NEW YORK (8 - 16) at CHICAGO (8 - 15) - 12/17/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 48-31 ATS (+13.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 32-20 ATS (+10.0 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) first half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 14-33 ATS (-22.3 Units) against Atlantic division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 6-1 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 4-3 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ORLANDO (18 - 6) at MIAMI (12 - 11) - 12/17/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 27-10 ATS (+16.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points since 1996.
ORLANDO is 75-54 ATS (+15.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 91-68 ATS (+16.2 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 41-25 ATS (+13.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 35-20 ATS (+13.0 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 23-9 ATS (+13.1 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 53-27 ATS (+23.3 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 40-58 ATS (-23.8 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 79-108 ATS (-39.8 Units) in home games first half of the season since 1996.
MIAMI is 65-91 ATS (-35.1 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
MIAMI is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-3 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 7-2 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (17 - 8) at PORTLAND (15 - 11) - 12/17/2009, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 20-33 ATS (-16.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 46-33 ATS (+9.7 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 37-18 ATS (+17.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points since 1996.

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

New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls (-2.5, 198)

You know things aren’t going well for your team when it losses and the players are telling reporters they’re happy about their effort.

''Even though we lost, this was a winning-type effort,'' Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich told the Chicago Sun-Times following a nine-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. ''I thought everybody played hard. You could tell there was a sense of urgency there.''

So, Chicago lets a sick and banged up Kobe Bryant score 42 points and suddenly everyone’s feeling good in the Bulls locker room?

''I really think since the Golden State game [on Friday], we've played hard,'' Luol Deng said. ''I think we're headed in the right direction. We just have to keep playing like this.''

What a bunch of loser talk. That Golden State game is Chicago’s only win in its last seven games and it needed overtime to finish off the Warriors.

Things aren’t good in the Windy City.

Everyone wants Derrick Rose to take over when the Bulls are struggling to score, but the point guard has reservations of going into ball-hog mode.

“People say they want me to shoot the ball more, but I’m the point guard; I can’t do that. I‘ve got to pass the ball to people and get people open,” Rose told the Chicago Tribune. “Taking over as a point guard is getting people open and shooting here and there.”

Until the Bulls figure out how to maximize Rose’s role, they’ll struggle to fill up the hoop. That doesn’t bode well going against the fast-paced Knicks.

Pick: Knicks

7:30 PM
ORLANDO vs. MIAMI
Orlando is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Miami
Orlando is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Miami
Miami is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games
Miami is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

8:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. CHICAGO
New York is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
New York is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing New York
Chicago is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing New York

10:30 PM
PHOENIX vs. PORTLAND
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
Portland is 5-12-1 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Phoenix
Portland is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing Phoenix