OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a winner Tuesday on the Atlanta Hawks (+7.5) at the LA Lakers.

Sure I’ll grab around a touchdown with the boys from Hotlanta. The Hawks are good enough to compete with anybody in this league and that includes the Lakers at Staples. I’m really not all that afraid of Kobe and the struggling big bad Lakers. Things have not been great of late, with the three straight losses, and something is just off right now with Phil Jackson’s squad. Los Angeles has played some really questionable games of late and now after all of the hoopla of the All-Star game including Kobe earning another MVP award I can see a little bit of fatigue along with a letdown from the defending champs.

The Hawks aren’t going to win the championship but they are a tough squad that very well may better the 53-win season from a season ago. Joe Johnson and Al Horford were All-Stars and throw in a guy that plays like an All-Star in Josh Smith plus Jamal Crawford and a few others and I 100% expect the visitors to come after the defending champions. Teams get up for big games like this and therefore I can see the Hawks hanging a little extra giddy up in the tank. This is the Lakers in front of all of the celebrities and stars in LA. What more motivation can a team draw? Maybe playing at Madison Square Garden, maybe, but that is about it.

Kobe and the gang have dropped three in a row and that included the shocking upset loss in Cleveland to end the first half. One could say that the break came at a right time for the champs but I’m not so sure and somewhat believe this team may be just a little bit off and, break or no break, will continue to be a little bit off.

Top expert pick on this game: Atlanta from Matt Rivers

For more information: It was a terrible call on UTEP on Monday, no excuses. I was as wrong as wrong could be in that thing. It happens. Moving forward and continuing the domination of the Crookie here and now as I Raise that Bar with a 400,000* major release from Minnesota in this semi elimination game between the Spartans and Golden Gophers. Both squads have struggled and one more loss for either could spell doom. Who shows up? One team for sure that I can tell you. Also get a bonus 300,000* from the Big East involving Louisville and Rutgers. 2-0 sweep and another 700,000* of profit, end of story! Rivers redemption comes tonight

Now to the rest of the NBA odds: