YTD 34-27-2
1) Philadelphia -3
Seattle coming off of a win at The Garden last night will battle the 76ers, who are rested and ready tonight. No Ridnour for Seattle, which I feel is a substantial loss for the Sonics. This really only leaves Allen as your outside threat and Ridnour is clutch enough to make me want him in the game if I back Seattle. The fact about Seattle is if they are trailing late in the 4th, I would not have as much confidence in Seattle with him out of the lineup because it is his ability to create for Lewis/Allen that makes him vital. Seattle squeaked out a win after having a double digit lead for 3/4 of the game, I don't think they are as fortunate tonight.
2) Washington -3
Washington goes on the road tonight to battle the Hawks who have struggled lately with their last win on the 23rd of February. With the offensive spark Jamison added last night, I can only expect more of the same from him and the Wiz tonight. He really balances out the offense and helps create for Butler/Arenas. While I am not predicting a blowout like we witnessed last night, I do expect the Wiz to take this game on the road and close it out strong covering the 3 points. I don't see this as a situation that catches Washington off guard and we should see a solid road victory for the Wizards tonight.
3) Cleveland +5.5
Playoff game to come here in the upcoming months will take place at The Palace tonight. The Cavs have been dismantled by the Pistons in the last 2 meetings, both by double digit margins. I truly believe Cleveland is at their best in the dog role, which is where they find themselves tonight. Winners of 7 out of their last 9 games I expect Cleveland to fight out a tough game vs Detroit. This is a tough angle seeing how the Pistons were embarassed by the Warriors on their homecourt Monday night, but Cleveland getting 5 or greater is worth the play. I like how Varejao battles the boards which really keeps Cleveland in the game even if their shots aren't falling. It is always a risk backing LeBron due to his poor FT shooting late in games, but even then it could be a positive by not sending the game into OT in a close game down the stretch.
4) Chicago +1
Chicago has really survived what should of been losses and turned them into wins. These types fo games really test a team and helkp them to build momentum. With the absence of Wade for Miami, there is that lack of killer instinct that they need and Chicago should be able to take advantage on the perimeter and play their game tonight.