darrell,

2-1 again last night and now 37-28 since the start of February. Four picks today.

My NBA Power Rankings are here.

Good luck , darrell!

**LA LAKERS -7.5 over Seattle (3:30 Eastern)

The Lakers are coming off a confidence boosting 100-92 victory over San Antonio on Friday. We were on them there as they were getting 8 points but didn't need any. Six days prior to that win, they beat Detroit by 11 points, again not needing any points. This team has shown they have "it" right now and they should cursh here. Seattle is just 6-17 ATS this season as a dog of 3.5 to 9 points and 8-20 ATS as a road dog. The Sonics are off a rare home win but they are just 3-11 ATS in that situation this year. They are giving up 108.2 points per game on the road this season and the Lakers are scoring 102 per game at home and 104 over their last five games. Two stars on LA.

***Denver +3.5 over Boston (6:05 Eastern)

Denver's got injury problems but the rest of the team knows they need to step things up in the absence of these players. George Karl has the experience to guide and motivate his team through this time. Denver has won five straight games both SU and ATS. During that stretch they have won by an average score of 102 to 95. They've hit 50% from the field while holding opponents to 42.5%. Boston has also been playing good offense of late but their defense has been awful, allowing 103.4 per game over their last five games. Ride Denver's momentum and better defense here. Three stars on the Nuggets.

**TORONTO +2 over Indiana (6:05 Eastern)

We get a small home dog here that has played well against their opponent. The Raptors are 13-6-1 ATS their past 20 meetings with Indiana. Look for them to bounce back with a big effort as they snap their 3-game skid. Toronto is 16-13 ATS at home while Indiana is 13-17 ATS on the road. Toronto is scoring points but their defense is bad. However, for some reason Indiana performs poorly against these kinds of teams. The Pacers are jjust 3-12 ATS this season vs. teams that allow oppoents to hit 46%+ of their shots (Toronto allows 49%). Toronto knows they can win this one and they need it bad. Two stars on the Raptors.

**DETROIT -13 over Charlotte (6:05 Eastern)

Big number here I know. But, these are the Pistons and they are coming off a very ugly loss to the Wizards. Charlotte is bad and they have been decimated by injuries in recent months, and has lost the services of F's Emeka Okafor and Sean May. As a result, they are hurting on defense, allowing 101.2 ppg on the road. Detroit has played excellent defense all season long, allowing just 89.7 ppg this season. Charlotte beat the Knicks yesterday, got on a plane,  and will play an angry Pistons club today. On January 14th, Charlotte travelled to Detroit and lost by 23 points. I see a similar final score today. Two stars on Detroit.