nba picks 07/03/2008

Seattle at Philadelphia (-11, 200)
Wow. Philadelphia is laying 11 points. That doesn’t happen every day. Actually, it hasn’t all year, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t lay the points here. The most the Sixers have been favored by this season is the 9 ½ points they were laying against Memphis three weeks ago. That wasn’t a problem for the red-hot Sixers. In fact, Philly is 3-0 when they’re favored by nine points or more, so it’s really not that risky to lay these points with a team that has won seven of its last 10 games and it helps that they're playing the Sonics in the middle of a long road stretch.
Pick: Sixers
Chicago at Boston (-11, 197)
There’s no doubt that these Celtics are an excellent team, but you don’t want to be laying too many points with these guys. Boston is 3-9 as a favorite of 11 or more points this season and the Bulls are 3-0 when they’re on the receiving end of such a spread. The Garden is a tough place to play, but even though the Celts have won nine in a row at home, they’ve only covered in four of those games. Chicago is hot right now after scoring more than 100 points in its last two games.
Pick: Bulls
San Antonio at Denver (-2, 201 ½)
This is an easy one. The Spurs are getting points against a team that is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games. You have to consider that the Spurs have lost their last four games as an underdog, but Denver’s free-wheeling style doesn’t fare so well against strong defensive teams. When facing the top five defensive teams in the NBA, the Nuggets are only 2-6 ATS. You might want to take a long look at the under here as well.
Pick: Spurs