Analysis

New York is 7-1 straight-up and against the spread over the last eight meetings, with the Bucks' lone win coming last October. The Knicks have scored an average of 122.4 points per game in those contests as four of the last five meetings have gone over the total. New York had an extra day to rest and prep for this one after beating the Cavaliers on Saturday. After three-straight losses to open the season, the Knicks have won five of their last six games to get the campaign back on track. During this current six-game run, New York has allowed an average of 102.3 points per game. The under is 7-2 in the Knicks' games this season. Milwaukee is looking to snap a six-game losing skid (1-5 ATS) following Sunday's 20-point home loss to the Celtics. After a wave of high-scoring results to start the season, the Bucks' last four games have all stayed under the total. Both teams are on the front leg of a back-to-back. New York will stay at home to host the Cavaliers on Wednesday, while Milwaukee heads home to host the Lakers. Bucks guards Tyler Herro and Gary Trent Jr. are both listed as questionable. Knicks' guard Josh Hart has missed each of the last two games with an ankle injury and he's listed as questionable for this one. If this total stays in the 220 neighborhood, it would be the lowest total we've seen in a Bucks' game this season. We certainly understand the general sentiment, but with the Knicks opening as a 15.5-point home favorite, their bench is looking to score. When Jordan Clarkson, Deuce McBride and Tyler Kolek enter the game, they’re looking to put the ball in the hoop. New York closed as an 11.5-point home favorite against the Bulls last Wednesday and the Knicks' bench finished with 52 points in that contest (Kolek and Jose Alvarado didn't even score). So if this game does become lopsided in the Knicks' favor like oddsmakers are projecting, New York's reserve unit is filled with guys that want to put the ball in the hoop in front of the MSG faithful.
Play the Over

The Sixers and Celtics split their four regular season meetings at two wins apiece before Philadelphia earned a come-from-behind win in their seven-game playoff series. Boston held a 3-1 series lead but the Sixers produced three-straight outright upsets to close the series. Both teams are on equal rest after playing on Sunday. Philadelphia returns home after a successful Midwest road trip, which ended with a win in Chicago. As we mentioned on Sunday, the Sixers' lack of depth behind Joel Embiid is the major storyline to watch over the next few weeks. Andre Drummond left for New York in the offseason. Ariel Hukporti suffered a torn Achilles during the preseason and he will likely miss the entire year. Dominick Barlow hasn't played all season while he deals with a back injury. Adem Bona is dealing with a back injury and has missed the last two games. Even though Philadelphia got the win, the Sixers' bench was out-scored 36-18 in Sunday's game against the Bulls. Boston has won-and-covered each of its last two games. The Celtics' last six games have all stayed under the total as Boston has allowed an average of 99.3 points per game in those contests. Boston is on the front leg of a back-to-back and will travel to Toronto on Wednesday. Boston enters this contest with a clean bill of health, while the Sixers will likely be without Bona once again. Philadelphia's depth behind Embiid is certainly something to watch, but we're struggling to justify Boston as a road favorite. Look at the Celtics' last seven wins: Two over the Bulls, two over the Bucks, one over the Hornets, one over the Nets and one over the short-handed Magic. How much credit are we giving Boston for those results? Milwaukee, Chicago, Charlotte and Brooklyn are all at the bottom of the league standings. We're not rushing to crown the Celtics after those results.
Play Philadelphia 76ers

Miami and Utah have split their season series each of the last three years. The Jazz have covered the spread as a 'dog in six of the last seven meetings, although the Heat did earn a 31-point blowout win in their last trip to Salt Lake City. Both teams are on equal rest after playing on Sunday. Utah returns home after a disastrous four-game road trip where the Jazz went 0-4 straight-up and against the spread. Utah is 1-9 straight-up and against the spread this season. In those nine losses, Utah's average margin of defeat has been 12.0 points per game. The schedule hasn't been all that difficult, either, as the Jazz have played the Pelicans twice and the Grizzlies twice. This is the fifth and final game of a West Coast road trip for Miami, who found the win column on Sunday against Sacramento. The Heat have picked up wins over the inferior Pacers, Clippers and Kings in recent days, but Miami is still just 2-8 against the spread this season. Miami does not have anyone listed on the early injury report. Utah's Keyonte George is expected to miss this game with an ankle injury, while Lauri Markkanen is questionable with a wrist ailment. We can only look toward the over in this matchup. These teams finished No. 1 and 2 in pace last season. With the Heat playing its fifth-straight road game, the Jazz wouldn't mind testing Miami's legs. Both teams are sitting top-10 in pace once again in 2026. Both teams are sitting bottom-10 in defensive rating.
Play the Over

Phoenix is 7-2 straight-up, 6-3 against the spread over the last nine meetings. The Suns and Clippers split their four meetings last year at two wins apiece. Los Angeles snapped its seven-game losing streak with a 139-123 home win over the Pelicans on Sunday. The win was certainly deserved, but that final score was probably a little flattering for the Clippers considering New Orleans was leading with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Four of the Clippers' last five games have gone over the total as Los Angeles has allowed an average of 123.2 points per game in those contests. Phoenix is on the second leg of a back-to-back after falling 122-96 at home to the Spurs on Monday. Devin Booker finished with 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor, but the rest of the Suns' roster combined to shoot 34.7-percent. Booker (32 points) out-scored the other four members of the Suns' starting lineup (27 points). If there is a small silver lining after a performance like that, no one played more than 29 minutes last night so Phoenix should be in half-decent shape tonight from a rest perspective. Backing the Suns right now is a risky proposition, but sometimes you need a quick turnaround spot like this to wash away the taste of a bad performance. Fortunately for Phoenix, Los Angeles doesn't have a 7-foot-4 center from France like San Antonio does. The Clippers are 0-4 on the road this season.
Play Phoenix Suns

Orlando has won each of the last four meetings by an average of 22.5 points per game. This is the third game of a West Coast road trip for the Magic, who have lost each of their last four contests. Orlando pushed Golden State to overtime on Sunday before eventually falling 126-119 in the extra frame. Franz Wagner had his best game in a while, scoring 30 points with 11 assists while shooting 50.0-percent from the field. Five Magic players saw 35+ minutes against the Warriors, which is a concern for a team that's trying to manage minutes without Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs. Orlando is on the front leg of a back-to-back and will travel to Utah on Wednesday. This is the fourth game of a homestand for the Kings, who have started to produce some better results in recent weeks. Sacramento is still 1-9 this season, but the Kings are a half-point away from being on a four-game winning streak at the betting window (lost by 13 vs the Lakers as a 12.5-point 'dog). Orlando will be without Jonathan Isaac tonight, in addition to the long-term injuries to Banchero and Suggs. The Kings' top two players - Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray - are both listed as questionable. We are in line with where oddsmakers have opened this point spread, but we have some interest in the over. Defense used to be the focal point of Orlando's makeup, but the Magic enter this contest No. 24 in defensive rating (Sacramento is 28th). Over the last four meetings in this series, Orlando has scored 130, 121, 131 and 121 points against the Kings. Sacramento has allowed an average of 122.4 points per game this season.
Play the Over

This is the front leg of a back-to-back and these teams will play again in Portland tomorrow night. Oklahoma City has won 19 of the last 20 meetings, with Portland's lone win coming by two points last November. Both teams are on equal rest after playing on Saturday. This is the first game of a West Coast road trip for the Thunder, who have won-and-covered each of their last four games. The under is 7-3 in Oklahoma City's games this season as the Thunder have been forced to turn up the defense in the absence of key players like Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace. Portland is looking to snap its first losing skid of the season after the Blazers dropped back-to-back games against the Lakers and Spurs. Blazers' guard Ja Morant is "making good progress" on his injured hamstring, but is not expected to play this week. Oddsmakers have opened this game in line with our power ratings, but we are inclined to back Oklahoma City as a short road favorite. The series history between these teams is hard to ignore. Even with all of their early-season injuries, the Thunder have still posted a better net rating and defensive rating. Oklahoma City has posted the third-lowest turnover rate this season, so the Thunder shouldn't be giving the ball away on the road.
Play Oklahoma City Thunder