Indiana continues to fly well under the radar right now. The Pacers come into tonight’s game at 16-7 after losing at home to Orlando on Saturday night. But Indiana has bounced back strong all season when off a loss, and in fact, the Pacers are a perfect 6-0 SU in this exact situation, winning those games by an average of 11.3 points per game. Indiana also comes into this game with two full days of rest, and that is a big scheduling advantage to have, especially against a Utah team playing on the opposite coast. The Jazz lost in New York last night 99-88 despite the Knicks playing that game without Amar’e Stoudemire (family death) and Carmelo Anthony (played just 5 minutes before leaving with an injury). Utah now plays on a back-to-back set while facing a well-rested Indiana team off a loss; not an ideal situation for a team that has lost three of their last four games. Utah is just 2-6 on the road this season and all six of their road losses have come by double digits. We counter that with the fact that four of Indiana’s six home wins have come by double digits as well. Indiana is simply the much better team in a much better scheduling spot so we’ll lay the points with the favorite in this game tonight. 9* Play PACERS (-).

Phoenix comes in off a 99-90 win in Atlanta last night. The Suns shot the lights out as they hit 51.9% (41-79) from the field and 45.8% (11-24) from three-point land. That big offensive performance sets the Suns up in a negative situation tonight, especially when we consider their scheduling spot. Phoenix is playing their fourth game in five nights, and it’s also their final game of a 4-game road trip. The Suns will be taking a major step-up in class against the Bucks’ defense tonight, and since they’ll be playing on tired legs, we do not expect Phoenix’s offense to be too efficient in this game. Milwaukee comes in off back-to-back losses, but the Bucks have had a full two days to prepare for tonight’s game. They hold a major scheduling advantage considering the Suns are finishing off a road trip while playing on back-to-back nights. Milwaukee’s defense was non-existent in their last game as they allowed the Bulls to score 113 points. But the Bucks have bounced back strong in games after allowing more than 100 points. In five of six such games, Milwaukee’s defense allowed opposing teams an average of just 91 points per game. When Phoenix loses on the road, they lose big. The Suns’ eight road losses have come by an average of 16.1 points per game with seven of those eight losses coming by 9 points or more. With Milwaukee in a favorable scheduling spot, we’ll lay the points with the home favorite in this game tonight. 10* Play BUCKS (-).

Oklahoma City has the best record in the NBA as the Thunder come into tonight’s game at 19-5, but four of their five losses have come on the road. Oklahoma City hasn’t played as well on the road overall as five of their ten wins have come by 5 points or less as their offense is shooting just 44.5% from the field compared to their seasonal average of 46.9% shooting from the field. So despite their strong win/loss record, Oklahoma City has been living on the edge on the road all season. OKC is averaging only 1.5 more assists than turnovers; their 16.7 turnovers per game ranks 29th in the league and they are a staggering 2.3 more than OKC forces. The Thunder also ranks 26th in defensive rebounding, allowing 12.5 offensive boards per game, the fourth most in the league, and teams are shooting 7.6 more shots per game on average than the Thunder. So despite their gaudy win/loss record, OKC has some serious flaws in their game. Golden State is playing solid defense this season. Golden State has four blowout losses on the season, but in their other 17 games, they’ve held their opponents to just 44.5% shooting from the field. “We're getting after it, we're battling, we're a defensive-minded team, we're a professional team, we have no quit, we're a no-excuse team when excuses have been there for the taking,” head coach Mark Jackson said. The Warriors come into this game at just 8-13 on the season, but the Warriors have played much better basketball than that record indicates. Golden State has had a full two days to prepare for this game while Oklahoma City played an overtime game last night in Portland in which three of their starters played more than 40 minutes. We see some good value in taking the points with the rested home underdog tonight. 9* Play WARRIORS (+).