RAS
James Madison +8
Richmond -13
DON WALLACE SPORTS
5* PHILADELPHIA +9
3* PHOENIX -7.5
3* UTAH -6.5
3* PORTLAND 2.5
Teddy Covers
Thunder
Notre Dame
New Mexico
Colorado St
Anthony Redd
Virginia +8.5
1st Half Virginia +4.5
Brett Atkins
Duke -10
Chris Jordan
Notre Dame - 3
Chuck O'Brien
Notre Dame -3.5
Craig Davis
Notre Dame -3.5
Joel Tyson
Oklahoma State
Portland
Karl Garrett
South Carolina
Memphis Tigers
Michael Cannon
Notre Dame
Rhode Island
Stephen Nover
Texas AM +7
Jimmy Boyd
5* Minnesota Timberwolves +7
3* Milwaukee Bucks -6.5
4* Purdue -13
Brandon Lang
Texas A&M +6.5
Ben Burns
10* Raptors/Spurs Over 203.5
Milwaukee -6
Detroit/Boston Under 192.5
10* Ohio St -19.5
Florida
Matt Fargo
Blazers at Kings
Pick: Kings +2.5
This is a horrible spot for Portland. The Blazers have played four of their last five games at home and now embark on a trip to Sacramento before returning home for five more consecutive home games. The fact they have dominated this series with seven straight wins provides absolutely no motivation in this spot. Portland has won two straight games but those were at home against Minnesota, which it has beaten 15 straight times and New Jersey, currently on a 1-10 run, so no one should be overly impressed. This is the Kings first game since going 1-5 on a six-game trip and head coach Paul Westphal lamented that the Kings could have gone 5-1. The last two losses were tough to swallow. Saturday, the Kings led Detroit by 11 at half, then went out and scored 10 points in the third quarter of a 110-106 loss. Then on Monday, they led Atlanta 82-73 entering the fourth, but lost when Tyreke Evans fouled Joe Johnson with 0.6 seconds left and Johnson made two free throws for a 100-98 win. While Sacramento has the worst record in the Western Conference, things could be a lot better and this team is not down on itself. The Kings remain confident they will shake the excuse of youth and figure out how to close out games, which has been one of the main problems in many losses. The team remains optimistic despite early struggles that include two eight-game losing streaks and the focus has especially been waning in the second half of games. Sacramento is 6-15 at home while the Blazers are just 8-15 on the road so those nearly identical records should not make Portland a road chalk here especially knowing that the Blazers are 1-4-2 ATS in their last seven games as a road favorite of fewer than five points. Portland continues to play without its best player Brandon Roy and now it will be without its center Marcus Camby who injured his knee against the Timberwolves on Monday and the dominating rebounder will surely be missed. 9* Sacramento Kings
Power Play Wins
Ball State -3.5
Sam Paolini
Calgary Under 5
Marc Lawrence
Timberwolves
Boston College
Air Force
Nick Parsons
New York Rangers
Jeff Benton
15 Dime Utah Jazz
10 Dime Georgia Tech
UTAH JAZZ
I subscribe to the “no second-guessing/no regrets” theory of handicapping, for the simple reason that such hindsight thinking only aggravates you and doesn’t change the results. That said, I have to admit I’m a little ticked off that I didn’t go against the Nets on Monday when they played at Golden State. New Jersey went into that one on a five-game slide (and a 1-10 SU slump), and on top of that the Nets not only were conaluding a tough West Coast road trip (Suns, Lakers, Blazers, Warriors), but it was their 11th roadie in their last 15 games going back to Dec. 17.
Indeed, the Nets were ripe for the picking, and sure enough they ran out of gas in the final two minutes and lost 109-100 as a 7½-point pup.
Well, I may have missed an opportunity 48 hours ago, but I’m not going to let this easy winner pass me by. How can I say “easy winner” when the Jazz are just 2-7 ATS in their last nine games, are coming off Monday’s humiliating 108-101 loss at the Wizards as a 4½-point road favorite and might be missing All-Star point guard Deron Williams (flu)? Because this is a horrible situation for New Jersey, having to play a playoff-caliber team less than 48 hours after returning from a four-game, six-day Western Conference road swing.
If you’ve followed me through the years, you know that “team playing its first home game after a lengthy cross-country road trip” is one of the best go-against situations in the NBA. And even though the Nets bucked that trend earlier this season when they followed up a four-game trip to L.A. (Clippers), Utah, Sacramento and Denver with a 107-101 overtime home win over Atlanta, it’s important to note that New Jersey had two full days after returning home to get settled in and prep for the Hawks. Additionally, the fact that two of the Nets’ 10 wins this season have come against the Hawks is a clue that New Jersey matches up well with Atlanta.
Certainly, the Nets do NOT match up well with Utah, which has taken the last four meetings by convincing scores of 103-92 and 108-92 on the road and 116-83 and 98-88 at home. The Jazz cashed in each of those four contests, all as a favorite.
Now, does Utah get a pass for Monday’s no-show in the nation’s capital? No. Make no mistake, with that being the start of a five-game road trip that includes stops at the Celtics and Lakers, that’s not a game Utah should’ve lost, but the players simply came out flat. The good news for us: Because of Monday’s result, you know the Jazz team that takes the floor in New Jersey tonight will be 100 percent focused, angry and deterlmined. There will be no looking past the Nets, even if they’ve lost 11 of 12.
Finally, even though Utah has failed to cover in seven of nine overall and five of six as a favorite, the Jazz have made a fortune vs. the Eastern Conference lately (31-12-2 ATS last 45), and against the Atlantic Division in particular (9-2 ATS last 11). Jerry Sloan’s squad is also 5-2 ATS in its last seven after a SU loss and 5-1 ATS in its last six as a road chalk of 5 to 10½ points. By comparison, New Jersey is in ATS funks of 2-5 against the Western Conference, 7-18 against the Northwest Division, 5-11 when playing after one day of rest and 5-12 as a ‘dog of 5 to 10½ points.
Bottom line: Look for the Nets to come out slulgish in just their fifth home game in the last month, while the Jazz – trying to rebound from Monday’s disappointing loss to the Wizards – come out with a killer instinct that they’ll maintain for 48 minutes en route to a fifth straight easy win and cover against New Jersey.
GEORGIA TECH
This isn’t so much a play on the Yellow Jackets – even though they’re coming off an impressive 78-58 upset win over North Carolina – as it is a play against god-awful Wake Forest. And when I say god-awful, here’s what I mean:
The Demon Deacons have just one victory in eight games over in the last calendar month, and that was a non-lined game against something called High Point.
Since beating High Point, the Demon Deacons have opened ACC play with three humiliating losses to N.C. State (90-69), Maryland (74-55) and Virginia Tech (94-65) – we’re talking three borderline Tournament teams come March. Even worse, the Deacons never threatened to cover the pointspread in any of those losses despite being an underdog of 13, 14 and 19 points!
In addition to those three ACC debacles, Wake Forest’s ledger features losses to Richmond (90-74), Presbyterian at home (66-64), UNC-Wilmington (81-69), Winthrop at home (83-74), VCU (90-69) and Stetson at home (89-79).
The Demon Deacons’ signature win this season? A 76-73 home triumph over Iowa (arguably the worst team in the Big Ten). Their other victories came against the likes of Hampton, Elon University, Marist, Holy Cross, UNC-Greensboro and High Point.
Not only has Wake Forest dropped all four of its road games by margins of 29, 21, 16 and 8 points, but they’ve surrendered 94 (Virginia Tech), 90 (N.C. State), 90 (Richmond) and 83 (Xavier) points in those four defeats. And in two neutral-site games, the Deacons also gave up 81 points to UNC-Wilmington and 90 points to VCU!
By comparison, while Wake Forest’s defense has been atrocious on the road, Georgia Tech’s stop unit has been tremendous at home. After shutting down the athletic Tar Heels last week, the Yellow Jackets are now holding visitors to 61.9 ppg on 38.1 percent shooting.
And get his: Georgia Tech has won and covered four of the last six meetings with Wake Forest; the home team is on a 5-0 SU and ATS rivalry at home (including Georgia Tech’s 79-58 win as a 5½-point home chalk last year), and the winner has covered the spread in each of the last 11 series meetings.
Bottom line: For an 8-8 team (Georgia Tech’s record) to be this big of a favorite against a conference rival, and for me to be confidently laying that big price, tells you just how – I’ll say it again – god-awful Wake Forest is.
Derek Mancini
Purdue -13
Al DeMarco
Los Angeles -3
Mike Lineback
Hornets