Craig Trapp
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls
Play: Philadelphia 76ers +10
We have rode the balls the 2nd half of the season many times and they have not let us down many times but lately even though they are winning they have not been playing their best. This series the Underdog is 13-6 ATS in the last 19 meetings. Even better PHI matches up with Rose with three different young athletic guards to slow him down. PHI might even win this one outright as PHI is desperate trying to get back to the 5th spot in the Eastern conference. AI plays great and get us this cover
Rob Vinciletti
Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Play: San Antonio Spurs -3
The Spurs qualify in a nice system that plays on home favorites of -4 or less with no rest if they were on the road with a line between +3 and -3 and scored 100 or more on 45%or better shooting and are facing an opponent that was a road dog and shot 45% or less. The Spurs have lost the last 2 vs Portland after winning by 17 at home earlier in the season. Look for them to even the series here tonight with a win and cover.
SEAN MURPHY
Milwaukee @ Charlotte
PICK: Charlotte -1.5
t looks like Tyrus Thomas is a go for the Bobcats tonight, and that's enough to put us in play at this short number. He's one of those role players that makes more of an impact on the floor than he does in the betting marketplace.
The Bucks remain one of the worst road teams in the NBA, posting a 10-24 SU record to date. They're 2-0 SU against the Bobcats this season, but both of those wins have come in Milwaukee. It's also worth noting that their most recent win against Charlotte came by just three points in a game where the Bobcats lost Stephen Jackson less than five minutes into the game.
I'm not sure how quickly Milwaukee will be able to recover from Saturday's blown game against Chicago. The Bucks led that game most of the way, by as many as 15 points, before Derrick Rose took over in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, lifting the Bulls to a 95-87 victory.
Milwaukee remains in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, but certainly isn't playing like it. The Bucks have won only three of their last eight games, with two of those coming against the struggling Knicks, and the other against the Nets.
The Bobcats have looked like a completely different team since the start of the fourth quarter in Boston on Friday night. They've now won back-to-back games, outscoring the opposition by 23 points over the last five quarters of action.
Note that Charlotte has gone a profitable 5-3 ATS over its last eight games, and remains a winning team here at Time Warner Cable Arena this season, posting an 18-17 SU record.
The home team has dominated this series in recent years, winning nine consecutive matchups (7-2 ATS) since December of 2008. The Bobcats bring better form to the table, and they're getting closer to full strength with Thomas returning and Stephen Jackson's hamstring good to go. Take Charlotte.
Jack Jones
Blazers/Spurs UNDER 190.5
There are three key players that are going to be out for tonight's game between the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli will be watching from the sidelines for the Spurs, while Brandon Roy sits out for the Blazers with a back injury suffered in last night's loss to the Thunder. I believe these losses will make for a lower-scoring game tonight in San Antonio.
There have been planty of defensive battles between the Spurs and Blazers over the last couple seasons. In the last nine meetings, seven games have seen 189 or less combined points. The two games that went over that total were 192 and 194-point outputs. The UNDER is 6-1 in Trail Blazers last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The UNDER is 13-6 in Spurs last 19 home games. The Spurs are 46-25 to the UNDER in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996. Take the UNDER in this game Monday.
Tom Freese
Oregon vs. Creighton
Play: Creighton -4
Oregon is 19-17 straight up this year. This is not the best Oregon team in many years. The Ducks are 2-8 ATS their last 10 road games following 3 or more straight home games. Creighton is 22-14 straight up this year. The Blue Jays are 7-0 ATS their last 7 games as favorites. The Blue Jays are 6-0 ATS their last home games. The Blue Jays are 6-2 ATS their last 8 games as favorites of 0.5 to 6.5 points. The Blue Jays are 12-5 ATS on Monday and they are 5-0 ATS their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Dave Price
1 Unit on San Antonio Spurs -3
No Tim Duncan tonight and likely no Manu Ginobli either, but I expect the Spurs to dig down deep to get the win and cover. With just a 4-game lead on the Lakers the Spurs can't afford to call off the dogs just yet. Plus, this is a game they really want after letting Friday's matchup at Portland slip away with 3 turnovers in the final 40 seconds. San Antonio is 33-3 at home this season while Portland has struggled on the road. The Blazers have dropped their last 4 away from home with all 4 of those coming by at least 4 points. The home team is 12-4 ATS in the last 16 meetings in this series. Lay the number.
Black Widow
1* on Washington Wizards +12
The Utah Jazz are deflated and beat up right now. The Jazz have dropped into a precarious postseason position thanks in part to a five-game skid that is one shy of their season high set from Feb. 9-23. Utah is now 5-16 SU & 7-13-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall. A big reason they have struggled is due to the Deron Williams trade, but also injuries as well. Starters Devin Harris and Andrei Kirilenko are both doubtful tonight and the Jazz really have been bad when Harris hasn't been able to go in recent games at the point guard position. Utah is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. The Jazz used to have a great home-court advantage but that is gone this year. Washington will keep this one close enough to cover this ridiculous spread tonight. Take the Wizards and the points.
Ray Monohan
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks
Play: Orlando Magic
Orlando is riding high currently with a 5-game winning streak. On Friday the Magic cruised past the Nets 95-85. The Knicks have just one victory in their past 10 outings, not to mention the current six-game losing streak. The Magic have won all three meetings between these 2 clubs this year, including 112-103 on Dec. 30 and 116-110 on March 1. The line is so close for this one because tonight its expected the Magic could be without Jameer Nelson, and ruled out already are JJ Redick and Quentin Richardson. No problem though in my opinion. Give the ball all night to Howard. He grabbed his 60th double-double of the season Friday night. That should be no surprise to New York, which has been victimized by Howard double-doubles in 8 straight games. Trends I like in this one include, Knicks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. loss, are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss, and are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Magic are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings, and are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in New York.
Bryan Leonard
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks
Play: Orlando Magic
The Magic seem to be on a mission to finish the season in a very positive way. They have won five straight and have a very favorable schedule to end the year. They will likely to be favored in every game with the lone underdog roles coming either at home against Chicago or at Philadelphia. The Magic have won 9 of the last 10 meetings in this series including a 111-99 victory just five days ago on this court.
Much was expected out of the Knicks after the Anthony trade. But not only have the Knicks regressed they have been simply uncompetitive. New York has lost 9 of the last 10 games and the defeats have come by margins. Only twice in those ten games were the Knicks an underdog, catching 1 1/2 hosting Boston and getting 5 points at Dallas. Counting the pick 'em game they hosted against Orlando they are 0-3 straight up losing to the spread by a combined 33 1/2 points when stepping up in class. New York continues to be an overrated squad and we take advantage again tonight.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Indiana Pacers +2.5
The Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 0 days rest and 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games as a road favorite. This is one of the more motivated spots for Indiana all season. It has lost each of the season's first 3 meetings with Boston and it is coming off back-to-back embarrassing defeats to the Kings and Pistons. The Pacers defeated the Bulls by 7 points as a 4.5-point dog on March 18 so they certainly have what it takes to get past this fatigued Celtics squad. Take the Pacers.
SPORTS WAGERS
Milwaukee +110 over CHARLOTTE
You take these bad teams like the Cats that occasionally come to life with a string of two or three good games in a row to give their fans some hope and then they take two steps backwards again. We see it time and time again with teams like the Raps, Clip Joint, T-Wolves and Kings and now Charlotte is in that position. The Bobcats are coming off back-to-back wins over the Knicks and Celtics. The win over New York is not a big deal, as the Knickerbockers are reeling but it’s a big deal to the Bobcats because they dislike that foe immensely and Charlotte enjoys beating them more than any other opponent. Despite the Bobcats erratic play, they find themselves on the verge of overtaking Indiana for eighth spot in the meager Eastern Division. Now they’ll play a team that is the complete opposite of the Knicks. Nobody really has disdain for the Bucks, a team that plays tremendous defense and as a result can beat anyone at any given night. Milwaukee and Charlotte are both battling for that last playoff spot and this one is crucial in their quest to surpass the Pacers. Charlotte is a game ahead of Milwaukee and a game behind Indiana and thus they’ll come into this one feeling plenty of pressure to win it. They never respond well under pressure so don’t expect them to respond here. Play: Milwaukee +110 (Risking 2 units).
NEW YORK –101 over Orlando
Buy low, sell high and you’re usually going with the best of it. The Knicks have just about hit bottom with six straight losses and nine losses in their last 10 games. They were cruising along and gaining steam but they had to have Melo and thus far it’s cost them nothing but grief. However, it’s early in the deal and Carmelo Anthony is still one of the best offensive players in the game. Having said that, the Knicks are not a mentally down team. The reports are that the practices are spirited and the mood is good so with that comes a team on the verge and intent on turning this thing around. Orlando has won five in a row. Those five wins came against New Jersey, Cleveland, these same Knicks, Denver (at home by three) and finally Milwaukee in OT. In other words they beat nobody with the exception of the Nuggets on their home floor by the skin of their teeth. When they beat the Knicks last week, Amare Stoudemire had his worst game of the year with 13 points and the Knicks trailed by just one going to the fourth. The Knicks get a great chance of redemption here with an opportunity to silence the critics and get some credibility back. It says here they do exactly that against a very beatable road Magic. Play: New York –101 (Risking 2 units).
Chicago +112 over DETROIT
It’s hard to envision the enormously talented Blackhawks suffering the same fate as the Edmonton Oilers or Florida Panthers but that’s precisely what’s going to happen unless they pick it up. Chicago has dropped five of eight and sits just one point ahead of Calgary for the final playoff spot. Calgary is not the problem, however, as the Blackhawks have three games in hand on them. The bigger concern is Dallas, who has played the same number of games as Chicago and is trailing them by just a deuce. The Blackhawks play four of their next five games on the road and this is the first of those games. They know they have to play their best here. They have no games left with Dallas and three games left with Detroit. They play in Boston tomorrow and they know that’s no easy task. Chicago has beaten the Red Wings in two of three games this season and they’ve won the last two by identical 4-1 scores. The Red Wings have lost three of their last four with only win over that span coming against the Leafs. They’re battling San Jose for the second overall in the conference but they’re in and they’re not going to knock themselves out in the final two weeks to decide the difference between second and third place. That’s not to say that Detroit won’t come to play. They will but mentally they’re in a pretty comfortable place right now while the Blackhawks are not. Incidentally, backup Joey MacDonald starts for Detroit. Play: Chicago +112 (Risking 2 units).