Miami, Fla. (19-7, 13-4-2 ATS) at Clemson (19-7, 4-9 ATS)
The Hurricanes take their four-game SU and ATS winning streak on the road for a key ACC battle against Clemson, which had a two-game win streak snapped in its last outing.
Miami whipped Maryland 78-63 Saturday as a two-point home chalk, cashing for the fourth straight time, but in much easier fashion after three previous victories by a combined total of five points – including a 96-95 thriller over Duke last Wednesday. The Hurricanes (6-6, 6-4-2 ATS in the ACC) outshot Maryland 47.3 percent to 37.1 percent.
Clemson has been idle since last Tuesday’s 64-55 loss at Florida State as a 3½-point road favorite, halting a two-game ATS uptick. The Tigers (7-5 SU and ATS in the ACC) shot a paltry 30.8 percent from the field (20-for-65) against the Seminoles, including a pathetic 3 of 27 from 3-point range (11.1 percent).
Miami is 6-1 SU and ATS in the last seven meetings in this series, including a current 5-0 ATS run (4-1 SU). Last month, the Hurricanes took a 75-72 home win as a one-point pup, as the underdog improved to 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.
The Hurricanes are 19-7-3 in their last 29 overall and 9-2-2 ATS on their last 13 roadies. They’re on additional positive pointspread runs of 4-0 against teams with a winning record, 11-2 after a SU win and 9-2 after a spread-cover.
The Tigers are on a 4-1 ATS run at home and are 7-2 ATS in their last nine following a non-cover. However, they’re only 5-11 ATS in their last 16 starts against teams with a winning road record and 0-4 ATS in their last four against teams with a winning overall record.
The over is on runs of 4-1 for Miami on Wednesday, 4-1 for Clemson on Wednesday and 11-5 for Clemson at home. However, the under is 9-3 for the Hurricanes following a SU win and 6-1 for Clemson overall. Also, three of the last four series meetings have stayed low.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MIAMI, FLA.
Ole Miss (18-8, 8-13 ATS) at Kentucky (15-10, 11-10-1 ATS)
Three days after a blowout loss at LSU, the Rebels hit the road once again, traveling to Lexington for an SEC battle with streaking Kentucky.
Mississippi got pounded by LSU 69-49 Saturday as a three-point road favorite, dropping to 1-5 SU and ATS in its last six lined contests. The Rebels (4-8, 3-9 ATS in the SEC) were unable to take any momentum from their 74-63 home win over archrival Mississippi State last Wednesday, shooting just 26.8 percent (19 of 71) versus LSU, including missing 22 of 27 attempts from long range.
Kentucky held off Arkansas 63-58 Saturday laying 1½ points to post its third straight win (2-1 ATS) since a humbling 93-52 road loss to Vanderbilt. The Wildcats (9-3 SU and ATS in the SEC) have chalked up victories in eight of their last nine starts, all in SEC play, and all but one of their eight victims have been held under 70 points.
Kentucky is on a 9-1 tear in this rivalry (6-4 ATS), winning and cashing in the last three clashes. In last year’s only meeting, the Wildcats claimed a 68-58 road win laying 2½ points. Mississippi is 2-6 ATS in the last eight meetings and 1-4 ATS in their last five trips to Lexington, and the favorite is 5-2 ATS in the last seven head-to-head matchups.
The Rebels are on nothing but negative pointspread runs, including 1-5 in SEC play, 0-5 on the highway, 0-5 after scoring less than 50 points, 0-4 on the road versus teams with a winning home mark and 2-6 against teams with a winning overall record.
The Wildcats, conversely, are on a 7-2 ATS tear (all in the SEC) and are on further positive ATS runs of 5-1 in Lexington, 6-2 after a SU win and 5-2 against teams with a winning SU record.
For Ole Miss, the under is on streaks of 4-1 overall, 20-8-1 on Wednesdays and 5-2 after a SU defeat. For Kentucky, the under is on runs of 6-1 overall, 5-1 at home, 5-1 following an outright victory and 5-1 on Wednesday. Finally, the under is 3-0-1 in the last four series meetings.
ATS ADVANTAGE: KENTUCKY and UNDER
Georgia Tech (11-14, 10-13 ATS) at (7) Duke (23-3, 14-9-2 ATS)
The Yellow Jackets, playing out the string at this point after dropping four straight games, travel to Durham for an ACC matchup against Duke, which rebounded nicely after two straight stunning conference defeats on the road.
Georgia Tech lost to Virginia Tech 92-84 Saturday, failing to cash as a four-point road pup as it fell to 0-4 ATS during its four-game losing skid. The Yellow Jackets (4-8, 5-7 ATS in the ACC) shot 46.3 percent from the field, just ahead of Va. Tech’s 45.6 percent. But in a foul-plagued game, the Hokies went to the line an astounding 49 times, hitting 36, while Georgia Tech went 28 of 34.
Duke, coming off a terrible road trip with upset losses at Wake Forest and Miami, got a respite from ACC play on Saturday and responded with an 86-56 blowout of St. John’s, cashing as a hefty 23-point home chalk. The Blue Devils (10-2, 7-3-2 ATS in the ACC) halted an 0-3-1 ATS slide by shooting 46.2 percent (30 of 65), their best effort from the field in more than three weeks.
Duke is 8-2 the last 10 meetings in this rivalry (7-3 ATS), including a 71-62 home win last February giving 7½ points, which ended Georgia Tech’s two-game ATS run. The Yellow Jackets are just 4-13 ATS in the last 17 meetings with Duke, including four consecutive non-covers in Durham. In fact, the home team has cashed in four straight in this series, and the favorite is on a 13-3 ATS tear.
The Yellow Jackets carry negative ATS trends of 1-4 in ACC play, 7-15 on the highway versus teams with a winning home record, 3-7 on the road and 4-13 against teams with a winning SU mark.
The Blue Devils, despite their recent hiccup, are still on positive pointspread runs of 8-3-2 overall, 7-3-2 in the ACC, 4-1-2 at home, 6-2 at home against teams with a losing road record and 7-2-2 after a SU win. On the negative side, Duke is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 Wednesday outings.
For Georgia Tech, the over is on streaks of 9-3 overall, 9-3 on the road and 4-0 on Wednesdays. Also, for Duke, the over is on runs of 9-2 overall, 35-16 in conference games, 6-0 after a spread-cover and 8-1 after a SU win. On the flip side, the under has cashed in six consecutive series meetings and is 4-1 in the last five clashes at Duke.
ATS ADVANTAGE: DUKE
Cleveland (32-25, 26-31 ATS) at Boston (43-12, 33-20-2 ATS)
The Celtics return home from a five-game Western Conference road swing, and awaiting them will be LeBron James and the new-look Cavaliers.
Boston dropped its first three games on the trip, losing at Denver, Golden State and Phoenix, but bounced back with double-digit victories over the Blazers on Sunday (112-102 as a 5½-point favorite) and Clippers on Monday (104-76 as a nine-point chalk). The SU winner covered the spread in all five contests, an the winner is 7-0-1 ATS in the last Celtics’ last eight overall.
Cleveland is coming off last night’s heartbreaking, last-second 105-102 loss at Milwaukee as a four-point road favorite. The Cavs had a three-game SU winning streak snapped in the defeat, but they’re still 18-8 SU going back to the beginning of January, but just 13-13 ATS.
This is the final regular-season meeting between these squads, with the home team winning the first three encounters. In Cleveland, the Cavs prevailed 109-104 in overtime as a 3½-point underdog and 114-113, falling short as a three-point chalk, while the Celtics earned an 80-70 decision in Beantown, coming up short as a 13½-point favorite. Going back to last season, the host has won four in a row in this rivalry, while the underdog is 5-0-1 ATS in the last six clashes.
Despite last night’s loss at Milwaukee, the Cavs are still 8-3 SU and ATS in their last 11 road games (3-1 SU and ATS in the last four). In fact, the winner has cashed in each of Cleveland’s last 17 games on the highway. On the downside for the Cavs, they’re just 5-13 ATS in their last 18 Wednesday outings and 1-5 ATS in their last six against Atlantic Division foes.
The Celtics have been nearly unbeatable at home, going 23-4 SU, but just 16-10 ATS (5-2-1 ATS in the last seven). They’re on positive ATS streaks of 4-0 against the Central Division and 5-2 when playing on one day of rest.
Boston’s offense has come to life of late, tallying at least 104 points in six of its last eight games. Meanwhile, Cleveland has hit the century mark in six of its last 11 contests.
The over is 4-1 in the last five series meetings (2-1 this year) and 5-2 in the last seven clashes in Boston. Also, the over is 6-2 in the Celtics’ last eight at home and 6-2 in their last eight against the Eastern Conference.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
Phoenix (39-18, 26-29-2 ATS) at New Orleans (37-18, 32-22-1 ATS)
The Suns take the Shaquille O’Neal experiment on the road for the second time in as many nights when they invade the Big Easy for a key Western Conference clash with the Hornets.
Phoenix used a big fourth quarter to put away the Grizzlies 127-113 last night, cashing as a hefty 11-point road favorite. The Suns have alternated SU wins and losses in their last seven games, going 2-2 SU and ATS since O’Neal was inserted into the lineup.
The Hornets are coming off one of their most disappointing defeats of the season, Monday’s last-second 95-92 loss to the Wizards as an 11½-point home favorite. New Orleans has dropped three in a row (both SU and ATS) since a five-game winning streak. In fact, since a 17-2 run that lifted the Hornets to the top of the Western Conference standings, they’ve dropped six of their last 11.
The straight-up winner is 31-2 ATS in New Orleans’ last 33 games, including 13-1 ATS at home.
The Hornets have had Phoenix’s number this season, winning all three meetings in upset fashion, all by a combined 10 points. That includes a thrilling 132-130 double-overtime win in the desert on Feb. 6, with the Hornets cashing as a four-point underdog. Going back to last season, New Orleans is on a 5-0 ATS tear against the Suns, all as an underdog. Finally, the visitor is 11-5-1 ATS in the past 17 series clashes.
Phoenix is mired in a 4-6-1 ATS slump overall and is just 2-5-1 ATS in its last eight against the Southwest Division, 1-5-1 ATS in its last seven against the Western Conference and 1-5-1 ATS in its last seven on Wednesday. On the bright side, the Suns are 6-1 ATS in their last seven, including four consecutive covers.
New Orleans is on positive ATS streaks of 17-5 against the Pacific Division, 19-7 on Wednesdays and 5-0 against winning teams. Conversely, Byron Scott’s squad is mired in pointspread funks of 2-6 against the Western conference, 1-4 at home and 1-4 when playing on one day of rest.
The under is 9-2 in the last 11 series meetings, but both “overs” have occurred in the two most recent contests (both in Phoenix). Also, the over is on runs of 6-1 for Phoenix overall, 5-1 for Phoenix on the road, 5-0 for Phoenix on Wednesdays, 9-3 for the Hornets at home, 4-0 for the Hornets on Wednesdays and 4-0 for the Hornets against the Pacific Division.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NEW ORLEANS and OVER
Detroit (42-15, 33-23-1 ATS) at Utah (36-21, 29-28 ATS)
The streaking Pistons resume their four-game Western Conference road trip when they clash with the Jazz inside the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
Detroit came out of the All-Star break with back-to-back stunning losses to the Magic (103-85 at home) and Bucks (103-98 on the road), failing to cover as a 6½-point favorite in both games. Since then, however, the Pistons have posted three consecutive wins and covers, including victories over the Suns on Sunday (116-86) and Nuggets on Monday (98-93) to start this road trip. Detroit is on a 13-2 SU run (8-7 ATS).
The Jazz return home after last night’s stunning 111-100 loss at Minnesota as a seven-point road chalk. Utah has alternated SU and ATS wins and losses in its last four games, but is still 18-4 in its last 22 overall. However, Jerry Sloan’s team has followed up a 9-1 ATS spurt by failing to cash in five of its last seven, all as a favorite.
Utah has owned the Pistons the last few years, winning five straight meetings and seven of the last eight, going 7-1 ATS during this stretch. That includes a 4-0 run against the Pistons in Salt Lake City (3-1 ATS). In the only previous meeting this season, the Jazz went to Motown and prevailed 103-93 as a one-point road chalk, though the Pistons played without Rasheed Wallace.
Additionally, with regards to this series, the underdog has cashed in five of the last six meetings, while the road team is 4-0 ATS in the last four.
During its 13-2 SU tear, Detroit is 5-1 on the road (3-3 ATS). For the season, Flip Saunders’ squad is 20-10 as a visitor, but just 3-7 ATS in the last 10. The Pistons are also just 1-5 ATS in their last six against the Northwest Division, but 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 on Wednesday and 16-5 ATS in their last 21 when playing on one day of rest. Finally, the underdog is 15-7 ATS in the Pistons’ last 22 games.
The Jazz are an NBA-best 24-3 at home (17-10 ATS) and they carry a 14-game home winning streak into this contest (9-5 ATS). Going back to last year, the Jazz are on a 25-11-1 ATS roll in Salt Lake. On the downside, Utah is mired in pointspread slumps 4-10 against the Eastern Conference and 6-14 when playing on back-to-back nights.
The over is 4-0 in the last four series meetings and 4-1 in Detroit’s last five on the road. However, the under is on streaks of 9-5 for the Jazz overall, 5-1 for the Jazz at home, 5-0 for the Jazz against the Eastern Conference, 5-0 for the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back, 5-2 for the Jazz on Wednesdays, 10-1-1 for the Pistons against the Western Conference and 9-3 for the Pistons on Wednesdays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UTAH and UNDER
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