Bryan Power

10* Under Clippers/T'Wolves (9:35 ET): Most power rankings call the Clippers the third best team in the league right now, the obvious front-runners being Milwaukee and the Lakers. I'm going to disagree. Doc Rivers' team has won three straight, all on the road, and 12 of its last 14 overall. Wednesday saw them deliver a resounding 20-point win in Toronto as for the third time in the last five games they held their opponent under 100 points. I'm looking for another strong defensive effort tonight in Minnesota. 

The Timberwolves have gone Over in five consecutive games, all of them losses which have seen the opposition average a ghastly 130.8 PPG on 54% shooting. It's six-game losing streak overall and while I'm not going to make the case for that to come to an end this evening, I will call for a better defensive effort than what we've been seeing. Don't those awful defensive numbers have to start improving simply by default? Not surprisingly, the O/U line is high for tonight's game. 

Six of the last seven meetings between these teams have gone Over. But the Clippers didn't have Kawhi Leonard or Paul George for any of those. This is a better defensive team now, one that should keep Minnesota in check tonight. While they've yet to face Minnesota this season, LA is 5-0 Under against the rest of the Northwest Division. Those turning on ESPN tonight expecting lots of points will end up disappointed. 10* Under Clippers/T'Wolves

10* Over Devils/Avalanche (9:05 ET): Colorado is a team I've been wanting to speak on for awhile now. I just haven't had the right opportunity. Winners of seven of their last eight games (beat a good Flyers team 3-1 Wednesday night), the Avs now have - by far - the best goal differential in the Western Conference. It's at +29, more than double what any other team in the West has. In fact, it's the best goal differential in the entire league right now. 

Judging by the line, it should be another easy win this evening as New Jersey comes to town. The Devils have the second fewest number of points in the entire league right now, ahead of only hideous Detroit. It's a six-game losing streak for NJ, who has been outscored by 37 goals in 30 games. Only two teams - the Red Wings and Sharks - have allowed more goals this year. So, with their top line back intact, you have to think the Avs are salivating a bit at the notion of how often they should be lighting the lamp tonight. 

In the L8 games alone, Colorado has scored 33 times. The only team in the league w/ more goals on the season is Washington. They average 4.0 per game at home and are getting a lot of shots to boot. On the flip side, New Jersey gives up lots of shots and goals (3.9 per game on the road). The only concern the Avalanche should have going into this game is how rusty goaltender Philipp Grubauer might be if he does indeed make his return. If he doesn't, backup Francouz may not be able to continue his strong recent play. The Avs are also down a defenseman (Makar). The Devils' goaltending situation is dire.  10* Over Devils/Avalanche

10* Indiana (7:35 ET): The Pacers just picked up a big conference win on Wednesday, beating Boston 122-117 here at home. They came from behind, overcoming a 10-point deficit and 44 points from Kemba Walker, in doing so. Now they'll be taking on a far less formidable foe in Atlanta, a team they have beaten six straight times. While the game is on the road, the spread should be a lot higher than where it opened at. The Hawks have surrendered 130+ points in three of the last four games. Lay the points. 

I faded Atlanta in its most recent game, Wednesday in Chicago, noting what a horrible spot it was for such a bad team. Just the night before, they'd blown a six-point lead in the final minute of regulation and lost to Miami in overtime. Sure enough, the Hawks came out like a defeated team on Wednesday, allowing the Bulls to shoot an insane 57.4% from the field. It was the Bulls' best game of the season, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of what's going on in Atlanta right now. This is a team that's won just twice in its last 15 games. 

The Hawks are very clearly one of the worst teams in the league this year. They are being outscored by 10 points every 100 possessions and are second to last (tied w/ Cleveland) in defensive efficiency. A couple weeks ago, they were able to stay within one point of the Pacers in Indiana, but that was an off-shooting night for the Pacers. Trae Young also went for a career-high 49 points. While that game may have been close, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Indiana to win by a larger margin tonight. They just scored 122 on one of the league's better defensive teams. 10* Indiana