Jack Jones
Denver Nuggets +3
I'll take the Denver Nuggets Sunday as a 3-point underdog to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets have simply owned the Grizzlies throughout the years, and that won't change today. Denver is coming off a huge win on a buzzer-beater by Aaron Afflalo, allowing the Nuggets to beat Dallas 121-120. They have had two days' rest since that victory and will be fresh and ready to go Sunday.
Denver is 11-1 in their last 12 meetings with Memphis. The Nuggets are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss. Denver is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Grizzlies are 8-17-2 ATS in their last 27 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Getting points here is just an added bonus though I don't think we'll need them. Take the Nuggets Sunday.
Black Widow
1* on Oklahoma City Thunder +1
The Oklahoma City Thunder are clearly the superior team in this match-up with the Golden State Warriors. They are showing excellent value here as an underdog. The Thunder are 4-1 in their last 5 meetings with the Warriors overall. OKC is 22-8 ATS (+13.2 Units) in road games versus good shooting teams - making >=46% of their shots over the last 2 seasons. Golden State is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) versus explosive offensive teams - scoring 103+ points/game this season. The Warriors are getting outscored by 10.8 points/game in this spot. The Thunder are 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) as a road underdog over the last 2 seasons. Take Oklahoma City and the points.
SEAN MURPHY
St. John's @ Cincinnati
PICK: St. John's +5.5
Cincinnati got off to a tremendous start this season, and still owns an impressive 19-5 record. However, all five of those losses have come against Big East opposition, and the Bearcats enter Sunday's game having dropped the cash in seven of their last nine overall.
St. John's has suffered its share of letdown performances following big wins this season, and with that in mind, the Red Storm would appear to be ripe for the picking on Sunday after crushing UConn 89-72 last time out. However, I expect them to guard against it - especially after laying an egg at UCLA last Saturday.
Recent road beatings at the hands of Notre Dame, Louisville, and Georgetown have left most Red Storm-backers' confidence shaken. But let's not lose sight of the fact that this is a team that has won at West Virginia and Providence in Big East play.
Cincinnati lost at home for the first time this season the last time it took this floor, dropping a 66-55 decision against West Virginia. Note that the Bearcats are just 2-3 ATS at home in Big East play and a miserable 6-17 ATS in their last 23 lined home contests.
The Bearcats went into Queens and upset the Red Storm 53-51 as three-point underdogs back on January 22nd. St. John's couldn't have played much worse on that day, shooting just over 39% from the field while connecting on 12-of-26 (46.2%) of its free throw attempts.
Last January, St. John's pulled out a 52-50 win over Cincinnati, so the last two meetings have been decided by a grand total of four points. That makes grabbing a handful of points with the Red Storm an attractive proposition on Sunday afternoon. Take St. John's.
John Ryan
Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers
5* graded play on the Cleveland Cavaliers as they take on the Washington Wizards in NBA action set to start at 6:00 PM ET. My proprietary sports handicapping database and simulator shows a high probability that Cleveland will win this game by three or more points.Washington is winless on the road and will stay that way after this game is won by the Cavs. Cleveland finally won a game stopping the horrendous losing streak. They fought hard for that win and it will carry over to this game knowing they are facing a team arguably weaker than they are. Washington is just 1-10 ATS in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season; 5-16 ATS versus poor defensive teams allowing a shooting percentage of 46% or worse this season.
SPORTS WAGERS
N.Y. RANGERS -½ +113 over Pittsburgh
The Islanders, Caps, Rangers and everyone else has zero sympathy for the Penguins. The Rangers are hungry for wins and losing to this depleted intruder is not an option. That 9-3 loss that the Pens suffered at the hands of the Islanders is a true indication of the talent level the Pens are without right now. Every scorer and playmaker is on the shelf and as a result the Pens resemble a good minor league team right now. They were badly outplayed by the Kings on Thursday, they were crushed on Friday and chances are they’ll get crushed again here by a hard-working Rangers club. The Rangers have dropped six in a row but they’ve had a tough schedule and absolutely deserved a better fate in five of those six losses. They dominated the Panthers and lost 4-3. Against the red-hot Devils they allowed just 18 shots on net and lost 3-2. In Detroit last Monday they fired 47 shots on net on Jimmy Howard and lost 3-2. The Rangers are losing but they’re playing hard and they’re playing a whole lot better than that 0-6 skid suggests. That all ends here against the most beatable team in the NHL right now. Play: N.Y. Rangers -½ +113 (Risking 2 units).
Columbus +131 over DALLAS
These two have played twice this year and both games were decided by a goal. The last four games they’ve played against each other have also been decided by a single goal. Now the Jackets are playing as good as they were playing or better than when they started the season 14-6. Columbus was won four of its last five games and six of its last nine. Its three losses over that stretch were against the Sharkies, Blackhawks and Ducks and they were the better team on the ice in all three of those losses. Conceivably, the Blue Jackets could be on a nine-game winning streak. They’ve also won four in a row away from home and they have a better overall record on the road than they do at home. The Stars are coming off a 4-3 OT win over Chicago in a game they trailed 3-0. It was only their second win in their last eight games. In a game that can surely can go either way and figures to be close, taking the hotter team plus a tag is the prudent choice. Play: Columbus +131 (Risking 2 units).
SPORTS WAGERS
L.A. Lakers –101 over ORLANDO
Every year it’s the same thing for the Lakers. About midway through the season when the Lakers start losing some games and up until the playoffs begin the media and fans start questioning what ails this juggernaut. What ails them is nothing other than they’re bored. They’ve won two championships in a row and a game against the Trail Blazers or Wizards in January or February sure isn’t going to get their juices flowing. When May rolls around the Lakers will do what they always do and that’s make life miserable for anyone that gets in their way. This afternoon in a nationally televised game on the first Sunday without football in months is another game that will get their competitive juices flowing. The Lakers have won four in a row including the last two in Boston and New York, the latter by 17. They’ll face a Magic club that last beat a team that was over .500 on Jan 8 when they beat a Nowitzski-less Mav’s squad. The Magic are way overvalued and overrated. The Lakers are bigger and that’s going to make Josh Howard a lot less effective and that’s how you beat Orlando. This is another bad matchup for the home side. Play: Los Angeles –101 (Risking 2 units).
MIAMI +10 over Duke
Let’s first discuss the Canes. Here’s a team that has a very modest 15-9 record and just a 4-6 conference mark. They recently went through a stretch that saw them drop six of seven games, however the last four losses of that stretch were by two, two, three and four points respectively. They also played at Duke on Jan 2 and lost by 11 in a game they trailed by 13 points at the half. The Hurricanes are in every game they play and you can double that at home. They’ve now won three in a row and wins instill confidence. The Dukies are so overpriced here it’s not funny. You’re always going to lay extra when playing on this popular club and this one is no different. Duke is also coming off an extremely emotional win over its #1 rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels. They exerted every ounce of energy in rallying from 16 down to win by six and they were a 10-point home favorite in that one. The Blue Devils are ranked #5 in the land but that’s also misleading. They are a flawed team that relies very heavily on the three-point shot and while they hit a lot of them, when they go cold they’re very vulnerable to a big run against. The Dukies in no way warrant being a 10-point road favorite and we’re absolutely going with the best of it here. Upset possibility. Play: Miami +10 (Risking 2.04 units to win 2).
JR O'Donnell
Duquesne -5.5
5th year Dukies coach Ron Everhart from Virginia Techhas them going in the right direction! The CONSOL Energy Center is officially sold out. We will back the home town boys behind 10,000 home town crazies... These Dukes (16-6, 8-1) and Musketeers (17-6, 8-1) battle for the top spot in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Dukes have been great at home...10-2 so far and 5-0 in the A-10. They have great smart guard play.. They also defend the hell out of the ball & pressure . pressure , pressure all game.
They are led by Senior B Clark a true scorer from Redondo Beach, Calif & a star at Oak Hill Academy. The Dukies fill it up from the 3 point arc at 37% and are one of the top A-10 ball clubs in steals. They also protect the rock. The MUSKETEERS are a formidable opponent as they are 17-6 over all and they did hang up a nice W vs the Geo Dawgs... The #'s are strong here... These Musketeers are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Duquesne. Home team checks in @ 4-0 last 4...ATS... Vegas love & respect for a Dukies club as - 5.5 is strong... Dukies by 8
OC DOOLEY
Heat at Celtics Under 188.5
This is a dangerous wager since Miami with their popular three-some (LeBron, Wade, Bosh) have played above the posted total 13 times in their most recent 17 appearances. But the fact of the matter is that this over/under figure has actually been dropping from the opening offshore mark of 190 points which speaks volumes especially since LeBron James in his career has averaged more points per game against the Celtics defense (31 ppg) than any other single player in league history. This is a very important game for Miami who has already lost twice to Boston this campaign and are on an overall 1-6 slide against the Celtics. The two meetings this season were back in November when the Heat were still working on creating team chemistry. Due to a current 30-6 tear, Miami has a good shot at having the best overall record in the Eastern Conference going into the All-Star Break if they can find a way to defeat Boston this afternoon. To win “step up” games such as this, teams in the NBA must flex their collective defensive muscle so it is worth noting that Miami is 6-1-1 UNDER/ROAD the past eight times they have faced an opponent with a winning record. In the past three years Miami is a shocking 8-0 UNDER the total when off a game where they led by at least 20 points at halftime
Michael Alexander
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Play: Boston Celtics +3
Playing on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 (BOSTON) who are off a upset loss as a favorite, in a game involving two good teams (60% to 75%) is 47-19 ATS since 1996
BOSTON is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) after failing to cover the spread in 2 or more consecutive games this season
MIAMI is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) versus good 3 point shooting teams - making >=36% of their attempts - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons
Ray Monohan
Minnesota vs. Iowa
Play: Over 135½
Two Big 10 teams headed in very opposite directions meet Sunday when No. 25 Minnesota travels to face Iowa. Counting its home win earlier this season, Minnesota has won 5 straight in the series. The Golden Gophers have been victorious in their last 2 trips to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including an 86-74 triumph last season. Over is 7-2 in MIN last 9 Sun. games. Over is 5-2-1 in IOWA last 8 home games. Over is 5-2 in Hawkeyes last 7 Sunday games. 5* Free Play on the OVER get it at 135.5 if you can.