Whaddya' know, the Clips and Cavs meet a day after their blockbuster trade! Though maybe not as dramatic as it could be tonight, as James Harden will apparently not be available to feature for his new Cleveland side, while Darius Garland's toe injury keeps him from making his Clippers debut. LA had won 17 of 21 before looking distracted on Monday, likely due to the Harden situation, vs. the Sixers, but the Clips did win handily minus The Beard on the weekend at Phoenix, and as long as Kawhi Leonard is available, LA always worth a look. As for Cleveland, it is still minus Evan Mobley, who might have been worth having available tonight back in So Cal (where he featured for USC). Play Clips

Word that SGA (ab strain) is out until after the All-Star break is just the latest lineup subtraction tonight for the Thunder, as Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Hartenstein had already been ruled out, and Jalen Williams (out the last two+ weeks) doubtful. Even at full strength, the Thunder had problems with the Spurs earlier this season, including a 20-point San Antonio win on Dec. 23 when the Spurs hit 57% from the floor (Wemby playing only limited minutes and scoring just 12), and a 15-point win at OKC on Christmas when De'Aaron Fox (29 points) outplayed SGA. That made three wins in 12 days over the Thunder, as San Antonio also won an NBA Cup semi in Las Vegas. Play Spurs

Trade activity today for the Raps, who have (perhaps temporarily) added Chris Paul, though it looks like no impact to the rotations tonight for Darko Rajaković, as the deal mechanics seems more for getting out of the luxury tax. With RJ Barrett back in the mix, Toronto is mostly at full strength, and expect the Raps to start performing better at home (surprisingly, their road mark is better!). As for the Wolves, a bit topsy-turvy lately, reflected in the Monday loss in the second of a back-to-back vs. Memphis, and while Julius Randle and Ant Edwards are likely to feature, both did make today's injury report. Play Raptors

This isn't an anti-Nuggets vote, it's pro-Knicks, now 7-0 SU and vs. the line since that clear-the-air team meeting prior to the 120-66 rout of the Nets on January 21. Note the tough schedule stretch for the Nuggets, with Clips, Thunder, Pistons in three of the past five nights and tonight at MSG. The Joker is back and his presence obviously a plus though this gauntlet of games has resulted in back-to-back losses. Jokic is quickly getting back up to speed (24 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes last night in Detroit), and Christian Braun was active for the first time since January 9 last night, but Denver still isn't quite at full strength with Aaron Gordon (hamstring) remaining out. Play Knicks.

Well, we knew the oddsmakers would attach a premium to the Knicks sooner or later. Since that clear-the-air team meeting preceding a 120-66 blowout of Brooklyn, New York has won and covered six straight. Valued subs Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are out but the Knicks kept winning on Sunday vs. the Lakers, and moreover don't seem to be in any hurry to make upgrades at the trade deadline, content apparently with Mike Brown's current roster. Meanwhile, the Wizards have played well enough lately to keep the Knicks on alert, but Washington's defense is still one of the NBA's worst, and note KAT scored a big 33 when NY cruised by 17 in the first meeting at MSG back on November 3. Play Knicks

We'll see what type of lineup Utah plays tonight after the big Jaren Jackson trade with Memphis. Neither Jackson nor the others arriving from the Griz are expected to feature tonight, while Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, and Georges Niang are off to Memphis. Whatever, it's six straight losses for the Jazz, and while we're also wondering just who Rick Carlisle puts on the floor for Indy with Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin all slated to rest tonight, here's a chance for the eager Indiana reserves to shine as the Pacers go for a fourth win in six. Play Pacers

These two met last week in Denver and the Pistons pulled out a 109-107 decision, but there's a big difference in the rematch. Big indeed, as Nikola Jokic has returned to active duty since for the Nuggets, and looked no worse for wear in his return game last Friday vs. the Clippers when scoring 31 in a 122-109 Denver win. Jokic played 29 minutes on Sunday vs. OKC and scored 16, and even though the Nuggets lost, it was a good battle vs. the champs, and the Joker's minutes are on the increase. Granted, Detroit is formidable and off a 53-point wipeout of the Nets, but is only 5-6 vs. the spread since January 10. Play Nuggets

You'd think that for a team that has won 17 of its last 21 games, the Clippers would be granted a bit more respect from the oddsmakers and wagering public....though we take advantage tonight. Even the absence of James Harden (likely available tonight) didn't slow LA on Sunday in Phoenix, when rolling past the Suns 117-93 as Kawhi Leonard (25 points) exceeded 20 points for a remarkable 27th straight time. A motivated Kawhi, too, after being bypassed for the West All-Star squad in a game to be played at the Clips' Intuit Dome. The Sixers enter Inglewood on a 3-game win streak though all at home vs. beatable foes before this much-tougher test tonight. Play Clippers.

The marketplace made an adjustment for Houston early this season when the Rockets and their big lineup were laying waste to most of their opponents. Spreads began to inflate...and then Houston seemed to lose a bit of its edge. Across the last 16 games, the Rockets have covered just four, including Saturday's narrow win over the Mavs. Tonight at Indy, word is that Kevin Durant (ankle) will miss the game as well. Though the Pacers' season effectively ended last June when Tyrese Haliburton ruptured his Achilles, plus Obi Toppin's early-season injury, recent form not bad, with wins over the Hawks and Bulls this homestand, and sorts like Andrew Nembhard (26 vs. Atlanta on Saturday) still around to provide a spark. Play Pacers.

The Pels have looked a bit more competitive lately with Zion Williamson staying off the injury list but the host Hornets have taken it a bit further. How so? Charlotte is actually winning games, now six in a row, as Charles Lee finally has had most hands on deck. The recent results are noteworthy, including a win over the Spurs on Saturday, when on-fire Brandon Miller (26 points) led the Hornets in scoring for the eighth time in nine games, and Charlotte dominated the glass by a 51-36 count. The Hornets were minus LaMelo Ball and were well before they hit stride when losing by 4 at Smoothie King back on November 4. Note tip-off moved to 3 PM EST! Play Hornets.

The Clips might be catching the Suns at the wrong time as Phoenix enters having won the last three on this homestand, but it can't be more challenging for LA than Friday night in Denver when the Joker made a dramatic return for the Nuggets after missing the previous month. For once, Kawhi Leonard doesn't appear on the Clips' daily injury report, though it's James Harden who will apparently miss tonight for rest management. Still, LA has been the NBA's hottest team for more than a month, losing just four of the last twenty, and Kawhi now 26 straight games scoring 20 or more. Note the Suns are still minus Devin Booker (ankle) even as they have won their last three without him. Play Clippers

Might this be LeBron's last appearance at MSG? Though no one (maybe not even LeBron) knows for sure. What we do know is that the Knicks are hot, with wins and covers in five straight since that clear-the-air team meeting two weeks ago in front of the team-record 54-point blowout win over the Nets. It's been a straight ascent since, most recently a 30-point blowout of Portland on Friday, with Jalen Brunson again leading the way with 26 points after Mikal Bridges had briefly assumed top scorer honors in the preceding 27-point romp at Toronto. Meanwhile, the Lake Show did recover from the humbling loss at Cleveland by bombing the Wiz on Friday but defensive issues still haunt JJ Redick. Play Knicks

Not sure what Dallas rookie ace Cooper Flagg can do for an encore after his 49-point showcase (albeit in a losing cause) vs. the Hornets on Thursday, though recent trendlines plus previous matchups suggest the Mavs can stay in the hunt tonight at Toyota Center. Dallas has covered all three meetings vs Houston this season and won the last two of those outright, though now-injured Anthony Davis was key in both of those wins. The Mavs also recently won four straight and have covered in seven of their last ten. Meanwhile the Rockets, though off of an impressive win over Hawks, have not been offering great value lately, just 4-11 their last 15 vs. the spread. Play Mavs

Agreed, some very good efforts from the Spurs over the past month, but drill a bit deeper and note a very so-so 9-8 SU mark since after the Christmas win over the Thunder, alternating wins and losses the past two weeks. January setbacks to the likes of Portland, Memphis, and New Orleans suggest to be careful picking out proper spots to go with the Spurs, who haven't won back-to-back games on the road since before Christmas. The Hornets are the hotter of these two teams, leading NBA net rating in January, and with a five-game win streak entering this afternoon after Kon Knueppel's 34 points help see of the Mavs and Kon's old Duke teammate Cooper Flagg (49 points and all) on Thursday. Play Hornets

The Pistons simply had no answers for the Suns last night, but those types of flat spots have rarely endured for JB Bickerstaff's bunch this season. To wit: Detroit has lost consecutive games just twice, and not within the last month, usually bouncing back smartly from a loss. The Pistons have no serious injury concerns at the moment, and last night's result might be a more a case of a tough matchup vs. Phoenix, which also when minus Devin Booker played Detroit tough at Little Caesars on January 15. We still view the current version of the Warriors quite warily, with no Jimmy Butler or Jonathan Kuminga, and losing three of five minus Butler, with Wednesday's win at Utah hardly a buy signal. Play Pistons.