Miami has been playing at a high level for the most part in their previous ten fixtures as they have lost just two games over this span. This can be chalked up to their stingy defense which has kept opponents under the 100-point mark in seven of these affairs. Against a team, as beleaguered such as Atlanta, the Heat should have their way in this one as the Hawks will also give their offense a helping-hand in compiling what could very well be a blow-out win.

This situation seems like a classic win no-cover spot for the Pelicans. New Orleans will finally get the monkey off their back, but the Cavaliers will not make it easy for them. Cleveland will make this a four-quarter game and perhaps even hold a substantial lead at one point when NOLA's Anthony Davis or Jrue Holiday are catching a breather.

The Pacers will continue their winning streak, and they will do so with style against a team they love to beat. The last game in Chicago in November was settled by a basket, but the outcome here will be far different as the Pacers are more inclined here to win this by double-digits and thus come in over the number as they do so. Chicago's offense will struggle mightily against the NBA's top-ranked Indiana scoring defense (101.1 points per game) and they will no answer for Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison on the opposite end of the court.

The Pelicans will snap their five-game road losing streak and all we need to do to win along-side them is win by more than a point. This is one of the better spots to back the Pelicans as though the two teams have identical records, their quality is far contrasting. New Orleans plays overall in a tougher conference, and this will be the most prominent deciding factor in this toss-up market.

Charlotte is a team that relies on its offense to win games to outscore their opponents as they score 113.4 points per game while giving up a 20th ranked 111.4 points per game. Unfortunately for Charlotte, they are up against a unit that can stymie those very offensive operations and take advantage of mediocre to create an influx in scoring. The upset possibility is high in this one, but the points are more than enough for Orlando to come in under the number.

This game has upset written all over it, and thus we'll trade the points away here to enhance our return on a Money Line play. Minnesota comes into the affair low enough on the public radar (thanks to their recent debacle) to ultimately trip up a Miami team whose stock is through the roof. Minnesota will use its advantages to pick up its fifth road win of the season.

Charlotte led by seven points with 3:34 remaining in the game before they saw the lead diminish and ultimately fall in overtime. Brooklyn did all it had to do to ward off the Hornets, and Charlotte knows now what it needs to get the win and avert another defeat. The Hornets will use their home court advantage to avenge Wednesday’s loss and cover while they do so.

On Christmas, the market saw the Bucks at one point spotting 12.5 points to the Knicks until it diminished to its closing figure of -9.5 This three-point swing showcased a lot of late steam pouring in on New York and a lot of Christmas coal for those that backed New York. In this spot, many expect the opposite to happen and for the action to go on the Bucks here. After all, we have seen the line half of a point upward to indicate such a trend. This is called a zig-zag and takers do not want to find themselves on the wrong end of such an event. Take the points.

Just last year Philadelphia took a trip to the Big Apple to square off with the New York Knicks in a Christmas Day game where they met with a hostile environment and still managed to pull out a 105-98 victory over their arch-rivals. The Sixers are the team playing better basketball at the moment, and they will use their positive experiences in these scenarios to put together an effort to halt Boston’s dominance in this rivalry series.

It is safe to surmise here that the Wizards likely do not have enough gas in the tank here to roll up their sleeves and play a physical game against a Pacers team that remains the best in the league in defense (101 points per game) and a juggernaut on the boards in shutting down second chances (3rd overall in NBA with 42.7 rebounds per game). This contest has Indiana written all over it, and the Pacers should trample the Wizards as they head into a three-day hiatus of their own for the holiday festivities.

When LeBron faces another NBA star, he usually steps up his game to a new level. Look for King James to put on a show in this game, outdueling Anthony Davis and the rest of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans can score points, but they haven't proven that they will get enough stops on defense to win.

Given what appears to be a noticeable difference in quality between these two teams, there is no other rationale as to why Chicago is such a low-priced dog other than the possibility of an upset being at a maximum here. The Bulls in fairness are traditionally a dangerous team on their own court, and they will hone that custom to produce a win against an Orlando team that will continue to struggle to score.

Building upon the premise of Sixers backers paying a premium to back Philly in this spot due to their profitability and success in this series, it is worth noting that Philadelphia stands at 8-1 ATS in the previous nine matches between these two teams. That will change this evening. The Knicks are looking for a way to lift themselves out of a slump, and there is no better way to do that then to get into a fistfight with a team that they hate that has bullied them much of as of late. The Knicks will throw everything they have at the 76ers and given the fact they own edges in both the turnover and bench department, we like their prospects of hanging around late into this game and giving Philly a scare at the minimum.

We have already seen this Cleveland team orchestrate a few shocking upsets on the road already this season against better teams on paper, so it is indeed not out of the question here against a team that the Cavaliers love to hate. The Cavaliers will come out swinging and turn this contest into a physical and hard-fought match as most of these games usually are. Cleveland will offer up a spirited effort to keep the difference within this game to a single-digit margin.

On the year, the Phoenix Suns are 1-13 SU on the road, so backers of the Knicks are assuming here that the low-hanging fruit is easy money given Phoenix's woes away from home. However, the market actually says the opposite as it is incredibly underpriced on Phoenix concerning this narrative. In fact, one could argue that had this game been played a less reputable venue that the Suns may actually be favored to get their second win of the season. There is an old idiom that when anyone backs the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, they pay a premium to do so on several occasions. This is one of those spots as there is no reason to justify the Knickerbockers being favored here other than this combined with an emphasis on Phoenix’s away record. Things will change tonight, and the Suns will win convincingly.

What we have taking shape is a clear-cut overlay, and we can take advantage here by scoffing up the points. This game has upset potential written all over it as the Hawks will view this as a contest they can actually win. Brooklyn will have a tough time putting away what will be a scrappy counterpart.

Given all the metrics, it is safe to conclude that the Hornets would be favored in this fixture had the Lakers not had LeBron James wearing a yellow jersey. We will take advantage of this narrative and back the team offered at a better price. Charlotte gets the win.

Atlanta will not be backing down from the challenge here against Boston and will play with an “everything to gain and nothing to lose” mentality. These teams are especially dangerous when they are taking back a likely-inflated number next to them. However, we have seen Boston get shocked in two of their three losses at home this season, as an 11.5-point underdog hosting Orlando in October and most recently on November 21st hosting the Knicks as a 14-point choice. Very simply, the Celtics cannot be trusted laying this kind of lumber despite their market appeal as the let-down possibility remains high in this affair.

The Oklahoma City Thunder feature two of the ten best players in the NBA, but winning on the road is hard. New Orleans loves to speed up the tempo, especially at home, and they should put up a ton of points in this matchup. Jrue Holiday is emerging as one of the league’s best point guard and Anthony Davis is still one of the best players in the world. Bet the New Orleans Pelicans to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When this market opened the Knicks were spotting 1.5 points to the Cavaliers, but that number has risen thanks to money coming in on the Knickerbockers out of the gate. Despite New York entering in poor form and sporting the overall turbulent road record, they offer some form of appeal because Cleveland is not the Cleveland of old. However, the metrics show that the Cavaliers offer the edge here in this spot and they are in prime position to go forth and earn their seventh win this season.