31 December 2007

The Picksix: Pistons, Hornets finish '07 hot

Orlando (-0.5) over CHICAGO – Unless they are playing the Knicks, we’re still making the Bulls beat us until there are clear signs of a full-scale turnaround.

Indiana over CHARLOTTE (-0.5) – The Pacers have been cold as of late, but that likely comes more as a product of playing a home-and-home with the Pistons than any truly poor play of their own. They are a better team than the ‘Cats and will get back on track today.

DETROIT (-12.5) over Milwaukee – The Pistons have won eight straight, and most of them haven’t been close. Six of the eight have come by double-digit margins. Wouldn’t want to mess with these guys right now.

Golden State over HOUSTON (-3.5) – Health remains a question mark in Houston, and the Warriors’ frantic pace could cause problems for Yao, as it did earlier in the season when the Dubs topped the Rockets by a 113-94 count in Oakland.

NEW ORLEANS (-6.5) over Toronto – Don’t look now, but the Hornets have won five straight by margins of 14, 34, 18, 14 and 10 respectively. How the Raps topped the Spurs remains a mystery.

Portland over UTAH (-7.5) – We’ll take our chances with the team with the team that has won 13 straight here, two of which came over tonight’s favored opponent.

Minnesota over LA CLIPPERS (-6.5) – The Clips have won three of their last 18 contest after starting 6-4 out of the gate. We’ll pass on giving points.

SEATTLE over Philadelphia (-1.5) – After the Sixers’ 9-point fourth quarter yesterday, laying off of them in the back end of a West Coast back-to-back seems like the way to go.

Last night: 4-2
Season: 237-211

30 December 2007

The Picksix: Spurs troubled by Memphis

Chicago (-2.5) over NEW YORK – Back to the Doctrine we go.

Philadelphia over PORTLAND (-7.5) – This Philly team is a scrappy group, and they have clawed their way into the early-season playoff picture in the East. They will give the red-hot Blazers a game.

Golden State over DENVER (-4.5) – The Warriors will be looking to get one back after dropping a close game to the Nugs at home on Friday. Whether they can or not remains to be seen, but this one should be close as well.

Memphis over SAN ANTONIO (-12.5) – Memphis has given the Spurs two scares in three meetings this season, coming close for a 104-101 loss in the season’s opening week, and beating the Spurs a week and a half ago. They lost by 13 in their other contest, and they will stay in this one for just long enough.

Phoenix (-7.5) over SACRAMENTO – The Kings had been playing relatively well since the loss of Kevin Martin, but they stumbled this week with three home losses: a buzzer-beater against Denver, and 20 and 12-point defeats by Boston and Philly respectively. The Suns are heating up and will take care of business here.

Boston over LA LAKERS (-1.5) – The Celts go for a sweep of their four-game West Coast trip in a game that they are sure to see as both an old-time rivalry matchup and their biggest test of the trip. They will be up and ready to play.

Friday night: 8-4
Last night: 7-2
Season: 233-209

29 December 2007

The Picksix: Saturday Early Game

Atlanta over DALLAS (-9.5) -- Technical troubles prevented this from getting out earlier, but the pick was in prior to game time. Evening picks to come shortly.

Night Picks:

Washington(-6.5) over Miami
Detroit (-3.5) over Indiana
Charlotte (+10.5) over Orlando
New Orleans (-3.5) over Cleveland
Toronto (+3.5) over Houston
New Jersey (+3.5) over Milwaukee
Boston (-2.5) over Utah
Seattle (-5.5) over Minnesota


and just in case you were wondering...
New England (-14.5) over New York

28 December 2007

The Picksix: Friday night in the Association

Some quick thoughts on a long Friday night slate across the Association:

New Orleans (-3.5) over CHARLOTTE – The Hornets are the much better basketball team, and they are heating up.

Orlando (-2.5) over MIAMI – Van Gundy tongue lashing + Xmas break + Fourth-quarter romp over the Knicks → Righting the ship in Orlando? At least for tonight, here’s guessing so.

Washington over NEW JERSEY (-4.5) – The Nets are the league’s worst team at defending the three-point line. The Wiz love to get ‘em up there.

Indiana over DETROIT (-9.5) – Too many points to give against an Indiana team that will fight hard to stay in this one, though they likely will fall when all is said and done.

MEMPHIS over Houston (-1.5) – No Tracy McGrady, and possibly no Yao Ming. We’re unenthused with the Rockets.

Milwaukee over CHICAGO (-5.5) – Back to making Hicag beat us.

SAN ANTONIO (-8.5) over Toronto – Acks tends to believe that as long as the line is in single digits, picking the Spurs is the way to go. Seems reasonable enough here.

PHOENIX (-14.5) over LA Clippers – The Suns wiped the floor with the Clips in Los Angeles last night, and there is nothing to suggest that they won’t do the same back home.

PORTLAND (-8.5) over Minnesota – No ping pong balls to be found! NBAdraft.net currently lists the Blazers at 20th in the 2008 draft. Acks is on homicide watch.

Philadelphia over SACRAMENTO (-4.5) – To their credit, the Sixers are competing every night, and the loss of Kevin Martin is really starting to wear on the Kings.

Denver over GOLDEN STATE (-5.5) – The Nugs can keep up with the Warriors frenetic pace (in fact, they play the league’s fastest-paced game) and play markedly better defense (second in defensive efficiency).

LA LAKERS (-4.5) over Utah – The Lakers are playing much better basketball than the Jazz are right now. It’s that simple.

Last night: 2-1
Season: 218-203

27 December 2007

The Picksix: Thursday Night Quickie

Cleveland over DALLAS (-8.5) -- Too many points.

Phoenix (-9.5) over LA CLIPPERS -- The Suns will be peeved after a loss to the other set of Staples Center residents on Christmas Day.

Boston (-8.5) over SEATTLE -- Until the boys give us a reason to say no, we're sticking with them.

Last night: 5-6
Season: 216-202

26 December 2007

The Picksix: The Heat are really bad

Hope it was a happy and healthy holiday for all those who celebrated. Hope everyone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas is happy and happy healthy as well. The Heat are really bad.

PHILADELPHIA (-1.5) over Miami – One more thing about the Heat: They are really bad.

Indiana over ATLANTA (-2.5) – Both of these teams are playing very well of late, but we’re just a bit higher on the Pacers. Especially given that they play fairly good ball on the road, at 8-6.

New York over ORLANDO (-10.5) – As unappetizing as the Knicks are, they should have at least an early bit of extra energy thanks to Zeke’s impending lineup changes, and this line is simply too high for a Magic team that is playing miserable basketball as of late.

CHARLOTTE (-4.5) over Washington – The Wiz have struggled since Antonio Daniels went down, and they could be without Caron Butler tonight thanks to an ankle injury. We’ll ride the Nazr bandwagon in Charlotte.

Detroit (-4.5) over NEW JERSEY – The Pistons are markedly better at basketball than the Nets are at this point.

New Orleans (-2.5) over MEMPHIS – The Grizz have played the Hornets to the wire twice this season, in two two-point overtime losses. The better team won’t underestimate them this time, and the Hornets will come out looking to throw the knockout punch early.

Chicago over SAN ANTONIO (-9.5) – High line, and perhaps the Bulls will have some extra fire at least for a night after the Skiles firing.

Milwaukee over DENVER (-9.5) – Too many points for an erratic Denver team.

Dallas over UTAH (-1.5) – The Jazz remain in a funk, and Memo Okur may sit with an injured left shoulder tonight. The Mavs will take care of business.

Boston (-8.5) over SACRAMENTO – In their first foray out West, the Celts will be eager to take the steps toward proving that they have indeed earned their outstanding early record.

Minnesota over GOLDEN STATE (-13.5) – In their last run-and-gun contest, the Timberwolves put up 131 points and erased a 20-point deficit to beat the Pacers at home. They hung around with Golden State the game before that prior to fading for a 13-point loss. Ultimately, this is just too many points to give with the Warriors at this point.

Last night: 1-2
Season: 211-196

25 December 2007

The Picksix: Back to reality

Sadly, the S. Claus cover against T. Grinch has been ruled out of our official handicapping statistics. As such, we return to real games on Christmas Day:

Miami over CLEVELAND (-5.5) – The Heat are putrid, but the Cavs don’t play any defense anymore. Further, in what may be their last gasp, Flash and Shaq should be up and rarin’ to go for the nationally televised matchup with Bron’s boys.

Phoenix (-2.5) over LA LAKERS – The Lakers played four games in six days out East and now return to play the run-n’-gun Suns on just a day’s rest. Sounds like a formula for sluggishness.

Seattle over PORTLAND (-10.5) – As well as the Blazers are playing right now, they seem to like winning close, with just three of their ten straight wins coming by double-digit margins. The Sonics will hang around but fall short in this one.

Sunday: 3-2
Season: 210-194

24 December 2007

The Picksix: Wishing you a happy holiday

S. Claus (-1224.5) over T. Grinch -- Word is, the man in red and white has been rather successful over the years.

Last night: 3-2
Season: 210-194

23 December 2007

The Picksix: Not liking the health in Denver

Two nights ago, our headline was “Avoid Jazz, Ride Pacers.” The Jazz blew out Orlando, and Indy blew a 20-point first-quarter lead and lost going away to the Timberwolves. A night later, the Jazz lose to what has thus far been an atrocious Miami team, and the Pacers pull one out against Washington, bringing us to 1-3 in games played by these two teams over the last two days. Good to see we’re such experts. And better to see that we have done more than enough with the league’s other 28 teams to make up for it as of late.

LA LAKERS (-6.5) over New York – The Doctrine stands. The Lakers should take care of business against a putrid Knicks unit.

Golden State of CLEVEAND (-1.5) – Day games after night games are tough, but the truth is that the Warriors are the better team here. They are a better team than New Jersey and shouldn’t have lost last night’s game in the Swamp, and they will be looking to make up for that today. Look for the Dubs to come out running.

Houston over DETROIT (-8.5) – Too many points to give against an erratic Houston team that appears to have both stars back and healthy despite a brief scare for Yao last night in Chicago.

BOSTON (-6.5) over Orlando – The Magic are playing their worst basketball of the season, and the Celtics will atone for their early-season loss in Orlando.

SACRAMENTO over Denver (-1.5) – The Kings are a different team at home. Meanwhile, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin both have health questions entering tonight’s game.

Last night: 5-4
Season: 207-192

22 December 2007

Saturday Night Picks

Just the picks.

INDIANA (-6.5) over Washington

Utah over MIAMI (-0.5)

Golden State (-1.5) over NEW JERSEY

NEW ORLEANS (-10.5) over Minnesota

MEMPHIS (-3.5) over Philadelphia

Houston (-1.5) over CHICAGO

SAN ANTONIO (-13.5) over Los Angeles Clippers

Charlotte over MILWAUKEE (-6.5)

PHOENIX (-11.5) over Toronto

Last Night: 7-3
Season: 202-188

21 December 2007

The Picksix: Avoid Jazz, Ride Pacers

We dump the Cavs, and they come back to beat us. Meanwhile, the Rockets are unimpressive sans Tracy McGrady. The Nuggets are unimpressive in general. Garden variety 1-2 night for the Picksix crew. On to Friday night we go:

BOSTON (-11.5) over Chicago – The Celts won’t be messing around after picking up their first home loss of the year on Wednesday against the Pistons.

Atlanta over WASHINGTON (-5.5) – The Wizards’ latest injury – Antonio Daniels – may just be a little too much for them. The Hawks are playing excellent basketball and are over .500 after 25 games for the first time in recent memory.

CHARLOTTE (-6.5) over New York – See the Doctrine. Further, Acks guarantees the Knicks can’t put two solid performances together in a row.

ORLANDO (-5.5) over Utah – The Jazz are 2-8 in December. The schedule isn’t getting any easier either.

LA Lakers (-3.5) over PHILADELPHIA – The Lakers should rebound well off of a disappointing and controversial loss to the Cavs. The Sixers have made strides early this season, but they will be outclassed tonight.

DETROIT (-11.5) over Memphis – The Pistons are playing excellent basketball and should only have added momentum after a big win over the Celts.

Indiana (-5.5) over MINNESOTA – Part of becoming a good team is winning the games you’re supposed to win. The Pacers are doing just that. Run it up, Obie!

LA Clippers over DALLAS (-13.5) – Too many points to give with an inconsistent Dallas team.

PORTLAND (-3.5) over Denver – The hottest team in basketball plays a team that needed two overtimes to beat the Rockets sans McGrady at home last night. Ping Pong Ball!

SEATTLE over Toronto (-4.5) – The Raps are confusing and certainly didn’t look dominant against the Clippers earlier in the week. The Sonics should hang just tough enough.

Last night: 1-2
Season: 195-185

20 December 2007

UPDATE: DENVER (-3.5) over Houston

Reports everywhere have Tracy McGrady listed anywhere from "doubtful" to "not an option" for the Rockets tonight in Denver. That said, we'll be laying the points with the Nugs.

The Picksix: Unimpressed with Cleveland

So we establish the new NYK Doctrine yesterday, and the Knicks wipe out Cleveland at the Garden. Go figure.

As for watching the Cavs last night, Green Bandwagon’s Jim Weeks said it best recently after a Celtics-Cavs game in November:

“I found myself saying, "Wow the other Cavs are a lot better than I realized." Then LeBron sat down for a stretch. Whole different story.”

Yep, that’s the Cavs for you. They are quickly reaching a point where it isn’t enough for LeBron to simply have a very good night, even by his standards. He needs to be otherworldly in order for this team to win. And even for him, that might be a bit too much to ask.

New Jersey over MIAMI (-5.5) – When both sides are unappealing, taking the points seems like the way to go.

LA Lakers over CLEVELAND (-2.5) – See above. The Lakers continue to play very solid basketball, and Kobe will take the battle with Bron tonight.

Houston over DENVER (-3.5) – Of two inconsistent and enigmatic teams, we’ll take the one that is getting the points and the one that also shellacked the other by 28 earlier in the season.

Last night: 8-5
Season: 194-183

19 December 2007

The Picksix: Establishing the NYK Doctrine

Big slate tonight. Let’s get right to it:

ATLANTA (-1.5) over Miami – The Heat now have the Eastern Conference’s worst record. The Hawks are looking more and more for real every day.

BOSTON (-6.5) over Detroit – When they start giving us reasons not to pick them with regularity, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then, we’re ridin’ the Beantown wave.

Utah (-4.5) over CHARLOTTE – The ‘Cats have been playing really bad basketball for the better part of a month now. Frankly, the Jazz haven’t been good as of late either, but we know they can play well and that they will snap out of it soon. Can’t say the same for the ‘Cats.

INDIANA (-7.5) over Philadelphia – If Mike Dunleavy could play against the Knicks every night, he would be on the fast track to Springfield. That said, the Sixers shouldn’t be too much of a jump in competition.

WASHINGTON (-3.5) over Chicago – Once again, we’re ‘making Hicag beat us.’ As of right now, this team can’t compete with anybody even close to good. They can beat up on the league’s worst and do little more than that.

Cleveland (-4.5) over NEW YORK – Tek suggested this before, but he wants it established as doctrine: “We are not picking the Knicks again until Isiah is gone. Period.” So it shall be.

San Antonio (-5.5) over MEMPHIS – Tony Parker won’t play, but Pau Gasol is questionable, and the Spurs are just better. A lot better.

Golden State (-7.5) over MINNESOTA – Run, run, run.

Sacramento over MILWAUKEE (-6.5) – The Kings pulled out yet another road win last night in New Jersey and continue to claw in the absence of Kevin Martin. The Bucks haven’t done anything of late that merits giving a touchdown.

Orlando over HOUSTON (-4.5) – The Rockets have been far too inconsistent of late. Orlando plays up to its competition and should hang tight all the way through in this one and could well pick up the upset.

Phoenix over DALLAS (-3.5) – The Suns should be riding an emotional high into this game after a win in San Antonio. They are also the better basketball team.

PORTLAND (-3.5) over Toronto – Eight in a row. And counting.

New Orleans (-2.5) over SEATTLE – The Hornets should rebound well from their loss to the Ping Pong Balls and put the hammer down against a poor Sonics team.

Last night: 2-1
Season: 186-178

18 December 2007

The Picksix: More ping pong ball love

The “Ping Pong Ball!” Blazers win again. The Pacers roll it up on the Knicks. The Magic and Bucks hang tight with the Mavs and Cavs respectively. Now, we just need to remember that the Hawks are hot, and we’ll be all set. All systems are go in Coverland.

Sacramento over NEW JERSEY (-6.5) – The Nets have won one of six, and the Kings are battling hard on a nightly basis. Not really looking to give too many with Vince & Co. right about now.

LA Lakers over CHICAGO (-2.5) – Alert us when Hicag beats a good team that doesn’t reside in Detroit.

Toronto (-3.5) over LA CLIPPERS – The Clippers are in the midst of closing up shop for the season. Toronto has won four of five and will take care of business here.

Last night: 6-2
Season: 184-177

17 December 2007

The Picksix: Finally winning a Portland game

What a wonderful Sunday. Celtics win. Celtics cover. The Blazers win their seventh straight, and for the first time we get a cover in one of those games. Kobe does suit up, and the Lakers cruise to victory. The Pistons put the bop down on G-State. A 4-0 day complete with Celtics victory. Life is good in Coverville.

Utah (-3.5) over ATLANTA – As competitive as the Hawks have been, the Jazz finally got a win this weekend (by 21 over Seattle), and they are too good to play bad basketball forever.

Milwaukee over CLEVELAND (-7.5) – That whole “watch out for the us when I get back” pep talk Bron gave the league last week seems to have worked, as the Nets and Sixers were certainly ready to play the Cavs over the weekend. Perhaps a bit too ready for Bron’s liking. We’ll take the point.

Minnesota over MIAMI (-9.5) – Too many points to give with a bad team.

Indiana (-3.5) over NEW YORK – The Pacers continue to battle to get over the .500 mark, while the Knicks come off a relatively good performance against the Nets – which makes another one rather doubtful.

Golden State (-4.5) over MEMPHIS – The runners and gunners from Oaktown should rebound well from a Sunday afternoon pummeling in Detroit.

SAN ANTONIO (-2.5) over Phoenix – The Spurs have long had the Suns’ number, and Phoenix isn’t playing particularly hot basketball right now in the first place. With TD back, the black and silver should take care of business.

Orlando over DALLAS (-6.5) – Neither team has been particularly hot of late, but this seems like too many points to give against a Magic team that should be looking to dig its way out of a recent 1-4 stretch.

PORTLAND over New Orleans (-1.5) – No ping pong balls to be found here.

Last night: 4-0
Season: 178-175

16 December 2007

The Picksix: Another loss for D-Ho

Dwight Howard went for 31 points and 20 rebounds in a loss last night for the Magic. That is what we like to see: More great performances from D-Ho combined with losses for the team that might be the Celts’ toughest competition in the East. Good work all around. Besides, you know, us covering the spread. On to the Sunday games:

DETROIT (-5.5) over Golden State – The Warriors have come back to Earth a bit after their torrid start upon Stephen Jackson’s return. The Pistons are playing very solid basketball as of late.

Boston (-1.5) over TORONTO – Despite Ray Allen sitting, this group should be able to beat an up-and-down Raptors unit for the third time this season.

Portland over DENVER (-9.5) – Acks can scream “Ping pong ball!” all he wants, but the Blazers have now won six in a row. And we may have failed to cover all six. Let’s try taking the points here.

LA LAKERS (-8.5) over LA Clippers – The purple floor paint at Staples Center tonight should make all the difference. Check back here later in case of an injury update on Kobe Bryant, currently a question mark for tonight due to a strained groin.

Last night: 6-5
Season: 174-175

15 December 2007

Quick Picks

ATLANTA (-5.5) over Charlotte

ORLANDO (-11.5) over Memphis

WASHINGTON (-7.5) over Sacramento

New Jersey (-1.5) over NEW YORK

CLEVELAND (-9.5) over Philadelphia

Indiana over MIAMI (-4.5)

Phoenix (-4.5) over NEW ORLEANS

SAN ANTONIO (-5.5) over Denver

Tim Duncan may start today if he feels well in practice. We're rolling the dice.

Dallas over HOUSTON (-4.5)

Minnesota over MILWAUKEE (9.5)

Seattle over UTAH (-13.5)

14 December 2007

The Picksix: Seeing What We Want to See... and Picking Accordingly

First off, I would just like to apologize for my absence picking games of late. For the thousands upon thousands of you relying on us for crucial gambling advice... blame it on my final exam schedule. Now that Accounting and a few of my other nemeses are out of the way, I was able to trade LIFO, FIFO and GAAP in for another acronym (the NBA) and pick games again today.

During my absence, we hit a freefall and slid back to the .500 mark before saving face with two wins yesterday. It's difficult to come to the realization that we aren't much better at this than your average coin. Every day George Washington's face on the quarter gets a little more smug. Let's pick it up before he starts a competing handicapping site, "E Pick-ibus Unum". In Cover We Trust.

Some highlights from my phone conversation with Boof:
Boof: "Eleven games to pick tonight."
Boof (only minutes later): "Let's go 12-0"
In his defense, he sounded under the weather.

But here was the real winner...

He had the audacity to give me some lip about how I might forget which teams we took before I posted the selections later in the day. Except that when I took a look at the schedule on NBA.com, it turned out that two of the games he read aloud over the phone were completely different from what the NBA listed. (For those of you holding your breath, the NBA was in the right.) Memphis is not playing Atlanta today and the Clippers are not in Detroit. The discrepancy did not change either of our picks. We're one of a kind.

PHILADELPHIA (-6.5) over Sacramento
The Kings don't impress us very much, (especially without Kevin Martin).

INDIANA (- 2.5) over Toronto
Boof is in the middle of some sort of Jim O'Brien love-fest. Toronto isn't very good and just lost their point guard for awhile.

BOSTON (-13.5) over Milwaukee
Boof really likes taking the Celtics. I'm in the spirit of giving. Happy Holidays.

Orlando (-4.5) over CHARLOTTE
Dwight Howard looks like one of the early favorites in the MVP race. (Side note: It seems like the only times Charlotte can get televised nationally is when they're playing Orlando. Network executives like the 2004 Draft storyline.)

Seattle over MINNESOTA (-3.5)
Kevin Durant and Jeff Green really came to play at Madison Square Garden. The versatile "shooting guard" is starting to impress me.

Cleveland (-0.5) over NEW JERSEY
Before missing time with an injury, LeBron James was threatening to average over 30 points and 8 assists per game this season. The only others to do so were Oscar Robertson and some guy from UNC named Jordan. I guess that's an O.K. list.

DETROIT(-10.5) over Atlanta
We'll take them over the Clippers too if you're wondering. (Plus Al Horford has to miss this game. That foul didn't merit a suspension. Different story for a different time.)

MEMPHIS (-5.5) over LA Clippers
The Clippers won't be prepared for this game. After all, they must have thought they had to play Detroit.

CHICAGO (-7.5) over New York
In my dreams, I see Jerry Colangelo and Jeff VanGundy saving the Knicks. We're so close.

New Orleans over DALLAS (-9.5)
Seems like a strange line to me too. Far too high.

Utah (-5.5) over PORTLAND
The best thing for the long term benefit of the Trailblazers is to tank this season for another high lottery pick, then either package their soon-to-be-expiring contracts with young players for veteran help or scour the free agent market in 2009. But never forget that they like to make me angry (see the last five games). Utah can't get outplayed again, right??

GOLDEN STATE (-3.5) over LA Lakers
The Lakers struggled against a depleted Spurs roster. They won't fare well against Golden State.

And as long as we're just fabricating games today, here are some more expert picks we felt confident in...

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (-0.5) over Washington Generals

ROADRUNNER (-0.5) over WILE E. COYOTE

I also suggest a three team parlay with Death, Taxes, and Sunrise Tomorrow Morning.

Now that I'm done being a jerk about a few dopey mistakes... see you all tomorrow.

Last Night: 2-0
Season: 164-162

13 December 2007

The Picksix: Back at .500

Disgusting. Somehow, eleven seemingly 'safe' picks turned into 3-8 and dropped us back to .500 for the first time in recent memory. Back to the drawing board for two Thursday night games.

Washington over MIAMI (-5.5) -- The Heat are stating to get it again, but the Wiz keep fighting sans Hibachi. We'll take the points.

LA LAKERS (-4.5) over San Antonio -- Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are doubtful. Seems like a no-go.

Last night: 3-8
Season: 162-162

12 December 2007

The Picksix: Matt Bonner only Spur to catch flight to Oakland for Tuesday's game

Warning: If Matt Bonner leads the Spurs in field goal attempts, points and rebounds, taking the Spurs probably isn’t going to work out too well.

Warning: If Matt Bonner outscores the rest of the Spurs’ starting lineup all by himself, taking the Spurs probably isn’t going to work out too well.

Warriors 96, Spurs 84.

Matt Bonner: 9-for-16 FGs, 3-for-4 3pt, 4-for-4 FTs, 25 points, 17 boards (6 offensive)
Other four Spurs starters: 24 points, 11 rebounds (2 offensive)

That’s not meant as any disrespect to Mr. Bonner. Well played game, sir. As for his teammates, well, not so much.

* * * * *

PHILADELPHIA (-7.5) over Minnesota – The Sixers are playing surprisingly well of late, although a recent home-and-home with the Knicks could be to credit for that. Fortunately, the Wolves aren’t a step up in competition, and they play the second end of a road back-to-back after getting clubbed by the Wiz last night.

Chicago over INDIANA (-4.5) – Much as we like Obie, the Bulls seem like they are on track to getting their acts back together and should be well-rested after a kibopping of the Sonics at home last night.

Dallas (-3.5) over TORONTO – Inconsistent to begin with, and now missing T.J. Ford against a very good basketball team: Avoiding the Raps seems like the way to go.

LA Clippers over CHARLOTTE (-5.5) – Taking the Bobcats as a favorite is a complete and utter no-go at this point.

BOSTON (-14.5) over Sacramento – Go Celts, go! One would like to think that the league’s top-ranked defensive team won’t have too much trouble against a Speed Racer-less Kings team.

Seattle over NEW YORK (-6.5) – No shortage of really bad teams appear to be favored tonight.

Detroit over HOUSTON (-2.5) – Tracy McGrady’s health is up in the air. Which side of .500 the Rockets are to be on remains up in the air. The fact that the Pistons are playing very good basketball isn’t.

Orlando (-3.5) over MILWAUKEE – D-Ho likely to be peeved after consecutive losses.

New Orleans over DENVER (-7.5) – All about tempo here. The slow-paced Hornets (25th) should be able to slow the league’s fastest playing team just enough to keep the score down and the game close.

Golden State (-5.5) over PORTLAND – The Warriors are rolling once more. They will take care of business against the undermanned (i.e. no LMA) Blazers.

PHOENIX (-7.5) over Utah – A loss to the Blazers at home officially turned the Utah losing streak into a slump.

Last night: 3-5
Season: 159-154

11 December 2007

The Picksix: It's no science, that much is for sure

The Suns have now lost consecutive games to the Wolves and Suns. Welcome to the NBA, where no regular season games means enough to anyone to make handicapping them an easy pastime (throws hands up in the air in exasperation). But nevertheless, we keep plugging away.

ATLANTA over Toronto (-2.5) – The Hawks should feed off the energy from last night’s big upset over the Magic in Orlando, with Josh Smith leading the way with his excellent 25-16-5-4-4 (points-boards-dimes-blocks-steals) performance. They play well at home, and the Raptors are enough of an enigma to the point that we’re fine passing on them.

WASHINGTON (-8.5) over Minnesota – The Wizards continue to fight sans Hibachi, and they certainly have the firepower to roll it up on bad teams.

Indiana over CLEVELAND (-4.5) – Much excitement as LeBron’s return should bring for the Cavaliers, this Pacers team hasn’t backed down from anyone, and they will be ready to play as they look to put the Jamaal Tinsley incident behind them.

NEW JERSEY (-6.5) over LA Clippers – The Nets will get their first win since the Jason Kidd fiasco last week in a big way over a Clips team that quickly seeing the season dissolve.

Detroit (-5.5) over MEMPHIS – Not enough points for Memphis to get against a very hot Pistons team.

CHICAGO (-8.5) over Seattle – If nothing else, the last two weeks have shown us that the Bulls have gotten back to a level where they can beat up on bad teams (see: Atlanta, Charlotte).

UTAH (-13.5) over Portland – Losers of three straight on the road (the last two of which came in San Antonio and Dallas), the home cooking will do the Jazz good in Utah, as they will regain some mojo with a stomping of the road-poor Blazers.

San Antonio (-2.5) over GOLDEN STATE – Much as we like the Dubs, it’s hard to go against a Spurs team that has cruised off to the best start in team history (17-3) while managing to be completely unperturbed by injuries to Tim Duncan and any other obstacles thus far.

Last night: 3-2
Season: 156-149

10 December 2007

The Picksix: Roy fills up the stat sheet

The near-triple-double has always been a favorite of mine. To that end, props to Brandon Roy, who managed to go for 26 points, 8 boards and 9 dimes last night, which included the crucial lay-up to put the Blazers up for good in their overtime victory over the Bucks last night in Portland. Of course, Roy probably never puts up numbers that high – and we get a cover – if the Blazers don’t blow a lead that was eight points heading into the fourth quarter, but hey, it happens. A new slate of games for Monday night is a new chance for wagering heartbreak.

ORLANDO (-8.5) over Atlanta – D-Ho and the boys have had since Friday night to stew over a loss to the Pacers at home. Pencil Dwight in for something in the range of a quintuple-double this evening.

PHILADELPHIA over Houston (-7.5) – This Rockets team is just confusing. Losing by double-digits to a banged up Toronto team while having both stars healthy makes no sense. Against a Philadelphia team that has been scrapping hard lately, this inconsistent bunch could have its hands full until the end.

Dallas (-7.5) over NEW YORK – After they got wiped out in both ends of a home-and-home with the Sixers, the Knicks aren’t engendering too much enthusiasm from us.

PHOENIX (-10.5) over Miami – As Acks points out, it took a Herculean effort (35 points, 10 dimes) from Dwyane Wade for the Heat to nab a six-point victory over the Clips this weekend. Coming off a loss to the Timberwolves, the Suns could be a tad tougher.

Milwaukee over SACRAMENTO (-3.5) – The Kings without Kevin Martin aren’t a group with which we’re looking to give points too often. Tonight is no exception.

Last night: 3-4
Season: 153-147

09 December 2007

The Picksix: Glorious and victorious

Victories from the Celtics make me a very happy individual. Happy enough, this particular Sunday morning, to spare you the usual opening diatribe and get to the picks du jour.

Houston over TORONTO (-7.5) – No injuries reported for Yao and T-Mac. So we don’t get this line. At all.

Miami (-1.5) over LA CLIPPERS – Despite their win over a Kevin Martin-less Kings team, we are even more sure that the Clippers have packed it in already than we are becoming about the Heat.

DETROIT (-10.5) over Charlotte – Poll question: What’s less impressive, seven straight losses or settling for a three-point win over the Cavs sans LeBron? The Bobcats have done both over the past two weeks. Thanks but no thanks.

PORTLAND (-4.5) over Milwaukee – The Bucks have been out West for a while now, and the Blazers seem to enjoy showing up to play at home.

NEW ORLEANS (-10.5) over Seattle – One very good team that had a scare against a fairly poor team two nights ago plays a very bad team today. That very good team should be ready to play for the full 48 this time.

WASHINGTON (-2.5) over New Jersey – Until this Jason Kidd situation is fully behind us, we’re staying away from the fellas from the Swamp.

Golden State over LA LAKERS (-3.5) – We can get them as an underdog? Absolutely.

Last night: 3-4
Season: 150-143

08 December 2007

The Picksix: Saturday Night Picks

Let's not waste any words. Seven quick choices below.

ATLANTA (-5.5) over Memphis
Because getting pummeled by Chris Paul in overtime can be exhausting.

CHARLOTTE (-8.5) over Cleveland
Because we're that skeptical of LeBron's supporting cast.

Philadelphia over NEW YORK (-4.5)
Because my pick was ignored.

Phoenix (-9.5) over MINNESOTA
Because this game is that lopsided.

Boston (-4.5) over CHICAGO
Because we're still "making the Bulls beat us".

Utah over DALLAS (-6.5)
Because Tim Duncan is so talented that even his absence leads to winning. (When these teams are done commiserating, Utah wins this game outright.)

DENVER (-11.5) over Sacramento
Because the same is not true of Kevin Martin.

Last night: 5-6
Season: 147-139

07 December 2007

The Picksix: Joe Johnson, sound bite master

“It’s got to stop sooner or later, man. I honestly thought this was a 25-30 point win for us tonight.”

That Joe Johnson, always good for a sound bite. Johnson made these comments, by the way, just moments after he hit the game-winning to jumper to propel the Hawks to a 90-89 win over the T-Wolves in which they squandered an early 14-point lead largely thanks to an 8-point effort in the third quarter.

Johnson’s comments this season have at times been a tad toward the head-scratching end of the spectrum (see the part early in the year when the guy who left the Suns for more money said the Hawks needed to get him veteran help), but it is hard to disagree with him this time around. Especially if you were giving eight-plus points with Hotlanta.

* * * * *

PHILADELPHIA (-3.5) over New York – Just when the Knicks start to suck you in after a few good games, they come up with a debacle against a bad team. Further, no matter how much better they have appeared as of late, they remain 29th in defensive efficiency. There is something to be said for that, and it isn’t something good.

DETROIT (-8.5) over Chicago – Though the Bulls are suddenly hot, said heat has resulted courtesy of two wins over Charlotte and one over Atlanta. The Pistons are playing excellent basketball as of late, and they will be looking to send a message that they are remain well above the Bulls in the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference, particularly after an early-season loss at the United Center.

Washington over PHOENIX (-7.5) – The Wizards likely won’t win a shootout against the Suns. But they won’t back down from one either, and against a Suns team playing the fourth game of a five-game trip across the country, they should be able to hang in for just long enough.

Indiana over ORLANDO (-7.5) – The Magic return from a long trip out West, and the Pacers have found ways to sneak up on teams thus far this season (credit Obie). Don’t be surprised if this one is close at the end.

BOSTON (-10.5) over Toronto – Bosh and Bargnani remain questionable. Meanwhile, the Celts will remember needing a buzzer-beater from Ray-Ray to overcome the Raptors in overtime up north in the season’s second game. They should dominate this one from start to finish, particular if Toronto is shorthanded.

Houston (-4.5) over NEW JERSEY – Striking or otherwise, this Jason Kidd fiasco is leaving us in a position in which we have no desire to go anywhere near the Nets.

NEW ORLEANS (-8.5) over Memphis – Still having trouble getting reads on both of these teams. But we know for sure that New Orleans is markedly better.
Utah over SAN ANTONIO (-2.5) – Tim Duncan isn’t a definite to go for the Spurs, and the Jazz are playing exceptionally hot ball as of late.
SACRAMENTO (-4.5) over LA Clippers – The Kings are legitimately good at home. No two ways about it. The Clips are in a tailspin and are likely to be without Sam Cassell once more. The logic is simple enough. Here’s hoping the winning of the game is quite as easy.

GOLDEN STATE (-7.5) over Miami – The Warriors can run anyone out on any given night. The fact that the Heat are as cold as is imaginable and come off a loss in Portland last night only make it more likely that we will see more runnin’, gunnin’ and funnin’ from the boys from Oaktown.

SEATTLE over Milwaukee (-0.5) – The Sonics have won two of three, and the Bucks only win in their last six outings came against the depleted Clips. Thanks but no thanks.

Last night: 1-2 Season: 142-133

06 December 2007

The Picksix: Debacle in Jersey

A 6-5 night would feel a lot better if not for two major concerns.

We made two late afternoon switches and lost both games – Detroit-New Orleans and New York-New Jersey. But hey, that happens. You second-guess yourself; sometimes it works; sometimes not.

Of greater frustration is the issue surrounding this Knicks-Nets fiasco. We changed the pick after hearing that Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury were both unlikely to play…only to find out after the fact that Jason Kidd was out with headaches/labor strife. Still reading up on this, but as of now, this doesn’t look like a good story on Kidd’s end. More info to come soon.

* * * * *

ATLANTA (-8.5) over Minnesota – The Hawks are competitive. Not so much on the Minnesota end. We’ll take a pass.

Denver over DALLAS (-8.5) – Though both teams come off of hard-fought losses last night, it is hard to be too excited about a Mavs team that couldn’t beat the Spurs sans Tim Duncan last night.

Miami over PORTLAND (-0.5) – The Blazers have been inconsistent, and call us crazy, but we’re still scared enough of Flash and Shaq that we’ll buy that this Miami team could make a run at any time. That ideology is, however, running thin. But we give it one more try tonight.

Last night: 6-5
Season: 141-131

05 December 2007

UPDATE: Timeout on the Floor

Acks wants twenty seconds to talk it over.

Boof made picks on his own today, so after discussing the picks in hindsight we agreed that we wanted New Orleans rather than Detroit. We're well aware of the recent success from the Motor City contingent but the Pistons may not fare as well in the second game of a road back-to-back against a quicker (albeit more injury-prone) Hornets team.

NEW ORLEANS over Detroit(-1.5)

In addition, the breaking news out of the New York Metro Area is that Knicks' center Eddy Curry is a game-time decision after injuring his ankle in a shoot-around this morning. Stephon Marbury is also uncertain. In light of these developments, we're going to pick New Jersey.

NEW JERSEY (-9.5) over New York

The Picksix: Tough times for those visiting Sacto

Remember how Arco Arena was once referred to as one of the toughest places to play as a visitor across the NBA? Apparently, it still is.

The Sacramento Kings are really good at home.

With last night’s come-from-behind win over the Jazz, the Kings improved to 7-3 at home on the season. Of those seven wins, the last four have come against Detroit, San Antonio, Houston and Utah. Of the three losses, two have come by two points to Cleveland and Phoenix respectively, and the one last week came to Golden State, only the league’s hottest team at the time.

We’re still not sold on this bunch overall, and it is hard to believe that they have been as effective as they have so far. But, and we’re certainly late on the gravy train here, beating the Kings – especially in Arco – can no longer be taken for granted by those opponents glancing down their schedules.

For a team with a young coach, swirling trade rumors and turmoil around the veterans and youngsters whose values remain largely uncertain, that says a lot.

* * * * *

WASHINGTON over Cleveland (-0.5) – LeBron James is listed as questionable for this evening’s contest. Our interest in taking the Cavs then is similar.

Phoenix (-2.5) over TORONTO – The Suns may be a bit tired on the second-half of an Eastern back-to-back, but the health of Bosh, Bargnani and Ford remains uncertain for Toronto. It won’t be as easy without those three as it was against the Bobcats this weekend for the Raps.

Chicago over CHARLOTTE (-2.5) – The ‘Cats have lost six straight, many of them not close. Time to give the Bulls another try.

Boston (-7.5) over PHILADELPHIA – The C’s should come out playing more inspired basketball than they did in pulling out an ugly win over an undermanned Cavs team on Sunday.

New York over NEW JERSEY (-9.5) – The Knicks showed some resilience against Milwaukee and Phoenix this weekend and should be able to keep it close against a Nets team playing for the second straight night.

Detroit (-1.5) over NEW ORLEANS – Four straight wins for the Pistons. And they haven’t been close. We’ll buy in for now.

Dallas over SAN ANTONIO (-0.5) – Word is that Tim Duncan will sit at least until Friday against Utah. If that’s the case, we’ll pass here.

Memphis over HOUSTON (-10.5) – Too much inconsistency from the Rockets makes it hard to give significant quantities of points with them at this point.

DENVER (-5.5) over LA Lakers -- Since a nasty blowout loss in Los Angeles last Thursday, the Nugs appear to have righted the ship with two blowout victories. In the words of Daunte Culpepper, they will be looking to “get some getback” tonight. Whatever that means.

SEATTLE (-1.5) over LA Clippers – The Clippers appeared to be packing it in even before blowing a double-digit lead in the second half against Milwaukee last night. We’re about ready to lay off them for a while.

GOLDEN STATE (-6.5) over Milwaukee – Orlando might have been able to handle playing the tail end of a back-to-back in Oaktown. Suffice it to say, the Bucks are not the Magic. They will stumble against the team that is 8-2 since the return of Cap’n Jax.

Last night: 4-2
Season: 135-126

Reintroducing the Picksix: Working our way out of the title

Just wanted to provide a brief welcome to the new official site for the Picksix, your home for daily NBA handicapping in the basketball blogosphere.

After a month as a feature of the general NBA column Taking it to the Rack, the Picksix has moved out on its own, still led by your three hosts, Tek, Acks and Boof. For those unfamiliar with the Picksix, the title is as such because, given our record over the last three months of last season, chances are you’ll want to be going the other way – or so it appeared. But a 135-126 start to the new campaign has the crew confident that we can earn our way out of the deprecating title and perhaps provide some actual basketball insight along the way.

We’re either going to beat the folks in Vegas or die trying. Here’s hoping you hop on board and enjoy the ride!