Rocketman
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa
Play: Ottawa -127
Ottawa is 26-14 the past 3 years when playing with 2 days rest. Ottawa is 25-7 SU at home vs Tampa Bay since 1996. Lightning are 3-7 in their last 10 games as an underdog of +110 to +150. Lightning are 7-19 in their last 26 road games. Lightning are 5-16 in their last 21 games as a road underdog. Lightning are 2-7 in their last 9 games as a road underdog of +110 to +150. Lightning are 1-11 in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Senators are 7-1 in their last 8 games as a home favorite. Senators are 7-1 in their last 8 games as a favorite. Senators are 6-1 in their last 7 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. Senators are 6-1 in their last 7 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150. Senators are 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400. Senators are 5-1 in their last 6 home games. Senators are 4-1 in their last 5 games following a win. Senators are 10-3 in their last 13 Thursday games. Senators are 6-2 in their last 8 overall. Senators are 5-2 in their last 7 vs. Eastern Conference. Senators are 7-3 in their last 10 vs. Southeast. Home team is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings. Favorite is 22-8 in the last 30 meetings. Lightning are 14-40-2 in the last 56 meetings. Lightning are 5-24 in the last 29 meetings in Ottawa. We'll recommend a small play on Ottawa tonight!
Dave Price
1 Unit Sacramento Kings +3
Considering the underdog is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 in this series, I'll side with the Kings at home. The Bucks are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. We'll take the Kings.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit Penn State +7
The home team has had the upper hand in this matchup in terms of the point spread, covering the number in 6 of the last 8 meetings. Look for this trend to continue tonight. The Boilermakers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 7.0-12.5 points. The Nittany Lions are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 home games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a home underdog. Take Penn State.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit Villanova -8
Motivated by back-to-back losses on the road to quality West Virginia and Marquette squads, and out to avenge a 1-point loss to South Florida in last year's Big East tournament, expect Villanova to take care of business at home tonight. The Wildcats are playing just .500 basketball on the season, but they are a perfect 6-0 at home, where they are winning by an average of 17.9 points. The Bulls, meanwhile, are 0-6 when playing away from home this season, losing these games by an average of 11.8 points. Prior to the upset loss in the last season's conference tourney, Nova had won 5 in a row against the Bulls with the 4 most recent wins all coming by 9 points or more. From an investment standpoint, Villanova has been at its best in January when conference play starts to pick up. In fact, the Wildcats are 15-3 ATS in their last 18 January games. We'll lay the number.
Jack Jones
Portland Trail Blazers -3½
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the most underrated teams in the league in the early going. Portland is off to a fast 4-1 start, which includes a perfect 3-0 home record. They also have an impressive 103-93 road win over Oklahoma City last time out.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a transition mode with a new head coach and several new players. They have started slow by their standards, going 4-3 through their first seven games. This is certainly a tired team as this will be their 8th game in 12 days to open the season.
Portland has had a lot of success at home against the Lakers throughout the years. The Blazers are 26-12 SU & 26-12 ATS in their last 38 home meetings with L.A. They have covered in 17 of their last 22 home meetings more recently.
The Blazers are 11-4-2 ATS in their last 17 home games. The Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games. Portland is 17-5 ATS in their last 22 vs. good rebounding teams - outrebounding their opponents by 3+ per game. Portland is one of the best rebounding teams in the league as they are outrebounding foes 55-48 on the season. Bet the Blazers Thursday.
Hollywood Sports
Lakers at Blazers
Play: Under
Los Angeles (4-3) looks to build some momentum after their 108-99 win over Houston on Tuesday. The Lakers have played 4 straight games Under the Total after scoring at least 100 points in their last contest. LA has also played 4 straight games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. And in their last 10 road games as an underdog of under five points, Los Angeles has played 8 of these games Under the Total. Portland (4-1) comes off their 103-93 win at Oklahoma City on Tuesday -- and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after scoring at least 100 points in their last contest. The Trail Blazers have also played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total coming off a win. And in their last 7 games played with one day of rest, Portland has played 5 of these games Under the Total. Look for these team trends to continue. Take the Under.