch scoring team with better athletes and a deeper bench than Denver, but they are far better defensively than the Nuggets.

Oklahoma City has held Nikola Jokic to 14-of-41 shooting (34 percent) from the floor and forced him to commit 14 turnovers during the past two games. 

Credit to the Nuggets for managing a series lead despite being more banged-up than Oklahoma City and having an interim coach. But a return to normalcy is set to take place Sunday in Denver. 

The Thunder are an ascending team. They were the best during the regular season - and nothing has changed my mind that they still aren't the best. A Thunder blowout would not surprise me. It happened two games ago when Oklahoma City whipped Denver by a whopping 43 points.

Denver suffered a 34-point blowout loss to the Clippers in their opening series round, which went a grueling seven games. The Nuggets suffered two blowout losses - by 26 and 45 points - to the Timberwolves in the playoffs last season. The Timberwolves eliminated the Nuggets in that series last year. The Thunder are better than that Timberwolves team.

What are the chances of the Celtics blowing two 20-point leads at home?

What are the chances of the Celtics missing 75 of 100 3-point shots in those games?

What are the chances of Jayson Tatum missing 30 of 42 shots in those games?

I can't begin to calculate the odds of all that happening. I just know no NBA team had lost consecutive home playoff games after being up by 20 points in each game. Until now.

The Knicks are riding a lot of house money as they come home to what's going to be a raucous and crazy Madison Square Garden. But, know this, defending world champion Boston is and remains the superior team.

The Celtics certainly aren't going to lack incentive and focus. They shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range during the season, 10th-best in the league. Tatum made 45.2 percent of his shots during the season, not the 29 percent he's shooting during this series.

Boston had a better road record than a home mark going 33-8. The Celtics have a deeper bench, are healthy and have more star power.

I don't believe it's a leap of faith for Boston to show a strong positive regression in this Game 3.

Stung by the Nuggets stealing Game 1, the Thunder buried Denver, 149-106, in Game 2 of their series this past Wednesday. 
I'm going against the zig-zag theory here and backing the Thunder to soundly defeat Denver again. 

It's not a fluke that Oklahoma City was 18 games better than Denver during the regular season. The Thunder are deeper and superior defensively. Oklahoma City also is faster. The Thunder averaged 120.5 points a game. Denver, which relies on its offense, averaged two more points per game than Oklahoma City, but gave up 11 points more per game than the Thunder. 

Denver is heavily reliant on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The Thunder has the antidote for Murray in defensive whiz Lu Dort. Oklahoma City figured out the right strategy to bottle up Jokic in its 43-point Game 2 victory - swarming him while playing pressure defense the entire time without a letup. The Thunder have the youth and depth to do this. Oh, yes, the Thunder have their own legitimate league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

The Thunder have covered 22 of the last 30 times they've been favored. That's 73 percent. The Thunder are a level higher than Denver and they are proven point spread winners. A change of venue isn't going to change that except to lower the point spread making the bar easier for the Thunder to cover another game.

Certainly Golden State deserves a lot of credit for its upset of the Timberwolves in Game 1 of this series two days ago. But the Timberwolves sure came out rusty after a five-day layoff following their first-round series win against the Lakers. 

Now the Warriors are looking at a highly-motivated Timberwolves squad that doesn't want to be trailing 2-0 heading to Golden State if they were to lose this game. The Warriors also are temporarily looking at life without Stephen Curry. He's out with a hamstring injury. 

Minnesota shot 17 percent from 3-point range against the Warriors on Tuesday hitting on just 5-of-29 from beyond the arc. The Timberwolves ranked fourth in the NBA in 3-point percentage during the regular season at 37.7 percent.

Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler showed Sunday that you can never fully count the Warriors out. But the Warriors aren't the better team against the Timberwolves and they are at a severe situational disadvantage.

Minnesota has arguably emerged as a top-five team during the past 5 1/2 months. Anthony Edwards gives the Timberwolves their own superstar.

Golden State had to dig deep - physically and mentally - to upset the Rockets on the road in Sunday's Game 7. The Warriors also got an unlikely 33 points from Buddy Hield, who made a staggering 9 of 11 3-point shots and missed only three of 15 field goal attempts.

People were ripping the Lakers for losing their first-round series to the Timberwolves. That outcome wasn't surprising, though. Minnesota is the superior team.

Now the Timberwolves are in a great spot having been idle since eliminating LA last Wednesday.

Situation matters when it comes to the NBA. And this one sets up great for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder last played nine days ago after sweeping the Grizzlies. Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't even play up to his lofty standards during the series yet Oklahoma City still won the series, 4-0.

Denver has gotten exactly one day of rest after getting past the Clippers in a grueling seven-game series that ended Saturday night.

The Thunder have the best record in the NBA at 72-14 counting the playoffs. They had the best point spread record during the regular season, too, at 55-23-4 for a phenomenal 71 percent. Oklahoma City is home and has a huge situational edge.

That spells a double-digit victory in my book.

The Warriors would very much like to close the Rockets out at home today leading 3-2 in this best-of-seven series rather than go to a seventh and deciding game, which would be in Houston on Sunday. 

But what the Warriors would like and can do are two different things. 

Yes, Golden State has far more playoff experience than Houston. The Warriors also have two proven superstars, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. The Rockets can't match the reliability of those two.

Houston, though, has edges the Warriors lack. The Rockets have more overall talent, are younger and the superior rebounding and defensive team. Houston has had a fourth quarter lead in each of its playoff losses to Golden State.

Golden State is ahead in the series because of its veteran savvy. The Rockets, however, have chipped away at that as this series has gone deeper. The Rockets have their confidence up after building a 29-point third quarter lead this past Wednesday in coasting to a 131-116 Game 5 victory. 
The Rockets picked up the pace and applied relentless defensive pressure. Those tactics worked. 

"It feels like we're getting more consistent recognition of what they're doing throughout the series as it goes on," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said following his team's Game 5 victory. "Trying to wear them down and taking away certain actions, and we did that. Try to make them make plays and not run their plays. If they have to beat us one-one, we feel that's to our advantage."

Houston has its confidence and blueprint. The Rockets aren't intimidated anymore being in the playoffs with the Warriors. They are a rising power. Maybe it's not their time quite yet, but I'll take this many points to find that out.

The Rockets' young talent is obvious. But playoff inexperience, Golden State's veteran savvy and missed free throws have resulted in the Rockets being down 3-1 in their first-round playoff series against Golden State.

Now the Warriors look to close out the series with a road victory today. I don't see them doing it. Not at Houston.

The Rockets' one win in this series came at home in blowout fashion, 109-94, in Game 2. Houston is 30-12 at home. 

The Warriors have proven superstars with Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. But Golden State also has far more age. This is their third game in five days and Houston is desperate. The oddsmaker made the Rockets the favorite and I fully agree. 

This is what Curry had to say about this game, "You understand closeout games are extremely difficult because of desperation from the other side. Try to do it on the road is even more challenging." 
The Rockets have the talent to match Golden State with Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason. Houston has had fourth-quarter leads in its losses. The Rockets are the superior rebounding team. Their confidence and poise will be much better at home.

The Cavaliers have already advanced. The Knicks can do that, too, if they beat the underdog Pistons at home tonight. The Celtics would meet the Knicks in Round 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs. So Boston can't waste any more time with Orlando in its first-round series.

The Magic managed to sneak a home win in Game 3 after soundly losing the first two games in Boston. The Magic gave it their best shot at home in Game 4 before surrendering 16 of the final 23 points in a 107-98 loss this past Sunday. That was a deflating loss for the Magic.

Orlando is a two-man team of Paulo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic have tried to overcome their weak depth and lack of other scoring options by playing extremely physical. That's not going to work back in Boston.

The Celtics' stars are better than Orlando's stars and Boston's bench is far superior. Boston is 30-13 at TD Garden Center. The Celtics don't want to screw around anymore with the Magic. I look for the Celtics to be focused and to play with great intensity. That should ensure an easy double-digit victory.

With or without Jimmy Butler, I like the Rockets to cover - if not beat the Warriors straight-up - in tonight's Game 4 matchup of their Western Conference playoff series. 

The Warriors pulled out a gutty home win without Butler this past Saturday. Golden State came back from a 13-point deficit. 

I don't believe the Warriors can do that again if Butler remains out due to a pelvic injury suffered in Game 2 this past Wednesday. But even if Butler plays, the Warriors may get caught subconsciously relaxing. 

The Rockets are a better defensive team than Golden State. They gave up the fifth-fewest points and ranked No. 2 in defensive rebounding. The Rockets were slow in rotating and didn't play with the defensive intensity during Saturday's loss that they did when they defeated the Warriors in Game 2. I see the Rockets taking their defense up a notch in this game.

The record shows the Stars had a better regular season record than the Avalanche and Dallas leads this series, 2-1.

But I don't believe the Stars are superior to Colorado. Dallas has only led Colorado for fewer than two minutes during the series, yet is up two games to one because of a pair of overtime victories the past two games. The last coming three day ago, 2-1, in Colorado.

What was notable about that game was the return of Gabriel Landeskog. He played for the first time in nearly three years and looked comfortable playing on the Av's third line. The Avalanche plan on moving Landeskog to the second line tonight and use him on their power play.

The Avalanche ranked higher than the Stars in expected goals percentage and now they have Landeskog, an offensive force and spark, to go with superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Jake Oettinger has not been playing well for Dallas, giving up at least four goals in four of his past six starts. During this span, he has an .879 save percentage and 3.64 goals against average.

I see this as a kill spot for Colorado at home where the Avalanche take out their bad luck and frustrations on the Stars.

With or without Jimmy Butler, I like the Warriors to prevail at home against the youthful Rockets. Houston is taking to the road after going 1-1 on its homecourt during the first two games of this Western Conference series. 

Golden State has the savvy and playoff experience to make the proper adjustments after the Rockets increased their defensive intensity to win Game 2, 109-94, this past Wednesday.

Butler suffered a bruised back in that game. He played less than eight minutes before he suffered the injury. I believe Butler will play here, although he's listed as questionable. If you don't count that Wednesday game, the Warriors are 24-7 since Butler joined them. 

Jonathan Kuminga got the rust off replacing Butler. Kuminga played 26 minutes after Butler left, making four-of-12 shots from the floor. Kuminga was the Warriors' fourth-leading scorer during the regular season averaging 15.3 points, but had sat out the previous two games.

After losing by 17 and nine points at Boston during the first two games of this series, I see Orlando bouncing back to at least get the cover - if not win outright - at home.

I'm not expecting a doubtful Jayson Tatum to play. Nor would I be surprised if Jaylen Brown sat out, too, or at least had reduced minutes because of a sore knee. There's also a chance the Celtics could be minus Jrue Holiday, who is dealing with a hamstring strain.

The Magic play the Celtics with much more confidence at home having defeated them in both of their regular-season home games.

Orlando came back from an 0-2 playoff deficit against the Cavaliers last year to win all three of its playoff home games.

Let me get this right. The first game of this series is decided in overtime with the Nuggets winning. The Clippers hold on in Game 2 withstanding two Denver missed 3-pointers in the final seconds to win by three points. 

Denver was favored in both of those games. But now that the scene shifts to LA the Clippers are this big of a favorite? Huh? Not buying it. These teams are extremely even. So give me the Nuggets in this point spread range.

Kawhi Leonard had one of his games for the ages this past Monday dropping 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting from the floor. Leonard is that good. But he's not the best player on the court. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is. Jokic is averaging 27.5 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the series. He's not the only Denver player having a big series. Jamal Murray is averaging 22 points, 6.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds. Aaron Gordon is averaging 19.5 points and seven rebounds. 

The Nuggets dominated the boards against the Clippers in Game 2, out-rebounding them by 18. The Nuggets, though, committed nine more turnovers and shot only 63.6 percent from the free throw line when their season average is 77 percent.

I had the Warriors to beat the Rockets in Game 1 - and felt lucky to win even though the final score was Golden State, 95-85. 

The Rockets grabbed 16 more offensive rebounds than the Warriors and had numerous missed open 3-point shots. 

The Rockets' youth showed in that first playoff game. Still, the Rockets could have cut the Warriors' lead to two points with less than five minutes left if Stephen Curry didn't hit a long 3-point desperation heave that took the pressure off by putting the Warriors ahead by seven points. 

Golden State shot 47.4 percent from the floor. The Rockets got off 11 more shots than the Warriors, but made only 39.1 percent of their field goal attempts. 

Expect an all-out effort by the Rockets knowing they can't go down 0-2 in the series at home. Their young, but highly-talented players, should be more comfortable and less rusty in Game 2. Houston also should make a much higher percentage of its offensive rebounds and open shots resulting from kick-outs. 

I see that happening.

The Bucks picked a bad time to get cold and play flat this past Saturday in a 117-98 Game 1 playoff loss to the Pacers.

Milwaukee was 8-0 SU, 7-1 ATS this month before that game. But aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were terrible against Indiana.

Not only will the Bucks be highly motivated with their pride wounded, but there's a strong possibility they get back their second-best player, Damian Lillard. He's been out since March 18. Lillard is likely to be on a minutes count if he does play, but he should provide a needed spark after getting into a chippy exchange of words with some of the Pacers from Milwaukee's bench.

Antetokounmpo said this after the 19-point Game 1 defeat: "It wasn't us. I think we're gonna be better. In the second half we were better. They only scored 50 points in the second half. We were way better in the second half. Hopefully we can carry over to the next game and do what we do, guys feel more comfortable out there."

The Bucks led the NBA in 3-point shooting at 38.7 percent. Yet they shot only 24.3 percent from beyond the arc in Game 1 making just 9-of-37 shots. The Pacers rank 23rd in defensive field goal percentage.

The Rockets were four games better than the Warriors during the regular season. Houston is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Golden State is seventh-seeded.

Pay no attention to that, though.

It's misleading and doesn't mean anything now.

The Rockets have been idle for a week. They are rusty and lack Golden State's playoff experience having last made the postseason in 2020, the Covid year when the playoffs were held in the bubble in Orlando.

The Warriors played at a 61-win pace during their last 31 games going 23-8 transformed by a resurgent Jimmy Butler. They defeated the Grizzlies this past Tuesday in a play-in game to reach this point.

Houston coasted into the playoffs, losing its last three games by an average of 21 points. The Rockets are young lacking the proven stars the Warriors have with Stephen Curry, Butler and Draymond Green.

It's going to be difficult for the Rockets to reach full intensity having been idle since last Sunday and not caring during the last week of the regular season. The Warriors won't have that problem. They'll be ready.

This could be the most evenly matched first round series of all of them. I believe the Lakers are overrated here because of who they are and their star power of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Minnesota, however, is the taller and deeper team. The Timberwolves also went 17-4 in their last 21 games. The Lakers were 18-10 during their last 28 games with Doncic in the lineup. LA lost to the Hornets, Jazz, Nets and Bulls twice during that stretch.

Doncic's numbers haven't matched the great statistics he was putting up with the Mavericks. He and James look better on paper with just a plus two rating when both are on the court together.

Anthony Edwards actually could be the best offensive player on the court. The Lakers don't have any strong defensive wings to defend against Edwards either. If they load up on Edwards that frees up Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert.

This is too many points for the Warriors to be giving up considering Memphis has a size advantage, JaMorant is playing his best basketball of the season and there is not a huge talent disparity between the two teams. 

The Grizzlies have displayed defensive improvement under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo ranking sixth in defensive efficiency during their last six games. Discounting a loss to the Timberwolves from this past Thursday, the Grizzlies have given up an average of 105 points during their last five games. 

Morant is averaging 30.2 points and shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range this month. 

Memphis also has the size to hurt Golden State in the frontcourt with an improved Zach Edey joining elite defender Jaren Jackson Jr. The 7-foot-4 Edey is averaging 15.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks this month. 

The Grizzlies rank No. 2 in the NBA in drawing fouls. The Warriors rank 19th in that category.

This is the Trail Blazers' final road game and first matchup since finding out they were eliminated from the postseason. Portland showed much improvement, but I question its motivation for this now meaningless game.

Utah is dreadful. But the Jazz should have motivation to halt a nine-game losing streak. This is their best chance to stop their losing skid since they host the Thunder and play at Minnesota for their final two games.

Portland concludes its season with home games against the Warriors and Lakers. Those are matchups the Trail Blazers are likely to care more about.

The Jazz are 1-2 against Portland this season. Both of Utah's losses to Portland came by two points. The Jazz have outscored Portland by 38 points in their three games.

The Wild halted a four-game losing streak and greatly aided their chances of holding on to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference by upsetting the Stars in overtime at home this past Sunday. 

Minnesota hasn't played since. The Wild don't want to give that important victory back by losing to the lowly Sharks, who have the worst record in the Western Conference and have lost six in a row. 

The Wild have defeated the Sharks six consecutive times. That includes a 2-0 record this season with each win coming by more than one goal. 
San Jose only has scored 10 goals in its last six games. If the Sharks can't find the net, they are in big trouble as they have the worst defense in the NHL allowing an average of 3.7 goals a game. 

The Wild are not a dynamic team. But they've had ample rest and should take care of business while the Sharks hit the road for the first time in eight days.

The Mets are rolling, riding a six-game winning streak after a five-run victory against the Marlins on Tuesday.

I don't see that streak being stopped on Wednesday in a pitching matchup of Max Meyer against Tylor Megill.

Nothing against Meyer, who shows some promise, but Megill is one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball.

The Mets are 8-0 in Megill's last eight starts going back to last Aug. 30. Megill has been excellent during the early part of the season with a 9-2 record in 13 career March/April starts.

Miami ranks 23rd in scoring, while the Mets have the lowest ERA in the majors.

Kudos to the Kraken for upsetting the Kings, 2-1, in Los Angeles last night. But now Seattle has to travel into high altitude to play Utah tonight.

Seattle is 0-11 this season when playing in the second of back-to-back games. All but one of those losses were by more than one goal, too. 

It's the Kraken's third game in four days and fourth road contest in the last seven days. Utah, which has a winning home record, last played on Saturday.

Making matters worse for the Kraken is they are expected to start backup goalie, Philipp Grubauer. He has a 3.52 goals against average. Seattle starting goalie Joey Daccord has played in the past three games. Daccord is much better than Grubauer with a 2.60 GAA.

A far superior defense. Rest advantage. Playing at home. Much better current form. 

All of those reasons are why I like Orlando to cover this number against Atlanta.

Let's start with defense. The Magic give up the fewest points per game at 105.6. The Hawks, by contrast, rank 27th defensively allowing an average of 119.8 points per game.

Orlando has been idle since Thursday. The Magic are 6-2 in their past eight games. Their defense has been even better than its season number. The Magic have surrendered an average of only 99 points during their last six games. 

The Hawks are 2-5 in their past seven games. Atlanta has permitted more than 119 points in each of its last seven games. During their past seven games, the Hawks have allowed an average of 124.1 points.

As much as I like and respect Florida, Houston's tenacity and elite defense has me going with the Cougars. 

Houston held the Blue Devils to 40 percent shooting from the floor and only one field goal during the final 10:30 of its dramatic Final Four, 70-67, comeback victory this past Saturday.  Duke averaged 82.7 points and 48.8 percent shooting during the season. Both top-18 marks. 

 Duke averaged 91.7 points during its previous four games before meeting Houston. To be honest, I thought Duke was going to win the NCAA Tournament. 

The Cougars are the best defensive team in the country. Their offense can look a little disjointed at times, but they ranked No. 2 in the country in 3-point percentage. The Cougars also are a strong rebounding team. They have the Big 12 defensive player of the year, Joseph Tugler. He's 6-foot-8 with a wingspan of a 7-foot-6 player. Tugler has 77 blocks, including four against Duke.

Kelvin Sampson is a Hall of Fame coach, a tremendous defensive tactician. 

Nothing against Florida, but I'm going with Houston since I give the Cougars checkmarks in defense, coaching and 3-point shooting. I can't see them not winning the title after their unbelievable semifinal victory against Duke.

NBA Bonus Play

Pistons minus 7 1/2 hosting Kings

Detroit has been special all season in qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The spot here sets up for the Pistons to crush the visiting Kings.

The Pistons are off a home loss to the Grizzlies from this past Saturday. They did get their superstar, Cade Cunningham, back for that game, though, after Cunningham had missed the previous six games with a calf strain. Detroit is 1-3 in its last four games. The Pistons won't lack motivation. The last time they had a 1-4 run was back in early December.

The Kings are off a huge road upset win against the Cavaliers last night. All five of Sacramento's starters logged at least 40 minutes in that victory. This is the finale of a six-game, 10-day road trip for the Kings and their fourth game in six days. That's a rough stretch, especially this late in the season.

I don't see anything left in the Kings' tank for this one.

Detroit has been special all season in qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The spot here sets up for the Pistons to crush the visiting Kings.

The Pistons are off a home loss to the Grizzlies from this past Saturday. They did get their superstar, Cade Cunningham, back for that game, though, after Cunningham had missed the previous six games with a calf strain. Detroit is 1-3 in its last four games. The Pistons won't lack motivation. The last time they had a 1-4 run was back in early December.

The Kings are off a huge road upset win against the Cavaliers last night. All five of Sacramento's starters logged at least 40 minutes in that victory. This is the finale of a six-game, 10-day road trip for the Kings and their fourth game in six days. That's a rough stretch, especially this late in the season.

I don't see anything left in the Kings' tank for this one.

Behold the largest Eastern Conference point spread of the season. Sure the Celtics probably could name their score here at home against the Wizards, but I don't see them being very motivated. Boston also doesn't have a good track record in this point spread range, failing to cover 13 of the last 18 times (28 percent) as double-digit favorites.  

The Celtics took their frustrations out on Phoenix after their nine-game win streak was halted by the Heat this past Wednesday. Boston buried the Suns, 123-103, in its following game this past Friday.

Boston knows it's locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference being eight games of the third-place Knicks, but trailing first-place Cleveland by five games with five regular season games left. The Celitcs travel to Madison Square Garden to meet the Knicks on Tuesday in their next game.

Only twice in their last 28 games, have the Wizards lost by more than 20 points. Washington has many young players. They'll want to show their best against the defending world champions.

Checkmark to Houston on defense. Duke, however, is the more complete team, has a size advantage and superstar Cooper Flagg. Those are reasons enough to justify laying these points with the Blue Devils.

Duke has a size advantage in the backcourt - pivotal because Houston relies on its perimeter shooting - and has 7-footer Khaman Maluach inside to dominate both ends in the paint.

The Blue Devils' size was a key in holding Alabama to 65 points in an 85-65 win during their last game. Alabama was the No. 1 scoring team in the nation averaging 91.1 points. Houston averages 17 points fewer per game than Alabama.

I don't see the Cougars being able to keep up with Duke in the scoring column. Not only do the Blue Devils have the magnificent Flagg, but also Tyrese Proctor and a strong bench. Unlike Houston, Duke is equally proficient scoring both inside and outside.

The Timberwolves' dramatic, 140-139, last-second two overtime road victory against the Nuggets this past Tuesday night was one of the best games of the NBA season.

Denver followed up that game with an upset home loss to the Spurs last night, although Nikola Jokic sat out.

While I don't expect the Nets to beat Minnesota straight-up, I do believe this is an excellent ambush spot for Brooklyn to throw a scare into the Timberwolves, who have to be feeling great about themselves pulling out a win against the Nuggets. Minnesota defeated Denver when Russell Westbrook missed a layup near the end of the game and Nickeil Alexander-Walker was fouled with one-tenth of a second left. Alexander-Walker's two free throws accounted for Minnesota's final victory margin.

That win put the Timberwolves into a tie for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the West. You can't fault the Timberwolves if they suffer a letdown here facing the Nets, who are 26 games below .500.

Still, this is a second straight road game and a time change for the Timberwolves. The Nets are pesky. They actually have been quite good point spread-wise covering nine of their last 13 games. The Nets also are the more rested team having been idle since Monday.

This is one of those rare, if any, times I'm going against Oklahoma City being fully aware the Thunder are riding a nine-game win streak and have the best point spread mark in the NBA. 

Actually, it's not so much I'm going against the Thunder, but rather taking value on the Bulls, who are below-the-surface. 

Chicago is 9-3 in its last dozen games, 10-2 ATS. If it weren't for a one-point loss to the Mavericks, the Bulls would be on a five-game win streak. 

This is a good test for the Bulls to find out just how competitive they are. I'll back them, given how well they have been playing, at what I see is an inflated point spread.

Michigan State has reached the Sweet 16, but the Spartans haven't played their best. They are due for a big game. I see that coming here against a Mississippi team they match up well to.

Mississippi has pulled off upset victories against Iowa State and North Carolina to reach this point. The Rebels are extremely well-coached like the Spartans are. Mississippi is not a strong rebounding team, though, ranking 15th out of 16 teams in the SEC. Michigan State, by contrast, was the No. 2 rebounding team in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation in offensive rebounding.

The Rebels hit 49 percent of their 3-point shots against the Tar Heels and Cyclones going an amazing 19-for-39. That is uncharacteristic of Mississippi. The Rebels are not nearly that good of a 3-point shooting team. They ranked 173rd in 3-point accuracy during the regular season hitting 34.1 percent. Michigan State has the toughest 3-point defense in the country ranking No. 1.

The combination of Michigan State's 3-point defense and rebounding should be enough to derail the Rebels and allow the Spartans to cover this point spread margin. Michigan State is due for a better performance while the Rebels are overdue to cool off from beyond the arc, especially playing this opponent.

Alabama-Birmingham is an underdog worth backing. Not only do the Blazers play in the stronger American Athletic Conference compared to Cal-Irvine, which is in the weak Big West Conference, but Alabama-Birmingham has proved itself on the road.

The Blazers have scored road upset victories against Santa Clara as a 7-point 'dog and against St. Joe's getting six points. Cal Irvine wasn't impressive in beating but failing to cover against Jacksonville State at home, 66-61, in its last NIT game. 

UAB also has the best player on the court in 6-foot-9 Yaxel Lendeborg. He averages 17.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocked shots. He owns the school record for double-doubles. 

The Blazers play fast and are explosive. They are 16th in the nation in scoring at 82.6 points per game. Being on the road hasn't changed this as the Blazers rank 15th in the country in points per possession when playing away. 

Cal Irvine averages nearly seven points fewer per game than UAB, but features the superior defense. Some of that, though, comes from playing in the smallish Big West. UAB has been playing better defense late in winning and covering four of their five postseason games. 

UAB holds a rebounding edge. The Blazers rank in the top-20 in offensive rebounding. Going against UAB is going to prove a real contrast for Cal Irvine. 

The Blazers have enough going to pull the outright upset.

Going in, I liked Cleveland State to win the CBI Tournament and so far nothing that has gone on has changed my mind. The Vikings rolled past Queens University in their tournament opener yesterday breezing to an 88-73 win as a 4 1/2-point favorite.

I don't see today's opponent, Florida Gulf Coast, being any better. The Eagles barely got past Army, 68-65, as a 10 1/2-point favorite in their tournament opener yesterday. That was the fourth time the Eagles failed to cover in their last five games.

Cleveland State is the better scoring team and much superior to Florida Gulf Coast defensively.

It has been a brutal March for the Heat. They are 2-11 this month. Their only victories were against the horrendous Wizards and Hornets.

Golden State has won 16 of 20 games since acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Heat. The Warriors should be highly motivated to win big here coming off an upset loss to the Hawks three days ago and knowing how important this game is for Butler playing against his former team.

The Warriors have won by an average of 14.2 points the past four times following a loss.

It's an added bonus if Stephen Curry plays. He's questionable due to a bruised pelvic.

Washington is 15-55 after losing by 19 points to the Knicks on the road this past Saturday. 

Yet Washington opened as the favorite because Toronto is 24-47 and looked terrible in losing, 123-89, to the Spurs on Sunday. The Raptors were playing at home for the first time since returning from a four-game West Coast trip. 

"...We have to be much better, and I expect us to be much better tomorrow (Monday)," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said following his team's no-show against the Spurs.

The Raptors are better than Washington and should be motivated. Only the Thunder and Cavaliers have a better point spread record than the Raptors, who are 42-28-1 for 60 percent.

This is a question of trust. The Mountain West Conference has had a dismal point spread record in the NCAA Tournament, while the Big Ten Conference is proving how strong it really is going 10-2 SU and ATS so far in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State with Tom Izzo is one of those Big Ten teams I trust the most. I believe the Spartans match up well to New Mexico. The Spartans have tournament experience having reached at least the second round in 17 of the last 20 NCAA Tournament. 

The Spartans have the superior depth and defense, ranking No. 2 in the country in 3-point defense, and hold a backcourt edge with the necessary defenders to bother Donovan Dent, who the Aggies heavily rely upon.

Michigan State got its kinks out rolling past Bryant, 87-62, two days ago. I'm looking for a better performance from the Spartans. 

New Mexico defeated a disappointing and unimpressive Marquette in the first round. The Lobos don't have the signature victories Michigan State has. I don't believe they can stay within single digits of the Spartans.

Of the many great teams in the SEC this season, Mississippi is one of the least flashy. The Rebels don't get talked about much. Certainly not like Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. 

But this doesn't mean the Rebels aren't dangerous. They have the right mix and coaching to pull the upset against Iowa State. 

Mississippi is a semi-rarity these days for an NCAA Tournament team - a veteran starting lineup consisting of four seniors and a junior. They have leadership, poise and an elite coach in Chris Beard. 

I also believe Iowa State's coach, T.J. Otzelberger, is elite. The Cyclones, though, are the ones laying mid-range points and missing a key injured player in guard Keshon Gibert. He is Iowa State's second-leading scorer at 13.4 points a game and is the team leader in assists. 

The Cyclones were able to easily triumph against Lipscomb in their first-round NCAA Tournament game. Mississippi has better athletes than Lipscomb and can exploit Gilbert's absence with a more swarming defensive style. 

Mississippi's strength is forcing turnovers while ranking in the top-15 in committing the fewest turnovers. That's a winning combination against this opponent.

Playing at Utah isn't easy even when there is motivation. As bad as the 16-54 Jazz are, they are tough at home covering 10 of their last 15 games as hosts.

The teams just met 11 days ago and Boston only won by six points at home. The Jazz were playing without rest, too, having played the night before.  

Boston has an extremely deep roster. The Celtics are still strong even when resting star players, which could be the case here with the team's upcoming schedule of playing the Trail Blazers in Portland on Sunday and Kings in Sacramento on Monday.

So the backdoor could swing open for the Jazz if Boston does build an early huge advantage. Realistically, the Celtics are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. That might be why Boston has only won by this large of a margin once in its last 11 games.

It's been an up-and-down season for Connecticut. But if the two-time defending champion Huskies are going to get eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, it's going to come from Florida not Oklahoma. 

The Huskies have won and covered their past 12 NCAA Tournament games. Look for that impressive streak to continue against the Sooners, who may be without center Sam Godwin. He's missed the last three games because of a knee injury.

Even with Godwin, the Sooners can't rebound with Connecticut. The Huskies hold a defensive and depth edge, too. 

Connecticut ranks 60th defensively and is the No. 2 defensive rebounding team. Oklahoma rates 269th defensively and is 324th in offensive rebounding. 

The Huskies are healthy, too, unlike the Sooners. 

Connecticut is the more well-rounded team with big edges on defense and on the boards. I'm not going against the Huskies against this opponent.

The Lakers are very tough at home and on a three-game winning streak. But this is a tough spot for LA. The oddsmaker knows this, making Milwaukee a road favorite.

The Bucks won't lack motivation after a flat, 104-93, road loss to the Stephen Curry-less Warriors two days ago. The Bucks had won 10 of 15 before that defeat. Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming off a rare poor performance.

The Lakers are not only fat and happy after beating the Nuggets, 120-108, last night at home, but carry a huge fatigue rating as this marks LA's sixth game in eight days.

LA is short-handed, too, with LeBron James out and Rui Hachimura questionable with a knee injury.

The teams just met a week ago and the Bucks sailed past the Lakers, 126-106, at home when the Lakers didn't have James.

The Bulls are a pesky team that usually can be counted on for a good effort. They are flying behind the point spread radar covering 11 of their last 14 games, including going 6-1 ATS in their last seven games.

Chicago is a dangerous opponent for the Kings in this spot. Sacramento is fat and happy having opened its homestand with victories against the Grizzlies on Monday and Cavaliers last night in an impressive, 123-119, win.

The Kings took down the mighty Cavaliers despite being without Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Jake LaRavia. Sabonis remains out, while the other two are questionable.

Given the situation and the Bulls being acclimated to West Coast time after a 127-121 road loss to the Suns last night, I trust Chicago to keep this one tight.

Yale is one of those teams you don't want to meet in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament - especially if you're Texas A&M.

The Aggies are heavily reliant upon second-chance opportunities to get their points because they are such a bad perimeter team. Texas A&M ranks 324th in field goal percentage and 331st in 3-point percentage.

Yale is the wrong opponent for Texas A&M. The well-schooled Bulldogs rate 36th in defensive rebounding and are in the top-20 when it comes to preventing second-chance opportunities.

Texas A&M is not in good form either going 2-5 SU and ATS in their last seven games.

Led by senior guard John Poulakidas, Yale ranks 11th in field goal percentage and 10th in 3-point accuracy.

Don't forget what Yale did last year, upsetting Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament as a 14-point underdog.

Cleveland is in danger of losing three in a row for just the second time all season. I don't see that happening here, though.

Following a 16-game win streak, the Cavaliers were upset at home by the Magic and then embarrassed by the Clippers, 132-119, on the road last night. LA made 54.8 percent of its field goal attempts against Cleveland.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson called out his team following that poor defensive performance citing lack of discipline.

So I'm banking on a strong, motivated effort from the Cavaliers.

The Kings have won 22 fewer games than Cleveland. The Cavaliers are an elite team. Sacramento is a borderline playoff team that had dropped four in a row before defeating the Grizzlies, 132-122, at home two days ago. That victory was costly as the Kings lost their best rebounder and defender, Domantas Sabonis, to an ankle injury.

Cleveland has the No. 2 scoring offense in the NBA. The Cavaliers rank first in 3-point accuracy. The Kings rank last in 3-point defense and now won't have Sabonis.

Motivation is a huge factor when handicapping first-round NIT games. Samford has it for this matchup. George Mason doesn't.

George Mason went 26-8, including 15-3 in the Atlantic-10 Conference. Yet the Patriots couldn't get a spot in the NCAA Tournament because they lost, 68-63, to VCU in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament finals this past Sunday.

This was a highly-disappointing loss for the Patriots. I don't see them bouncing back on such a short turnaround. The Patriots aren't built to cover big margins either with their extreme slowdown style. They are 0-4 ATS the past four times when laying more than four points.

Samford, on the other hand, is excited to compete having never participated in the NIT before. The Bulldogs want to prove themselves after getting upset by Furman in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

The Bulldogs aren't nearly as good defensively as George Mason. But they have other factors going for them. Samford ranks 12th in the nation in scoring, averaging 13 more points per game than George Mason. The Bulldogs are an excellent 3-point shooting team and are patient, ranking 29th in the country in assists per game. That's important when going against George Mason's vaunted defense and slow tempo.

So sure their season had ended, some of the Shockers left Wichita State for spring break following the team's quarterfinals loss in the American Athletic Conference Tournament this past Friday.

It was a surprise then for Wichita State when it found out it had made the 32-team NIT field. Now the Shockers have to travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face Oklahoma State. 

This is Wichita State's first postseason appearance in four years. I don't believe the Shockers are ready for the challenge having already thought their season had ended.

Making it worse for the Shockers is Oklahoma State plays at an extremely fast tempo. The Cowboys aren't going to lack motivation having missed out on the postseason last season and being knocked out in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament. 

The Big 12 is superior to the AAC. Wichita State didn't encounter too many up-tempo teams in the ACC. Now the Shockers are on the road against a well-coached aggressive foe that loves to full-court press and plays at a top-15 pace. 

So I don't see the Shockers staying within this number.

Neither of these teams, nor their respective conferences, are impressive. Saint Francis actually has a losing record. But that's not why I favor Alabama State to cover the number against the Red Flash.

Alabama State ranks fifth in the country in plus/minus turnover percentage. St. Francis turns the ball over on nearly 20 percent of its possessions, which rates 321st in turnover percentage.

Not only do the Hornets protect the ball much better than the Red Flash, but they are playing their finest ball. Alabama State is 10-1 in its last 11 games, including winning six in a row.

Love the way Maryland is playing defense. But I'm not so in love with the depth of the Terrapins. However, the Terrapins only had two players log 35 minutes in yesterday's blowout victory against Illinois.

Maryland held the high-scoring Illini to 65 points. The Terrapins have now held their last five opponents to an average of 62.6 points a game.

The teams just met 10 days ago at Michigan and the Terrapins defeated the Wolverines, 71-65. I'm riding Maryland's excellent defensive form.

I'm going to ride Cal Poly here in this Big West Conference Tournament game. The Mustangs own surprising momentum having won five in a row. This includes an impressive, 96-83, upset of third-seeded UC Riverside last night.

Cal Irvine is by far the superior defensive team. However, the Anteaters may be a little rusty having not played in nearly a week.

Cal Poly has the offense to keep this within single digits. The Mustangs rank 25th in the nation in scoring at 81.7 points a game. Their defense has shown improvement down the stretch. Prior to playing UC Riverside, the Mustangs had held their last four opponents to an average of 69.5 points a game.

There are few sure things. UC Santa Barbara beating Bakersfield is one of them. The Gauchos have won the last 11 meetings.

This includes Santa Barbara's 12-point home win and six-point road win against the Roadrunners this season.

It's not a fluke that Santa Barbara is 19-12, 11-9 in the Big West Conference while the Roadrunners are 14-18 and 8-12 in the conference.

The Gauchos are a much better shooting team than Bakersfield and much superior defensively.

I have Western Kentucky as a far stronger favorite than the point spread indicates in this Conference USA Tournament opener. No, the 17-14 Hilltoppers aren't some great team. But 9-22 Florida International is that bad.

The Panthers just may be the worst 3-point shooting team in the country. They are inferior to Western Kentucky both offensively and defensively.

Florida International is far from being in good form either, covering only one of its last eight games. The Panthers lost 15 of its 18 conference games.

Western Kentucky  just defeated FIU, 76-67, at home this past Thursday. The Hilltoppers were 8-10 in league. They rank in the top 50 in defensive field goal percentage.

Don McHenry, an all-around star, gives the Hilltoppers the best player on the court.

The Pelicans are one of those non-playoff teams that is below-the-radar and dangerous at home. New Orleans is in an excellent spot to ambush the fat-and-happy Clippers here.

The Clippers take to the road for the first time in a week after going 3-0 during their homestand with satisfying victories against the Pistons, Knicks and Kings in overtime this past Sunday.

But now the Clippers hit the road where they have failed to cover the past 10 times! LA's only victories during its last 10 away games were against the Bulls, Jazz in overtime and Hornets. The combined record of those three teams is 58-136. 

New Orleans is 7-3-1 ATS in its past 11 home games. The Pelicans nearly upset the Grizzlies at home two days ago as double-digit 'dogs. They lost,107-104, after two potential game-tying 3-pointers missed during their final possession. The Pelicans kept it that close despite resting both Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum, their first and third-leading scorers.