Dallas Mavericks 105, Phoenix Suns 98: The Suns would have to do a lot to blow their lead and miss the playoffs, but if such an event did occur there would be a lot of people pointing to this game as the reason they’re not in. The Suns held a 12 point lead heading into the fourth, but only managed nine points the entire quarter, therein losing the game. Even in victory, I’ll hate on Jason Kidd, and how little he contributes to this team: In 38 minutes of action, he had eight points and seven assists.

Golden State Warriors 96, New Orleans Hornets 108: Golden State is doing their best to survive and push their way into the playoffs, but the gas tank is on E, and the car is starting to sputter. Monta Ellis had 35 points, but Baron Davis only came up with 17 and Stephen Jackson fell flat with only six points on 3/11 shooting. New Orleans holds a 1 1/2 game lead over the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs 72, Portland Trail Blazers 65: Tim Duncan provided most of the offense with 27 points, and the rest of the Spurs decided they’d play lights out defense and hold their opponent under 70. Brandon Roy led all Blazers players with 18 points.

Denver Nuggets 147, Seattle Seahawks 151: Like I said about Phoenix: If Denver doesn’t make the playoffs, this is the game they’ll point to. Kevin Durant dropped 37 points, had nine rebounds and eight assists, and Denver dropped one to the second-worst team in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined for 64 points for the Nuggets.

New Orlenans Hornets 98, Orlando Magic 97: Peja Stojakovic had hit a three point field goal in 35 consecutive games, and was in danger of not making it to No. 36, until the final minute where he nailed two threes, one to win the game, catapulting the Hornets to victory. Chris Paul had 19 points and 12 assists for the Hornets.

Phoenix Suns 120, Denver Nuggets 126: The standings in the West are getting awful hazy, and this one didn’t help any. The win puts Denver in the eighth and final spot, just a half game ahead of Golden State, and puts the Mavericks that much closer to not making the playoffs (they’re currently a half game ahead of Denver, and only one game ahead of Golden State). The Warriors and Mavs face-off tonight, and if last year was any indication, that’s something the people of Dallas don’t want to see in their final eight games.

Philadelphia 76′ers 108, New Jersey Nets 99: Philadelphia is now one game above .500 for the first time in forever, and the Nets are quickly falling their way out of playoff contention. The Hawks now have a 3 1/2 game lead over the struggling Nets, but it doesn’t really matter: Whoever does get in, you see, plays the Celtics. And whoever plays the Celtics, you see, will be swept.

Sacramento Kings 99, Houston Rockets 98: After the Rockets won 22 straight games, they’ve now dropped five of their last nine. It’s nice to peak in the middle of the season to make sure you make the playoffs, but it’s not good time to go through one of your worst dry-spells heading into May.

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.

On the Season: 36-36-1

New Orleans Hornets @ Orlando Magic (+1.5): Magic are a solid team at home, and they bomb too many threes on a regular basis for me to feel comfortable betting against them.

Philadelphia 76′ers (+1) @ New Jersey Nets: I have to root, root, root for this game. If the Hawks can win their next game, and Jersey lose this one, we’ll build almost a four game lead with eight games left. And then just get swept by the Celtics in the opening round.

Detroit Pistons (-6) @ Minnesota T’Wolves: The T’Wolves are getting better, and the Pistons have been slumping, but this just seems too easy.

Phoenix Suns (+5) @ Denver Nuggets: Both teams like to run, and when I think of running, I think of the Suns. It’s hard to beat them at their own game, even with a sluggish Shaq. They may not win, but they’ll cover the four.

Miami Heat 85, Indiana Pacers 105: If you look at Miami’s schedule the rest of the year, they’ve got one game where they may be favorites, when Memphis strolls into town April 11. Beyond that, they’ll probably be ‘dogs, and rightfully so. It’s hard to imagine how a team that won a championship two years ago, had one of the best big men and best young stars in the league, has come to this, but numbers don’t lie: 13 wins.

Toronto Raptors 104, Charlotte Bobcats 100: The win helped Toronto snag onto the sixth spot in the East, jumping the Sixers, which would ultimately help them avoid playing Detroit in the first round. Chris Bosh scored 32 points and grabbed eight boards, helping the Raptors get back on track.

Atlanta Hawks 116, Memphis Grizzlies 99: The Hawks are clinging to the eight-spot in the East, with the Nets breathing down their necks, and what better way to cling than playing the Knicks and Grizzlies in back-to-back games? That easy streak is about to end, though: Of their remaining eight games, five games come against Philadelphia (twice), Orlando, Boston, and Toronto.

Washington Wizards 87, Utah Jazz 129: The Jazz shot 59 percent from the floor, and nailed 15 three-pointers in their rout of the Wizards. Seven Jazz players scored in double figures, led by CJ Miles 29 point effort.

Denver Nuggets 117, Phoenix Suns 132: The Suns were down by 18 at the half, and trailed by as many as 22, but rallied on the back of Amare Stoudemire’s 41 point effort. ‘Melo and AI were a combined 16-37 from the field.

Dallas Mavericks 93, LA Clippers 86: Jason Kidd finally got something going on offense, scoring 27 points but only managed four assists. Dallas sits in the seven-spot of the West right now, gripping onto a one-game lead over the ninth-place Nuggets.

Shaq’s got himself a new woman, and as Deadspin points out, it sure looks a lot like the one he just divorced: A mixture of light-dark skin, short hair, and an interesting smile.

It’s hard to imagine Shaq sleeping with women like this because, you know, he’s huge, his junk is probably huger, and the girls he dates are pretty small.

Let’s just hope this relationship works out better than his last one, or better than his trade to Phoenix.

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: 4-2
On the Season: 33-33-1

Detroit Pistons (-1) @ Toronto Raptors: Raps have been struggling. Pistons are good. Take Detroit.

Milwaukee Bucks (+7) @ Atlanta Hawks: I like the Hawks to win, but take the gift seven and the Bucks.

Miami Heat @ New York Knicks (-7): It’s a hard bet to take. I know. Just swallow and do it. Because betting the Heat will be even worse.

Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics (-5): Boston just dropped one at home to the Sixers, so I figure they can’t possibly lose two in a row. Lay the five, C’s cover.

Minnesota T’Wolves @ Houston Rockets (-11): Minnesota, on the road, against one of the better teams in the NBA. Rockets cruise.

Charlotte Bobcats @ LA Lakers (-11): See above.

Philadelphia 76′ers 95, Boston Celtics 90: It was a stunning home loss, one I bet on, one I loss on, and I can’t say I’m too happy about the suddenly surging Sixers. Andre Iguodala led all Sixers with 28 points, followed by Andre Miller’s 20 and rookie Thaddeus Young’s 16. The win moved Philadelphia into sixth place in the East, and did nothing to hurt the standing of the first place Celtics.

Phoenix Suns 105, Detroit Pistons 100: Is it bad when you bet so much you don’t know which team you took? I’m at work, and can’t check my Sportsbook account, but I’m thinking I got Phoenix at +3. Let’s hope, anyway. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 36. Steve Nash had nine assists.

Milwaukee Bucks 73, Miami Heat 78: It’s quite possibly Miami’s last win of the season. Really. The heat had five scorers in double digits — probably also a last — led by Chris Quinn’s 24. When Chris Quinn is your best player, well, then, you’re in trouble.

New Jersey Nets 106, New York Knicks 91: It’s the old adage: Don’t bet on the Knicks. I didn’t. I won. Ironically, with the Nets win, they’re closer to the playoffs, while in Dallas, with their loss, they find themselves falling out of the playoffs. Guess that Jason Kidd trade paid off after all.

Denver Nuggets 120, Memphis Grizzlies 106: The Nuggets have now won three straight, and just for the record, they’ve scored 100 points or more in their last 12 games.

Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle Supersonics 97: All five Seattle starters had double digit scoring efforts, and Kevin Durant put in 23 points on a rare good shooting night (9-13). Martell Webster had 23 points for the struggling Trail Blazers.

LA Lakers 123, Golden State Warriors 119: It took overtime, but like I said: Jump on Kobe’s boat when he’s coming off a loss. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, leading the Lakers to victory.

I’ll publish stuff like Greg Oden walking around a grocery store. It’s a slow day, and there’s not much else to post, but beyond that, let’s be real: If a guy is fit to push a 10 pound cart full of deli meats and bread around the store, he’s clearly ready to guard Shaq in a basketball game.

No, really. Maybe not other centers, but Shaq, for real.

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.

On The Season: 25-28-1 Against The Spread

Philadelphia 76′ers @ Boston Celtics (-10): Take this one. Take it all day. Boston wins by a hundred.

New Jersey Nets (+2) @ New York Knicks: Rule of betting basketball: Don’t bet on the Knicks. It’s won me money for the most part, so I’m sticking to it.

Milwaukee Bucks(+1) @ Miami Heat: That rule mentioned above, it’s starting to apply to the Heat. When the two teams play together, it’ll be an interesting coin flip.

Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons(-3): Detroit plays defense. Phoenix is still trying to figure that one out. And though the team is doing much better with Shaq now, I like the Pistons at home.

Denver Nuggets (-7) @ Memphis Grizzlies: Denver’s been on a tear, and AI and ‘Melo are finally starting to click together. Memphis, meanwhile, is heading for the lottery, and wondering where yet another year has gone.

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets (-7): Let’s start another streak, people. This team was easy money, and we need it to get back that way.

Portland Trail Blazers @ Seattle Supersonics (+9): There’s not a team I’ve been more burnt by than the Trail Blazers. They’re a tempting team to pick, but when I ride ‘em I die with ‘em. Seattle’s no stellar team, but I’ll take the eight at home and run with it.

Los Angeles Lakers (-2) @ Golden State: Eh. Probably a toss up. But I like Kobe after losing and struggling the night before.

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: 5-2
On the season: 21-23-1

Denver Nuggets (+2) @ Philadephia 76′ers: The Nuggets don’t play defense, but they do play offense, and I feel like AI, going back to his old home, will come out victorious, or at least lose by one.

Washington Wizards @ Orlando Magic (-7): The Magic have been bombing threes when they’re at home, and Washington’s suffering a rough skid right now.

Miami Heat (+14) @ Toronto Raptors: The Raptors have been awful without Bosh. This spread makes me think Bosh must be back, but even in his first game, expect some rust, take the points.

Charlotte Bobcats (+6) @ Indiana Pacers: Two bad teams, take the ‘dog.

Atlanta Hawks @ New Jersey Nets (-2): Hawks are one bad team on the road.

Memphis Grizzlies (+7) @ Minnesota T’Wolves: I just can’t take Minnesota too seriously as a team favored by this many points.

Houston Rockets (+3) New Orleans Hornets: Time to start a new streak. And with the defense they play, Paul and Peja shouldn’t have the easiest time scoring.

Detroit Pistons (+1) @ Cleveland Cavaliers: I love me some Pistons when they’re ‘dogs.

Phoenix Suns (-10) @ Seattle Supersonics: Suns seem to be coming together. ‘Sonics still have some work to do.