March Madness Betting is still a little ways away, so in the mean time, we’ll focus on NBA betting. Monday’s Houston at New Orleans match up is a great opportunity to see two hungry playoff teams face off against each other. Even though they’re separated by 3 spots in the playoff standings, they’re actually much, much closer when it comes to the win-loss record.

The NBA Odds line will be a tough call. Both teams have been playing well in their last dozen games or so. I’d say a 2-point line in favor of New Orleans, the home team, seems fairly reasonable. And if that’s the case, I’d go with New Orleans. Chris Paul has been unstoppable lately, and the team dominates at home. Something else that makes this such a charged-up game is the potential for it to be a first-round match up in the playoffs. I can guarantee you nobody wants to face New Orleans in round 1. They’re in prime position with momentum and talent to easily upset the Rockets, Jazz or Blazers, depending on where the chips fall at the end of the regular season.

On Wednesday, Orlando visits Milwaukee in a bout between an established title contender and a team fighting for its playoff survival. Even though the game’s at Milwaukee, expect a good 6-8 point line in favor of the Magic. And I’d take the Magic. In fact, I could see them crushing the Bucks handily, certainly ending in the double-digit range. The only wild-card with these games is if the Magic happen to put it away early, they’ll pull the stars early in the fourth quarter, which could hurt the final score. Still, they should be safe bet. Milwaukee will be playing with a ton of energy, but Orlando still needs to prove they belong in the same sentence as Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles (Lakers, obviously). Do they? Time will tell.

And, last but not least, a reasonable sports gambling NBA finals preview match up on Friday the 20th between the Celtics and the Spurs. Two teams I expect to be there come June will face off in San Antonio. Catch this monster on national TV. Expect a 3 point line or so in favor of the Spurs. Tough call. Both teams have been above average but not spectacular the last couple weeks. Talent is even. I’d have to give the home team the benefit of the doubt and go with the Spurs. Their turf can be one unfriendly place to play for the visiting team.