Another insane day of NBA action is in the books, as we saw a career performance from Anthony Davis, a wild shootout in Milwaukee and the Cavaliers get stomped once again at home. As the world gets realigned, we try to piece it all together in Sunday’s NBA picks.

There are just five NBA games on the docket today, so we carry our steady 86-47 mark in with an eye on perfection:

Hornets @ Heat

Charlotte visits South Beach tonight as they try to end a disastrous four-game losing streak. Miami is easily the better team right now, but Al Jefferson has destroyed the Heat lately and figures to do the same tonight. The Hornets have to win again eventually, and this could be a good game for them, even with it being on the road.

Pick: Hornets 99, Heat 97

Blazers @ Celtics

Portland goes away from home tonight (where they’ve been amazing), but they shouldn’t experience any road woes against Boston’s pathetic defense (currently allowing over 108 points per game). The Blazers will have to bring it against a pretty potent Boston offense. That being said, the Blazers are the hottest team in the league at the moment, as they try to keep a six-game run rolling.

Pick: Blazers 107, Celtics 104

Clippers @ Grizzlies

Los Angeles has been finding it’s footing on both ends of the court, but they still might not be ready to go into Memphis and win over the Grizzlies. Memphis holds the best record in the entire league at the moment and is also pretty tough to beat at home. In a likely low-scoring, defensive battle, it’s tough to pick against the Grizz.

Pick: Grizzlies 96, Clippers 93

Warriors @ Thunder

Golden State is fully stacked right now and is also playing terrific basketball, entering Oklahoma City on Sunday night with a stellar 9-2 mark that is good for first place in their division. OKC, meanwhile, sorely misses Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder aren’t likely to have enough ammo to hang with the Warriors tonight – even at home.

Pick: Warriors 107, Thunder 99

Nuggets @ Lakers

Denver has looked awful at times this year, but in the games where they’re not inept, they’re actually quite good. Los Angeles is grinding out every game that they’re not getting blown out in, so even at home they’re extremely tough to trust. The Lakers could keep it close and we’ll likely see a shootout either way, but the Nuggets have to be the team to bet on tonight.

Pick: Nuggets 109, Lakers 108

Thursday night had just two NBA games, so it was a light night of NBA betting. We didn’t see the Kings handing the Bulls their first road loss of the year, but at least escaped with one correct call and a 1-1 showing to lift our season record to 86-47.

We’re blessed with an insane 12-game night on Friday night, so let’s get right to the action and see who might be worth betting on:

Suns @ 76ers

Philly plays host to the Suns tonight and is pretty healthy across the board, but it’s going to take quite an effort to top a solid Phoenix team. The Sixers haven’t won yet this year and could be getting closer, but this isn’t the night to pick them.

Pick: Suns 105, 76ers 101

Magic @ Hornets

Charlotte just hasn’t looked like a strong playoff contender so far this year, as they’ve struggled to get anything going on offense and their trademark defense has suffered with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist injured. Still, Orlando hasn’t been good on the road, so perhaps the Hornets put up enough offense to hold down the fort at home.

Pick: Hornets 101, Magic 100

Bucks @ Raptors

Milwaukee has soared to a very impressive 7-5 start, but they have to cool down eventually. It’s going to be tough to win in Toronto, where the Raptors usually are at their best.

Pick: Raptors 107, Bucks 97

Pistons @ Hawks

Josh Smith could have a bit of a revenge outing against his former team tonight, but on paper the Hawks still seem to be the slightly better unit.

Pick: Hawks 107, Pistons 104

Nets @ Thunder

Brooklyn is falling apart with five straight losses, so the Thunder could be exactly what they need to get back on track. OKC is at home, but they’re just 3-10 on the year.

Pick: Nets 103, Thunder 101

Celtics @ Grizzlies

Boston can fill it up offensively at times, but they may find that difficult to do on the road against the league’s current best team. Memphis just doesn’t lose at home and they’re the vastly superior team.

Pick: Grizzlies 104, Celtics 89

Cavaliers @ Wizards

Cleveland can run with the best of them and seem to be getting better by the day, but their defense still leaves a lot to be desired. Washington has just one loss at home this year, too, so look for the Wiz to get a win here.

Pick: Wizards 104, Cavs 102

Spurs @ Timberwolves

This might be a good night for the Spurs to rest some of their big names, but even with their spares they should take care of Minnesota, who is just 3-7 and missing three key starters.

Pick: Spurs 107, Timberwolves 94

Lakers @ Mavericks

Los Angeles is somehow riding a two-game winning streak, but we can safely expect that to end tonight when they take on the Mavs in Dallas. Dallas is 5-1 at home this year and the Lakers simply won’t have answer for what they can do on offense.

Pick: Mavs 111, Lakers 103

Pelicans @ Nuggets

New Orleans has looked pretty good on both sides of the court this year and they’ll look to build a small winning streak tonight. Denver is hit or miss, but their defense is too bad to be confident in them against a solid team – even at home.

Pick: Pellies 105, Nuggets 102

Bulls @ Blazers

Chicago lost last night and may want to avoid a two-game losing streak, but they remain undermanned and the Blazers are 8-3 with seven of their wins on their home floor.

Pick: Blazers 109, Bulls 106

Jazz @ Warriors

Utah has been a fun team to watch offensively this year, but they lack prowess on the other end and are still struggling on the road. Golden State, meanwhile is one of the most balanced teams in the entire league and almost never lose at home.

Pick: Warriors 108, Jazz 101

Wednesday night was a big bowl of fun. Generally the biggest night of the week falls smack dab in the middle, and a huge 11-game slate certainly didn’t disappoint. Several games went down to the wire and almost gave us extra action, while the Bucks and Nets did combine for a nice double overtime battle.

We had a Solomon Hill buzzer-beating layup, Jason Kidd beating the Nets in Brooklyn and LeBron James blundering away a chance to beat the Spurs at home. It was a crazy night, yet we somehow managed to nail a solid 6-5 mark. It doesn’t sound amazing, but considering just about everyone got burned by the Lakers winning a second straight game and the Timberwolves winning without any of their star players, we’ll take anything above .500.

Of course, perfection is still always the aim, so let’s see if we can’t finally get a clean sweep on a light two-game Thursday night:

Clippers @ Heat

Los Angeles finally looked somewhat like themselves in a blowout win against the Magic on Wednesday night, but they still don’t have it all figured out on defense. Things may not get easier against the Heat tonight, but with Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng both likely out, it’s hard to bet against a star-studded L.A. roster.

Pick: Clippers 105, Heat 102

Bulls @ Kings

Sacramento has been better than many thought they’d be this year, but for all of their improvement they’re still just 6-5. The Bulls, meanwhile, are impressively 8-3 and in first in their division despite playing without star point guard Derrick Rose for six games. Rose is out again tonight, along with big man Pau Gasol. That gives the Kings a real chance for a big home win, but Chicago has been great even without two of their best players. Logic still says the Bulls are the better team, while an insane 6-0 road record on the year is tough to go against, as well.

Pick: Bulls 112, Kings 104

The Rajon Rondo trade rumors died down thanks to all of the Kevin Love, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony news over the summer. It didn’t take long for them to come storming back.

While no speculative deals are actually on the table (to our knowledge), the pot is seemingly already being stirred again with other GMs talking about Rondo’s availability. Despite Celtics GM Danny Ainge claiming he has no intention of unloading his best player, an unnamed rival GM speculates that Ainge and co. simply may not have a choice.

The source concluded that Ainge and the Celtics already should know that “it’s the right thing” to trade Rondo. While it’s not a report, they are words that at least make sense and ultimately should end up ringing true. After all, Rondo is wasting his prime on a losing team, while the Celtics are at risk of losing a star player for nothing as he continues to play out his contract year.

Naturally, that should get the Rajon Rondo rumor mill popping sooner or later. We’ll jump on it first and take a look at his five most likely destinations via trade:

Indiana Pacers

This one is about the future and less about this year. Indy is in a bad way with Paul George almost certainly out for the year, but they sorely need a point guard upgrade for beyond this year. George Hill isn’t cutting it and Rondo could come in and help George, David West and Roy Hibbert. The defensive-minded Pacers would immediately be a threat to reclaim their top spot in the Eastern Conference next year.

New York Knicks

New York doesn’t have a point guard due to injuries at the moment, while Jose Calderon probably isn’t the long-term answer, anyways. Phil Jackson wants someone to effectively run the Triangle offense, which doesn’t necessarily requite an elite point guard, but could have Rondo fit in nicely. He’d definitely offer star power, which the Knicks sorely lack.

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas has two real weaknesses: they don’t play great defense on a regular basis and they lack a truly elite point guard. Landing Rondo would kill two birds with one stone, as they’d have an elite pass-first point guard that also can lockdown the opposition. That’s pretty big for a team that has to take on the likes of Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul as they make their way through the playoffs. Dallas has acquired some solid talent and some nice contracts to make a deal like this possible.

Miami Heat

LeBron James left and Luol Deng doesn’t really give Miami a true “Big 3”, so they could be on the lookout for that third guy to help put them back over the top. They have three solid points guards, but Norris Cole is shaky and Mario Chalmers seems to think he’s a lot better than he is. They don’t have much else to give Boston, but they could send a bunch of future first rounders along with one of their point guards and maybe another player to make a deal happen. It doesn’t work out great for Boston, but Miami would probably love for this to happen.

Cleveland Cavaliers

There are a litany of teams that will be involved in Rajon Rondo trade rumors. He’s an excellent lead guard who defends extremely well, can get to the basket and get his teammates involved at a very high level. The Cavs round out the best five options, though. To this point, Kyrie Irving hasn’t been a true point guard for the Cavaliers. He’s more of a chucker and scorer and it remains to be determined if he will stick around as part of their current “Big 3”. If he’s not the answer at the point, Cleveland could swap him out of Rondo, who has championship experience and seems to be a better team player. On the flip side, the Celtics would get a superstar in return and wouldn’t see a downgrade at the lead guard spot. It’s actually oddly the best deal they could get, short of unloading Rondo to a scrub team for a ton of draft picks.

Nine games graced the NBA schedule on Monday night to get the new week going, but fans couldn’t know the ridiculous night they were in for. The Cavaliers lost to the Nuggets at home, the Rockets got blown out by the Grizzlies and the Hornets got trounced by the Mavericks at home. Through it all, we still posted a solid 5-4 mark (77-39 on the year).

Let’s see if we can’t shoot for perfection on a quiet night, with just four games on the docket:

Lakers @ Hawks

The Lakers are dreadful at 1-9, while they enter Atlanta with zero road wins on the year. Despite the Hawks not boasting a great defense, there’s not much reason to start picking the Lakers, unless you’re just chasing bad odds in hopes for a big payday. That actually isn’t the worst idea, but Atlanta is the clear favorite at home, straight up.

Pick: Hawks 111, Lakers 105

Knicks @ Bucks

Milwaukee hosts a red hot Carmelo Anthony on Tuesday night, but he comes in with a Knicks team that has just one win in their last seven tries. Milwaukee is a solid 3-1 on their home floor and tend to win games that they control the pace of. With New York’s offense still not perfected, this could be Milwaukee’s game to lose.

Pick: Bucks 101, Knicks 97

Thunder @ Jazz

OKC is still without Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but Reggie Jackson and Serge Ibaka still pack a solid punch and the Thunder have been relying on their defense to keep most of their games close. They’ll need more of it come Monday night, when they travel to Utah to take on a pretty efficient Jazz offense. Utah could have issues due to their troubles on the defensive side, but OKC’s offense has been touch and go and they’re just 1-5 away from home. Utah hosts and gets the slight edge.

Pick: Jazz 101, Thunder 98

Pelicans @ Kings

New Orleans brings a very solid offense into Sacramento tonight, where the Kings are 3-1 on the season. DeMarcus Cousins and co. aren’t playing great defense but they’re at home and can easily run with the Pellies.

Pick: Kings 105, Pelicans 104

NBA fans got a bit of a break on Sunday, as just four games were on the schedule. Perhaps that led to some easy winnings with a clean sweep, too. That could have especially been the case if NBA bettors followed our NBA picks (3-1). We aim to pick up where we left off last night as we take our solid season record (72-35) into a formidable nine-game slate on Monday night:

Mavericks @ Hornets

Charlotte’s usual nasty defense hasn’t been on display much this year, as elite perimeter defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has struggled to stay healthy. He’s out again on Monday, which is awesome news for the visiting Mavs. Dallas can’t stop anyone on defense, but they should be able to run Charlotte until they can’t take it anymore.

Pick: Mavs 108, Hornets 102

Nuggets @ Cavaliers

Denver has been quite bad this year. They should be able to score against a shaky Cleveland defense, but the Nuggets have no hope in stopping the Cavs on the other end. LeBron James could shake things up (illness) if he sits out, but even if he does Cleveland should remain the heavy favorites at home.

Pick: Cavs 121, Nuggets 114

Heat @ Nets

Miami has dropped three straight and tonight could stretch their mini-free fall to four games if Dwyane Wade is out yet again. Brooklyn is also sliding with three straight losses, so something has to break. If Wade isn’t on the court, we’ll have to side with the hometown Nets.

Pick: Nets 106, Heat 101

Magic @ Pistons

Orlando has been a tough out just about every night this year, and they’ll travel to Detroit tonight to give the Pistons troubles. Detroit has the size to rumble with the Magic down low, but the return of Victor Oladipo might give Orlando the slight edge they need to try to improve on their paltry 2-5 road mark.

Pick: Magic 101, Pistons 99

Suns @ Celtics

If you’re looking for a high-scoring affair, this might be the one tonight, as the Celtics and Suns both give up over 105 points per game and also drop over 104 points per game on opponents. Phoenix is arguably the more talented squad, so they’ll get the slight nod in a road shootout.

Pick: Suns 112, Celtics 107

Rockets @ Grizzlies

Two of the league’s best defensive teams square off tonight, as Houston travels to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies. Both teams are 9-1 and are allowing less than 92 points per game, while the winner of this intense duel will temporarily take over the Southwest division, as well as the top seed out West. Houston has the better defense and offense by the numbers, so they get the slight edge even with this one being in Memphis.

Pick: Rockets 96, Grizzlies 93

76ers @ Spurs

San Antonio has picked things up a bit since starting the year off 2-3, but they still aren’t dominant with just a 5-4 mark. They’re at home against a winless Sixers team, though, so picking them to lose here is a suicide mission.

Pick: Spurs 109, 76ers 88

Pelicans @ Blazers

The Pellies could be without center Omer Asik and the Blazers could be missing LaMarcus Aldridge again, potentially setting up a bit of a defensive battle. Portland is petty tough on their home floor, though, so despite a likely strong effort from Anthony Davis, it’ll be hard to bet against the Blazers.

Pick: Blazers 98, Pelicans 95

Bulls @ Clippers

The final game of the night may not be the game to watch, but it’s certainly one of them. Derrick Rose won’t be on the court (hamstring), but the Bulls will otherwise be at full strength and ready to get a big road win. L.A. is at home and isn’t without any of their big players, however, so it’ll be tough to confidently bet against Lob City.

Pick: Clippers 103, Bulls 102

In our weekly NFL picks article, we don’t give you four locks, we give you four shots at glory. Once again we head into the fire in week 11, with four realistic shots at beating the spread or picking straight up and using the odds in your advantage to win big.

Here are four NFL games worth betting on if you’re feeling ambitious this week:

Raiders over Chargers (Line: -10)

Oakland hasn’t won a game all year, but this might be their best shot with the Chargers reeling in the midst of a three-game skid. San Diego is losing control of their season and now they have to come face the Raiders in Oakland in a divisional battle. AFC West games are impossibly to predict, so you could do worse things than bet on the Raiders this week.

Bengals over Saints (-7)

New Orleans is usually pretty good at home, but the 49ers did beat them at the Superdome last week and the Bengals have the talent to surprise in any given week. It was only 4-5 weeks ago people were suddenly calling Cincy a Super Bowl contender, too, so they should enter this favorable line with some fight in them. Taking the Bengals straight up is a bit bold with this one on the road, but they can beat this spread.

Buccaneers over Redskins (-7.5)

Tampa Bay is pretty bad, but so are the Redskins. Robert Griffin III hasn’t been a winning quarterback in over a year and he’s still trying to get his mind right in just his second game back from a dislocated anle. The Bucs are a easy enough matchup, but Washington isn’t an imposing threat on either side of the ball, either. Tampa Bay is worth a shot with a beatable spread, while they’re worth taking straight up, as well.

Eagles over Packers (-5.5)

Green Bay is undefeated at Lambeau this year and has absolutely destroyed just about anyone that dares walk onto their home field, but this week’s game could be different. The 7-2 Eagles are a very sound team and even with Mark Sanchez under center, can probably make a run at the Packers offensively. The key might be Philly’s defense, though, which has grown adept at creating turnovers and randomly stifling opponents. The Packers might be the better straight up pick, but a potentially high-scoring affair could have the Eagles beating this spread.

The NBA scales back a bit on Sunday, as just four games grace the schedule. That gives everyone a chance to ease up on the monster betting and try to nail down some bigger bets on just a handful of games. Tonight’s action should make for some more locks, too, as we take our solid 69-34 season record into Sunday’s slate of games and try to pick them perfectly:

Nuggets @ Knicks

New York’s seven-game skid has to end eventually. The Knicks are getting closer and closer to getting things right offensively, while Denver has been mostly horribly all year long. Look for the streak to end in the Garden tonight.

Pick: Knicks 104, Nuggets 101

Bucks @ Heat

Milwaukee has been extremely competitive this year and could easily give the Heat a run for their money, but Miami is tough to beat at home. If Dwyane Wade is out for the second game in a row it will be easy to favor the Bucks, but he could be back and Milwaukee has a rough history away from home (1-4 this year on the road).

Pick: Heat 105, Bucks 99

Rockets @ Thunder

A month or two from now this is an epic clash, but right now the Thunder have no star power and are still hurting with injuries. They can give the Rockets a solid game if they come out firing, but even at home they should be overmatched. Houston has just one loss on the year and it’s unlikely the second comes to an OKC squad that doesn’t have Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant.

Pick: Rockets 106, Thunder 98

Warriors @ Lakers

The Lakers are in shambles and Kobe Bryant is reportedly under the weather, so there really isn’t much to go on to think the Lakers will upset a very good Golden State squad. The only slant Lakers fans could take is that the Lake Show is at home, but they’re just 1-4 on their home floor this year and the Warriors are a battled tested team on the road. The Warriors should roll.

Pick: Warriors 112, Lakers 105

Thursday night was an interesting night of basketball. The Dallas Mavericks completely obliterated the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Memphis Grizzlies stormed back from a huge hole to beat the Sacramento Kings. We got those two games right in the end, as well as the Warriors over the Nets at home. We did not see the Bulls topping a good Raptors team on the road, though.

Still, we ended Thursday with a solid 3-1 mark and head into Friday’s NBA action with a stellar 69-34 record on the year. With a full slate of games (10) to pick tonight, let’s get right to it:

Nuggets @ Pacers

Denver has been absolutely atrocious. Brian Shaw has no clue what lineup to use and the Nugs have one win on the year. Indiana has it bad, too, but not nearly as bad as the Nuggets. The Pacers are at home and actually play some defense, too, while a red hot Roy Hibbert could feast down low. You have to go with Indy tonight.

Pick: Pacers 101, Nuggets 89

Bucks @ Magic

Milwaukee has surprised as a very competitive team that has a nice defensive edge. Orlando, on the other hand, has been in literally every single game this year and seems to be getting better by the day. This should be a very closely contested content, but it’s hard not to like the Magic at home, especially if they get Victor Oladipo back.

Pick: Magic 99, Bucks 96

Heat @ Hawks

Dwyane Wade will miss Friday night’s game with the Hawks, which doesn’t bode well for a Miami squad that will be on the road against a pretty dangerous Atlanta team. Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap are both on fire and that may be too much for Chris Bosh to handle on his own.

Pick: Hawks 105, Heat 99

Cavaliers @ Celtics

Boston has been pretty competitive this year, but they can’t do anything right on defense. That’s not good news for when LeBron James and the Cavs stroll into town tonight.

Pick: Cavs 107, Celtics 102

Jazz @ Knicks

Carmelo Anthony has been in a bit of a groove but the Knicks as a whole are still struggling on offense. That shouldn’t be the case against Utah’s putrid defense as home. Expect a back and forth game and for the Knicks to end their awful six-game slide.

Pick: Knicks 107, Jazz 103

Timberwolves @ Pelicans

Thaddeus Young is out tonight due to a death in the family, hurting Minnesota’s odds of winning this one even more. The Pellies are slowly becoming one of the best young teams in the league, so they’re a pretty safe pick at home tonight.

Pick: Pelicans 111, Timberwolves 97

Pistons @ Thunder

Brandon Jennings is fresh off of an excellent performance, but he’s impossible to predict, while the Pistons are usually bad on the road. OKC is still severely depleted, but they’ve been getting some bodies back and have found most of their success this year at home.

Pick: Thunder 98, Pistons 90

76ers @ Rockets

Philly looked abysmal last night despite getting Michael Carter-Williams back, so there’s nothing to like about them in Houston tonight. James Harden and Dwight Howard shall feast in a home blowout.

Pick: Rockets 122, 76ers 104

Hornets @ Suns

Phoenix has been strong at home and can make anyone run, but they remain a team that can go down at anytime due to very weak defense. Charlotte, meanwhile, is a much better defensive team and could look to slow the pace. That won’t be easy without defensive stopper Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, however.

Pick: Suns 102, Hornets 98

Spurs @ Lakers

Kobe Bryant has been getting his and the Lakers aren’t winless anymore, but competing and beating a team like the Spurs are two very different things. San Antonio could rest their best players and they’d still probably win this game.

Pick: Spurs 106, Lakers 92