SPORTS ADVISORS
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(23) Richmond (22-6, 15-9 ATS) at Xavier (20-7, 17-9 ATS)
The surging Spiders, in search of their ninth straight victory, make the trek to Cincinnati for a key Atlantic 10 battle against Xavier at the Cintas Center.
Richmond has ripped off eight consecutive wins, with five victories coming by double digits. The Spiders have been off since last Saturday, when they edged George Washington 74-70 but came up short as a healthy 9½-point home favorite, ending their 7-0 ATS tear. Richmond has gotten it done with defense this season, ranking in the top-20 in points allowed (60.2 points per game for 15th in the country), shooting percentage (38.7, 16th) and three-point percentage (28.6, 11th).
Xavier has won eight of its last nine games (7-2 ATS), with three road wins included in their current four-game surge (3-1 ATS). On Wednesday at St. Louis, the Musketeers held off a surging Bilikens’ squad 73-71, but fell short as a 4½-point chalk. Xavier puts up 79.4 ppg and allows 68.3, and much like Richmond, its three-point defense is stout, allowing opponents to shoot just 28.2 percent from beyond the arc (fifth in the nation).
The Musketeers were riding a six-game winning streak in this rivalry until last season when Richmond scored an 80-75 home win, cashing as a 5½-point pup. Xavier has cashed in five of the last seven meetings, however the road team has covered the number in seven of the last 10.
Richmond is just 2-6 ATS in its last eight Sunday contests, but it is on several positive ATS streaks, including 7-1 in Atlantic 10 action, 4-0 on the road, 6-1 after a straight-up win and 4-1 against teams with winning records. The Musketeers are on ATS runs of 7-2 overall, 19-6-2 at home, 6-2 in conference play, 15-5-2 after a non-cover and 8-2-1 on Sundays.
The Spiders have stayed below the posted number in eight of 11 overall, four straight road games, four straight after a non-cover and eight of 11 in Atlantic 10 action. Xavier is riding several “over” streaks, including 13-6 overall, 7-3 at home, 11-3 after a straight-up win and 19-7 at home against teams with winning road records. Finally, in this series, the over has been the play in four of the last six overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
Louisville (18-10, 8-15 ATS) at UConn (17-11, 12-14 ATS)
The Huskies, desperately trying to play their way back into NCAA contention, go after their fourth straight win when they welcome Big East foe Louisville into the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.
Connecticut has knocked off a pair of Top-10 teams in the past two weeks, toppling Villanova 84-75 as a 9½-point road ‘dog on Feb. 15 and then scoring a 73-62 home win over West Virginia on Monday, cashing as a 2½-point chalk. Between those two victories, the Huskies crushed Rutgers 76-58 as a six-point chalk. At home, UConn is yielding just 64.4 ppg and limiting the opposition to 38.3 percent shooting.
Louisville is also trying to get back into the postseason picture, but didn’t do itself any favors with a 70-60 home loss to Georgetown on Tuesday as a four-point chalk. The setback halted a three-game winning streak and was the Cardinals third straight non-cover and fifth ATS loss in their last six overall. Rick Pitino’s team has struggled offensively lately, managing just 68 ppg over the last five while allowing 70.4 ppg.
Back on Feb. 1, Louisville scored an 82-69 home win over the Huskies, cashing as a 6½-point home favorite. The Cardinals have cashed in four of the last six meetings with the Huskies dating back to 2006.
Louisville is on ATS slides of 1-4 on Sunday and 3-8 against winning teams, but it is on pointspread upticks of 45-22-2 in Big East play, 29-13-1 on the road and 28-12-1 on the highway against teams with a winning home record. UConn has failed in four of five Sunday games and five of six at home against teams with losing road records, but it has cashed in four of five Big East contests and eight of nine after a straight-up win.
For the Cardinals, the under is on streaks of 5-1 in Big East play, 4-1 on Sunday, 4-1 on the road and 4-0 after a non-cover. The Huskies are riding “under” runs of 5-1 overall, 6-2 at home and 4-0 after a spread-cover.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
(14) Michigan State (21-7, 10-17 ATS) at (3) Purdue (24-3, 12-14-1 ATS)
The Boilermakers will try to extend their winning streak to 11 when they host Michigan State in a key Big Ten matchup inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
The Spartans have dropped four of their last six overall and six of their last eight at the betting window. The two wins did come on the road with victories and covers at Penn State and Indiana. But Michigan State failed to capitalize on the momentum last Sunday, falling to Ohio State 74-67 as a 3½-point home favorite. The Spartans have won and covered in four of their last six road games and they put up 68.3 ppg on the highway on 48.8 percent shooting.
Purdue has won 10 straight (5-5 ATS) but now must move on with the services of star forward Robbie Hummel, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Wednesday’s 59-58 road win at Minnesota, with the Boilermakers failing to cover as a three-point road favorites. Purdue has been dominant at home (13-1, 7-7 ATS), averaging 75.3 points a game while allowing just 57.8 points and 39.5 percent shooting. However, Hummel contributed greatly to those numbers as he averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per contest.
Back on Feb. 9, the Boilermakers went to East Lansing, Mich. and scored a 76-64 win at as a three-point road pup. They have now won three of the last four against the Spartans and cashed in six of the last seven overall. Purdue is 4-1 ATS in the last five series clashes at home, all as the favorite, as the chalk has cashed in 12 of the last 16 meetings overall.
Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in its last seven Sunday tip-offs, but otherwise is mired in ATS skids of 2-6 in Big Ten action, 1-4 after a non-cover, 0-6 against winning teams and 2-6 on the road against teams with a winning home record. The Boilermakers are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 against teams with a winning record but 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 at home against teams with a winning road mark.
The Spartans are on “under” runs of 6-1 on the road, 18-8 in Big Ten action and 8-3 against teams with winning records. It’s been all “unders” for Purdue lately, including 4-0 on Sunday, 4-1 at home, 9-2 against winning teams and 6-2 at home against teams with winning road records. In this series, the “under” is 9-2 in the last 11 clashes, including 4-0 in West Lafayette.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PURDUE and UNDER
NBA
Phoenix (37-23, 34-26 ATS) at San Antonio (32-24, 26-29-1 ATS)
The Suns take aim at their sixth straight victory when they visit the AT&T Center in for a matchup with the struggling Spurs, who have lost three of four.
Phoenix beat up the Clippers in the desert on Friday, winning 125-112 and extending a late lead to cash as a 9½-point chalk, the team’s fifth-straight win and cover. The Suns got a huge game from center Robin Lopez who had a career-high 30 points on 13-for-16 from the field, and pulled down 12 rebounds. Phoenix is 6-1 (SU and ATS) since the All-Star break, including 2-1 on the highway. The SU winner has covered the pointspread in 15 straight Suns games and 19 of the last 20.
San Antonio is coming off Friday’s 109-104 loss at Houston as a 3½-point road chalk as it played without the services of point guard Tony Parker who is listed as questionable for today after a bout with food poisoning. The Spurs have dropped 11 of 19 games overall, going 6-13 ATS during this stretch.
In the lone clash between these teams this season, Phoenix scored a 116-104 home win back on Dec. 15, easily cashing as a two-point favorite. The win snapped a three-game SU and ATS San Antonio winning streak in the series. The Spurs are 5-3-1 ATS in the last nine head-to-head meetings.
The Suns are riding a plethora of positive ATS runs, including 6-1 on the road, 9-2 against Western Conference teams, 7-0 after one day off and 4-0 after an ATS win. San Antonio is 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games against the Pacific Division, but otherwise is on ATS skids of 0-4 on Sunday, 0-4 after one day off and 1-5 at home against teams with losing road records.
Phoenix is on several “under” streaks, including 9-2 overall, 7-2 against Western Conference teams, 5-1 on the road, 5-1 on Sunday and 7-2 after a spread-cover. It’s also been all “unders” for the Spurs lately as well, including 5-1 against the Pacific Division, 9-2-1 on Sundays, 3-1-1 at home, 7-3-1 after a straight-up loss and 9-4-1 after a non-cover. However, in this rivalry, the “over” has been the play in six of the last 10.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Denver (39-19, 27-28-3 ATS) at L.A. Lakers (44-15, 25-32-2 ATS)
The Nuggets bring a three-game winning streak with them to the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a Western Conference showdown with the Lakers, who are looking to get past Denver for the first time in three tries this season.
Denver followed up Thursday’s 127-112 whipping of the Warriors in Golden State with Friday’s 107-102 home win over the Pistons but came up short as a 10-point chalk. Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony combined for 49 points to lead the way for the Nuggets, who have won four of their last five games while averaging 112.6 ppg and shooting 47.7 percent from the field.
The Lakers have yet to cover a spread since the All-Star Break (0-5 ATS), including Friday when they beat the Sixers 99-90 but came up short as 11-point home favorites. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum teamed up for 43 points and 24 rebounds to lead Los Angeles, which has alternated SU wins and losses in its last five games.
After falling to the Lakers in six games (3-3 ATS) in last year’s Western Conference Finals, Denver has won and covered in both matchups this season with the Lakers, including a 126-113 win inside the Staples Center on Feb. 5 as an eight-point pup. Despite that result, the Lakers have dominated the rivalry in Southern California, cashing in 12 of the last 16 clashes.
The Nuggets are just 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight after a straight-up win and just 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight on Sunday, but they are on positive ATS runs of 4-1-1 on the road, 3-0-1 on the road against teams with winning home records and 3-1-1 against Western Conference teams. Los Angeles is 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight Sunday affairs, but otherwise is on negative ATS streaks of 0-5 overall, 1-5-1 at home, 3-7-2 against winning teams and 0-4 following a non-cover.
Denver has stayed below the posted number in 11 of 15 against winning teams, but from there the Nuggets are on “over” runs of 4-1 overall and 4-1 on the road. For the Lakers, the under is on streaks of 7-1 overall, 4-0 at home, 19-5-2 on Sunday, 14-6 against Northwest Division teams and 4-0 after getting a day off. In this rivalry, the “under” is 11-4 in the last 15 clashes overall, including 5-2 inside Staples Center.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
New Orleans (31-28, 30-29 ATS) at Dallas (38-21, 25-34 ATS)
The surging Mavericks look for their seventh straight victory when they welcome the Hornets to American Airlines Center in Dallas.
New Orleans comes in off Friday’s 100-93 come-from-behind win over Orlando as a 4½-point pup. The Hornets trailed by as many as 18 in the third quarter before David West took over the game, scoring 40 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to lead the comeback. New Orleans has dropped three straight on the road (2-1 ATS), including back-to-back losses Tuesday and Wednesday at Cleveland and Milwaukee (1-1 ATS).
Dallas scored a 111-103 overtime win in Atlanta on Friday, cashing as a three-point pup behind the outstanding play of Jason Kidd (19 points, 16 rebounds, 17 assists) and Dirk Nowitzki (37 points, 9 boards). Over their last five, the Mavs are outscoring opponents by nearly eight points per game (99-91.4).
The home team has won five straight in this series, but the Hornets have cashed in three straight and six of the last eight. In November, New Orleans scored a 114-107 overtime home victory, cashing as a four-point chalk and then went to Dallas on Dec. 14 and cashed as 8½-point pups in a 94-90 loss. The favorite is 21-9 ATS in the last 30 meetings.
The Hornets are on several positive pointspread pushes, including 7-1 on the road, 6-0 after a day off, 9-1 on the road against teams with winning home records and 19-7 against winning teams. On the opposite side, the Mavericks are on ATS downturns of 7-16 overall, 8-20 against Western Conference teams, 6-20 at home, 3-10 after a straight-up win, 3-13 after a spread-cover and 1-5 against Southwest Division squads.
New Orleans has topped the total in seven of eight on the road, but it is on “under” runs of 5-2 overall, 4-1 after a day off and 33-16-2 after a straight-up win. Dallas is riding “over” streaks of 9-4 at home, 7-2 after a straight-up win and 4-1 after a spread-cover. In this series, the under has been the play in 11 of the last 13 clashes in the Lone Star State.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NEW ORLEANS
Marc Lawrence
Clemson at Florida State
Prediction: Florida State
Both the Seminoles and Tigers shared identical records of 19-7 overall and 7-5 within the ACC prior to last Wednesday’s games but Florida State edged out in front with a win over UNC while Clemson stumbled at Maryland. Thus a victory here and the Noles have a real shot at chasing down Wake Forest and Virginia Tech to secure a more favorable seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. Clemson’s 77-67 win over FSU 18 days ago halted a rocky stretch that saw the Tigers tamed in four of five ACC contests but unfortunately for Oliver Purnell and company, the Noles come armed with some major pointspread weaponry today. Not only is head coach Leonard Hamilton 87-61-2 ATS with conference revenge, he’s also led his war party to a 27-13-1 mark at Tallahassee versus .700 or greater league foes. No such luck for Clemmie. The striped cats are a lifeless 0-5 SU and ATS lately on the road versus ACC opponents with revenge, plus they’re an equally awful 0-5 SU and ATS in their last five outings against conference adversaries with same-season loss revenge. Throw in Florida State’s 9-3-1 ATS log with same-season double-digit loss revenge and we don’t see Clemson owning enough bullets to halt the Seminole charge.
Sam Martin
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
Prediction: Denver Nuggets
All the talk of Denvers inconsistency doesnt apply to toda?s game in LA against the Lakers, as the Nuggets for some reason havent been able to handle their business against the leagues weaker teams. But against the leagues top teams, they show up to play! They beat the Lakers here in the Staples Center earlier this month, scoring a 13-point win as an 8-point underdog. And remember, they ended the Cavs 13-game winning streak in Cleveland a few weeks ago as well. The Lakers dont like going up against big, physical teams, and despite Kobe coming back, they still haven?t covered the spread since before the All-Star break. Denver might get an outright win here, but we?ll the take the points to be safe. 5* Play on Denver.
DAVID CHAN
Denver @ L.A. Lakers
PICK: L.A. Lakers -6
Kenyon Martin is a question mark for the Nuggets with a bad knee and they looked flat without him against Detroit. He’s been floating in and out of the lineup with a knee injury over the last couple of weeks so even if he plays, he won’t be 100%. In the games he’s missed, the Nuggets are 0-2 ATS. Aside from the sloppy win over the Pistons, there was a home blowout loss to the Spurs. This play gets stronger if Martin misses here.
In the mean time, the Lakers remain the play because this is a game they somehow need. Despite ousting the Nuggets in six games last spring, Denver has won both of this season’s games with relative ease. The Lakers run the risk of seeing the Nuggets again this postseason, and won’t want the Nuggets to have any more confidence that they already possess.
Denver remains a .500 team SU away from home, and the Lakers’ 27-5 home record suggests that six points isn’t too much to overcome.
The Lakers have lost five straight ATS so there’s actual value here. This game could easily be 8 or 8.5 but going against Kobe & Co. is so in fashion now that we get to lay less. That’s just fine.
Rob Vinciletti
Weber State vs. Portland State
Play: Weber State -1
Hard to believe this game is such a short spread today. Weber St is a solid 10-1 vs losing teams while Portland St is 2-9 vs winning teams, 0-10 with 1 or less day of rest and have lost 5 of 7 with road loss revenge. Weber St has won 4 of the past 5 in the series and has won 7 of 8 with 1 or less day of rest, winning both times as a short road favorite. look for Weber St to get this game today.
JIM FEIST
DENVER NUGGETS / LOS ANGELES LAKERS
TAKE: LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Nice little revenge spot here for the Lakers on Sunday against the Nuggets. Denver came into LA back on February 5 and pretty much pummeled the Lakers, 126-113. The Nuggets win snapped a Lakers eight-game winning streak. Kobe Bryant had 33-points, but was somewhat hobbled by a sprained ankle at the time. The Lakers are coming off a lackluster performance at home against the Sixers. Sure, they won, but it came late and the Lakers looked less than dominating in their win, 99-90. "They were probably looking past (the 76 ers) to the Denver game a little bit," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of his players. "They wanted to win the game (against the 76 ers). They probably knew they could do it at any point in the game. They just waited until the end." So now the Lakers face the No 2 best team in the West and the team they defeated in last year's playoffs. They will need to send a message here on Sunday, and that's just what we expect. The Lakers will want to make up for their embarrassing loss last time to this club and let them know who is tops in the West. Lay the points at home with the Lakers.
James Patrick Sports
Clemson vs. Florida State
The Tigers won the earlier meeting (77-67) and HC Oliver Purnell's team is in for a very rude reception in Tallahassee. HC Leonard Hamilton and his Seminoles are a sold (26-8-1) ATS as a dog or favorite of less than (3) points when playing with conference revenge. Clemson is on a (0-6) ATS run on the road and we expect FSU to put the Tomahawk Chop to work on the Tigers here. Big Game James Patrick's Sunday selection in ACC Basketball is Florida State Seminoles.
Karl Garrett
Temple (-7) at LA SALLE
2-0 comp play sweep on Saturday with Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt. Now 6-1 my last 7 comp play selections.
La Salle remains a go-against, so the G-Man will go right ahead and lay the points with Temple in this Philadelphia city-series battle.
The Owls have won their last 4, and 6 of their last 7 games straight up, and they have also covered the spread in 5 of those 7 games.
The Explorers counter on a 7 game losing slide, and they are also winless against the line at home this season at 0-7.
In this series, Temple has been the winner in 7 of the last 10 meetings, and they have covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 showdowns.
No issue laying a little road chalk here at all, as Temple pulls away from the injured Explorers.
4♦ TEMPLE
Chuck O'Brien
New Orleans (+8') at DALLAS
Take the Hornets plus the points at Dallas in NBA action Sunday as I look to build on Saturday's complimentary winner on Auburn over LSU in college hoops.
New Orleans has won six of the last eight meetings with the Mavericks, and it is 5-1 ATS in the last six (including 3-0 ATS in the last three). The teams have split two contests this year, but the Hornets got the cash both times, including a 94-90 loss at Dallas as an 8½-point road underdog in mid-December (they’re catching the same price tonight).
Even though they’re playing without star guard Chris Paul, the Hornets continue to compete, as they showed Friday when they came from 18 down in the third quarter to upset Orlando 100-93 as a 4½-point underdog. With that result, New Orleans has now covered in seven of its last nine games overall (winning five of those outright). The Hornets are also 7-1 ATS in their past eight road games and 13-4 ATS in their last 17 as an underdog.
On the other hand, Dallas is 16-31 ATS in its last 47 games overall, including 3-20 ATS at home (2-20 ATS as a home favorite). Put it another way: The Mavs have just three home wins of more than six points since Nov. 10 (and one of those was as a home underdog vs. the Cavs).
4♦ NEW ORLEANS
Bobby Maxwell
New Orleans at DALLAS (-8')
Delivered two FREE winners for you on Saturday with Oregon and Syracuse scoring the easy wins, improving my free run to 60-27-1 with my last 88 comp plays. Today I am coming with an NBA winner, laying the chalk with Dallas as the Mavericks host the Hornets.
Is there anybody looking as good as the Mavericks lately? They’ve won six in a row and taken the last two games without the services of newly acquired Caron Butler who had a negative reaction to some medication.
Picking up the slack on Friday night was Jason Kidd who finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists in a 111-103 overtime win in Atlanta, getting Dallas the cash as a three-point ‘dog. Dirk Nowitzki has also been on a tear lately, and poured in 37 points and grabbed nine boards on Friday night. The additions of DeShawn Stevenson and Brenden Haywood have also paid off for these guys as Stevenson has shown he can be a defensive stopper and Haywood does the dirty work in the middle.
New Orleans has been an odd team with PG Chris Paul out of the lineup. They will look terrible one night and then pull a stunner the next, like they did on Friday with a 100-93 home win over Orlando, cashing as a 4 ½-point underdog. They trailed by 18 in the third quarter when David West found the hot hand. He finished with 40 points and grabbed 10 boards.
In this series, the home team has won five straight and the favorite has gotten the cash in 21 of the last 30 series clashes.
I like this Dallas team when they show some toughness like they did in Atlanta on Friday night. There was attitude there and offensive firepower. The Mavericks will keep that up tonight and score the big win and cover over the Hornets. Lay the chalk with Dallas.
4♦ DALLAS
Bryan Leonard
Indiana at Iowa
Both teams are weak basketball squads this season yet there is some value here taking an Indiana squad stepping down in class. The have just played the likes of Wisconsin twice, Minnesota, Michigan State and Ohio State. The Hoosiers also have Purdue on deck. After dropping nine straight games they finally enter a contest that they feel is winnable. Indiana is also looking to avenge an earlier home defeat to the Hawkeyes. In that game Indiana failed to hit a trey and they were outrebounded by 13 boards at home. We expect this to be an all-in game for the Hoosiers.
One thing we have learned after doing this for upwards of 30 years and that's not to lay points with a bad team. But that's exactly what the Iowa Hawkeyes are doing on Sunday. Iowa has dropped 7 of their last 8 games and have only one conference win all season by more than this spread margin. Despite Indiana basketball being extremely down as of late the Hoosiers have won 3 of the last 5 meetings in straight up fashion. Look for Indiana to payback the Hawkeyes with a rare road victory.
PLAY INDIANA
Terron Chapman
Northwestern vs. Penn State
Play: Northwestern +2
The Northwestern Wildcats (18-10) are clinging to their hopes of a post season berth. They can take a step closer to the possibility with a win against a nemesis that has had their number. The Wildcats will look to turn things around against the Nittany Lions ( 10-17) Sunday in a noon tip at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State has won seven of its last eight meetings vs. the Wildcats including three-straight in the series and five in a row at the Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions posted an 81-70 victory in Evanston just 11 days ago. Northwestern is coming off a 74-57 domination of Iowa in Iowa City on Thursday and should enter this one feeling pretty good about themselves. The Wildcats are 7-1 ATS this season after allowing 60 points or less in their previous game. The Nittany Lions don’t handle expectations well as they’re just 3-9 ATS with the chalk, including 0-3 ATS as a favorite of 3-points or less.
The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and rank fourth in the nation with a 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio, having handed out 465 assists while committing only 299 turnovers. Taking care of the ball will be critical to their success Sunday. Northwestern is 4-0 ATS this season revenging home loss vs. an opponent. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and are fifth nationally with averages of 9.1 3-point makes and seventh with 25.1 3-point attempts per game. The Nittany Lions struggle to defend the perimeter, allowing opponents to connect on 36% of their three point attempts.
The Wilcats need this game to keep their postseason hopes alive. They’ll have plenty of motivation and will be eager to exact some revenge on the Lions. Look for an inspired effort from the Wildcats to be the difference as they capture a rare road win in Happy Valley. Play on the Northwestern Wildcats for 1 unit.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Virginia Cavaliers +9.5
Duke is getting a little too much respect today when you consider that it is 0-3-1 ATS in its last 4 games as a road favorite of 7.0-12.5 points. The key here is that Duke doesn't score as well on the road. While the Blue Devils are averaging nearly 80 ppg on the season, they are averaging under 70 ppg on the road in their last 7 road games, scoring 67 or fewer points in 4 of those games. Virginia will be extremely motivated to end its 6-game losing streak, especially against the best team in the league. For a team that is not going to be NCAA Tournament bound, consider this their championship game. Virginia is a very good home team at 11-4 this season while Duke is just 4-4 in true road games. Lastly, the Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog of 7.0-12.5 points and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5 points period. We'll take the Cavs in this point spread range Sunday.
SPORTS WAGERS
USA +1.73 over CANADA
It’s not +2.50 like the first game but it’s still an overlay and it’s for that reason that the Americans should not be overlooked. There is a huge possibility that goaltending will decide the outcome of this one and should that be the case, Ryan Miller is heads above water superior to Roberto Luongo. Say what you want about Luongo, as he’s getting a lot of positive press, however, he still looks shaky and nobody could convince me otherwise. With Canada up 3-0 he allowed a softy with about eight minutes to go and the only thing that prevented the Slovaks from tying the game in the dying seconds was bad luck. Luongo has not endured a horde of shots or pressure but as soon as the Slovaks got some momentum on Friday, the Canadians were put on their heels. The Russians were loaded with offensive players but that game Canada played against them is not a true measure of how Team Canada or Luongo has played. The Russians were putrid, Canada blew them away early and as a result, Luongo did not have to make a big save the whole game. In fact, one could argue that he has not had to make a big save this whole tournament. The Canadians are loaded with offensive talent, make no mistake about that and of course they can win this one. However, the Americans, too, are loaded with offense and they’re on a roll. They buried the Fins in the game’s first 10 minutes and were on cruise control the rest of the way. Canada has not had to deal with anything close to the combined talent, determination and goaltending they’ll face here and there is just no way that anyone cannot give the Americans at least an equal chance of winning. Play: USA +1.73 (Risking 2 units).
EZWINNERS
Los Angeles Lakers -6.5
Denver has knocked off the Lakers in both meetings this season, but I look for the Lakers to pick up the win in this game. Kobe looks to be fully recovered from his ankle injury as he scored 32 points that included the game winner in his first game back against Memphis and contributed 19 points in a 99-90 home win over Philadelphia. The Nuggets may be without Kenyon Martin for this game as he missed the Nuggets last game with a knee injury and he is a big key in defending Bynum and Gasol. Denver is just 4-12 against the spread in their last sixteen road games against the Lakers. Lay the points.