Dave Price
Pacers/Warriors Over 218
The Indiana Pacers have made the move to become a more up-tempo team this season, and it has worked for the most part. They are 23-19 on the season and one of the most improved teams in the NBA. That up-tempo system was on full display in the first meeting between the Pacers and Warriors this season. The Warriors beat the Pacers 131-123 on the road for a whopping 254 combined points. I look for a similar result in their second and final meeting, this time at Golden State. The Warriors are hitting on all cylinders offensively right now, scoring 132 points against Cleveland and 125 against Chicago in their last two games. Golden State is 21-8 OVER when the total is 210 or more this season. The Warriors are 8-0 OVER off a blowout win by 30 points or more over the last 2 seasons. Indiana is 15-4 OVER in road games off a road win over the last 3 seasons. The OVER is 5-1-1 in the last 7 meetings at Golden State.
Jeff Benton
Friday comp play goes on the Colonials of George Washington at home in their conference battle with Rhode Island.
Rhodey has won and covered the last pair of series meetings against G-Dub, but the Rams have not exactly been "road warriors" this season, failing ALL 7 lined away games this year.
The Rams are also on a 2-7 against the spread slide their last 9 games overall.
As for George Washington they are playing this one off a road loss at Dayton, but they are 5-2 against the spread in their lined home games this season, and prior to dropping last year's pair of meetings to the Rams, the Colonials had won the previous 4 series meetings and they are also 13-2-2 against the spread the last 17 overall series showdowns!
I like my chances with George Washington as the home favorite this Friday.
4* GEORGE WASHINGTON
Jeff Saad
Clippers at Knicks
Play: Clippers
West against East and in this game the West team is far better. The Clippers are on a 9-2 spread run, 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles just won 11 of their last 12 games after edging out the Houston Rockets, 140-132, earlier in the week. The Knicks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. the NBA Pacific. And the road team is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings.
Wunderdog
Chicago @ Florida
Pick: Florida -105
We have a tough situational spot for Chicago, off a loss at Tampa Bay last night that ended a 12-game win streak. This is their third straight road contest and their third game in four nights -- all on the road. Chicago looked road weary last night, generating a season-low 18 shots -- including a combined nine in the first two periods. The Lightning had 33 shots and totaled 23 in the first two periods in a 2-1 victory. In the second of back-to-back games, Chicago will turn to backup goalie Scott Darling. First-place Florida is fourth in the NHL in goals allowed, and eighth in penalty killing. The Panthers are rested, not having played since Monday, and expect to get one of their top defensemen, Aaron Ekblad, back after a four-game absence due to an upper-body injury. And the Panthers are 10-3 when playing on three or more days rest.
David Banks
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Dallas Mavericks
Play: Dallas Mavericks +6
Two of the Western Conference’s best meet up for a second time in a span of less than two weeks. It was on Jan. 13 that Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle decided to rest his entire starting lineup and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had a difficult night. Westbrook would be ejected from the game after drawing a second technical foul in the second quarter. He missed all three of his shots from the floor and all four free throw attempts. Westbrook got into a scuffle with J.J. Barea and headed to the locker room early.
The Thunder’s Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Serge Ibaka had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in that win over Dallas, but this meeting will be much different. Carlisle and the Mavs will start their regular starting five led by point guard Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitski and Chandler Parsons, who continues to improve. Oklahoma City is hoping that Dallas is still reeling from the last week and a half. Including the first loss to OKC, the Mavs have lost three of four to the NBA’s best. They dropped a three-point decision to Cleveland and were blown out by the Spurs, the second-best team in the Western Conference.
With Durant and Westbrook playing a full game, the Thunder will be hard to beat even for the home Mavericks. Oklahoma City is the NBA’s second-highest scoring team averaging 108.5 per game. Dallas will have to tighten up the defense – in each of their last three losses they gave up 108 points or more.
Chris Jordan
My free play for Friday night is in college hoops, where I'm taking the underdog in Wright State, as it's catching far too many in this conference showdown against Valparaiso.
I know Valpo has the better record, and has covered eight of 11 on the road, but this is territorial, and a home game Wright State is the right spot for an upset.
It's a longshot to win this game outright, but nit could very well come down to the end. Wright State comes in on a 7-2 ATS run overall, and it is outscoring its guests by an average margin of 14.1 points per contest.
Wright State is well-rested, as it's been home for three straight games, and comes in riding a four-game win streak.
Take the home pup.
4* WRIGHT STATE
Scott Delaney
I'm laying the road chalk with Fairfield in tonight's road game, as there is no reason it should be laying this low a number. This is a conference game, the team is 9-9 overall and needs to climb closer to .500 in conference play, sitting at 3-5, and catches one of the worst teams in the league.
No way Fairfield can't win this game by double digits.
The Red Foxes are coming off a loss to Saint Peter’s as they fell to the Peacocks by a 76-67 count in Jersey City. And while I know Fairfield is also in after a loss, it's a much better team and in a better spot to rebound.
The Stags are going to be pissed off after dropping their first home game this season, a 77-71 setback against Saint Peter’s on Tuesday night. Fairfield returns home for three more MAAC games - important contests in which it's hosting Iona (1/24), Canisius (1/29), and Quinnipiac (2/1). So a win here is needed to regain composure.
4* FARIFIELD
Craig Davis
Your free play of the day today is the Dallas Mavericks plus the points at home over the OKC Thunder. At the time of this writing, the Mavs are catching six points in Vegas and offshore.
The last three times the Mavs have played at home as underdogs at home they won two of them outright and nearly won the other one, while still covering. Dallas had Cleveland beat, but the Cavs forced overtime and ended up winning by three as six-point faves.
Dallas recently beat Golden State and Boston as home dogs... so they clearly thrive in that role.
OKC has played a very soft schedule recently, so tonight's matchup will test them a little and see if they really are playing better defense or if it was more a product of their schedule.
Dallas rested Dirk Nowitzki and Raymond Felton vs. Minnesota the other night in an attempt to have their full lineup tonight vs. Oklahoma City.
After having lost twice to the Thunder in OKC, Dallas really wants this win and will do everything they can to get a SU win tonight at home.
Take Dallas +6 as your free play of the day.
3* DALLAS
Gabriel DuPont
Tonight's free play: Indiana at GOLDEN STATE (-13)
The STORYLINE in this game today - And you all thought the Golden State Warriors were having problems. They've answered a couple of losses with two blowout wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, and now return home for a Friday night game in which they'll celebrate with the Oakland fans, by blasting another Central Division foe, the Indiana Pacers.
The X-FACTOR in making this choice on this game - My x-factor is momentum. I mean seriously, that's been the backbone of this team all along. The Warriors are too dominating and there is nothing the Pacers will be able to do to slow the champs down. Golden State went into Cleveland and won by 34. The Warriors went into Chicago and won by 31. Their last three wins have come by an average margin of 27.6 points.
BOTTOM LINE is - When the Warriors went to Indianapolis and played the Pacers in The Fieldhouse in early December, they were still on an NBA-record 22-0 run to start the season. It didn't take long to see the Warriors would make it #23 in a row. They dominated the Pacers then, in a 131-123 win, and they'll dominate Indiana tonight.
5* GOLDEN STATE
Brad Wilton
Yeah, I know the Spurs just played last night at Phoenix, but I suspect even if Coach Pop put in the water boys, there is a strong chance the Spurs would still cover tonight's game against the Lakers!
The Spurs won the first meeting, 109-87 in December, and a score in that price range tonight is what I fully expect.
San Antonio has won 12 straight games, and they have won 19 of their last 20 games overall. The Spurs have also covered 3 straight when laying double-digits, and 6 of their last 7 overall as the double-digit chalk.
The Lakers latest losing streak is at 4 in a row both straight up and against the math.
Not even close tonight.
Spurs in a cake-walk.
3* SAN ANTONIO
SCOTT RICKENBACH
San Antonio at Los Angeles
Play: Los Angeles +16
Of course the Spurs are one of the best teams in the league and they've been insanely hot (including ATS) all season long. However, San Antonio is in one of their toughest scheduling spots of the season tonight. The Spurs are off of an easy win at Phoenix last night but now play the 2nd night of a back to back PLUS San Antonio has a huge game at Golden State on deck for Monday. What all this means is that this is a true flat spot for the Spurs and they're facing Kobe Bryant and Company in La-La Land. As bad as the season has been for the Lakers and as tough as this season has been for Bryant there is no denying that Kobe and Company will be fired up as the Lakers/Spurs have had many great battles in the past. Now certainly I am not saying the Lakers will pull off the upset here but I am saying that Los Angeles should keep this one much tighter than what the inflated spread would indicate. The Lakers, in home games with a posted total between 195 and 199.5 points, are on a 6-2 ATS run the past three seasons. I see strong value with LA as such a big home dog Friday night.
Bruce Marshall
Albany +9
Not sure that they are really going to be able to play this one on long Island tonight, especially with other games in the region already postponed due to the winter storm. But ESPNU is slated to televise so, apparently, the show must go on! Impressive Stony Brook and its star senior PF Jameel Warney (18.4 ppg & 10.7 rpg) have been rolling, but last year's games vs. top A-East contender Albany were anything but easy for the Seawolves. Very good balance for the Great Danes and their four DD scorers led by sr. G Evan Singletary (13 ppg).
Harry Bondi
Wright State +8.5 over Valparaiso
We have won five of our last seven free winners and today we take the home dog in the battle for supremacy in the horizon League. Wright State is 8-1 at home this year and is playing it's best basketball of the season right now having won 8 of their last 9 outright while going 7-2 ATS. Wright State has the 45th best Adjusted Defensive Frequency in the country and that defensive pressure will keep this one close. Home dog barks!