Friday, March 30

7 Free Picks, all backed by In-Depth Analysis, plus more Rated Selections from the nation’s premier sports analysts, are available daily at PickNation.com

Toronto (39-32, 41-29-1 ATS) at Washington (38-32, 31-38-1 ATS)

The Raptors pay a visit to the Verizon Center in a battle of division leaders.

Toronto is coming off Wednesday’s impressive 96-83 win over the streaking Heat, easily cashing as a 3½-point home chalk. The Raptors have won three of four and seven of 10, and they’re 5-3 ATS in their last eight.

Washington returned home from a five-game road trip on Wednesday and barely held off Philadelphia 111-108, snapping a three-game slide. The Wizards failed to cash as a seven-point chalk, dropping to 2-4 ATS in their last six.

The straight-up winner has covered the spread in eight consecutive Raptors games and nine of the last 12 Wizards contests.

The Raptors will be looking to halt a two-game SU and ATS slide on the road. They’re just 1-4 SU and ATS outside of Canada this month, which has dropped their season road record to 13-22 SU and 19-16 ATS.

The Wizards have won five of their last six at home. However, they’re mired in a 2-6 ATS in drought on their own floor. For the season, Washington owns an impressive 26-9 record at the Verizon Center, but is just 14-21 ATS.

One of the Wizards’ recent spread-covers at home came in a 129-109 rout of Toronto as a 4½-point home chalk back on March 6. That snapped a three-game SU and ATS losing streak against the Raptors. The host has won the last five series clashes, going 4-0-1 ATS. Also, the straight-up winner is 9-0-1 ATS in the past 10 encounters.

These teams have soared over the total in each of their last five meetings. Also, Washington is on a 7-2 “over” spurt, while Toronto has stayed under the number in six of its last eight.

ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE

Utah (47-24, 34-36-1 ATS) at San Antonio (51-20, 37-34 ATS)

Two teams that have already wrapped up playoff berths meet at the AT&T Center, where the Jazz can clinch a rare season series win against the Spurs with a victory tonight.

Utah ran its winning streak to three by outlasting Minnesota 108-102 on Wednesday night to clinch the Northwest Division crown and end a three-year postseason drought. However, the Jazz failed to cover as a 10½-point home chalk, dropping to 0-9 ATS in their last nine outings.

San Antonio continued its winning ways on Wednesday, sneaking past the Hornets 92-88, failing as a 13-point home chalk. The Spurs have won 18 of their last 20 games, including five in a row, but they’re just 3-5 ATS in their last eight.

The home team has won eight of the last 10 meetings in this series, including all three encounters this season. Utah prevailed 83-75 as a one-point underdog and 97-93 as a five-point pup in the two games played in Salt Lake City, while the Spurs rolled to a 106-83 win as a 7½-point chalk in the lone battle in San Antonio.

The straight-up winner is 9-1 ATS and the home squad is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 series tussles.

The Jazz will be looking to snap a five-game SU and ATS road losing skid tonight. The straight-up winner has covered the spread in all but two of those of Utah’s 35 road contests.

San Antonio has won 10 of its last 11 home games, but is just 1-4 ATS in the last five.

The under is 4-2 in the past six series meetings. Also, Utah has stayed low in nine of its last 11 overall, including in five consecutive road games. Finally, the under is 22-11-1 at the AT&T Center this season, including 5-1-1 in the last seven.

ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN ANTONIO and UNDER

Houston (46-26, 36-35-1 ATS) at L.A. Lakers (38-33, 31-37-3 ATS)

The red-hot Rockets play their second straight game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, this time going up against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Houston enters this one on a 10-2 run (8-4 ATS) following Wednesday’s 92-87 victory over the Clippers as a three-point road chalk. The Rockets have turned up the defense of late, holding five of their last six foes to 87 points or fewer.

The Lakers will try to rebound from Tuesday’s embarrassing 88-86 home loss to the Grizzlies, which snapped the team’s five-game winning streak. Los Angeles, which went off as a 12½-point favorite against Memphis, is 1-9-1 ATS in its last 11 games and 5-15-2 ATS in its last 22.

The Rockets crushed L.A. 102-77 as a five-point home chalk on Jan. 10, snapping a four-game SU and ATS losing streak in the series. Two of those Lakers victories came within a span of four days in December, as L.A. prevailed 102-94 as a two-point road underdog and 112-101 in overtime as a 4½-point home chalk.

The straight-up winner is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head matchups, including 7-0 ATS in the last seven.

The Rockets are on a 3-1 SU and ATS roll on the highway, and the straight-up winner is 24-0 ATS in Houston’s last 24 road contests.

With Tuesday’s loss to the Grizzlies, the Lakers fell to 2-12-1 ATS in their last 15 home games.

The Lakers had a five-game “over” run snapped when Tuesday’s game against Memphis stayed well under the total. Meanwhile, the under is 4-1 in the Rockets’ last five overall, but the over is on runs of 7-3 for Houston on the road and 9-4 when the Rockets face Pacific Division foes.

ATS ADVANTAGE: HOUSTON

7 Free Picks, all backed by In-Depth Analysis, plus more Rated Selections from the nation’s premier sports analysts, are available daily at PickNation.com