The return of Kobe Bryant did not go as planned as the Lakers lost to Toronto in his season debut as he struggled considerably. I expect him to perform better and for the Lakers to grab a big win in his second game back. To their credit, they played pretty good without Bryant as they went 10-9 in the 19 games he missed and with the Western Conference as tough as it is, they cannot afford to stay at this level. After the Phoenix game, Los Angeles goes on the road for four games in five nights, starting things off in Oklahoma City on Friday which makes this game pretty important. Phoenix has been one of the bigger surprises in the NBA as it was picked by many to finish last in the Western Conference but currently it is sitting in eighth place with an 11-9 record. The Suns own quality victories over Portland (twice) and Houston, but also lost to Sacramento (twice), Utah and Brooklyn so they have been very inconsistent. They have won two straight games which is their fifth two-game winning streak but have yet to win three straight games. The Lakers are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games following a loss and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven home games against teams with a losing road record. The home team has owned this series with nine straight wins and I expect that to continue tonight. 10* (516) Los Angeles Lakers

After opening the season 5-0, Eastern Michigan has dropped its last three games but the Eagles have not lost to any poor teams as they went down against Kentucky, Massachusetts and Purdue which are a combined 23-4. Granted, Eastern Michigan does not have a quality win but a victory tonight would not do that either as Green Bay, while solid, is not overly strong and should not be favored here in my opinion. Throughout the past three seasons under head coach Rob Murphy, the Eagles have a 27-10 record inside the Convocation Center. The Phoenix are coming off a huge win over Virginia on Saturday but that game was at home where the Resch Center has been a very strong home court edge over the years. This game tonight will be Green Bay's first true road game of the season which puts it in a tough spot already not even factoring in the letdown scenario. Green Bay will be facing a zone defense throughout a game for the first time this season and the Eagles have been very strong defensively, holding opponents to 39.6 percent shooting including 38.6 percent shooting in six home games. Eastern Michigan is 23-12 ATS in its last 35 games after scoring 65 points or less three straight games while going 6-1 ATS in its last seven game against Horizon League opponents. Look for the Eagles to snap their three-game skid with a solid victory tonight before hitting the road for three brutal games. 10* (520) Eastern Michigan Eagles

The Devils picked up a big win on Saturday as they went to New York and defeated the Rangers 4-3 in overtime. That snapped a three-game losing streak for New Jersey as it now sits at 12-13-6 including 7-8-3 on the road. They have obviously been playing a lot better since a dreadful start to the season but they have also been fortunate of late as of their last five wins, four have come in overtime. New Jersey's goaltending duo of Brodeur and Cory Schneider haven't been overly impressive lately, posting an .884 save percentage over the last nine games and allowing three or more goals in six of eight so this gives the inconsistent Columbus offense a chance for some production. The Blue Jackets are coming off a loss in Pittsburgh last night which snapped a two-game winning streak and a return home should get them back to their winning ways as they have won three straight games at Nationwide Arena. The Devils are 3-9 in their last 12 road games against teams with a losing home record while the Blue Jackets are 11-2 in their last 13 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Additionally, we have a great situation on our side as we play against road underdogs of +100 to +150 against the moneyline that are revenging a loss where opponent scored four or more goals, off a win by one goal over a division rival. This situation is 75-27 (73.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (4) Columbus Blue Jackets