BOSTON (22 - 5) at ORLANDO (22 - 7) - 12/25/2009, 2:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 77-56 ATS (+15.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 93-70 ATS (+16.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 37-22 ATS (+12.8 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) against Atlantic division opponents this season.
ORLANDO is 45-27 ATS (+15.3 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 40-22 ATS (+15.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 128-101 ATS (+16.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 28-13 ATS (+13.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 65-47 ATS (+13.3 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 8-7 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 9-6 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CLEVELAND (22 - 8) at LA LAKERS (23 - 4) - 12/25/2009, 5:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 72-53 ATS (+13.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 37-24 ATS (+10.6 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 37-24 ATS (+10.6 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 34-22 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 51-34 ATS (+13.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 2-2 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 2-2 straight up against CLEVELAND 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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LA CLIPPERS (12 - 16) at PHOENIX (18 - 11) - 12/25/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA CLIPPERS are 42-67 ATS (-31.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 35-53 ATS (-23.3 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 23-35 ATS (-15.5 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 32-52 ATS (-25.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 16-32 ATS (-19.2 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 40-58 ATS (-23.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
LA CLIPPERS are 34-53 ATS (-24.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 33-55 ATS (-27.5 Units) as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA CLIPPERS is 5-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 8-1 straight up against LA CLIPPERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DENVER (20 - 9) at PORTLAND (19 - 12) - 12/25/2009, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

2:30 PM
BOSTON vs. ORLANDO
Boston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Boston is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games
Orlando is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston

5:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. LA LAKERS
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
LA Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing Cleveland
LA Lakers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing Cleveland

8:00 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX
LA Clippers are 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games on the road
LA Clippers are 6-19 SU in their last 25 games on the road
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing LA Clippers

10:30 PM
DENVER vs. PORTLAND
Denver is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Portland is 5-12-1 ATS in its last 18 games when playing at home against Denver
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Denver

Miami Heat at New York Knicks (-2.5, 199)

All Mike D’Antoni had to do was place Nate Robinson at the end of the bench and New York would start winning games.

It turns out “Kryptonite” was the source siphoning the life out of the Knicks. Robinson hasn’t played since Dec. 1 and New York has gone 7-3 straight up and 6-4 against the spread without him on the floor.

But it’s not D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense that’s receiving credit for the December success. New York has not allowed an opponent to reach the 100-point mark in eight straight games and the last six at home.

"I think we have more of a confidence that we can stop them on the other end," D'Antoni said.

“Our team has really just tried to step up and play better defense, and really in the month of December we’ve done a better job of that after being ineffective in November at getting any kind of stops,” David Lee said.

The Knicks will spread the holiday spirit to fans at Madison Square Garden by donning green jerseys on Friday. New York has won six straight at the Garden and gone 5-1 ATS during that stretch.

The last time the Knicks played on Christmas Day was in 2001 when they beat the Raptors, 102-94, in a game listed as a pick’em.

Heat center Jermaine O’Neal missed practice on Tuesday with a groin injury and only lasted three minutes in Wednesday’s victory over the Jazz before straining his groin. It is doubtful he will be in the lineup versus New York.

Miami has won the last three games in this series, but the Knicks have taken four of the last five in New York. The over has cashed in five straight in this matchup.

The spread for this game opened at 1 in favor of the Knicks but sharp action quickly moved that number to 2.5. It’s time to hop on board with the wiseguys.

Pick: Knicks


Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers (N/A)

The last leg of the NBA Christmas Day extravaganza features the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets against the Trail Blazers who have climbed within two games of Denver after winning five of their last six outings.

No line has been set for this game because the playing status of point guards Chauncey Billups and Brandon Roy is uncertain.

Billups has missed Denver’s last three games with the Nuggets going 1-2 straight up and ATS during that timeframe. The four-time All-Star isn’t recovering as fast as he would like.

“When I tried to pick it up and get to a sprint, I wasn’t able to get to a sprint like I wanted to,” said Billups, who has been out with a groin strain. “I was a little frustrated with that.”

Roy missed Wednesday’s game against the Spurs with a sore left shoulder, but the Blazers were able to come away with a 98-94 road victory.

Jerryd Bayless got the first start of his career in Roy’s absence and did not disappoint. The second-year player out of Arizona scored a career-high 31 points while dishing seven dimes.

"I've always had confidence, but I didn't know I was going to do that," Bayless said. "Even with Brandon and with all these injuries – and we need Brandon back – I think we can still win games.”

Nate McMillan’s team has been plagued by injuries this season. Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and Travis Outlaw were out but the team lost center Joel Pryzbilla on Tuesday to a ruptured patella tendon.

McMillen has found a way to inspire his team to fight through the rash of setbacks.

"You talk about resiliency with a group," McMillan said. "There's no words. I'm so happy for this group."

Portland is 10-4 inside the cozy confines of the Rose Garden this season. The Blazers have won and covered in three straight while the under is 5-0 in the last five games of this series.

Pick: Trail Blazers