Art Aronson

This is a 10* on BROOKLYN

From 12/28 to 1/13, the Lakers have won nine in a row. Now they’ve lost two of the last four games. They played last night, and won, but it was in unimpressive fashion beating the Knicks 100-92. That was on the heels of a humiliating 139-107 loss in Boston Monday. The road trip continues Thursday in Brooklyn where LA will be solidly favored. This is not only because the Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference but also because the Nets have been struggling badly. It’s four straight losses for the Nets and they’ve failed to cover every time. A 2-11 record since Christmas isn’t scaring anybody. But with Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert having returned to the lineup, the Nets can only be down for so long. This is a really bad spot for the Lakers, who are playing their third road game in four days. It’s been a brutal schedule of late for the Nets. However they have been off since Monday. By not covering last night, the Lakers are just 1-5 ATS their last six tries as road favorites. Play on BROOKLYN

AAA

This is a 10* on RICE

When UTEP and Rice meet - whether it be the football field or basketball court - the only thing on the line is usually pride. Both athletic departments should feel pretty ashamed. Here we are and the Conference USA rivals meet Thursday. UTEP is 3-7 straight up its last 10 games. They have covered only two of those. Rice is 1-7 straight up its last eight games. Here’s the thing though: UTEP is 0-7 on the road. In those games, they average just 62.3 points/game. For Rice, who is just 1-6 in conference play, this is one of their best shots at picking up a win. The Owls also are averaging 82.3 points/game at home. UTEP has just two conference wins. The Miners are just 13-30 ATS their last 43 Conference USA games. They just gave up a season-high point total (86) to Southern Miss last Saturday. The Miners should not be favored in this game. This is a price you probably won’t see the rest of the season if looking to fade UTEP on the road. Play on RICE

AAA