NBA 12/29 Betting Tips

• San Antonio Spurs cover the spread @ Houston Rockets

With spreads going as low as -1 and as high as -2.5, the Spurs seem like the lock of the day for all you gamblers out there.  San Antonio is currently 2-0, and the shortened training camp actually works to their advantage since their core has been together so long.  In their two wins, they have beat a very good Memphis Grizzlies team by 13, and a pretty good LA Clippers team by 25 last night.  Granted they are on the back end of a back-to-back, but the Rockets didn’t look great against an overrated Orlando Magic team in their opening game.  The Rockets also don’t have the chemistry that the Spurs have, and if Kevin Martin keeps playing as poorly as he has been this game can turn into a route.  The only negatives here are the Rockets are coming off three days of rest and this is their home opener, however I don’t see those as big enough factors for Houston to cover.  If you’re looking to make a quick buck take San Antonio.

My Pick: San Antonio Spurs

• Orlando Magic -11 to -11.5 vs. the New Jersey Nets.

Take the Magic in this one, New Jersey has nothing inside to stop Dwight Howard.  Brook Lopez is out for the foreseeable future, Mehmet Okur looked lost in his first game, and Kris Humphries doesn’t have the size or strength to stop big Dwight in the middle.  Expect this game to be more like how New Jersey played against Atlanta and less like how they played against Washington.

My Pick: Orlando Magic

• Oklahoma City Thunder -5.5 vs. the Dallas Mavericks

I’d stick with the Thunder in this one.  Sure there has been some in house fighting between superstars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but expect Westbrook to have a good game against the older Maverick guards. And Expect the Thunder to run the Mavericks ragged, even if they are on the tail end of a back to back.

My Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder

• Portland Trailblazers -4 to -5 vs. the Denver Nuggets

This game is one that I’d avoid betting on, but if you’re insistent on spreading your money around take the Nuggets.  Both of these teams should be contending for playoff spots, but the Nuggets have a deeper team.  Nene is definitely capable of shutting down Portland’s go to guy in LaMarcus Aldridge, and the Nuggets have a much deeper team than the Blazers do at this point in the season.  The Blazers may win, but expect the Nuggets to keep it close.

My Pick: Denver Nuggets

• Chicago Bulls -7 to -7.5 @ Sacramento Kings

The Bulls looked like crap against the Lakers on Christmas, but Derrick Rose came through in the clutch (on one of the ugliest game winning plays I’ve ever seen) and got them the win.  They could again look awful or they could step it up and play some good basketball after a couple of days off, which is what I expect they’ll do against a hit or miss Kings team.  The Kings played really well against the Lakers only to come out the next game and get stomped out by Portland.  I’d take the Bulls, as I expect Rose to bounce back after his poor game against the Warriors and I think the Kings front line will have trouble handling Boozer and Noah.

My Pick: Chicago Bulls

• Los Angeles Lakers -3 to -4 vs. the New York Knicks

Expect my hometown Knicks to kill the Lakers tonight in their final game without Andrew Bynum.  While the combination of Toney Douglas and Landry Fields will have a lot of difficulty containing Kobe Bryant, I don’t think that Josh McRoberts or Troy Murphy can come close to handling Amare Stoudemire or Tyson Chandler down low.  I expect LA to use the artist formerly known as Ron Artest a lot against Carmelo Anthony, but barring the Knicks play their usual 3-3 ½ quarters of basketball I don’t think they’ll have a lot of difficulty winning this one.

My Pick: New York Knicks

-Hochberg