Coming off of a strong – but losing – playoff effort last year against the Bulls, the Pacers came roaring back to start the 2011-2012 year. The squad is experiencing its best early record in the earlier eight years, but are still troubled against the more adept teams in the league. Whilst they’re 11-4 thus far, only four of those victories are against teams with records above .500.

Number one rated Kentucky vs the NCAA competition hopefuls Georgia? Sounds like a recipe for a crushing defeat, specifically as Kentucky barely regained that desired No. 1 location on the rankings for the first time in the earlier two months. While the Kentucky Wildcats are at the top of the rankings and relishing an 11 game win streak, the Georgia Bulldogs can best be called sporadic so far in the year.

The Kings have their work cut out for them when they take on the Rockets in Houston on January 13th. This is a condition of both squads rebuilding for the longer term as both squads look nothing like their early 2000’s heydays. The Kings look to return to their previous prominence in the west with outstanding play from their young stalwarts. The Houston Rockets are still handling the fallout from the retirement of Yao Ming. The Houston Rockets are liked by 3 points by the oddsmakers and this seeks to be a difficult game to call.

The AT&T Center could get some long distance action on Jan 13th as the Trailblazers go to San Antonio to face the Spurs. Portland is a young team looking to restore as the short but electric Brandon Roy era officially came to an end with his retirement in December. Former #1 pick Greg Oden has additionally had frequent issues with his knees as Portland apparently can not shake the ghost of Sam Bowie. The Spurs expect to defend their court with dazzling plays from their typical steady lineup. The Spurs are liked by 8 points and this looks to be a great bet.

On Jan 12th, things heat up when the Cavaliers come into Phoenix to take on the Suns. Two seasons ago, this would’ve been a stellar match with LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire going head to head in a collision course. In the era of free agency nevertheless, times definitely have transformed as this match looks substantially different. Phoenix is favored by 6 points over the Cleveland Cavaliers and this appears to be a safe wager.

Saturday evening on January 14th, the New York Knicks come into Oklahoma City to battle against the Thunder in this big match between these two squads. It’s a tale of two squads as the Thunder come up with a constant team of young guns vs the NY Knicks who it looks from year upon year always enters into play with a lot of adjustments going on. The NY Knicks are favored by 4 points and this might hold unless Durant has one of his usual killer games.

The United Center in Chicago will be on edge as the Wizards enter into town to take on the Bulls. In past years, this game would have been the most challenging ticket to get as the second comeback by Nike Jordan turned the Washington Wizards into press darlings throughout the nba. Jordan now is long retired nonetheless and the Washington Wizards have become an excellent young team with vast amounts of prospective waiting to be drawn on. The sports book has the Chicago Bulls liked by 8 points which appears correct and appears like a great wager with Chicago being rooted on at home.

The Staples Center is going to come alive on January 11th when the Miami Heat competes with the Clippers. The Heat comes in with one of the best records in the NBA boosted by an excellent roster of stars. The Heat lead the NBA as a team in points scored and assists. The sportsbook has the Heat favored by 8 points and with the backcourt they possess, it is apparently a sure wager. Let’s take a closer look at the Heat this year and what they offer.

Both these teams have been doing relatively well this year. This shouldn’t be an unexpected to anyone as both of these colleges are well known for their share of triumphs in basketball for plenty of years. When Western Virginia visits Connecticut both these teams will be at it out on the court on January 9.

The unpleasant specter of the Lockout had loomed huge over the NBA world until earlier this month. The NBA has effectively tipped off in earnest over Christmas weekend with both the players and the owners finally arriving at an agreement. The NBA welcoming committee journeys to the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. when the Boston Celtics (1-3) battle against the Washington Wizards (0-3). Both teams enter the competition with shaky records and a slow beginning to the season. The sportsbook seems to have the nod on the greater team as the line presently stands – Boston (-7) 184 ½ .