Jorge Gonzalez
Los Angeles at Memphis
The Grizzlies are coming off a 104-94 win over the hapless New Jersey Nets but have won just twice in the last eight games. The Lakers have been off for four days ad will have Kobe Bryant back in the starting line-up for the firs time since the All- Star break. Bryant missed five games for the Lakers but was not really missed as his teammates took up the slack winning four of five games, losing only to Boston 87-86. The Grizzlies will be the fired up team in this spot with the NBA Champions coming to town. The Lakers may be a little but rusty and may be looking ahead to playing the new-look Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks have been on fire since the All-Star break winning four of five games and not allowing any team to break the century mark. Memphis are an up and coming team but do not register as a big game in the NBA. Thus, the Lakers have covered just six of the last 21 meetings and the underdog has covered 11 of the last 16 meetings.
PLAY MEMPHIS
VEGAS EXPERTS
New Orleans Hornets at Cleveland Cavs
Kneejerk reaction is to lay the points with the Cavs, who are off their first three-game losing streak in two seasons. However, considering the number, that would be unwise. The LeBrons have failed to cash in five of their last six games overall, including two games where they were laying double-digits against the terrible Knicks and pathetic Nets. The Hornets are cashing at 67%, 28-14 ATS, when taking between 9.5 and 12 points on the road.
Play on: New Orleans
Frank Jordan
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Jersey Nets
Play: Portland Trail Blazers -7.5
Portland is coming off a a couple of tough losses as they got blown out by Boston by 20 points Friday and followed that up by blowing a 25 points second half lead to Utah and losing in overtime. The remedy for that is simple the New Jersey Nets who are 3-24 at home and has only 5 wins overall. Portland is playing decent on the road at 13-13 and the addition of Marcus Camby has really helped. Look for Portland to start off this road trip with a big time blow win over New Jersey. Play Portland
Craig Trapp
Tennessee vs. Florida
Play: Over 134.5
Hard to imagine that TEN can win without having this game in the 70's. TEN has to score and get their full court press going to have any chance today. FLA can score in bunches and with the press from TEN they will get a ton of easy ones. Very close game that ends up over fairly easily.
JR O'Donnell
New Orleans Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Play: New Orleans Hornets +11.5
New Orleans (30-26) at Cleveland (43-14) a few solid facts for the dog here JR O will be bucking the public tonight @ the Quickens Loan center as the Hornets have played some good ball here the last 4 games & we will gladly take the points tonight!! Looking at this Cavs club they own a huge 0-3 ats/straight up mark since the All star break. Prior to the break they ran off 13 straight! We note that the New Orleans Hornets are on a huge Ats Cover streak $$$$$ as they are 7-2 ATS mark the last 9 away! The public will be looking for a blow out @ the Q but not us!! The Hornets fill it up from the charity stripe at 78% vs 72% for the Cavs. Information wins games boys & we will be going ugly tonight with the Dog!! The Hornets have caught fire and they will stay within the 11 tonight.
Vernon Croy
1* Take New Mexico ATS
This pick falls into one of my NCAAB systems and the Lobos are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against the Rams. The Rams are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog and they are just 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games when playing a team that has a winning record above .600. The Lobos are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 road games and they are shooting 42.7% from beyond the arc on the road this season. New Mexico already beat Colorado State by 18 points at home back on January 23rd while out-rebounding them by 18 and I look for the Lobos to dominate the boards again tonight. Take New Mexico.
Tony George
Detroit +2.5 @ Sacramento
70% of the public on the Kings at home. WHY? 2-7-1 ATS their last 10 home games, and Detroit healthy and avenging a home loss to the Kings earlier this month. The Kings are losers of 4 straight games and giving up 105 ppg their last 5 games. I like Wallace, Prince and Hamilton in this one to step up and win a rare road game for the Pistons. I am going against the public for this free play. Not always a popular choice to go against the Kings at home, as they give good teams trouble in here, but Detroit playing better ball and have the horses to hang tough 4 quarters here and get a small upset win.
Rocketman
Syracuse @ Providence
Play: Syracuse -8.5
Syracuse is one of the best teams in the country with a 25-2 overall record this year. Syracuse is 10-0 SU and 6-1 ATS on the road this year. Syracuse is 5-1 ATS this year against good offensive teams scoring 77 points per game or more. Providence is 2-9 ATS at home this year. Providence is 1-7 ATS since 1997 and 0-6 ATS last 3 years when the total is 160 to 169 1/2. Orange are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games. Orange are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Orange are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a road favorite. Orange are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road favorite of 7.0-12.5. Orange are 25-9 ATS in their last 34 games overall. Orange are 22-8 ATS in their last 30 games as a favorite. Orange are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 vs. Big East. Orange are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 games following a ATS win. Orange are 20-9 ATS in their last 29 games following a SU win. Friars are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 home games. Friars are 8-23 ATS in their last 31 games as a home underdog. Friars are 8-27 ATS in their last 35 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Friars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU loss. Friars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Friars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning SU record. Friars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. Friars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Friars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big East. Friars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5. Friars are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600. Favorite is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings. Orange are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. We'll recommend a small play on Syracuse tonight!
Insider Angles
The Tennessee Volunteers may be having a bad season against the spread at just 10-12-1, but they are still winning games on the court and that makes them dangerous underdogs when they visit the Florida Gators Tuesday.
The Vols are now 20-6 on the season, and they have even picked up their play on the road lately including a nice 63-55 win at South Carolina on Saturday. Tennessee has also won the last six head-to-head meetings with the Gators, with two of those wins coming here in Gainesville. The Volunteers are 5-2 straight up in their last seven games with the losses coming at Kentucky and Vanderbilt, and with all due respect to Florida, this assignment seems easier.
Unlike past seasons when they tried to run teams off the floor, this Tennessee team actually plays excellent defense, holding opponents to just 39.5 percent shooting overall and 40.9 percent on the road. In fact, they rank 13 in the entire country in defensive efficiency, allowing only .874 points per possession.
Comparatively, although the raw statistics say that the Florida defense is close to the Volunteers, allowing foes to shoot 41.0 percent overall, the Gators rank much lower in defensive efficiency at only 57. This is because Tennessee faced a much tougher non-conference schedule, making their numbers truer than those of Florida.
Look for the Vols to continue their dominance in this head-to-head series for one more game, pulling the mild upset here.
Pick: Tennessee +3
SPORTS WAGERS
OKLAHOMA CITY –6½ over Phoenix
The Suns are hot again, just like they were out of the gate, but one must figure without Steve Nash this team will be hard pressed to win on the road. Nash is the maestro out there. He makes passes that seem impossible. It’s like he has eyes in the back of his head. He makes everyone around him so much better and he sets people up that get a great look. Seldom will I mention injuries because the line is adjusted to reflect those injuries but Steve Nash is the most important player to his team than any other player in the league. The Thunder would be a 3½-4 point favorite if Nash were playing and appears as though the oddsmakers have not compensated enough for his loss. Goran Dragic will start in Nash’s place and he’s averaging about 17 minutes and 2.7 assists per game. Tonight's starting lineup has logged 11 minutes together this season. With Leandro Barbosa out because of wrist surgery, forward Grant Hill will run the offense when Dragic rests. As for the Thunder, well, they’ve only won nine straight and nobody is playing better than Kevin Durant. Durant has scored 25 or more in 28 straight games and the last player to do that was a guy named Michael Jordan back in ’87. Russell Westbrook has been the league’s best kept secret this season but it doesn’t end with Durant and Westbrook. These Thunder have all the elements of a great team, as they can defend, they can rebound, they have a decent bench, a great PG and they have scorers too. Besides, the Suns defense couldn’t stop the cheerleaders. Rick Nash will be back tomorrow against Philly so we’ll hope to take advantage of his absence here. Again, the Suns without Nash are about as average a team as the Detroit Pistons. Play: Oklahoma City –6½ (Risking 2.08 units to win 2).
Minnesota +8 over MIAMI
The Heat were told they couldn’t win without D-Wade and they promptly went out and did just that. They won in Memphis and should have beaten the Mav’s in Dallas the very next night. They had a nice lead in that game before losing by six. Now they’re return home after a five-game trip likely figuring that all they need to do is show up to win. This Heat team can be tough as shoe leather when they want but they can also be soft as a marshmallow when they don’t care and chances are it’ll be the latter tonight. If they take these T-Wolves lightly, they’re asking for trouble. Despite its woeful record the T-Wolves are dangerous because they’re loaded with energy and great, young shooters. They’ve also been hanging around lately. They’re coming off a two-point loss to Ok City and a six-point loss to Chicago. They have recent wins over Memphis, Dallas, New York and the Clip Joint. They’re very active on the boards and they have a decent bench too. The Heat cannot be trusted laying significant points and you can double that off a couple of good games in a row and returning home after a trip. They’ll very likely take the court in its “just show up and we’ll win” mode and that’s not going to get it done against this feisty intruder. The T-Wolves lack the experience to close out games but they’re on the verge of something good and this is a very good upset opportunity. No late fourth quarter meltdowns and the T-Wolves get the money. Play: Minnesota +8 –1.05 (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).
Tony Karpinski
Kansas State vs. Texas Tech
Play: Kansas State -5.5
Big 12 teams have found it tough to win on the road during conference play. Kansas State is the exception. The Wildcats have won five of their six league away contests. The Wildcats are well-coached, mentally tough and have one of the best starting guard tandems in the country with Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen. Clemente is playing as well as any point guard in the country, including Kentucky's John Wall.
Kansas State isn't going to catch Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title, but the Wildcats aren't ruling out possibly gaining a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders are tough in Lubbock, but they have lost their last three games. John Roberson, the Red Raiders' second-leading scorer, had a tough go in the loss to the Longhorns playing with bruised ribs suffered last week and is still banged up. K-STATE by double digits!
Steve Merril
Virginia vs. Miami Florida
Play: Virginia +5.5
Virginia was supposed to be in major rebuilding mode this season. It was going to take new head coach Tony Bennett a couple of years to implement his style of play with the players needed to run his system. But the Cavaliers got off to a very fast start; they opened the season at 12-4 and appeared to be a real surprise team in the ACC. Bennett prefers to play a slow, half-court game which is one of the main reasons why his Cavaliers got off to such a fast start. Teams in the ACC are not used to playing in the half-court; the majority of the league wants to run and play as fast as possible. And Virginia had a lot of success early in conference play as their opponents were unfamiliar with the Cavs’ style of play. Virginia beat Miami in the first meeting by 18 points (75-57). The Cavaliers frustrated the Canes in the half-court, and simply took them away from what they want to do. And that has been the way to beat Miami this season. In games in which they’ve played the slower teams and forced to play in the half-court, the Hurricanes are just 5-7 this year. Of those five wins, three of the wins came by 5 points or less. Miami’s 17-9 record is also misleading as they went 15-1 against a very weak non-conference schedule. Since then, the Canes are just 2-8 with the two wins coming by 7 and 2 points. What keeps Virginia from being a stronger selection is the fact that they are not in good current form at all. The Cavs have lost 5 straight games and 7 of their last 10 overall. They’ve gone two weeks without a win, and with them being just 3-7 on the road, we just cannot trust them enough right now, especially with this quote by head coach Bennett. “We’ve tried to mix lineups a couple times, certainly when you’re struggling you try to come up with a different approach,” Bennett said. “This is part of rebuilding. We had a real solid start; this is the hard part you have to go through. It’s a reality check.”
John Ryan
Georgetown vs. Louisville
Play: Louisville -4
3* graded play on Louisville as they host Georgetown set to start at 7:00 EST. Our proprietary sports handicapping model and simulator shows a high probability that Louisville win win this game by 4 or more points. Louisville is going to force the tempo to be faster than Georgetown like to play. We see Louisville definitely scoring between 75 and 80 points. Note that Georgetown is just 1-6 ATS the past 3 seasons and 10-26 ATS sine 1997 when they give up 75 to 80 points. Georgetown is just 17-32 ATS (-18.2 Units) after 3 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers since 1997. When both teams are projected to score more than 70 points each, Georgetown HC Thompson III is just 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5. Take Louisville.
Charlie Scott
New Mexico vs. Colorado State
Play: Over 134.5
Both teams look to bounce back tonight on offense coming off season low points scored on Saturday. New Mexico players were frustrated by Air Forces slow pace Saturday and look forward to playing at a faster pace tonight. While Colorado States offense is not really as bad as they looked @ UNLV Saturday, their defense is terrible, they are slow and struggle to defend athletic opponents and commit alot of silly fouls. When these two teams met a month ago the total was similar, the pace fast, and an easy OVER !
Hollywood Sports
Philadelphia 76ers at Golden State Warriors
Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia (21-34) suffered a rough 122-90 loss at Chicago Saturday night but the 76ers have covered six of their last eight games coming off a double-digit loss. Philly has also covered seven of their last ten games when playing with two days of rest. While they have now lost three of their last four games, the 76ers had won five straight games before that stretch. Golden State (16-39) comes off a 108-104 win against Atlanta Sunday night. The Warriors always play well against Atlanta (Hawks' coach Mike Woodson tries to match coach Don Nelson's small ball and this plays right into the Warriors hands). In this game, Golden State went on a 16-0 run 4th quarter run against a listless Atlanta team in the middle of a long west coast road trip. The Warriors do not play consistent basketball as they are just 27-55-2 ATS in their last 84 games coming off a win. The 76ers are playing better ball of late as they still have designs on making the playoffs. They should bounce-back to defeat Golden State tonight. Take Philly.