Brian Gabrielle
Tulsa vs. Bradley
Take Tulsa
This is a simple case of 'false chalk' as the BGS Power Ratings clearly shows this game as a pick em on the Braves home court. Considering the Tulsa win in game 1 of the College Basketball Invitational Bewst of three finals, I make them a basket better in this game. Take Tulsa in a buzzer beater. Tulsa 71, Bradley 69
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils
Prediction: Boston Bruins
Reason: The Bruins have won 3 of their last 4 games and have gotten points in 5 straight games. Boston has won 8 of their lst 9 games vs. Atlantic Division opponents. The Devils have lost 5 of their last 7 games overall. New Jersey is 2-6 in their last 8 conference games. The Devils have dominated the Bruins but tonight they'll dish out some payback and leave the NJ with 2 points. Play on the Boston Bruins +.
Great Lakes Sports
Chicago Whitesox at Cleveland
Play on: Cleveland with Carmona
The Indians are a very respectable 23-15 vs the Whitesox the last three years including 12-7 at home vs the Whitesox the last three years. The Cleveland Indians are also 25-9 as a home favorite of -150 to -175 the last three years, and 84-64 vs division opponents the last three years. We look for the Cleveland Indians to grab the home win tonight.
Dave Cokin
Warriors @ Mavericks
Play: Warriors +
The Warriors got trampled Tuesday at San Antonio, but they should find their Wednesday night challenge much more to their liking. Dallas is really struggling right now, and remained unimpressive despite winning against the Clippers on Monday. I'm sure the Warriors would have liked to beat the Spurs, but this is the focus game for Golden State, and they appear to be the significantly stronger team right now. Warriors to notch the win and cover.
James Patrick Sports
Bradley vs. Tulsa
In his third year at Tulsa Wojcek’s team plays great defense and rebounds well, a combination that has led them to (11) ATS wins in their past (14) decisions. The Golden Hurricane are playing great basketball and with (4) returning starters and we look for Tulsa to grab a win in game two of this best of three series with a victory over the Braves. This team has held opponents to a season low in points in (30) of (35) contests. Tulsa has captured wins in 14 of 17 with a 14-3 ATS record in their recent stretch of great basketball. Bradley is a sound opponent on their home court but the Golden Hurricane claim the inaugural CBI Title in the final game of this tournament. Our selection in college basketball is Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Sports Advisors
Toronto (38-36, 37-36-1 ATS) at Atlanta (34-40, 34-39-1 ATS
The Hawks continue their pursuit of their first playoff berth since 1999 when they host the Raptors in a key Eastern Conference clash for both teams.
Atlanta, which is coming off Monday’s 116-99 rout of the Grizzlies as a three-point favorite, has won four straight games and eight of its last 10, with three of the last four victories coming by double digits. With about two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Hawks have a firm grip on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, three games ahead of Indiana and 3½ games behind Philadelphia for the No. 7 seed.
Toronto held off the Bobcats in Charlotte on Monday, prevailing 104-100 as a 2½-point road chalk. The Raptors have followed up a 3-11 slump by winning three of their last four. However, they’re only 4-13 ATS in their last 17 outings, including 3-7 ATS on the road.
The Raptors have a four-game SU and ATS winning streak against Atlanta, taking the first two meetings this year by scores of 100-88 as a three-point road chalk and 89-78 as a six-point home favorite. The SU winner has cashed in each of the last 10 series meetings, with the Raptors going 7-3 during this stretch, including 5-1 in Atlanta. Finally, the road team is 14-6 ATS in the last 20 head-to-head clashes.
Despite its spread-cover against Memphis on Monday, the Hawks are just 3-4 ATS in their last seven and 6-10 ATS in their last 16 overall, including 3-6 ATS at home. Atlanta is also on pointspread slumps of 3-8 on Wednesdays and 2-7 when playing on one day of rest.
The Raptors are 29-9 ATS in their last 38 Wednesday contests and 36-15-2 ATS in their last 53 versus Southeast Division foes. On the downside, Toronto has failed to get the cash in five straight road games and four straight contests when playing on one days’ rest.
Atlanta has topped the total in four straight games and eight of the last 10. Also, the over is 17-5 in the last 22 Hawks-Raptors battles, including 5-1 in the last six in Atlanta. However, Toronto has stayed under the number in six of its last eight outings overall and four of its last five on the road.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TORONTO and OVER
Golden State (45-29, 33-41 ATS) at Dallas (46-28, 31-39-4 ATS)
The Warriors and Mavericks hook up for the second time this week, this time at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, as the two squads continue their quest for the playoffs.
Dallas currently occupies the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoff standings, a half-game ahead of Denver for the eighth and final berth and one game ahead of the Warriors, who currently sit on the outside looking in.
Golden State pulled away from the Mavs late in the fourth quarter on Sunday en route to a 114-104 victory as a five-point home favorite. However, the Warriors followed that with last night’s 116-92 loss at San Antonio as an 8½-point underdog – ending a 37-game streak in which Golden State had scored at least 100 points. Don Nelson’s team has alternated SU wins and losses in its last 12 contests, but it has rebounded from a 2-5 ATS slump by going 3-1 ATS in its last four.
Dallas bounced back from Sunday’s loss at Golden State and held off the Clippers 93-86 on Monday, barely cashing as a 6½-point road chalk to halt an 0-6 ATS slide. Despite the win, the Mavericks are just 2-5 SU in their last seven, including 1-3 at home.
The Warriors, who pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in NBA playoff history last year in knocking out top-seeded Dallas in six games, are now 22-5-1 ATS in the last 28 meetings with the Mavs, including 11-3 ATS in Texas. However, Dallas had won the first two series clashes this year prior to Sunday’s loss in Golden State.
Additionally in this rivalry, the home team has cashed in four straight battles, and the underdog is 20-7-1 ATS in the past 28 meetings.
Despite last night’s blowout loss in San Antonio, the Warriors remain on pointspread streaks of 13-6 against the Southwest Division, 6-4 on the road and 9-4 when playing on back-to-back nights.
The Mavs are 5-2 ATS in their last seven on Wednesdays. Aside from that, however, they are mired in ATS funks of 2-6-2 against the Pacific Division, 0-7 against winning teams, 0-4 at home and 0-4 when playing on one day of rest.
The over is 20-8 in the last 28 series meetings (3-0 in the last three), including 8-1 in the last nine clashes at American Airlines Center. Also, the over is on runs of 9-3 for Golden State against the Southwest Division, 9-2 for Golden State when playing on back-to-back nights, 39-19-1 for Golden State on Wednesdays and 9-2 for Dallas against the Pacific Division. On the flip side, the Warriors have stayed low in nine of their last 13 outings overall and five straight on the road.
ATS ADVANTAGE: GOLDEN STATE and OVER
COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
Tulsa (24-13, 19-12 ATS) at Bradley (20-16, 19-14-1 ATS)
Tulsa took Game 1 of the inaugural best-of-three College Basketball Invitational championship series Monday night, holding off Bradley 73-68 but narrowly failing to cover as a 5½-point home chalk. The Golden Hurricane are on a 14-3 SU run (13-3 ATS in lined contests), including 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in this tournament.
Bradley had its three-game CBI winning streak halted Monday, but the cover gave the Braves a 7-3 ATS mark in their last 10 games, including 3-1 ATS in this event. Also, Bradley is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 home games (1-1 ATS in the CBI).
Despite Monday’s outcome, the straight-up winner has been a spread-covering machine in both teams’ games lately, going 10-1 ATS in Tulsa’s last 11 matchups and 13-3 ATS in Bradley’s last 16 contests.
The Golden Hurricane are on positive ATS runs of 5-1 in non-conference play and 3-1 on the highway. However, they are 1-6 SU (3-4 ATS) in their last seven true road games and 4-8 ATS in their last 12 as an underdog.
In addition to their 7-3 ATS spree at home, the Braves have won eight of their last nine as a host. They’re also on spread-covering streaks of 14-6 overall, 6-3 as a favorite and 7-4-1 outside the Missouri Valley Conference.
Bradley, which had averaged 85 points per game in its five contests prior to Monday’s loss, is on an 18-5 “over” tear, including topping the total in 12 of its last 13. Also, the over is 19-8-1 in the Braves’ last 28 non-conference games and 7-1 in their past eight at home. For Tulsa, the over is on runs of 8-2 as an underdog and 7-3-1 in non-conference play. Finally, Monday’s contest at Tulsa barely eclipsed the 140½-point posted price.
ATS ADVANTAGE: BRADLEY and OVER
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco (0-2) at L.A. Dodgers (2-0)
Two of the top young pitchers in the National League square off as the Giants’ Tim Lincecum (7-5, 4.00) opposes Chad Billingsley (12-5, 3.31) in the finale of this season-opening series at Dodger Stadium.
After blanking San Francisco 5-0 in Monday’s season opener, Los Angeles got a run in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday to pull out a 3-2 victory in improving to 2-0 for the first time since 2000. The Giants lost six of their last seven going back to last year and they’re 3-12 in their last 15 road outings.
The Dodgers have won 21 of the last 30 meetings in this rivalry. Also, the home team has taken five of the last six clashes after the visitor had been on an amazing 14-2 run.
Lincecum made 24 starts as a rookie last year, with 12 of the final 15 being quality starts (three earned runs or fewer in at least six innings of work). However, the hard-throwing righthander closed the campaign by going 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in his final three outings.
Lincecum was 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 12 road starts last year, with the Giants going 3-7 in the final 10. Also, in his lone start against Los Angeles, he yielded just two runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks over six innings, failing to get a decision in the Giants’ 6-4 loss at Dodger Stadium.
Billingsley began 2007 in the Dodgers’ bullpen before entering the rotation in mid-June, and he went 8-5 in 20 starts, giving up three earned runs or fewer in eight of his final nine outings, with Los Angeles winning six of his last eight starts.
Billingsley went 4-2 with a 4.24 ERA in 19 games (nine starts) at Dodger Stadium last year, a sharp contrast from his road numbers (8-3, 2.59 ERA in 24 games, including 11 starts). Also, the righthander is 2-0 with a 4.98 ERA in six games (four starts) against the Giants, including 1-0 with a 9.60 ERA in two home starts.
The under is 9-3 in Billingsley’s last 12 starts, but the over is 4-0 in his four career starts against San Francisco. Also, the over is 7-2 in the Giants’ last nine overall (all versus the N.L. West), 4-2 in their last six on the road and 4-2 in the Dodgers’ last six overall (all at home). However, the first two games of this season stayed way under the posted total
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. DODGERS
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto (0-1) at N.Y. Yankees (1-0)
Mike Mussina (11-10, 5.15) looks to rebound from a disappointing 2007 campaign when he leads the Yankees against A.J. Burnett (10-8, 3.75) and the Blue Jays in the middle game of this three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
After Monday’s season opener was washed out, the two teams finally opened the season on Tuesday, with New York rallying for a 3-2 victory. The Yankees are on runs of 20-9 overall and 42-17 in the Bronx, and they’re 40-14 in their last 54 games on Wednesdays.
The Yankees have now won 11 of the final 16 meetings against the Blue Jays last year. Also, the road team is 7-5 in the last 12 battles between these division rivals.
Mussina struggled to the point that he was pulled briefly from the Yankees’ rotation last year, but he ended up having a solid September, going 3-0 with a 3.49 ERA in five appearances (four starts). He finished 7-5 with a 4.88 ERA at home in 2007, and for his career, he’s 61-35 with a 3.65 ERA at Yankee Stadium.
Mussina handled the Blue Jays with ease last year, going 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts, improving to 23-11 with a 3.32 ERA in 41 lifetime starts versus Toronto.
Burnett had a sensational eight-start stretch toward the end of the season when he went 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA, pitching at least seven innings in all but one of those outings. However, he blew up in his final two starts, giving up 11 runs on 18 hits in 12 1/3 innings (8.03 ERA), though he split the two games.
Burnett was just 4-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 13 road starts last year. On the bright side, the veteran righthander was phenomenal in two outings against the Yankees, giving up just one run on eight hits in 15 innings (0.60 ERA), winning 6-0 in Yankee Stadium and getting a no-decision in Toronto’s 2-1 home win. Not including a quality start in the 2003 World Series when with Florida, Burnett is 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA in his career against New York.
The Yankees are 9-2 in Mussina’s last 11 home starts against the Blue Jays and 5-1 in his last six outings against Toronto overall. Meanwhile, Toronto closed out last season going 8-3 in Burnett’s last 11 starts against divisional rivals and 5-2 in his last seven outings overall.
The over is 7-4 in the Blue Jays’ last 11 overall and 8-3-1 in New York’s last 12 at home. However, with last night’s game staying low, the under is now 23-10-2 in the last 35 head-to-head battles at Yankee Stadium, Also, the under is 13-5-1 in Burnett’s last 19 starts overall and 10-4-2 in Toronto’s last 16 Wednesday outings.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Alex Smart
Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks Over 204.5
The Atlanta Hawks enter into this tilt against the Toronto Raptors , playing some solid basketball winning , 8 of their L/10 overall, including , 4 in a row. Much of the Hawks , successes are centered around what is fast becoming an explosive offense that has averaged 109.1 PPG during the above mentioned span. Their opponents , the Raps are playing very inconsistently, losing 6 of their L/10, behind a lackluster , defense, that remains their achilles heel , as is evident by allowing 97.2 PPG this season and just under the 100 point plateau in the visitors role. The one constant for the Raptors has been an offense that averages 100.1 PPG on the season. Considering the current form of both teams, and overall study of the statistical data , recommending a wager on this contest , going over the set total , will be an easy decision. Final notes & Key Trends: Over is 10-1 in Raptors last 11 vs. a team with a losing record . Atlanta has gone Over in 7 of their L/9 home games. Play on the Over
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Golden State
Note: Warriors look to bounce back off last night's 24-point thumping at San Antonio knowing they are 22-5-1 ATS in this series, including 11-1 when playing off a SU and ATS loss. Meanwhile, the Mavericks take an 11-game losing streak against winning teams into tonight's contest. The bottom line is yo can't lay points with a team in Dallas' current condition, especially in to an opponent that has their number. Grab the points with the Warriors.
Big Al Mcmordie
Game: Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks
Reason: At 7:10pm ET our member selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Cincinnati Reds. Despite winning the National League West Division, having the best record in the league, and winning their opening round playoff series against the Cubs in dominating fashion, 2007 will be remembered as a disappointing season overall for the D-Backs after they lost to a red-hot Rockies team in the NLCS. Just about everyone knew that Arizona was probably a more talented team overall than Colorado, and certainly with the way the Rockies got steamrolled in the World Series by the Red Sox, the D-Backs almost certainly would have been a better choice to represent the National League in the Fall Classic. But rather than cry in their beer during the off-season, all Arizona did was make themselves better by acquiring one of the best starters in baseball in Oakland A's ace righthander Dan Haren, who came to the D-Backs in December in a deal for six Arizona prospects. One could argue that the Reds improved their team over the off-season as well, and they have two new highly-touted young arms in their rotation this season in Edison Volquez and Johnny Cueto. Unfortunately, neither Volquez nor Cueto pitches tonight for Cincy and instead they have to turn to the incredibly inconsistent righthander Bronson Arroyo. One thing that is consistent about Arroyo is that he is a notorious slow starter, and in 2007 he lived up to that by going 3-9 with a 4.84 ERA in 18 starts before the break. Expect some rough times in the first few months once again for Bronson, especially at his home park against quality opponents such as Arizona. Take the D-Backs.
Vegas Sports Pics
Tulsa Golden Hurricane + 5 over (at) Bradley Braves
Tulsa is 7-1 this postseason off posting a 73-68 home win over Bradley on Monday, outrebounding the Braves 46-25, while getting outshot 44.3 % to 41.8 %, missing 15 free throws.
MLB
Milwaukee (Suppan) + 130* over (at) Chicago Cubs (Lilly)
Milwaukee went 5-2 first seven Suppan starts last season including a 4-1 win at Cubs, where Suppan allowed no runs over eight innings. Brewers are 7-2 last nine games vs. NL Central.
Arizona (Haren) + 105* over (at) Cincinnati (Arroyo)
Cincinnati is 1-8 last nine games off losing to Arizona 4-2 on Monday. Haren makes his debut for defending NL West champ Arizona off ranking third in the AL in ERA last season.
Jim Feist.
IND Pacers and BOS Celtics.
Take "IND Pacers".
Indiana is a bubble team, battling the Nets and Hawks for the final playoff spot in the East. They are playing like a motivated team, on a 6-2 SU/ATS run. The Pacers got great news the last game as Jermaine O'Neal returned after missing 33 games. He played 18 minutes in Monday's blowout win over Miami. The Celtics have everything pretty much wrapped up and are just 3-2 Su/ATS the last 5 games. Also the visiting team is 2-0 ATS when they've met this season. Play the Pacers!
Cajun-Sports
Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Bobcats
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers -3
Rating: THREE-Star (rated 1 to 6 units)
Selection: CHARLOTTE BOBCATS +3
Analysis: The Bobcats recent road trip saw them raise their playoff hopes posting a record of 3-1 only to return home and lose a tough game to Toronto 104 to 100 on Monday night. Their recent play even if they feel they have lost a chance at the playoffs has been solid and we look for them to give Cleveland all they can stand on Wednesday night in Charlotte. If the Cavaliers want to snap a six game road losing streak they will have to defeat the Bobcats in Charlotte which is something they have not done in two years. Cleveland is holding onto the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference but it has been slipping due to their poor play on the road. The Cav?s lead Washington by 3 games but they haven?t won away from home since a win over the awful New York Knicks back on March 5th, 119 to 105. Seems as though all the talk is always about Lebron James who some call King for some reason but the Bobcats Jason Richardson continues to play extremely well. He is coming off a 26 point performance against the Raptors after being selected the NBA?s Eastern Conference player of the week. In fact Richardson has captured this award twice in four weeks averaging 26.8 points per game and 6.8 rebounds in four games last week. He also had 33 points in their most recent loss to this Cav?s team back on March 16th in Cleveland. Not only has Richardson been playing well but Gerald Wallace who is second on the team with 19.6 points per game and Emeka Okafor who averaged better than 17 points in three of their recent road games have increased their level of play. The combination of those three players all playing well at the same time will give the weary Cav?s trouble in Carolina tonight. Our data base research has uncovered technical support for our selection we found that the Bobcats are 44-25 ATS after playing a game as a home underdog over the last 3 seasons, 101-80 ATS after playing a game as an underdog over the last 3 seasons, 35-23 ATS revenging a same season loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons, 22-11 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 over the last 2 seasons and a perfect 8-0 ATS after scoring 60 points or more in the first half last game over the last 2 seasons. Charlotte is also 74-51-7 ATS off a SU/ATS loss, if they are installed as an underdog in their next game they are 65-44-6 ATS. Now looking at the Bobcats when facing conference opponents we see they are 28-14-2 ATS off a SU loss and installed as a home underdog. If the Bobcats are off an ATS now a conference underdog they are 44-23-1 ATS. Finally for the Bobcats we note that when they are coming in off a SU/ATS loss at home and are now a conference underdog they are 27-12-1 ATS. Cleveland coming off an ATS loss and going Under in their last two games with a price range of 2 to 4 points are 3-13-1 ATS if they are installed as a favorite under those same situations they are 1-8-1 ATS. Our final technical set is a system that tells us to Play Against NBA teams where the line is +3 to -3 with a team failing to cover 6 or 7 of their last 8 against the spread against an opponent after having covered 2 of their last 3 against the spread, 87-46 ATS since 2002. Lets take the points here with the host as the Bobcats take another home victory from the road weary Cavaliers.
GATOR REPORT
NBA 70% Super Situations
NBA Wednesday: Play Against NBA underdogs with a team that averages 98-102 points per game against a team that allows 98-102 points per game after 42+ games, after a win by 6 points or less 26-6 ATS the last 5 seasons (81.2%) PLAY: Atlanta -2
MLB 70% Super Situations
MLB Wednesday: Play Over MLB teams where the total is 7 to 8.5 first 12 games of the season, playoff team from prior season who lost their last 3 games, a team from last season that won between 45-55% of their games 45-17 Over since 1997 (72.6%) PLAY: Arizona / Cincinnati OVER 8.5 (-115)
Insider Sports Report
4* Tampa Bay (Garza) -110 over Baltimore (Cabrera)
Range +110 to -130
3* Oakland (Harden) -130 over Boston (Lester)
Range -120 to -150
3* Colorado (Cook)/St. Louis (Wellemeyer) UNDER 9
Range 9.5 to 8.5
TONY WESTON
We stick with some NBA hoops and change our focus to the Western Conference as the Warriors play on the road against the Mavericks in a game with so much on the line. The playoffs are right around the corner and both Golden State and Dallas are jockeying not just for position but for a spot in the postseason.
The lasting memory of these two teams was last season’s playoffs when the Warriors, an eight seed, knocked off the No. 1 seeded Mavericks in the first round of the postseason.
And it wasn’t just the postseason where Golden State has had success against Dallas. Over their last 10 meetings the Warriors are 6-4 SU, but are 8-2 ATS.
Recently, the Mavs have been pretty bad ATS, having gone 1-6 ATS and 2-5 SU in their last seven games. The Warriors, on the other hand have gone 5-2 ATS, including a per-fect 3-0 mark ATS on the road.
Golden State continues to get over on Dallas.
Take the Warriors on the road.
3* WARRIORS (1* to 5* Scale)
JEFF BENTON
Tonight, even though the Warriors played last night in San Antonio, even though the venue has shifted to Dallas, and even though there’s an ever-so-slight chance that Dirk Nowitzki (knee/ankle) may return to the lineup, I’m backing Golden State again. The main reason’ They just own the Mavs, especially from a pointspread perspective.
The Warriors have cashed in six of the last seven series meetings, going 5-1 ATS as an underdog. And since Don Nelson got bounced as Mavs coach and rejoined Golden State, Nelson is 22-5-1 ATS against his former employer! Then if you just look at recent form, you’ll see that the Mavs are just 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games, with the lone cover coming by a half-point against the lowly Clippers on Monday. As for the Warriors, they had cashed in three straight games before last night’s contest at San Antonio; they’re 6-3 ATS in their last nine on the road; they’re 13-5 ATS in their last 18 against the tough Southwest Division; and they’re 5-2 ATS in their last seven as an underdog.
Finally, even if the Warriors show fatigue after Tuesday’s contest versus the Spurs and fall behind early tonight, they’ve proven time and again that they can rally ‘ they’ve won 17 games this year after trailing by double digits, including Sunday’s win over Dallas, which led by 12 points in the early going. In the end, Golden State brings home the cash once more against the Mavericks.
4* GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (Based on a 1* to 10* rating system)
John Fina
Selection: Los Angeles Lakers (-)
Today the Portland Trail Blazers will be on the road as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. We will lay the points with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Los Angeles Lakers should be able to donate this game with their superior offense. The Los Angeles Lakers (at home) are scoring an average of 110.1 points per game, while the Portland Trail Blazers (on the road) are scoring an average of only 93.2 points per game. This means the Los Angeles Lakers offense is scoring an average of 16.9 points per game more then the Portland Trail Blazers offense. In addition, the Los Angeles Lakers have played very well against Northwest Division teams. In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers are 8-3 in their last 11 games against Northwest Division teams. Lay the points with the much superior team!
Take the Los Angeles Lakers