With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 2-2
On the Season: 8-10-1

Tonight’s Games:

Houston (-6) @ Atlanta: The Hawks side of me says take Atlanta. The regular side of me says bet the Rockets. Hard. Really hard. They’ve had this tendency of winning by double digits and playing defense. Good news for the Rockets: The Hawks have neither of those tendencies.

LAC @ Orlando Magic (-10): Clippers stink. Take the home team in a blowout.

76′ers @ Detroit (-8): I laughed when Boston was only a six point favorite over Philly, and I laugh at this, as well.

Seattle Supersonics (+18) @ Boston Celtics: There’s a good chance Boston’s second team could be in there by the third quarter. That said, take the Sonics to cover.

New York Knicks (-1) @ Miami Heat: ?

Cleveland Cavaliers (-4) @ New Jersey Nets: Nets are falling fast. Cleveland’s rising even faster. LeBron and Co. pull it off, win easy.

Utah Jazz @ Milwaukee Bucks (+9): They just lost last night, and now they’ve got to travel. I’m probably betting this because I’m bitter about Utah’s performance against Chicago yesterday, but whatever: Take Milwaukee to cover.

San Antonio Spurs (+3.5) @ New Orleans Hornets: I love me some Spurs when they’re underdogs.