Ben Burns Expert NBA Picks & Free Plays

I'm playing on ST. LOUIS. The Blues need to get back on track and a trip to Chicago figures to be just what the doctor ordered. St. Louis has beaten Chicago five staight times. In three of those games, Chicago failed to score a single goal. Both teams lost last time out. The Hawks fell 5-2 to Calgary while St. Louis lost 4-2 to Detroit. The Blues are 4-2 after allowing four or more goals though while the Hawks are just 2-8 in that situation. With the Hawks just 1-6 against winning teams, expect the Blues to continue their series dominance. 

I'm playing on DENVER. Jokic has missed the past few games and is currently questionable for this one. As he was close to being ready for the last game, I'm hopeful that he'll be good to go tonight. However, even if he doesn't, I expect the Nuggets to bring their A game. A date with the defending champs is always a big deal. In this case, the Nuggets are also desperate to snap their losing streak. That's even more important, given the fact thay hit the road for a long trip, after this game. While I successfully backed the Bucks in their last game, that was at home against a tired Pistons team. Now, at a very difficult venue, they'll take on a rested Denver team. The Nuggets are 19-9 SU the past couple of seasons, when playing with two day's rest in between games. The Bucks, meanwhile, are 1-5 ATS in six games against teams from the West. They're just 27-44 ATS against Western Conf. teams the past couple of seasons. I'm grabbing the points. 

I'm playing on ORAL ROBERTS. Naturally, I respect OSU. While they lost Cunningham from last year's team, the Cowboys are still really strong. That said, this is a tough spot and I expect them to have their hands full. Its the day after Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are on the road. After a little break, they have a big game against Wichita State on deck. Those teams played a 3-point game last year. Speaking of close games, Oral Roberts always comes to play against these Cowboys. These teams met at OSU last year and the Cowboys won by only five. In fact, the same was true the previous season. OSU was laying double-digits in both games but the scores were 83-78 and 80-75. Abmas scored in double-digits in both games including a 33-point game last year. He's back and leading the Golden Eagles again. Oral Roberts is 6-1 ATS its last seven as an underdog and 17-6 ATS against winning teams, the past few seasons. Grab the points and expect another close one.  

I'm playing on TEXAS. Things sure fell apart for the Longhorns. They began the season by blowing out a solid LA Lafayette team. Through five games, they were 4-1 and averaging roughly 44 points per game. That included a 58-0 win and a 70-35 win over Texas Tech. With a 21-point lead in the Red River Rivalry Game, a 5-1 start looked imminent. Then, the wheels came off. The Sooners rallied for the biggest comeback in the history of the series and the Longhorns haven't won a single game since. This afternoon's game offers a chance to salvage some pride. I expect the Longhorns to make the most of it. K-State comes off a tough loss against Baylor. They managed only 10 points and 263 total yards. That was a game the Wildcats could have really used and it brings their positive momentum to an end. Note that Wildcats are 3-8 SU their last 11, when off a conference loss. They're also 0-4 ATS their last four, after passing for less than 170 yards in their previous game. The Longhorns have won four straight in the series. All four wins came by at least a field goal and last year's was a 69-31 blowout. Expect the Longhorns to show some pride and continue that series dominance on Black Friday. 

I'm playing on WASHINGTON. You often hear people state that "you can throw out the records" in these type of rivalry games. Personally, I don't necessarily subscribe to that theory; I never discount a team's record. However, in this case, I do indeed expect the team with the inferior record to prove victorious. The Huskies are argualy better than their record suggests. Their only loss of greater than 10 points was on the road, at Michigan. They had four losses of seven or less. So, they could easily have a better record. The Cougars have won just three of 12 road games the past couple of seasons and they've got an 0-2 ATS mark as road favorites, in those games. Sure, the Cougars are off an impressive 44-18 blowout of Arizona. The Wildcats aren't very good though and the Cougars are just 1-8 ATS the past nine times that they scored 40 or more points in their previous game. The Huskies have dominated the last six Apple Cup meetings, each win coming by double-digits. While I see this one being closer, in the end, I expect another Washington win.