CHICAGO (12 - 17) at DETROIT (11 - 20) - 12/31/2009, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 28-48 ATS (-24.8 Units) in road games in December games since 1996.
CHICAGO is 10-21 ATS (-13.1 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 48-68 ATS (-26.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 21-37 ATS (-19.7 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 6-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 20-32 ATS (-15.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 8-21 ATS (-15.1 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 7-20 ATS (-15.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-0 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 7-2 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MIAMI (16 - 12) at SAN ANTONIO (18 - 11) - 12/31/2009, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 495-427 ATS (+25.3 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 3-1 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 3-1 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (22 - 9) at HOUSTON (19 - 13) - 12/31/2009, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 250-205 ATS (+24.5 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
DALLAS is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 174-136 ATS (+24.4 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-4 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-4 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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UTAH (17 - 13) at OKLAHOMA CITY (17 - 14) - 12/31/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 62-88 ATS (-34.8 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent since 1996.
UTAH is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
UTAH is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 20-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 20-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) first half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 5-4 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 7-2 straight up against OKLAHOMA CITY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHILADELPHIA (8 - 22) at LA CLIPPERS (13 - 17) - 12/31/2009, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 24-37 ATS (-16.7 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 43-68 ATS (-31.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 21-35 ATS (-17.5 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 24-36 ATS (-15.6 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 22-34 ATS (-15.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 40-59 ATS (-24.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-2 against the spread versus LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 4-1 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

3:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Chicago is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Detroit is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago

7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. HOUSTON
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Houston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games

7:00 PM
MIAMI vs. SAN ANTONIO
Miami is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
Miami is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
San Antonio is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
San Antonio is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (-7.5, 195)

The Heat should be thankful they’re not home for New Year’s. With all the parties, after parties and after-after parties happening on South Beach, it would be a wonder if anyone showed up for the game.

But they’re not in Miami, they’re in San Antonio.

Heading into Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, the Heat have won five of their last six games and are picking up steam in the Southeast Division. During that span head coach Erik Spoelstra has shared the love at point guard, splitting time between Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo.

The juggling seems to be paying off. Miami will counter San Antonio’s All-Star point guard Tony Parker with its two-pronged attack, trying to wear down the scrappy slasher with fresh bodies.

"Much has been made of big-ticket, All-Star-level point guards,'' Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. ''We have a two-headed point guard, and they've been playing very effectively for us.

"It's been a good formula, and so we'll just continue with it like that.''

That also leaves shooting guard Dwyane Wade free to move with the ball and create. He’s thrived with Chalmers and Arroyo handling the ball, averaging 28 points during the team’s three-game win streak.

Pick: Heat


Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls (-3.5, 184)

The Pistons blamed their early-season swoon on injuries. But now that Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince have returned, the team had no idea how to play - or more importantly - win with each other.

Detroit has lost eight straight games heading into Thursday. The most recent defeat came at the hands of the New York Knicks, who shot 51 percent from the field and limited the Pistons to just 42 percent shooting in a 104-87 beating Tuesday night.

"We have a lot of basketball left, but we have to take advantage of all these opportunities," Pistons coach John Kuester told the media. "Getting people back does not mean that you forget what gets you in a position to win, and that's effort, your energy, your understanding of your game plan. We didn't successfully do that consistently."

Prince has struggled to contribute on offense, scoring a total of 11 points in his two games since returning from an abdominal injury. Fellow forward Charlie Villanueva has also struggled since the return of the stars. He bookended an eight-point performance with two goose eggs against the Knicks and Raptors while dealing with foot issues and illness.

"It's still going to take time," Hamilton told reporters of the transition in the lineup. "It's not something that we expect to happen overnight. That just doesn't happen, especially with me and Tayshaun being out as many games as we've been and (Gordon) being out as many games as he's been out.

"It's going to take time. The one thing we want to do is just stay positive with it, stay confident with it, and hopefully, it will turn around."

Pick: Bulls