Basketball Picks - March 07, 2010

We missed the mark with our lone play yesterday giving back a few units.  We look to make that up tonight and get back on track with three premium selections.

Today's NBA Basketball Picks:

Game: Houston at Detroit (6:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Houston -1.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)

Detroit has had their problems on the court this season. Now they have an off-court issue to deal with in Rodney Stuckey's health. While he was released from the hospital, he is not playing and he is set to undergo further tests after collapsing on the court in Friday's game vs. the Cavs. This is a dual-whammy for the Pistons. Not only do they have something serious distracting them, they lose one of their best players and his 17 points and five assists per game. They are also likely without Ben Wallace and his 9.1 rebounds in this game. With all this, and six straight losses, this team is simply in disarray. The Rockets beat Detroit by 11 points last time they met, even without these issues. The Pistons are just 13-24 ATS since last season in home games vs. winning teams. They are 12-22 ATS this season revenging a loss. I don't see how Detroit wins this game.

Michael Finley should make his Boston debut in this one. The Celts are back to winning after facing three sub-par teams in a row in Detroit, Charlotte and Philadelphia. They get another cupcake here. The Wizards certainly have their offensive woes but their defense is also awful, allowing 102 per game. Boston can easily get to 110 or more here if they try and I think this game goes OVER. When facing bad defenses (those allowing 99+ per game), the Celtics are 44-30 OVER the past two seasons. As a home favorite, the Celts are 44-30 OVER during that span. This one should go OVER the total.

Portland's defense has been solid all season (94.9 points per game allowed). But they are suddenly finding some offense to go with that, having scored 100+ in six straight games. Brandon Roy has found even more confidence and looks fine since the All Star break after missing 12 games with a hamstring injury. The Trailblazers are 20-10 ATS on the road this season where they continue to get less respect than they deserve. The Nuggets are very good at home, going 27-5 straight up. But, their ATS mark stands at right around .500. Denver shoots 37.8% from beyond the arc but Portland is 12-3 ATS this season vs. good three-point shooting teams like that. They are 8-1 ATS in their last nine vs. bad defensive teams (those allowing triple digits). I like the Trailblazers to keep this one close.

NBA Basketball Picks Resources:

• Here we show our NBA power ratings.
• Here we show our sports betting NBA.
• View our NBA Game Analysis here.
• Check out our updated NBA prior predictions.
• Hop over to our 2009 season NBA basketball betting preview here.
• Don't forget to read our basketball blog here.
• View our 2009 NBA basketball season prior picks here.
• View our basketball free picks here.
• View NBA basketball odds and lines here.
• Check out our updated NBA ATS records.

Check out the last five NBA Basketball Picks Newsletters:

NBA-Basketball-Picks-March-06-2010
The Charlotte Bobcats have turned the corner, especially at home where they are 21-8. They have not been so great lately at just 3-4 in their last seven at home, but are also off a huge emotional 15 p...

NBA-Basketball-Picks-March-05-2010
The Golden State Warriors season has been plagued by so many injuries it is hard to keep track. They were not a competitive team anyway, but have been under-valued consistently all season because this...

NBA-Basketball-Picks-March-03-2010
The Cavs aren't punishing teams the way they did a year ago as they realized it cost them valuable energy come playoff time, so they have carried the lunch pail, grabbed the win and moved on inste...

NBA-Basketball-Picks-March-02-2010
It seems utterly amazing, but the Boston Celtics appeared to have aged overnight. They aren't getting the same production out of the Big 3 - already in year 3, and injuries and age have slowed the...

NBA-Basketball-Picks-March-01-2010
The Portland Trailblazers were off to a good start but had to make due with numerous injuries, and have fallen off. It has begun to show up on the defensive end. Portland, in their first 11 games on t...