In Big Play
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups gestures Feb. 1, 2025, during the Blazers game vs. the Phoenix Suns. The Blazers won 127-108. Photo/Getty Images

Quickly, who’s the hottest team in the NBA?

It appears to be the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have won seven of their last eight games. And they’ve covered eight straight. If you’ve been riding that streak at the betting counter or on your favorite app, pat yourself on the back.

Their latest win came Saturday when they beat the Phoenix Suns, 127-108.

The Blazers closed at +4.5 for the game so if you sprinkled a bit on the money line, you can buy lunch next time our paths cross. In fact in their win, they outscored the Suns in the first three quarters and pushed in the fourth quarter.

“I just want to keep talking game to game,” coach Chauncey Billups told The Oregonian. “I’m just happy for our guys. Man, they’re just playing together. That’s what we’ve been preaching the whole time.”

The Blazers have a rematch with the Suns on Monday. They are again +4.5 or +5. And the only question is whether or not the Suns might finally be able to cool off the Blazers.

If you follow the NBA closely, you probably know the team currently at the top of the heap is none other than the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to TeamRankings.com, they are covering 67.4 percent of the time and covering the spread by an average of 3.3 points.

IF YOU HAVE been playing favorites in college hoops, you might be doing well. Huge emphasis on might. Over the weekend:

— No. 1 Auburn dropped Ole Miss, 92-82, and covered -6.

— No. 2 Duke dispatched woebegone North Carolina, 87-70, covering -13.5 after opening up a huge lead in the first half in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

— No. 3 Iowa State, a 14.5-point favorite, lost badly and outright at home to Kansas State, 80-61.

— No. 4 Alabama cruised past Georgia, 90-69. The Tide covered the -12.5 with relative ease.

— No. 8 Tennessee, -3 vs. No. 5 Florida, drubbed the Gators handily, 64-44.

— No. 6 Houston, -9.5, came up short vs. Texas Tech, 82-81, in overtime.

— No. 7 Michigan State, a 4-point road favorite, lost outright to USC, 70-64.

— No. 9 Marquette, -6.5, was upset by No. 25 UConn, 77-69.

— No. 11 Kansas, a +2 road dog vs. Baylor, coughed up its biggest lead in program history and lost to Baylor, 81-70.

“It wasn’t an effort that we’re proud of,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after Iowa State’s 29-game home winning streak was unceremoniously snapped. “Different than our standard, what we expect and what we’ve demonstrated through the first 20 games.”

Iowa State is now +2 vs. Kansas later Monday. The total is 146.

WHILE THE BLAZERS have been scorching hot in the NBA, the much beloved Vegas Golden Knights have been colder than a frost-bitten Zamboni driver eating frozen dinners while munching on ice cubes.

The VGK were as high as -145 vs. the New York Rangers on Sunday. And they lost. Again. It was their third straight loss. Over the past 11 games, they are an unremarkable 3-5-3. Not impressive for any casual or serious gambler trying to cash a ticket or run up the numbers in a sports-betting account.

 “We’ve played with a lot of leads and been able to put teams away, and as of late, it’s kind of slipped a little bit,” Golden Knights center Jack Eichel told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s frustrating. We’ve got to figure out a way to get out of this.”

They get a chance to figure it out Tuesday in a game vs. the New York Islanders.

OUR PICK for Tuesday will be Penn State at home hosting the Minnesota Golden Gophers in college hoops at -8.5.

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