Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat (no line yet)
The Heat have lost 15 straight games are just two short of tying the franchise record of 17, set back in the 1988-89 season.
With Shaquille O’Neal out for an indefinite period of time with a hip injury, the Heat’s overreliance on Dwayne Wade has become obvious. The star guard has broken the 20-point mark in five straight games and is averaging a team-high 25.4 points per contest.
But Miami has covered in just one of those five games and just twice in the last 13. The road team is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between these clubs, and that trend looks set to continue on Saturday.
Pick: TBA
Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Bobcats (-5, 191)
The Sixers have won and covered the spread in two of their last three meetings with the Bobcats, including a blowout home win earlier this season.
Charlotte traveled to Philly on Nov. 7 and was handed a 94-63 loss, its lowest point total of the season so far. Sixers guard Andre Iguodala produced 19 points and seven rebounds in that clash, continuing a run of impressive performances against Charlotte.
The 24-year old has averaged 22 points and six rebounds in his last three starts against the Bobcats. He’s averaging team-highs in points (19.0) and steals (2.2) this season.
Pick: Philadelphia
New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (-5 1/2, 182 1/2)
The Spurs host New Orleans in their last home contest before the annual eight-game “Rodeo road trip.” They will be looking to continue a run of four consecutive wins over the Hornets at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio has completely dominated New Orleans over the last few seasons, winning eight straight games overall, while covering the spread in six of the last eight. In fact, the last time the Hornets managed a win over the Spurs was in December 2005.
Not surprisingly, Tim Duncan has been the thorn in the Hornets’ side in recent meetings. He has averaged 22.3 points and 11 rebounds in his last three games against them, and has 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game overall this season.
Pick: Spurs