Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Bobcats (-8, 181 ½)
LeBron James makes the Cavaliers tick. Without him, they are a shadow of the team that won last season’s Eastern Conference.
James missed the last four games with a sprained finger and Cleveland lost all four. Before his injury, the Cavs were shooting 45 percent from the field and averaging 102 points per game. In their last five games, they have shot 37.9 percent and averaged 78.2 points.
Cleveland refuses to put a timeline on his return, but the latest reports suggest he won't play against Charlotte. That puts the Bobcats in good shape to cover for the fourth time in five meetings with the Cavaliers.
Pick: Bobcats
Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks (-4 ½, 204 ½)
The Grizzlies have been struggling on the road and their problems are likely to continue in Atlanta.
Memphis is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games at Philips Arena, including a 106-105 loss on Sept. 3. The Grizzlies are 2-7 straight up on the road this season.
The Hawks enter this game off a 90-89 home win over Minnesota thanks to Joe Johnson’s three-pointer at the buzzer. If Johnson can build on his 21-point performance in that game, Atlanta will cover.
Pick: Hawks
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks (-5, 188 ½)
The Knicks have won and covered the spread in four of their last six games.
Though New York was without Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry in Wednesday’s win over the Nets, both are expected to return here against the 76ers. Marbury is producing 14.7 points per game and a team-high 5.2 assists, while Curry is scoring 16.6 points per contest.
The 76ers have lost five of their last six road games, failing to cover the spread on four occasions.
Pick: Knicks
Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves (+10 ½, 215)
The Timberwolves have won just twice in 17 games this season, the worst straight-up record in the NBA.
They are being outscored by an average of 9.2 points per game and have broken the 100-point mark just twice in their last 11 contests.
The Suns travel to Minnesota as one of the hottest teams in the league. They boast the top-ranked offense in the NBA (110.5 points per game), and have covered the spread in four of their last five games at the Target Center.
Pick: Suns
Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks (-6, 206 ½)
The Mavericks have jumped out to a manageable 12-8 straight up mark, but their 7-13 ATS record is cause for concern.
Dallas’ poor spread record is mainly due to an inability to extend a lead. Three of the Mavericks’ last four contests were decided by five points or less.
Utah has a respectable 10-9 record against the spread and has covered two of its last three games against Dallas.
Pick: Jazz
Sacramento Kings at Denver Nuggets (-13 ½, 214 ½)
The Kings will be without guard Kevin Martin for the trip to Denver. That could hamper their chances of snapping a two-game losing streak against the Nuggets.
Martin, who leads the team with 24.5 points per game, will miss four to five weeks after picking up a groin injury. The Kings are already without point guard Mike Bibby and forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, so their offensive will be seriously diminished.
That’s good news for the Nuggets as they chase their fourth win in five games.
Pick: Nuggets
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (+5 ½, 182)
The Celtics have won 15 of their 17 games this season, so it’s difficult to see them losing to the struggling Bulls.
However, Chicago is 7-1 ATS in its last nine meetings against the Celtics and 5-2 in the last seven outings at the United Center.
Boston has not been as dominant against the spread in recent weeks, going 2-3-1 ATS in its last six contests.
Pick: Bulls