New Orleans @ Atlanta 7:05 PM EST
Play On: Atlanta -12

Chris Paul is out for this game for the Hornets. New Orleans is 4-17 ATS last 3 years as a road underdog of 6 1/2 to 12 points. Atlanta is 8-1 ATS in all games this year.

Atlanta is 5-1 ATS as a favorite this year. New Orleans is allowing 106.5 points per game on the road this year. Atlanta is scoring 106.6 points per game overall and 115 points per game at home this year. Hornets are 16-33-2 ATS in their last 51 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Hornets are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS loss. Hornets are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games following a SU loss. Hornets are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games overall. Hornets are 8-24 ATS in their last 32 games as an underdog. Hornets are 7-22 ATS in their last 29 games as a road underdog. Hornets are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 road games. Hornets are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning SU record. Hornets are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Hornets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600. Hawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a SU win of more than 10 points. Hawks are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 home games. Hawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Western Conference. Hawks are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Hawks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a SU win. Hawks are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when their starting 5 players combine for more than 160 minutes of the previous day. Hawks are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Hawks are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a losing SU record. Hawks are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games as a home favorite. Hawks are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 games as a favorite. Hawks are 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 games following a ATS win. Hawks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 0 days rest. We’ll recommend a small play on Atlanta tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky

Friday night in the NBA, take the points with the Hawks as they get after it in Boston against the 8-1 Celtics.

Atlanta was able to extend Boston to the full seven games in the postseason back in 2008, but have lost the 4 regular season meetings since that playoff setback.

Still, the Hawks have managed to split those 4 meetings against the spread, and Atlanta does enter Beantown tonight on a 7-1-1 spread run their last 9 games overall.

These 2 teams have no love lost between them, and the G-Man sees this one heading right down to the wire.

Live dog play on the Hawks to cover tonight against the Celts.
4? ATLANTA

This game looks a little too easy, as New Orleans is a sinking ship these days, losers of 5 of their last 7 straight up, and 4 of 7 against the spread.

Portland comes into this one having won 4 straight, and 5 of their last 6 both straight up, and against the spread.

The Blazers appear to be heading for a late May run this season, and playing on the road against a team that just fired their head coach is the type of a game that a team like Portland had better take care of.

Portland has won 2 of the last 3 in the series, and 4 of the last 7 overall against New Orleans, and they are also 5-2 against the spread in those 7 games.

No other way to go in this one, but to back the Blazers as the small road favorite.

Play on Portland!
4? PORTLAND

South Florida looked like crap Thursday, making me a loser with my complimentary selection and ending my three-game winning streak. But I’m coming back strong with an NBA winner tonight.

The Hornets already have given coach Byron Scott the boot, and general manager Jeff Bower, who has never been a head coach, is taking over on the bench. I don’t see this as a solution to their problems.

New Orleans isn’t getting much scoring from anyone other than Chris Paul, David West and Emeka Okafor, and Peja Stojakovic is shooting just 35.3 percent from the field.

The Trail Blazers put veteran point guard Andre Miller into the starting lineup four games ago and haven’t lost since. They are holding opponents to 89.6 points per game, and only one has cracked 100 points.

Portland is also getting balanced scoring, led by Brandon Roy’s 20.8 points per game, and should present a variety of problems for the Hornets, who are allowing 105 points per game.

The Blazers have covered in their past four games overall, are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games and 9-2 ATS in their last 11 as a road favorite. Take Portland to cover tonight.
4? PORTLAND

It can’t be a good thing that the Hornets fired head coach Byron Scott and replaced him with the general manager Jeff Bower. Sounds like the guy who put the roster together thinks he can do better than a proven coach. It’s going to end ugly, we all see it coming. So tonight, let’s go ahead and lay the chalk with a very good, young Portland team in New Orleans.

The Hornets are giving up 105 points a game and just got smoked by Phoenix 124-104 on Wednesday. They just don’t seem to have any motivation and gave up 40 points in the first quarter on Wednesday.

Portland has won four in a row (SU and ATS) including easy wins in Memphis and Minnesota on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Blazers took two of the last three against New Orleans last season, cashing in four of the five series matchups last year. Back on Feb. 2, Portland went to the Big Easy and scored a 97-89 win as a three-point ‘dog.

In fact, the Blazers have won four of the last seven and cashed in five of those seven.

Portland has been built the right way, with smart trades and good draft picks. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge are two guys that can flat out score the ball. Throw in the headiness of guards Andre Miller and Steve Blake and you’ve got a fine NBA squad.

New Orleans just doesn’t have enough punch. Chris Paul is outstanding, but the other starters struggle if everything isn’t going just perfectly.

Portland is on ATS runs of 7-2 on the road, 19-7 as a favorite, 7-0 on Fridays and 4-0 overall. Meanwhile, the Hornets are on ATS slides of 8-23 as an underdog, 3-11 overall, 1-4 at home, 2-9 against the Western Conference and 0-5 on Fridays.

Go ahead and lay the chalk with the Blazers.
3? PORTLAND