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Grizzlies at Wizards Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/25/2013

Memphis has clinched a playoff spot already. Really all that is left for them to decide is whether they will have home court advantage in their opening series. They currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, but they are just a half game behind the Clippers and a game back of the Nuggets. With plenty of games left, they have a good chance of hosting a series, and that’s certainly something worth fighting for.

Nets at Clippers Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/23/2013

The Brooklyn Nets will try and win their third straight contest as part of an eight-game road trip when they invade the Staples Center this Saturday night to tangle with the Los Angeles Clippers. This East Coast-West Coast clash set to tip off at 10:30 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

Knicks at Raptors Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/22/2013

The Raptors are a total mess, and they have nothing to play for other than more balls in the lottery, but you have to give them credit — they are still trying hard. That doesn’t mean that they are winning — they don’t have the talent to do that with any consistency. They are giving honest effort, though, in a spot in which a lot of teams would have folded after years of frustration and futility.

76ers at Nuggets Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/21/2013

Has an NBA team with a 13-game winning streak ever been more overlooked than the Denver Nuggets? Because of a certain NBA Championship team in South Florida, the Nuggets usually aren't even shown in the first half of SportsCenter. It's the first time two teams have active winning streaks of at least 13 games (Miami went for No. 24 in Cleveland on Wednesday). Thanks to this winning run, Denver is making a major play for the No. 3 seed in the West and home-court advantage at least in Round 1. No team wants to play in Denver, where the Nuggets are tied with Miami for the NBA's best home record at 30-3.

Nets at Mavericks Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/20/2013

The Brooklyn Nets will be making their second stop on an eight-game road trip this Wednesday night when the pay a visit to the American Airlines Center to face the Dallas Mavericks. This inter-conference clash is set to get underway at 8 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Trail Blazers at Bucks Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/19/2013

I'll be honest in that I thought the Miami Heat's epic winning streak was going to end Friday night in Milwaukee as the Bucks generally have given the Heat trouble since LeBron James arrived in South Beach. Well, that didn't happen, and it probably gave Milwaukee a heightened sense of urgency. Why? The Bucks are currently No. 8 in the Eastern Conference. They aren't going to give up that last playoff spot but very much need to catch Chicago or Boston right ahead of them -- otherwise the Bucks will have a short postseason as they would have to face Miami in the first round.

Heat at Celtics Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

The Miami Heat have a chance to make some history on Monday night in Boston. They are currently tied with the 2007-08 Houston Rockets for the longest winning streak since the NBA/ABA merger after having gone 22 games without a loss. They can take sole possession of the record with this win here. Boston, meanwhile, is the team that ended Houston’s streak, and they’ll be looking to play spoiler again. The record ultimately doesn’t mean a whole lot — whether they win or lose their coming games we know that the Heat are by far the class of the Eastern Conference and the prohibitive favorites to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.

Grizzlies at Jazz Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/16/2013

The Memphis Grizzlies wrap up a brutal four-game stretch on the road with a stop at EnergySolutions Arena this Saturday night to square off against the struggling Utah Jazz. The game is slated to get underway at 10 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.

Lakers at Pacers Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/15/2013

The story here was supposed to be straightforward. The Lakers are playing by far their best ball of the year and have moved into a playoff spot. They travel to play the second best team in the Eastern Conference — though that’s not saying much because the Pacers are still 9.5 games behind the Heat. Still, it was an elite matchup between teams that don’t see each other much and which provided an interesting matchup.

Mavericks at Spurs Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/14/2013

On the surface, one might be inclined to start worrying about the San Antonio Spurs. After all, they have lost two of their past three games, allowing a whopping 136 points in a shocking home blowout loss to Portland and then 107 in a rout at injury-ravaged Minnesota on Tuesday.

Knicks at Nuggets Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/13/2013

The New York Knicks will continue a brutal four-game swing out west with a stop at the Pepsi Center this Wednesday night to square off against the red-hot Denver Nuggets, who now have the second-longest winning streak in the NBA. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.

Celtics at Bobcats Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/12/2013

Last year the Charlotte Bobcats made a case for being the worst team in NBA history. They didn't set the league record for most losses, which is 73 set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. The only reason the Bobcats likely avoided that was because the 2011-12 season was just 66 games long. Charlotte finished with a 23-game losing streak and a 7-59 mark, a .106 winning percentage that was the worst ever.

Thunder at Spurs Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/11/2013

We have a clash of the titans here to brighten an otherwise dreary post-Daylight Savings Time Monday. The Spurs have the top record in the Western Conference, are on the verge of clinching an inevitable playoff spot, and are looking to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Thunder sit just a game behind the Spurs — a gap they can close with a win here. It doesn’t ultimately matter who is leading the conference in March — and given that the Spurs had the home-court advantage last year when the Thunder eliminated them from the playoffs, it isn’t crucial at all — but this is a good confidence builder for both teams and an important measuring stick.

Timberwolves at Nuggets Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/9/2013

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets face off this Saturday night at the Pepsi Center in matchup between two teams headed in completely different directions. This Northwest Division battle is scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

Rockets at Warriors Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/8/2013

For the second time this week we’re looking at a Golden State game. That’s not the most original choice, but this game is where the action is this week. With the Lakers heating up and playing an outmatched Toronto team at home on Friday, this game is crucial for both these teams as they try to maintain their playoff position in the four-team race for the last three playoff spots. The Warriors have more of a cushion, but if the Rockets lose and L.A. wins they would just be a game ahead with 19 more games left to play. On the other hand, a Rockets win would move them just a game behind Golden State for sixth.

Clippers at Nuggets Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/7/2013

Short of perhaps playing in Oklahoma City one night and then having to travel to Miami to face the Heat the next evening, the toughest second game of a back-to-back in the NBA these days is playing wherever on the first night and then having to face the Nuggets in their gym the next. I've said this before and will repeat it: The altitude gives Denver a huge advantage, even more so over a tired team. It's why the Nuggets always have been and likely always will be an up-tempo team as it plays to that advantage. If you've ever gone hiking or skiing near Denver, you would understand how the thin air wears you out and leaves you dehydrated.

Bulls at Spurs Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/6/2013

The Chicago Bulls will wrap up a quick two-game road trip with a visit to the AT&T Center this Wednesday night to play the “Best in the West” San Antonio Spurs. This inter-conference clash is scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Celtics at 76ers Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/5/2013

Some NBA coaches just aren't built to stay in one place for too long. You have the nomadic types like Larry Brown or the ultra-intense ones like Philadelphia's Doug Collins. There's no doubt that Collins is one of the best coaches in the NBA, but there's a reason he has yet to stay more than three years at one place in his NBA coaching career. Collins' teams always improve right after he gets there, but he's so intense that players start to tune him out by Year 3. That could be what's happening in Philadelphia this season.

Raptors at Warriors Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2013

The Warriors are going to be happy to be back at home. They just finished off a five-game road swing, and they lost the last four. They fell despite some other-worldly performances from Steph Curry (more on him later). They are a much better team at home — 18-7 at home compared to 15-20 on the road. If you do the quick math, that means that hey have played 10 more road games than home games. Despite their recent struggles, then, that makes it easy to believe that they can hang on to the playoff spot they are currently in despite the resurgence of the Lakers.

Timberwolves at Trail Blazers Picks and NBA Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/2/2013

The Minnesota Timberwolves will try and put another crimp in the Portland Trail Blazers’ fading playoff hopes when the two Northwest Division foes battle it out at the Rose Garden this Saturday night. The game set to tip off at 10 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.