The 2014-15 NBA season technically got going on Tuesday night, but three games is no way to tip off a new season. On Wednesday night, however, a whopping 12 games roll out for all the masses to see. There still is no LeBron James through two days of NBA action, but it’s still a huge night of pro basketball.

For all the NBA betting folk out there, we’re rolling through all 12 matchups with some quick hitting analysis and our picks. We went 2-1 on Tuesday, correctly nailing the Pellies and Rockets as winners, while being a Chandler Parsons game-winner from starting off the new year umblemished.

With that, it’s onto Wednesday’s NBA Picks:

Bucks @ Hornets

Jabari Parker makes his pro debut and Jason Kidd takes over the reigns in Milwaukee, but the Bucks are still very young. Charlotte, on the other hand, added talent, is on the rise and is at home. They’re the favorites tonight.

Pick: Hornets 96, Bucks 87

Bulls @ Knicks

Derrick Rose makes his triumphant return and will try to get his Bulls to 1-0 in the Madison Square Garden. The Knicks aren’t terrible but the triangle and their coach is new. It could be a work in progress.

Pick: Bulls 93, Knicks 90

Rockets @ Jazz

Utah hosts the Rockets on their second of a back to back, but Houston disposed of the Lakers easily on Tuesday so they shouldn’t be too tired. Expect a blowout against by the hands of the Rockets.

Pick: Rockets 112, Jazz 85

Lakers @ Suns

The Lakers have a better chance of winning on Wednesday than they did on Tuesday, but they’re pretty terrible and have no depth. Phoenix is much more explosive on the outside and even somehow has been interior play. The Suns should be embarrassed if they lose.

Pick: Suns 96, Lakers 91

76ers @ Pacers

Indiana has been ravaged by injury, while the Sixers simply have no talent. It’s pretty much Tony Wroten versus Roy Hibbert in what should be the ugliest (best?) game of the night. Indiana wins be default.

Pick: Pacers 84, 76ers 77

Nets @ Celtics

Brooklyn finished last year very strong and could be good again even without Paul Pierce. They’ll get things going without Brook Lopez tonight, though (foot), while any road game can be tricky. They should still top the Celtics, though.

Pick: Nets 96, Celtics 90

Wizards @ Heat

Washington is on the rise and Miami is sans LeBron James, but these are still two very solid teams that will compete hard. Dwyane Wade is healthy at the moment and the Wiz are without Bradley Beal, so the Heat should take this one at home.

Pick: Heat 103, Wizards 100

Hawks @ Raptors

This could be one of the better battles of the night, as the Haws and Raptors both have nice interior play and can shoot from outside. Atlanta could pull off the upset if Al Horford plays a good amount, but the Raptors might have the better overall depth. They’re at home, too.

Pick: Raptors 99, Hawks 97

Timberwolves @ Grizzlies

Minnesota could be a pesky out this year, but it’s doubtful everything comes together on night one in Memphis. The Grizzlies were an elite team when Marc Gasol was healthy and he’s there to get the 2014-15 season going.

Pick: Grizzlies 104, Timberwolves 90

Pistons @ Nuggets

This should be a high-scoring game with little to no defense, so naturally the advantage probably goes to the home team. Detroit is also without Greg Monroe to start the year (suspension), so the Nuggets should win this one.

Pick: Nuggets 116, Pistons 108

Warriors @ Kings

Sacramento plays host to the Warriors and absolutely has the talent to pull off the upset, while Golden State walks in with David Lee likely on the shelf to get things going. Still, the Splash Brothers should get the best of the Kings, who still stink on defense.

Pick: Warriors 109, Kings 103

Thunder @ Blazers

No Kevin Durant here and too many injuries to count for OKC. Portland, on the other hand, is healthy, pretty talented and playing in their home opener.

Pick: Blazers 105, Thunder 102

The NBA returns on Tuesday night, as three games hit the hardwood to tip off the 2014-15 season. The action gets started with two games set for 8:00 pm Eastern, followed by a potentially epic clash between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 pm.

To get the ball rolling for the new NBA season, let’s quickly preview and pick each of the three NBA contests for Tuesday:

Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio has the home court advantage and will have their big three to get the season started, but they will also be down Patty Mills, Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard. That definitely negatively impacts how they can play defense, while it could also hurt them on offense down low. On the flip side, Dallas played the Spurs well in the first round of the playoffs last year and brought in Chandler Parsons, Tyson Chandler and Jameer Nelson. Needless to say, they’re much improved and could be a real threat for the upset as the 2014-15 NBA season tips off.

Pick: Mavericks 98, Spurs 95

Orlando Magic @ New Orleans Pelicans

Orlando comes into this one a little depleted, as star guard Victor Oladipo is out with a facial fracture. That means added pressure on rookie point guard Elfrid Payton, as well as the rest of the Magic. That’s bad news for a Magic squad that has lost 49 of their last 53 on the road. They could still give the Pellies a fight, but New Orleans is healthy and seems to have the inside, outside attack to be a much improved team this year.

Pick: Pelicans 101, Magic 88

Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers

The capper for tonight’s opening slate of games could be an epic clash at the Staples Center, or it could be over before half-time. It all depends on just how much Kobe Bryant has left, as he’ll try to group his band of misfits together and make the Lake Show a serious playoff contender from day one. L.A. has a ton of injuries and wasn’t scary to begin with, so the only real edge they have here is that they’re at home. That may not be enough to upend James Harden and Dwight Howard tonight.

Pick: Rockets 111, Lakers 99

Brian Quick finally got his chance to show what he could do as a starting NFL wide receiver. Initially, few could come away unimpressed. Unfortunately, Quick will have to wait until 2015 to see if he can take his game to an even higher level.

The St. Louis Rams learned on Monday that they will have to move forward without Quick, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder in week eight. Quick also sustained a torn rotator cuff in a week eight loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The shoulder separation alone would be bad, but the torn rotator cuff combines with it to end his season, as the Rams will be placing their top receiver on injured reserve.

It’s a fairly big loss for a St. Louis wide receiving corps that otherwise did not have a legit number one option, while even Quick was starting to struggle the past few weeks. Even so, Quick established career highs across the board, as he hauled in 25 catches for 375 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his third NFL season (first as a starter).

Quick should return on a relatively fair price for 2015, where he will enter a contract season. There is no reason to think Quick can’t make a full recovery and be ready to reclaim his starting role in 2015.

For now, the Rams will simply have to move on. That should mean veteran Kenny Britt will take over Quick’s #1 role in the passing game, while Quick’s absence could also open the door to numerous other targets getting more looks in the passing game. Tight end Jared Cook may see his role increase, while the Rams could also get smaller weapons Tavon Austin and Chris Givens more involved.

The bad news could be a mild blessing in disguise in the long run, as Austin has been a total failure ever since St. Louis traded up to get him in last year’s draft. Forcing him into a bigger role could both help the Rams fill the void Quick is leaving, and also provide a jolt for his currently drowning career.

Upsets happen in the NFL every week. We’re just here to point those who enjoy NFL betting into the right direction. Of course, for every one upset you hit one, the other three will fail, but that’s the thrill of taking in all the info and making that play.

This week we have four more stellar upsets that might be worth chasing. Let’s break them down in our week eight NFL Picks:

Upset to Chase: Rams over Chiefs (Rams Underdog with -7 spread)

It’s never easy to go into Arrowhead and get the win, but nothing has been normal with this Rams team in 2014. In fact, they just had a pretty improbably win over the defending champion Seahawks last week and in otherwise unlikely fashion, as well. It won’t be easy or even all that logical, but we can safely say Austin Davis and co. have done more surprising things. The Chiefs are on upset alert.

Raiders over Browns (Raiders, -7)

Oakland doesn’t look very good (0-6 right now) but they surely are hungry for that first win of the year and it’s not like the Browns are an elite team by any means. In fact, Brian Hoyer is fresh off of an abysmal week seven performance and if he plays half as bad as he did last week, Oakland definitely will be in this one.

Bears over Patriots (Bears, -6)

Chicago is an interesting upset pick, as they have a tough test on the road in Foxboro, but they absolutely have the talent to go toe to toe with the Patriot. At 3-4, the Bears might be kissing the playoffs goodbye if they can’t win this week, so it’s safe to say they’ll be pressing hard to get the win. Besides, they really are only succeeding on the road these days, anyways (3-1 on the year away from home).

Jaguars over Dolphins (Jaguars, -6)

Jacksonville only got their first win of the season last week, but suddenly they could be potentially looking at a winning streak. It’s not like Miami is a scrub team, but the Jags are at home and their defense has actually looked decent lately. Miami also is the type of team that disappoints you and so far have looked like a rather inconsistent bunch in 2014. A Jaguars win this week wouldn’t be overly shocking.

People placing NFL bets or finalizing their fantasy football lineups for week eight have some decisions to made. The hope, of course, is that most of those decisions will be made for them with NFL teams announcing the final status of some big name players this week.

Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green are two stud wide receivers that head the list of big names, and both are expected to sit out their respective week eight matchups. That could directly impact both games for the Lions and Bengals, respectively. For the fantasy realm, it could also mean more targets for guys like Golden Tate and Mohamed Sanu this Sunday.

For the other big name injuries and what it might mean for NFL odds and the fantasy football world, let’s continue on with the week eight injury report:

Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee Titans

Locker has been dealing with numerous issues, lately specifically related to his throwing hand. The Titans have already given up on him and demoted him, but he should still backup rookie passer Zach Mettenberger this week. Mettenberger is the key thing here, as a Tennessee team that is a mild underdog to the Houston Texans probably slips even further when it comes to the likelihood of them winning. They might have a tough time covering the spread (-3) this week.

Shane Vereen, RB, New England Patriots

Vereen is dealing with an undisclosed illness and even missed practice on Friday, potentially putting his week eight availability in doubt. The Pats usually play health issues close to the chest, but it sounds like he’ll play through whatever is ailing him. That should be good news for people betting on the Patriots or using Vereen in fantasy leagues this week.

Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions

Like Calvin Johnson, Bush could probably play when the Lions take on the Falcons in Londo on Sunday, but it sounds like Detroit will play it safe and sit them both out. That means fantasy owners should be all over Joique Bell, while both star players sitting out could hurt Detroit’s chances of winning on a neutral stage. The Lions are favored with a -3.5 spread this week, but perhaps they shouldn’t be.

Khiry Robinson/Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints

Both running backs are out this week, thrusting both Mark Ingram and Travaris Cadet into huge roles when the Saints host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The Saints are narrow favorites (-2 line) at home, where they’ve gone 2-0 on the year, but losing two quality running backs isn’t ever a good thing.

Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

V-Jax is expected to play this week but it’s worth noting that he’s dealing with sore ribs. Mike Evans would have a much bigger role if he sat out and Tampa’s odds of winning would take a hit, but for now it looks like there’s nothing to worry about.

Owen Daniels, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Daniels was a sneaky pick in fantasy leagues this week as he was prepared to face a Bengals defense that simply cannot stop the tight end position. He’s out with a knee scope, though, and rookie Crockett Gillmore will be trusted as the starter. He’s not really a reliable fantasy option, while a little instability at tight end could hurt the Ravens on the road this week. That’s worth noting with such a small line (-2).

The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t sure if star point guard Steve Nash would be ready for the start of the 2014-15 NBA season. Now they know he won’t be suiting up at any point, at all. Per reports, a bad back that was ailing Nash the past week and a half will officially keep him out of the entire season and could even spell the end to his storied career.

Nash’s injury woes stretch back to his first season with the Lakers in 2012, when he sustained a fracture in his leg and missed 32 games. Last year Nash first dealt with serious episodes of nerve irritation, which allowed him to suit up for only 15 of 82 games. Combined with Kobe Bryant’s own health problems, it contributed to a horrible season for the once proud Lakers franchise.

End of the line?

While Nash is clearly done for this year, there has yet to be any word officially stating his career is over. It’s unlikely at this point that the 40-year old ever makes a successful return to anyone’s starting lineup, while his contract with the Lakers ends after this season. It’s still possible Nash wouldn’t want to go out on the sidelines and could latch on with another team (or return to the Lakers) on a one-year deal so he could finish his legendary career on a high note.

Moving on

While it’s a big hit to lose Nash’s experience, shooting, vision and playmaking, L.A. simply needs to move on. The good news is they already had a likely replacement on the team after trading for point guard Jeremy Lin. Lin is fully expected to take over as the full-time starting lead guard and will help Kobe Bryant run the offense. In addition, rookie second round draft pick Jordan Clarkson could factor into the mix, while veteran guard Ronnie Price could also carve out a role.

As for the Lakers themselves, this is obviously a huge loss across the board. Nash couldn’t have possibly been counted on for starter minutes and almost no one banked on him making it through the entire season unscathed, but not getting a single game out of him is quite a blow and a true surprise. Needless to say, no Nash is a pretty big hit to the Lakers’ chances of making the playoffs. Unless Lin steps up and is awesome as the starter, the loss of Nash makes it extremely unlikely the Lakers as currently constructed can make the playoffs this year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans both entered last night’s Monday Night Football showdown at 3-3 and with a chance to push their 2014 season’s in completely opposite directions. Historically, a team that moves to 4-3 has a solid chance of making a playoff run, while a team dropping to 3-4 through the first seven games has less than a 15% chance of making the playoffs.

The Steelers ended up on the better side for now, as they survived a slow start and took this one, 30-23 at home.

While the odds of either team actually making a legit run at a playoff spot is still very much up in the air, there’s still a good amount to take away from last night’s game. Let’s break down the key takeaways:

J.J. Watt can’t do it alone

Watt was borderline sensational at times in this one, as he picked up a sack and three tackles. He pressured Ben Roethlisberger on several other plays, though, and seemed relentless in pursuit of the run all night, as well. He got very little support from his line-backing corps, however, and Houston’s secondary also let the defense down numerous times. Watt continues to be one of the more dominant defensive enforces in the game, but it’s clear he’s mostly by himself on a weekly basis.

Momentum change

The Texans were dominating this game 13-0 and the Steelers were doing very little offensively. Pittsburgh did cut the lead to 13-10 with two decent drives, but it wasn’t until two Houston turnovers with just over a minute to go in the first half that things really got out of control. Arian Foster fumbled inside his own 20-yard line and the Steelers took advantage with a score, while Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a pick inside his own 20 that led to another Steelers touchdown just 40 seconds later.

In all, the Steelers scored three touchdowns over the final 1:27 that for the most part wrapped up this game. The two teams combined for just 16 second half points in what was largely a defensive battle.

Sea of turnovers

Houston committed turnovers seemingly as the worst time; two of which contributed to the aforementioned swing right before the half. In addition to the fumble and interception right before the break, DeAndre Hopkins added another lost fumble with just under five minutes to go. It was at the end of a 30+ yard play that got a Texans drive rolling. Had he held onto the ball, Houston could have potentially closed the gap from 27-16 to 27-23. Pittsburgh was held to a field goal on their final drive following the fumble, so if everything worked out, Houston could have been driving to ties the game at 30, all, had Hopkins not fumbled.

Hopkins did fumble, though, and it was the capping of a once promising night gone sour for the Texans. Now Houston marches forward with a must-win week eight battle if they want a chance at defeating the odds and getting to the playoffs.

Thursday Night Football has been getting a bad reputation for issuing horrible blowouts that have largely been over by halftime. For two straight weeks, that labeling couldn’t be further from the truth. Last night’s AFC East battle between the New England Patriots ad New York Jets was instead a hard fought battle that actually wasn’t decided until the final play of the game. The Pats ended up clamping down enough to hold New York to a potential 58-yard field goal, and blocked the kick as time expired to take a narrow 27-25 lead.

There’s more to last night’s game than just the score, though. Let’s break down the top takeaways from Thursday night’s NFL action:

End of the Road?

The Jets gave a valiant effort in front of the nation on Thursday night and really had some bad luck late. However, six straight losses is still six straight losses. Head coach Rex Ryan admitted earlier in the week that if the Jets couldn’t turn things around and make the playoffs, he’d probably be fired. Whether it comes nor or at the end of the season, that’s probably what’s going to happen.

Shane Vereen, Superstar

Stevan Ridley went down last week and some wondered if his absence would hurt the Patriots. Not so much. Instead, it thrust versatile weapon Shane Vereen into a much larger role and he did not disappoint. Vereen caught an impressive 46-yard touchdown on New England’s first drive of the game and ended the night with over 100 total yards and two total touchdowns. It’s just one game, but it’s possible the Patriots are more than a little okay at running back going forward.

2 Point Panic

New York drove right down the field and scored a touchdown to give themselves a shot at forcing overtime. All they needed was a two-point conversion. They didn’t get it, though, because Geno Smith quickly darted a rainbow shot too far out of reach for rookie tight end Jace Amaro. Three things were wrong with this play: the target was an inconsistent rookie, the play happened way too fast and the play happened at all.

A much better play call would be to fake a hand-off and have an athletic Smith roll out to either side. Not only could the fake have the defense bite that it’s a run, but Smith could then have two options – run or pass. More importantly, this would have kept the play alive and given the Jets a chance to bail themselves out in one of two ways. Instead, their two-point try took less than two seconds and was a failure. It ultimately cost them the game.

Geno the Hero

While Smith didn’t convert the two-point conversion and will probably continue to take heat for all the losing, he actually played a pretty darn good game. This is a top-ranked Patriots pass defense, yet Smith routinely found the open man, made the right scramble and led two clutch drives to end this game. The reason the Jets lost was due to a horrible two-point play call and a blocked field goal, not Geno Smith.

When people want to win the most money with NFL betting, they make sure to do three things: read up on expert NFL picks, chase a likely upset or attack lines they know the underdog has a legit chance at meeting. Some lines and odds are just too tempting to pass on, while others are so bogus you probably shouldn’t waste your time. We’re back to figure out which way to lean in our week 7 picks, so listen to the logic and chase these four upsets if you’ve got the guts:

Upset to Chase: Jets over Patriots (Jets Underdog with -9.5 line)

New England actually deserves this line for how they’ve been playing lately (over 37 points in each of past two games), while the Jets have been atrocious on both sides of the ball. While this will likely be a Patriots blowout win, divisional games can be tricky – especially when Rex Ryan is involved. With the Jets staring a dead season in the face and Thursday Night Football delivering some classic horrible football mostly, this one could be a shocker worth chasing.

Panthers over Packers (-7)

Both Carolina and Green Bay have been pretty bad on defense overall, so we could be in for quite the shootout at Lambeau Field this week. The Packers are sure to put up a ton of points and probably will win, but Carolina won’t be far behind. Green Bay stinks against read option offenses, and Cam Newton can run it like a wizard. Carolina could keep this one close, while an upset certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

49ers over Broncos (-6.5)

Denver is an offensive giant, but they did lose to Seattle this year and the 49ers’ defense can be pretty tough, even on the road. While the Broncos are pretty likely to hold down the fort at Mile High, it’s not all that likely to be by a wide margin. Take the 49ers to cover the spread and you probably won’t be too disappointed. Taking them straight up isn’t the worst idea, either.

Giants over Cowboys (-6.5)

This is a beatable line for the G-Men, as it’s not always the best idea to give a big line for a divisional showdown. Dallas probably is going to win this one with it being at home, but it’s worth noting that the Giants got shutout last week and may come out angry. Again, it’s a divisional game, too, and they’re highly unpredictable. Big Blue has a solid chance at covering here, however.

The NFL returns to live action on Thursday night, as the seventh week of the 2014 season gets going when the New England Patriots square off with the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Rex Ryan’s Jets are just 1-5 and staring a lost season in the face, while Tom Brady and the Pats hope to keep a two-game winning streak rolling.

Let’s break down the key points to Thursday night’s NFL action and see what we’ll need to watch for:

Brandon Bolden’s Role

Stevan Ridley went down for the count with a torn up knee last week, which has opened the door to Brandon Bolden, Shane Veree and James White taking over New England’s offensive backfield. Exactly who takes it over and what they do with a bigger role remains to be determined, however. Vereen is easily the Pats’ most explosive and versatile player on the roster, but it’s Bolden who initially could get the “Ridley role”. That should mean early down and goal-line work. How he fares against a Jets run defense that had been elite before the last two weeks is going to be key for the outcome of this game.

Tom Brady Being Terrific

Tom Terrific returned the past two weeks after starting 2014 with four straight shaky games. The past two weeks, Brady has put up six touchdowns to no picks and he’s done it against supposedly solid defenses in the Bengals and Bills. New England has put up over 37 points in each game during that process, and Brady will look to keep it going against New York tonight. That should be easily doable, considering Gang Green’s pass defense was already in shambles before losing top corner Dee Milliner for the year. Yikes.

Rex’s Last Stand?

Rex Ryan is known for his brash approach and loud mouth, but he’s also known for his gameplanning and rivalry with his AFC East foes. His showdowns with Bill Belichick and the Pats are near the top of the list, but things haven’t gone so well for Ryan’s Jets in this matchup the past few years. This could be Ryan’s last stand, as falling to 1-6 would signal a lost season and could potentially have New York’s front office yanking Ryan from the head coaching spot.