Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks
NBA Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder -4.5 (March 17th 2013)
CLICK HERE FOR STEPHEN NOVER’S PREMIUM NBA PICKS

Dallas is playing its best basketball of the season. The Mavericks have won five of their last six with their lone defeat during this span coming by one point on the road to San Antonio this past Thursday.

That’s all well and good, but the Mavericks still remain a long shot to make the playoffs. They are a below .500 team with a mediocre 18-12 home record. Only Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix and New Orleans have worst home marks in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City has covered seven of the last eight times when facing a below .500 foe. The Thunder’s only non-cover during this span was in their last game this past Friday when they rolled past Orlando, 117-104, as a 17-point favorite. The Thunder led by 27, but let up.

Dallas is playing for the third time in four days. The Mavericks are one of the oldest teams in the NBA. Nearly all of their veterans are well past their prime. Shawn Marion is expected to miss the game, too, due to a calf injury that has sidelined him for the past five games. Marion is Dallas’ top rebounder and best defender. Without Marion, Kevin Durant is in line for another monster game.

Be sure to pick up Stephen’s premium NBA picks for March 17th 2013 at Touthouse.com

Oklahoma City won’t be taking this game lightly as the Thunder are in a dogfight with San Antonio for the top seed in the West. The Thunder trail the Tony Parker-less Spurs by 1 1/2 games. The Thunder own the fifth-best road record in the NBA. They have covered 69 percent of their last 55 overall Western Conference matchups.

The Mavericks have not matched up well to the Thunder. Oklahoma City has won nine in a row against the Mavericks, including the past four in Dallas. The Thunder is 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 visits to Dallas.

(Editor’s note: Stephen Nover is one of the top NBA ‘cappers in the country. Stephen is 77-58-4 on his past 139 NBA plays and has his long-awaited NBA Parlay of the Year going today. Don’t miss out on a huge Sunday payday.)

NBA Predictions: March 16th 2013
CLICK HERE FOR TODAY’S PREMIUM NBA PREDICTIONS

Prediction: Cavaliers vs. Spurs Under 199
The Cavaliers offense is struggling due to some key injuries. You should play the under when the home team has a winning record on the season and the total is set between 199.5 to 209.5 points after they have gone under the total by 24 points or more in their last three games. This system is 80-42 (65.6%) over the last five seasons. Cleveland has gone under the total in 4 of their last 5 games following an ATS loss and the under is 5-2 in their last 7 games overall. It is a similar story for San Antonio. The Spurs are 5-1 to the under in their last 6 games and 4-1 to the under in their last 5 home games. The Cavaliers offense has seen their share of struggles when playing on the road and with the Spurs allowing only 93.1 points per game on their home court this game should stay well under the posted total. -Jimmy Boyd

Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers +5
The Pacers were upset at home by the Lakers last night, and things don’t figure to get any easier for them as they head out on the road where they are just 14-17 on the season. Not only will this be Indiana’s second game in as many nights, it will be its third game in four days. The 76ers have had two days off so they will have the fresher legs. It’s been a disappointing season for Philadelphia, largely because it hasn’t been able to get Andrew Bynum on the court. Still, the 76ers have been competitive at home where they are 18-17. They have been playing well recently and have covered the spread in three of their last four games as a result. Two of those covers came against the Miami Heat, who they played to a four-point game Wednesday. The 76ers should be lacking no confidence here following that performance. They should be lacking no motivation either because they were held to just 69 points in a blowout loss the last time Indiana visited (02/06/2013). The 76ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing on 2 days’ rest. They are also 18-7 ATS in home games off a home loss over the last 3 seasons and 17-5 ATS after having lost 8 or more of their last 10 games over the last 3 seasons. The Pacers are a soft 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games versus teams that carry a winning mark at home. Take the points. -Dave Price

Need winning NBA picks for March 16th 2013? Check out our handicappers’ hot streaks for the last 7 days in pro basketball betting below!

NBA Picks: March 13th 2013
Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics
Prediction: Toronto +6
CLICK HERE FOR JESSE SCHULE’S EXPERT PICKS

The Raptors come into Boston tonight having rested since Sunday, coming off a win at home over Cleveland. Toronto only earned a single victory over a recent four game road trip, but all those games were close, and two were decided in overtime.

They take on a Celtics team tonight that just lost to the worst team in the NBA last night, and it wasn’t just a loss, it was a shockingly embarrassing blowout.

Boston being one of the oldest teams in the NBA, playing on back to back nights is certainly not a favorable spot for the Celtics. While Paul Peirce rested for last night’s game, both Jason Terry and Kevin Garnett played, and coach Doc Rivers later questioned his decision: “What I was thinking was that I wish I would have given Kevin (Garnett) a night off too, in the middle of the game,” said Rivers. “That would have been terrific. Then we would have had two guys that had gotten some rest.”

Boston has won nine in a row at home, but they won the last four of those games by an average margin of less than five points. Two of those last four came in overtime.

Toronto is a young team that fights hard, and they won’t be easy to play against for an older Celtic’s squad playing on back to back nights in a 3-in-4 situation.

Take the Raptors + the points.

If you found this prediction for the Raptors vs. Celtics game from Jesse Schule useful, be sure to purchase his premium selections today!

Detroit Pistons vs. Utah Jazz
NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -9.5 -110 odds (March 11th 2013)
CLICK HERE FOR JIMMY BOYD’S EXPERT SPORTS PICKS

The Jazz have one of the best home court advantages in the NBA. They are 22-8 straight up at home and are facing a Detroit team that is really struggling right now having lost 8 of their last 9 games. Detroit has been horrible on the road with an 8-23 record allowing 101.2 points per game.

The Detroit Pistons are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games against teams with a winning home record. They are also 1-5 ATS in their last 6 against Western Conference opponents. Utah is coming off a bad loss to New York and they are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games after a loss by 10 or more points.

The Pistons have a long history of under-performing against Utah. They are 3-13 ATS in the last 17 head to head meetings between these teams. Utah finally received a day of rest after a four game road stretch and now it is Detroit who will be going through that same kind of agonizing run. The Pistons are playing in a back to back game after getting crushed by the Clippers last night. The well-rested home team is the smart play in this matchup.