Tony George
Angels vs. Royals
Play: Under 8.5
Two good pitchers starting out here today in Kansas City. A wet and dreary day and these two also battle it out every time they hook up for some reason. The Under is 33-11 the last 44 meetings! KC's bats are still a HUGE question mark headed into this season, and with Weaver on the hill, they will not be banging out runs even at home on opening day. KC a +135 underdog but just cannot take them although it looks very tempting, like the Under here for a half unit play as a freebie.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Celtics/Spurs UNDER 187.5
Boston has dropped 3 of its last 4 and San Antonio has lost 4 in a row. In other words, this is a game both teams want badly. These teams combined for 208 points at Boston in January, but I'm expecting a much different result this evening. The Celtics and Spurs, which both allowed their opponents to hit the century mark in their last contests, know the way to end a skid is to tighten the screws defensively. The offensive explosion between these teams in January was clearly out of character from a head-to-head perspective. Prior to that contest, the Celtics and Spurs had been under this number in 3 straight and 7 of their last 10. It is worth noting that the Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in this series in San Antonio. The Under is 10-1 in the Celtics' last 11 overall, 7-1 in their last 8 road games and 6-0 in their last 6 games following a SU loss. Boston will really be looking to slow down the tempo tonight after allowing Indiana to speed the game up Monday. This bodes well for us as San Antonio is 24-8 Under in its last 32 home games versus slow-down teams averaging 76 or less shots per game. We are only seeing 168.8 total points scored on average in this situation. With both teams having had 2 full days to rest up and prepare, the defenses should steal the show. Take the Under.
Steve Janus
Lakers -6.5
The Lakers are on a mission to end the regular season, and I look for them to really come out strong against the Mavericks at home tonight, as they are just a .5 game ahead of Dallas for the No.2 spot in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are playing their fourth straight on the road, and are the second of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in fresh, having had the last three days off.
Los Angeles is 22-13 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record this season, and are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Mavericks on the other hand are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Bet the Lakers!
Black Widow
1* on Boston Celtics +1.5
The Boston Celtics are a great choice tonight as an underdog to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are expected to be without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli, and without these two they should not be favored. San Antonio has been reeling since Duncan went out, going 0-4 in their last four games. The Spurs are 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in home games after a game where they failed to cover the spread this season. San Antonio is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in home games revenging a same season loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons. Boston is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) after failing to cover the spread in 2 or more consecutive games this season. The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog. Boston is 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games playing on 2 days rest. The underdog is 9-0 ATS in the last 9 meetings, the road team is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings, and the Celtics are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings in San Antonio. Take Boston and the points.
Info Plays
3* Los Angeles Dodgers -110
Reasons why Dodgers will cover:
1) The Dodgers will be ready to show the Giants they mean business in the NL West with a big win on opening day. Dodger's starter Clayton Kershaw has been on his game in spring trainging with a 2.49 ERA, while Giants starter Tim Lincecum has struggled in spring training with a 4.37 ERA.
2) The Dodgers are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. National League West and are 13-3 in Kershaws last 16 starts vs. National League West.
Ray Monohan
Wichita State vs. Alabama
Play: Wichita State -2
The Shockers have run through the NIT bracket as a No. 4 seed. They blew out Nebraska in the first round, upset top seed Virginia Tech, and held off College of Charleston to get to Madison Square Garden, where they pummeled Washington State 75-44. The Tide have shown the SEC West title wasn't a fluke as they breezed past Coastal Carolina, held off New Mexico, coasted to an easy win against Miami and eked out a 62-61 win against Colorado in Tuesday's semifinals. They meet tonight at MSG in the NIT Final! Trends I like for this one include, the Shockers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game, are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 neutral site games as a favorite, and are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5. The Crimson Tide are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games. I'm on the 28-8 Shockers in this one...(My wife is a Shocker Alum, so I'd be getting a divorce If I played on the Tide).
Lenny Del Genio
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers
Gonna take a shot with the Dodgers here at home in manager Don Mattingly's debut. Looking at the line for this opening day matchup, it's clear that the oddsmakers have just as much respect for LA ace Clayton Kershaw as we do. Kershaw posted a 2.91 ERA in 23 starts LY and the Giants are hardly a defensive juggernaut. Take Los Angeles.