At 8 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on the New Orleans Hornets plus the points over San Antonio. I used the Spurs as a big 5* play on Thursday, and that game was my 5* NBA Game of the Year, so I was not surprised by the Spurs' 11-point win. I was in attendance at the AT & T Center (and I'll be at Game 4 as well), and I was greatly impressed by the New Orleans Hornets, even in defeat. If truth be told, the Spurs were very fortunate to get the win and cover vs. New Orleans in Game 3. The game turned when center Tyson Chandler picked up his third and fourth fouls midway thru the 3rd quarter. At the time Chandler left the game, New Orleans was nursing a 72-69 lead. But when he finally got back onto the court, San Antone had surged ahead 83-78 heading into the 4th quarter. Indeed, the key play of the game was when Tim Duncan pulled down an offensive rebound over Melvin Ely, and was fouled as he put it back into the hoop. That gave the Spurs a 73-72 lead and they would never trail again. But if Chandler was in the game instead of Ely, Duncan would not have captured the offensive rebound to begin with. The rest of the way, Parker, Ginobili and Duncan did a ton of damage in the paint. Not only was Chandler's absence noticeable on New Orleans' defensive end, but it also hurt the Hornets offensively, as Duncan could stray away from Melvin Ely, and pay more attention to Chris Paul. The bottom line, though, is that the Spurs still have no answer for Chris Paul or David West, and when they try to double team them, Chandler and Stojakovic are left open for easy shots. I look for Chandler to play much smarter on Sunday, and that will be all New Orleans should need to cover the number. Take the points. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 3:30 pm, our selection is on the LA Lakers over Utah. Although Kobe Bryant & Co. lost game 3 in Salt Lake City, I fully expect them to rebound today, as they fall into a 95-41 ATS system of mine that plays on certain road teams off a loss, provided they're not favored by 5 or more points. Since 1991, Los Angeles is a super 49-29 ATS on the road off a SU/ATS loss when revenging a same-season loss, and the Lakers are also a perfect 8-0 ATS their last 8 on the road when playing with revenge from a same-season loss. Take LA. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.