(Today’s installment of your faithful reporter’s quest to prognosticate all 1,230 NBA regular-season games this season.)

Warriors (5-10) at Cavaliers (12-3), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Cavaliers -11.5
Remember last season, when the Warriors blitzed LeBron & Co. just before Christmas? Seems like a lot longer than 11 months ago.

Hawks (9-5) at Raptors (7-7), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Raptors -6
I’m trying to stick with the (No) Josh Smith Principle.

76ers (7-8) at Celtics (14-2), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Celtics -8.5
With all the talk of the Lakers’ assault on 72 wins, let’s not leave these guys out of the mix. (At least not until the inevitable Ray Allen injury crops up.)

Bucks (7-10) at Pistons (9-5), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Bucks +9
For all the people who have taken advantage of Allen Iverson’s Thanksgiving absence to bray about how Joe Dumars has “ruined” his team, get back to me after Antonio McDyess re-signs with Detroit.

Bobcats (4-10) at Pacers (6-8), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Pacers -7.5
Danny Granger on the Pacers’ inability to hold a halftime lead: “Let’s just tank it for the first 2 1/2 quarters, and then try to come back and win.”

Heat (7-8) at Suns (11-5), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Suns -8.5
Steve Nash says he’ll be “extremely disappointed” if fans boo Shawn Marion on his return to the Valley of the Sun. Get prepared, Steve.

Timberwolves (3-10) at Thunder (1-15), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Thunder +2.5
If only these two teams could play each other the rest of the way. . .

Grizzlies (4-11) at Spurs (8-6), 5:35 p.m.
Pick: Spurs -9.5
I know it’s a tiny sample, but Manu Ginobili’s per-48 minute scoring average of 43.2 is utterly ridiculous 43.2

Kings (5-12) at Jazz (10-6), 6:05 p.m.
Pick: Jazz -11
After the hideous fashion in which they lost to the Nets on Wednesday — ably chronicled here by Sam Amick, although watching it play out on TV was even more jaw-dropping — could the Kings be close to a panic firing of Reggie Theus?

Hornets (9-5) at Trail Blazers (10-6), 7:05 p.m.
Pick: Trail Blazers -4.5
I’m getting the feeling that, for whatever reason, New Orleans is just not going to live up to my expectations of them this spring. The Hornets are just screaming “second-round playoff loss” to me right now.

Mavericks (7-7) at Lakers (12-1), 7:35 p.m.
Pick: Mavericks +11
For a team that it so dominant, the Lakers just don’t captivate me, as a viewer.

Yesterday: 2-0
Season record: 109-112-3

– Geoff

…

(aka, How To Lose Fake Money And Real Credibility, Part 31, today’s installment of your faithful reporter’s quest to prognosticate all 1,230 NBA regular-season games this season)

Unfotunately, it’s long off the air, but for a long time, The West Wing was my favorite show on television. In its honor, I present you a West Wing Thanksgiving smorgasbord:

Oh, and here are some picks as I stalk .500:

Magic (11-4) at Wizards (2-10), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Magic -3
Time for the carriage to turn back into a pumpkin in D.C.

Hornets (8-5) at Nuggets (10-5), 7:35 p.m.
Pick: Hornets +1
Can anyone tell me what the hell’s happened to Peja Stojakovic? I keep thinking his sub-40 shooting percentage is an aberration, but we’re more than 15 percent of the way through the season, and his aberration is threatening to become a disaster.

Yesterday: 9-4
Season record: 107-112-3

– Geoff

By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

(Apologies for the delay. Technological challenges while at a family gathering for Thanksgiving.)

“A man’s got to know his limitations.”

We begin our discussion of the Warriors’ 119-111 loss to the Boston Celtics with Det. Harry Callahan, a Bay Area icon in his own (albeit fictional) right. This is not because he blew up Hal Holbrook’s car in the same ruthless fashion that the Celtics mangled the Warriors’ offense when it counted on Wednesday.

It’s because of Don Nelson’s assessment of the performance of his team, which was coming off a 24-point drubbing in Washington just 24 hours earlier: “Compared to our last game, we played about as well as we can play.”

Was this the best the Warriors could play? Well, was it, punk?

To tell you the truth, in all the excitement, I kind of lost track.

In the “Yes” column:

** You can’t reasonably expect Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette to be more efficient on offense than they were last night: a combined 23-for-38 from the floor (5-for-10 on 3s) and 11-for-15 from the line.

Maggette, who started back at his preferred small forward spot and stayed there for his first 23 minutes, was attacking the basket again with some verve. When he wasn’t doing that, he was taking jump shots that made sense in the offense, rather than being obviously forced.

Jackson continues to hit shots of the “no-no-no-yes!” variety; his success with fadeaways from 18 feet out is actually starting to make me wonder if he can knock that down consistently.

** Ronny Turiaf had another strong performance at the defensive end, swatting five shots in 22 minutes although an injury to his right wrist appeared to curtail his effectiveness in the late going.

In the “No” column:

** Jamal Crawford went 5-for-17 from the floor (2-for-8 on treys) with four turnovers and way too many pullup-and-let-fly 3-point misses to offset his six assists. And Rajon Rondo had his way with him at the other end of the floor.

** The young forwards made no real contribution. Brandan Wright started but was yanked early for Anthony Randolph, who tossed out two quick fouls (and engaged in a staring contest with Kevin Garnett) before heading back to the bench, never to be seen again.

** Even after going big for the first 34 minutes, the Warriors were still outrebounded, 47-34. Of course, more than half that deficit was rung up during the final 7 minutes, when Boston pounded…

(Today’s installment of your faithful reporter’s quest to prognosticate all 1,230 NBA regular-season games this season)

Warriors (5-9) at Celtics (13-2), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Celtics -12.5
aka “Patrick O’Bryant: The Vengeance”

Bucks (7-9) at Hawks (8-5), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Bucks +8
I still love the Hawks, but they’re killing my winning percentage.

Thunder (1-14) at Cavaliers (11-3), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Cavaliers -15.5
You just know Joe Smith is going to be looking over at his former Cleveland teammates with puppy-dog eyes, begging to be let back in.

Bobcats (4-9) at Raptors (6-7), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Bobcats +8.5
Jason Richardson’s return should spell the end of Raymond Felton’s days as a starter, one would think.

Magic (10-4) at 76ers (7-7), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Magic +5
Is Jameer Nelson’s absence really worth this much of a spread? Well, if you say so.

Knicks (7-7) at Pistons (8-5), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Pistons -13
Operation Lottery Winner is in full effect.

Suns (10-5) at Timberwolves (3-9), 5:05 p.m.
Pick: Suns -4
Al Jefferson, school’s back in session.

Pacers (5-8) at Rockets (10-5), 5:35 p.m.
Pick: Pacers +8
Ron Artest is 11-for-36 against the Pacers since being run out of town in 2006. There’s no reason he can’t continue in that same vein.

Bulls (7-8) at Spurs (7-6), 5:35 p.m.
Pick: Bulls +7
The greatness that is Larry Hughes knows no bounds.

Grizzlies (4-10) at Jazz (9-6), 6:05 p.m.
Pick: Grizzlies +9.5
Memphis is 4-3 in its last seven games in Salt Lake City? Seriously?

Heat (7-7) at Trail Blazers (9-6), 7:05 p.m.
Pick: Trail Blazers -7.5
What happened to all that Greg Oden, Rookie of the Year talk?

Nets (6-7) at Kings (5-11), 7:05 p.m.
Pick: Nets +3
This is only the fifth time all season the Kings have been a favorite. No. 6 should come sometime in mid-January.

Nuggets (9-5) at Clippers (2-12), 7:35 p.m.
Pick: Nuggets -4.5
Zach Randolph? Marcus Camby? Chris Kaman? How about “No Difference?”

Yesterday: 1-4
Season record: 98-108-3

– Geoff

By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

Sometimes, an ass-whupping in the NBA is just that, nothing more.

So, given that the Warriors’ butts were well and truly paddled Tuesday by the Washington Wizards and interim coach Ed Tapscott, is there anything to be gleaned from sifting through the wreckage?

Maybe.

There were two major runs that broke the game open for the Wizards. They scored on each of their last eight possessions before halftime, capping a stretch where they got points on 13 of 15 opportunities and widened their lead from five points to 14.

Washington put the game away with a 16-4 run during the latter half of the third quarter that turned a 75-64 advantage into a 91-68 blowout.

There were missed assignments by the Warriors, shockingly easy run-outs for the Wizards and more than enough blame to coat Golden State’s whole roster from top to bottom and not miss a spot.

The biggest two problems were these: an overabundance of second-chance points for Washington (which outrebounded Golden State 54-40) and too many plays on offense that added fuel to the Wizards’ fire — be it by virtue of a long rebound off a missed jumper or a flat-out turnover.

The one-sequence that summed it all up: Newcomer Jamal Crawford drove the lane with 6 minutes left in the third and a chance to cut the deficit down to single digits. He easily shed Antawn Jamison, only to run into Andray Blatche, who caught a lot of Crawford’s body but was credited with a block. Caron Butler scooped up the loose ball to begin a 4-on-1 break that ended with DeShawn Stevenson feeding Butler for a layup (just two of his season-high 35 points).

After the game, Don Nelson laid the biggest share of blame on his youngsters: “I’m pretty disappointed with how my team played, especially the young players. . . . I expect more energy from them and to compete better than what they gave us tonight. Everyone that got in tonight seemed to make some errors. As a coach I want to play the young players, but it is very hard to play them when they play like that tonight.”

He had a point. Anthony Randolph was the best defender at the power forward spot (Washington scored 44 points in the 19:27 he spent at the 4, an average of 108.6 per 48 minutes) but he went 1-for-7 from the floor and coughed up five turnovers.

Brandan Wright, meanwhile,…