Eddie Roman
5,000 Mississippi
2,000 Red Sox
2,000 Seattle Run Line
1,000 Celtics
Locksmith Sports
1 Unit on Houston Rockets -2.5
After a blowout defeat to San Antonio, I like the Rockets to bounce back tonight. Houston is 21-8 ATS in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons, 18-8 ATS second half of the season this season, and 13-4 ATS in road games off a road loss over the last 2 seasons. The Kings had a tough time defending the Rockets on March 24th when they went down in Houston, allowing 108 points to a team which only averages around 97ppg. Sac's defense will stick out like a sore thumb again tonight. Lay the points.
VEGAS EXPERTS TIP OF THE DAY
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls
Celtics are rolling right now coming off three straight home wins by 20 or more. They held the Miami Heat’s D-League laden lineup to a shot-clock era low 17 field goals on Sunday in an 88-62 victory. The three previous meetings between these teams this season has been all Boston, who has won by 11, 25 and 23. Chicago is just 7-21 ATS off a win this year.
Play on: Boston
Rocky Atkinson
Florida -4.0 vs UMass
Analysis: Florida is 26-2 SU and 19-7 ATS last 3 years in all neutral court games. Florida is 69-40 ATS since 1997 and 28-10 ATS last 3 years after a non-conference game. Florida is 67-41 ATS since 1997 and 28-9 ATS last 3 years in non-conference games. Florida is 54-4 SU in non-conference games last 3 years. Florida is 44-22 ATS since 1997 and 23-4 ATS last 3 years in tournament games. Florida is 26-1 SU last 3 years in all tournament games. Florida is 7-1 SU and ATS since 1997 in tournament semi-final games. Massachusetts is giving up 78.7 points per game on the road this year. I think what we have here is a battle of two good teams that will come down to Florida being far surperior being from a much tougher conference. We'll recommend a small play on Florida tonight!
MATT FARGO
Houston Rockets @ Sacramento Kings
PICK: Sacramento Kings
REASON FOR PICK: Ever since the 22-game winning streak, the Rockets have struggled which we knew was inevitable. Houston got a lot of breaks during that run including a lot of games at home as well as playing some pretty bad teams. It was a great string but the Rockets are still getting overpriced because of it. Houston has lost four of its last seven games and even though those came against playoff bound teams, this is not the same team from a couple of weeks ago.
Sacramento is one of those teams that are not going to the playoffs but this is a still a very good team at home. The Kings have gone 14-5 in their last 19 games at home to improve to 22-13 at home on the season. Of those 22 wins, nine have come when they were listed as underdogs and those nine games were impressive. Those wins are Utah twice, New Orleans, Dallas, Orlando, Houston, San Antonio, Detroit and Golden St. Note Houston has already lost here once and this is a revenge game for the Kings from last week.
After covering 12 straight games, the Rockets are 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games including a 1-3-1 ATS mark as a favorite. The Kings meanwhile are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog of fewer than five points. This includes outright wins in all seven of those games including a perfect 4-0 at home with the wins coming by an average of 12.3 ppg. Against teams with a winning record this season, the Kings are 12-5 ATS at home. Houston is now just 3-9 ATS in its last 10 games following a loss by double digits.
Considering the roll that Houston was on, this might be considered a low line for some and it will actually work in our favor. Sacramento falls into a simple yet effective situation. Play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 that have won 20 or more of their last 25 games. This situation is 41-17 ATS (70.7 percent) over the last five seasons with the average point differential actually being +4.2 ppg in favor of the play on team. Look for yet another strong performance from Sacramento. Play Sacramento Kings 1 Unit
Moneylockoftheday
Junior's pick
San Diego Padres
Hawker's pick
Toronto Blue Jays
Minnesota Twins
Digger's pick
New York Mets
FAT JACK SPORTS
UMass +4
Mississippi +2
Minnesota +6 1/2
FERRINGO BASEBALL
3.5* LAA -130
1.5* NYM -1.5 RL
1.5* LAD- -160
1.5* STL-115
1* Houst.+175
1* Tex - under 9
Doc's NHL Hockey
4 Unit Play.Take Ottawa -145 over Montreal
The final meetings between these two Eastern Conference Canadian teams takes place tonight @ Scotiabank Place. The Habs will be winning the division as they need only one point in the final week to secure the Northeast for the first time in 16 years. But they will struggle tonight as they will be without their captain in Saku Koivu, who is out with a broken bone in his foot. This is much more important to Ottawa as a strong finish to propel them into the fourth position in the conference and home ice during round one. They have won five of the seven meetings against Montreal and will come out determined to make a statement after a lackluster performance last week.
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit on Detroit Pistons -6
This game means more to the Pistons than what meets the eye. Detroit has lost 3 straight road games and will be looking for cold hard revenge on the road tonight. The Wolves are only 10-22 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons, 5-15 ATS in April games over the last 3 seasons, and 11-21 ATS after a game where they covered the spread this season. The Pistons are 8-1 ATS in road games after 2 straight wins by 10 points or more this season and 13-4 ATS in road games after a win by 10 points or more this season. Detroit is 2-0 SU and ATS in its last 2 meetings in Minneapolis. Take the Pistons.
BEN BURNS
BASEBALL
ANGELS
Game: Los Angeles Angels vs. Minnesota Twins
Prediction: Los Angeles Angels Reason: I'm laying the price with the ANGELS. The Twins grabbed yesterday's opener with Carlos Gomez outplaying Torii Hunter, the man he replaced in Minnesota. However, as Hunter pointed out: "I've been 0-for-4 on Opening Day before, and my numbers are going to be there. You've got to be patient. We've got 161 left, and we're going to do some damage." I expect Hunter and co. to bounce back and start "doing that damage" this evening. Garland gets the call and he'll be highly motivated to have a strong debut with his new team. Garland was 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in four spring starts. He'll face Big Boof Bonser. Actually, Bonser isn't quite so big this season, after losing several pounds in the offseason. Losing the weight could very well help Bonser improve his yearly stats. However, that remains to be seen and this is a tough matchup for him. In addition to facing a highly motivated Torii Hunter, who will be looking to bounce back after yesterday's poor showing, Bonser will have to deal with the likes of leadoff hitter Chone Figgins, who is batting .400 against him, and slugger Vlad Guerrero, who is batting .500 against him. Additionally, First baseman Casey Kotchman, who went 3-for-4 yesterday, is hitting .375 against Bonser. Bonser was 8-12 with a 4.92 ERA as a starter in 2007 but just 4-11 with a 5.94 ERA over his final 20 starts. For the season, he was 3-5 with a 5.38 ERA at home and 0-2 with a 6.27 ERA vs. the Angels. The Angels haven't started out 0-2 since 2001. Behind a solid effort from Garland, who has pitched at least seven innings in each of his last four April starts, look for them to avoid doing so here, improving to 14-7 the last 21 series meetings. *Personal Favorite
NBA
BUCKS
Game: New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks Reason: I'm laying the points with MILWAUKEE. The Bucks lost their fourth straight last time out, rallying from a large deficit to eventually fall by three points at Chicago. They covered the spread though, which brings them to a profitable 13-4 ATS on the season after having lost three or more consecutive games. Tonight, the Bucks step down in class to face a New York team which has just one win in its last 10 road games - and that came at Miami by three points. Note that ALL nine losses came by a minimum of five points. While neither team will be making the playoffs, note that the Bucks, who remain a respectable 500 at home, will be motivated to avoid falling below 500 at home and also to avenge a pair of earlier losses to the Knicks. That includes a 1-point loss here in which the Bucks held a 17-point lead. Look for them to serve up some 'sweet revenge' with a convincing victory for the home fans.
BULLS
Game: Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls
Prediction: Chicago Bulls Reason: I'm taking the points with CHICAGO. The Celtics have had a terrific season and continue to play well. This game means more to the Bulls though and I expect them to be the 'hungrier' team this evening. The Celtics have all but clinched the top spot while the Bulls are desperately fighting for the eighth spot. While that doesn't appear like it's going to happen, it doesn't mean that they aren't going to go down without a fight. Note that the Bulls have won back to back games here and are 8-4 their last 12 home games overall. Note that three of the four losses came by seven points or less. The Bulls will also have the added motivation that comes from playing with "triple revenge" as they look to avoid the embarrassing series sweep. The Bulls have gone a highly profitable 20-5-1 ATS (21-5 SU) in April the past two seasons. I look for them to give a huge effort and improve on those stats this evening.
TWOLVES
Game: Detroit Pistons vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves Reason: I'm taking the points with MINNESOTA. The T-Wolves have been fighting hard at home lately but continue to get little respect. The T-Wolves won outright vs. Utah here on Sunday and are now 4-0 SU their last four games here. Note that only one of their last eight games here resulted in a loss of greater than seven points. Conversely, the Pistons are 0-3/ATS SU their last three road games and 0-5 ATS (1-4 SU) their last five. Looking back further and we find them at 4-13 ATS their last 17 road games, going 8-9 SU. Note that only three of those victories came by greater than seven points. They don't have much incentive here and coach Saunders has said: "We're going to give our young guys a lot of minutes. It'll be young guys against young guys." Look for the T-Wolves "young guys" to continue their recent strong play as the Pistons fall to 2-7 ATS on the season when listed as road favorites in the -6.5 to -9 range.
NHL
OTTAWA
Game: Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators
Prediction: Ottawa Senators Reason: I'm laying the price with OTTAWA. This a huge game for the Senators. For starters, they're playing with 'revenge' from a loss at Montreal last week. The Sens are also looking to bounce back from a 4-0 loss in their last game. Most importantly, they desperately need to pick up the two points. That's because they could still earn home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs OR they could fall all the way to ninth, if they don't turn things around. Its also a big game for the Canadiens as they can clinch their first division title in the past 16 years. Still, in my opinion, it's not nearly as critical a game for Montreal, as it is for Ottawa. Its also worth noting that the Canadiens are currently dealing with some injury issues, including one to captain Saku Koivu, which is a rather key loss. As Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau said: "He's someone with a lot of experience, he's a leader, he's our captain and he's played in big games internationally. We'll definitely miss him..." Despite last week's loss at Montreal, the Senators have still won five of seven meetings against Montreal this season and are 8-2 the last 10 series meetings overall. That includes a perfect 6-0 mark the last six games here at Ottawa. Note that the Sens outscored the Canadiens by a whopping 30-11 margin in those games, including a 13-5 count in this season's three meetings here. Ottawa was listed at -170, -185 and -225 for those games. Tonight's line is much more reasoable and I feel it provides us with excellent value. Although they haven't been sharp for some time now, I still believe that the Sens are capable of being an elite team. I expect them to play up to their potential this evening, earning a very important two points and continuing their home ice dominance in this series. *Eastern Conference GOY
SportsKingz
MLB
L.A. ANGELS -125 (1250 TO WIN 1000)
N.Y. METS R/L -135 (1350 TO WIN 1000)
NBA
ORLANDO MAGIC +1 (5 UNITS)
WILL SYKES
3* New Orleans -1.5
Rockys Winners Circle
St Louis -115 over Colorado Wells
Angels -122 over Twins Bonser
Dodgers -1.5 runs (+146) over Giants
Free pick
Angels
Basketball after 5:30 Eastern Today
Priceless Picks
1 Unit on Minnesota +8.5
This line has moved in our favor and we'll lock it in with the T-Wolves catching better than 8 points against a Pistons team which has lost 3 straight road games. This veteran Pistons team often coasts against lesser opponents and as a result is just 5-16 ATS versus terrible teams - outscored by their opponents by 6+ points/game over the last 3 seasons. Detroit is 4-13 ATS in road games after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread this season, 3-17 ATS in road games after scoring 85 points or less over the last 3 seasons, and 1-10 ATS in road games after a combined score of 175 points or less 2 straight games over the last 3 seasons. Take the points.