NBA: Rockets are Knicked up, and we like visiting Spurs and Magic 

Spurs (+3.5) @ SIXERS (225) @ 8:05 pm
Pick: Spurs +3.5
The Sixers, minus Jimmy Butler, had a very impressive 121-93 victory on Monday night against Houston. However, Butler looks to be a game-time decision again tonight and Ben Simmons also may not go as he is questionable with an upper respiratory infection. Not to take anything away from the Sixers victory on Monday, but once Brett Brown made the proper defensive adjustments on James Harden, Houston could not find other ways to score without Clint Capela and Chris Paul. San Antonio has long prided itself on playing a team brand of basketball, so tonight won’t be as simple as containing one player. The Spurs are also coming off a 103-95 loss at home against the Clippers in which they were a 9.5-point favorite. With Butler and Simmons’ status in question and San Antonio at 13-7 off a loss this season, we’ll take the points with the Spurs and bank on Gregg Popovich’s team to keep this within one possession.

Magic (+5.5) @ NETS (219) 7:35 pm
Pick: Magic +5.5
The Orlando Magic have not been a good road team this season as they sit at 8-14 in away games entering tonight’s contest in Brooklyn. However, Orlando’s at 11-1 ATS on the road and actually had some impressive covers in away games early in the season. The Magic lost by just one at Philadelphia in October, won in Boston on that same trip, won in San Antonio in November, and covered three straight in a west coast swing at the end of November against the Lakers, Golden State and Portland. The Magic also just let a 13-point halftime lead slip away against the Nets last Friday and lost the game 117-115. Aaron Gordon will be back in the lineup for Orlando tonight after missing the last two games with a back injury. Give us Orlando to come out hungry after letting one slip away against the Nets last week and stay inside the 5.5 tonight. Yes, the Nets have been on fire at 8-2 in their last 10 and 8-2 ATS in those 10 games, but sooner or later they have to slow down right?

Rockets (-7.5) @ KNICKS (226) 7:35 pm
Pick: Knicks +7.5
We already mentioned the Rockets are a little undermanned when discussing the Sixers victory against them on Monday. Granted, if there’s a game James Harden wins and covers all by himself it’s this one against the Knicks. But we’re thinking Monday was more of a sign that Harden’s magic is starting to slow down and as a result, the Rockets are going to limp to the All-Star break. They’ll be fine once they get healthy, but this feels like a dog days stretch for the Rockets and therefore we can’t get excited about laying 7.5 points with them. The second half against the Sixers for the Rockets was mostly a bunch of a missed three pointers. They’re also lowly 8-14 ATS on the road this year which also doesn’t make us feel good about backing them. Most of the time, when you’re taking a bad team to cover, it’s almost always going to be about a number being too high for the favorite, and that’s the case here.