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Free NBA Picks: Suns at Clippers Odds
by Dave Schwab - 12/30/2013

The Phoenix Suns will try and gain some ground on the first-place Los Angeles Clippers when these two Pacific Division foes clash this Monday night at the Staples Center. Tip-off is set for 10:30 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

Free NBA Picks: Timberwolves at Bucks Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/27/2013

In many ways, handicapping Saturday NBA games is the toughest of the week. I write these previews on Fridays to get the information out early and obviously use the opening early lines. However, a lot of teams play back-to-back on the weekends because they want their arenas full on weekend nights when people are out and about. Makes business sense. I was leaning toward Miami at Portland for this Saturday -- a potential NBA Finals preview, although I still think the Blazers are frauds -- but no opening line there.

Free NBA Picks: Grizzlies at Rockets Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/25/2013

The next 2-3 weeks could determine whether or not the Memphis Grizzlies are sellers at the NBA's February trade deadline. Entering Wednesday's action, Memphis (12-15) is 13th in the ultra-deep Western Conference and three games out of the last playoff spot. The reason for the 2-3 week timetable is that is when the team believes center Marc Gasol, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will return from a severely sprained MCL injury.

Free NBA Picks: Warriors at Nuggets Odds
by Dave Schwab - 12/23/2013

The Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets clash this Monday night at ORACLE Arena in the first meeting between these Western Conference foes since last season’s playoffs. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

Free NBA Picks: Kings at Magic Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/20/2013

ESPN.com will be running a Tank Rank all season, listing the Top 10 NBA teams each week that are in tank mode to ensure they get into the draft lottery for the loaded 2014 class headed by super-freshmen Jabari Parker (Duke), Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) and Julius Randle (Kentucky). I think Parker goes first now, but that's a story for another day.

Free NBA Picks: Suns at Nuggets Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/19/2013

The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets enter Friday night’s meeting with identical 14-10 records. Before the season started, many expected the Suns to be among the worst teams in the NBA. Denver had relatively high expectations since they did win 57 games a year ago.

Free NBA Picks: Spurs at Warriors Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/18/2013

The Golden State Warriors were a chic pick to win the Western Conference this season after the emergence of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson a season ago led the Dubs to the Western Conference semifinals. There they were beaten in six games by San Antonio, Thursday's opponent. That series very easily could have ended differently had Golden State not gagged away a 16-point lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter of the opener and lost in double-overtime despite a superstar-making 44 points from Curry.

Free NBA Picks: Pistons at Celtics Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/17/2013

The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics have had some highly-entertaining battles down through the years. While they aren’t necessarily bitter rivals, these two teams have duked it out for Eastern Conference supremacy many times in the past.

Free NBA Picks: Pelicans at Warriors Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/16/2013

In some ways, it feels almost easy to be an armchair general manager in the NBA. Just pick five guys who can score and throw them out there. Alas, nothing's that easy. That brings me to the New Orleans Pelicans. They have five pretty big-name guys they can roll out there: Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday. I'd want any of them on my team. However, just getting guys who can fill up the bucket doesn't win games. Things like defense, rebounding an intangibles matter. And, of course, there's the injury factor.

Free NBA Picks: Clippers at Wizards Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/13/2013

This rings true in Major League Baseball, the NHL and NBA: It's always wise to bet against a team in its final game of a lengthy road trip. Why? Obviously it's harder to play in front of hostile crowds as it is. Add in the fact the guys are tired -- most road trips are very compacted -- and emotionally spent by the end of the trip. Plus, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel and will be back home soon. It's just human nature to sleepwalk in that finale of a trip.

Free NBA Picks: Lakers at Thunder Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/12/2013

The Los Angeles Lakers, with Kobe Bryant on the court, will travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder Friday night in a marquee matchup. Bryant missed the Lakers first 19 games before returning for the last two. The Lakers were unable to win either of those games, and they’ll have an even tougher matchup Friday night in Oklahoma City.

Free NBA Picks: Rockets at Trail Blazers Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/11/2013

If you had told me before the season that when I previewed a Dec. 12 game between Houston and Portland one of those teams would be leading the ultra-deep Western Conference, I would have said "yeah, that wouldn't surprise me." Of course, I would have expected it to be the Rockets and not the Blazers.

Free NBA Picks: Mavericks at Warriors Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/10/2013

The Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors have been moving in completely different directions in the last couple years. Dallas has been on the way down after winning an NBA Championship over the Miami Heat in LeBron James’ first season in Miami. Golden State has been on the rise as they look more and more like a contender as their young stars mature.

Free NBA Picks: Heat at Pacers Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/9/2013

The NBA's Eastern Conference is a flat-out joke. The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are a combined 34-8, and there's no other team with less than 10 losses. Toronto is just 1.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic Division -- Boston is in first! -- yet the Raptors just made a deal that makes them worse this season in shipping Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings. It was a salary dump and all but ensures the Raptors get into the lottery this season and a shot at Canadian Andrew Wiggins.

Free NBA Picks: Trail Blazers at Jazz Odds
by Dave Schwab - 12/9/2013

First meets worst in the NBA’s Western Conference this Monday night when the high-flying Portland Trail Blazers head into EnergySolutions Arena to face off against the lowly Utah Jazz. Tip-off for this Northwest Division clash is set for 9 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

Free NBA Picks: Pacers at Spurs Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/6/2013

It's truly a shame that Saturday's Indiana at San Antonio game, very possibly an NBA Finals preview and the Pacers' only visit to the home of the Alamo this season, is this Saturday night. I'd certainly be watching and betting Pacers-Spurs almost any other day, but this week it's dwarfed by conference championship Saturday and is played opposite the Pac-12 title game between Stanford and Arizona State, the ACC tilt between Duke and Florida State and the Big Ten showdown between Ohio State and Michigan State.

Free NBA Picks: Warriors at Rockets Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/5/2013

If the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets were in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, their records would look stellar. Since they are in the West, they are behind several other teams who are off to a great start. Still, the Warriors and Rockets are two teams that no one is going to want to play come playoff time.

Free NBA Picks: Knicks at Nets Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/4/2013

I really didn't want to write about the New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets matchup in the TNT Thursday opener this week. Both clubs will be on the network's doubleheader often this season -- sorry, no flexing schedules in the NBA -- so I will be forced to write about them plenty later in the season. However, the two franchises are in such disarray -- to my utter enjoyment -- that I couldn't help myself.

Free NBA Picks: Thunder at Blazers Odds
by Aaron Smith - 12/3/2013

Oklahoma City has been considered the team to beat in the Western Conference since the season started. The Thunder have great overall team balance, and they got to the NBA Finals two years ago when their team was completely healthy. Portland was seen as a team that might fight for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference.

Free NBA Picks: Suns at Grizzlies Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/3/2013

All of the NBA attention last week was focused on Derrick Rose's season-ending knee injury, and you can understand that. However, an almost equally big injury was overlooked by many: the Grade 2 MCL strain in the left knee of the Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Gasol, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year.