Gamblers have five NBA games on Monday’s card. Let’s take an in-depth look at the meetings between the Cavs-Spurs and Hawks-Knicks before touching on the three other contests in Bonus Nuggets.

**Spurs at Cavaliers**

--There was no overnight line for this game due to the uncertain status of LeBron James and Daniel Gibson for the Cavs. James (ankle) missed his first game of the season Saturday at Milwaukee. The injury isn’t considered too serious and there’s no doubt James would’ve been in uniform if it were the postseason. James averages 30.0 points, 8.5 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. Gibson, who averages 6.9 PPG, has missed three straight games due to the birth of his son.

--Without The King, Cleveland (49-15 straight up, 32-31-2 against the spread) went down Saturday against the Bucks by a 93-86 count. Milwaukee took the cash as a 3 ½-point favorite. Antawn Jamison enjoyed his best game with the Cavs since coming over from Washington before the trading deadline. The UNC product finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.

--San Antonio (36-24 SU, 29-30-1 ATS) suffered a crushing blow Friday when veteran point guard Tony Parker broke a bone in his hand that’s expected to keep him out of the lineup for about six weeks.

--Gregg Popovich’s club has won four in a row, including Saturday’s 102-92 win at Memphis as a one-point road underdog. Richard Jefferson led six Spurs in double figures with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Manu Ginobli added 17 points and six assists, while Matt Bonner went for 13 points and five boards while posting a plus-minus rating of +28.

--San Antonio is 14-14 SU and 12-16 ATS on the road. Cleveland has a 27-4 SU record but is only 13-18 versus the number at home.

--Mike Brown’s team has a five-game advantage over Orlando for the top postseason seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs are three games ahead of the Lakers for homecourt throughout the playoffs.

--The ‘over’ is 31-30-3 overall for the Cavs, 16-14-1 in their home games. As for the Spurs, they have watched the ‘under’ go 32-27-1 overall, 17-11 in their road assignments.

--NBA-TV will have the telecast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

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**Hawks at Knicks**

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Atlanta (40-22 SU, 36-26 ATS) as a seven-point favorite with a total of 210. As of early this morning, most betting shops had the Hawks favored by six with a 210 ½-point tally. The Knicks are plus-220 on the money line (risk $100 to win $220).

--Mike Woodson’s team is looking to avenge back-to-back losses to the Knicks as a double-digit home favorite. Twice New York went into Philips Arena and won outright while catching a double-digit number. Mike D’Antoni’s squad won a 112-108 decision in overtime on New Year’s Day. Nate Robinson erupted for 41 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead his former team past the Hawks. Back on Dec. 4, the Knicks won 114-107 at Atlanta as 10 ½-point road underdogs. Chris Duhon had 25 points and 10 assists in that meeting.

--New York (21-41 SU, 28-34 ATS) is 13-21 SU and 15-19 ATS at home this year. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 15-15 SU and 17-13 ATS on the road.

--Atlanta saw its four-game winning streak snapped Saturday night in Miami, where the Heat rallied for a 100-94 comeback win as a two-point home favorite. Dwyane Wade torched the Hawks for 38 points, 10 assists and just one turnover. In the losing effort, Jamal Crawford had 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

--The Knicks are going to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Call it the Isiah Jinx if you like. They are coming off the worst 3-point shooting night in NBA history in Friday’s horrifying 113-93 home loss to the woeful Nets. D’Antoni’s bunch missed all 18 of its attempts from beyond the arc against New Jersey. David Lee had a team-high 23 points in defeat.

--Atlanta is currently in fourth place in the East, three games back of Orlando for the second seed and one-half game behind Boston for the third slot.

--When these teams met at Madison Square Garden back on Nov. 11, Atlanta captured a 114-101 win as a five-point road favorite. Al Horford was the catalyst for the winners, scoring 25 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Josh Smith added 22 points and 12 boards.

--New York has seen the ‘under’ go 32-30 overall, 17-17 in its home games at MSG. However, the ‘over’ is on an 11-3 run in the Knicks’ last 14 outings (regardless of venue).

--The ‘over’ is 36-25-1 overall for the Hawks, 15-14-1 in their road games.

--The ‘over’ is 8-1 in the last nine head-to-head meetings between the Knicks and Hawks. Going back even further, the ‘over’ is on a 20-6 run the last 26 encounters.

--Tip-off is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Nice work on Kobe Bryant by Orlando’s Matt Barnes in the Magic’s 96-94 win Sunday. I hate when players kiss Kobe’s ass and like Raja Bell and James Posey, Barnes never does that. The UCLA product, a would-be member of my All Neck-Ink Squad (if I had one), knocked down a clutch three at crunch time and defended Bryant extremely well on a potential tying bucket at the buzzer. The Magic were well ahead of the number late in the fourth quarter, only to allow the Lakers to garner a push with their late rally.

--With 40 wins going into tonight’s tilt at MSG, Atlanta is on the verge of hooking up ‘over’ backers (like me) on its season win total. That number was 44 ½ at most books.

--As of early this morning, most books were listing the Hornets as seven-point home favorites vs. Golden St. New Orleans might be without rookie shooting guard Marcus Thornton, who has been instant offense off the bench all year. The LSU product, who is averaging 12.6 PPG, is "questionable" with a back injury. The Warriors are at the end of five-game road trip in this spot. They have lost the four previous games while compiling a respectable 2-2 spread mark.

--Dallas plays at Minnesota tonight as a seven-point road ‘chalk.’ The Mavs might be without recently acquired center Brendan Haywood, who is listed as “questionable” with a back injury.

--As of early this morning, most spots had Memphis as a nine-point favorite for tonight's home game vs. New Jersey. The Grizzlies are mired in a 1-7 ATS slide in their eight home games.

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.

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