King Creole
Wizards / Cavaliers Under 190.5
Washington: NBA's #1 UNDER Team on the ROAD this season (6-23 O/U / 180.9 total PPG)... 0-7 O/U away vs non-division opp w/ HG next day... 0-6 O/U away w/ 2 rest vs non-div opponent... 1-12 O/U L13 vs CENTRAL Division.
Cleveland: 0-6 O/U L6 vs Washington... 0-5 O/U home in 1/2 rest sit... 1-5 O/U home vs non-division opponent before 2 days rest… 1-6 O/U as Tuesdays dogs < 7 pts vs .500 < opponent.
Jeff Scott Sports
3 UNIT PLAYS
Rutgers/ Depaul Under 144.5: We all know that Depaul is run and gun, but teams have figured out their offense of late, as they have averaged just 64.6 ppg in their last 5 games. That about an 8 point difference from their seasonal average of 72.8 ppg. It may be hard for this team to reach the 70 point mark as Rutgers has allowed 66.4 ppg on the year overall, including just 64.4 ppg in their last 5 games. Also making it hard for Depaul to score in the 70's will be the fact that the Knights will really look to slow the pace. The Knights are 253rd in the nation in tempo and that hasn't translated in to many points for them, especially in the Big East where they have averaged just 59.6 ppg. The Knights know they can't match Depaul point for point, so slowing tempo will be imperative for them. The Demons do have the worst defense in the league, but the Knight just don't have the offense to take advantage. Just 1 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have put up 140+ points and that was the 144 they scored this year. I see this one back in the 130's.
North Dakota State/ South Dakota State Over 122.5: Neither team is really uptempo, but both teams do know how to put the ball in the hoop. ND State is 34th in the nation in effective FG% and hey average a decent 65.9 ppg on the year. For SD State they are 25th in the nation in effective FG%, 44th in offensive efficiency and they average a very solid 72.6 ppg overall, including 75,5 ppg at home. ND State has played great defense, allowing 55.9 ppg overall, but they do allow a bit more on the road (59.5) and they did allow 65.5 ppg vs SD State in two meetings this year. In their meeting here earlier in the year ND State put up just 53 points, but i see them getting a bit more this time around as the Jackrabbits have struggled defensively of late, allowing 67.8 ppg in their last 5 games. Big games usually trend to the Under, but I just feel this line is too low for a couple of teams that average 65+ pg on the year. Also look for that foul fest at the end as the only shot for these eams to make it to the Big Dance is to win this one. I look for around 130 points.
Joe Gavazzi
Dallas at Milwaukee
Play: Dallas +2
In this NBA matchup, we find a pair of teams who are running hot and are on the periphery of the playoff picture. Since the addition of JJ Reddick to join the prolific backcourt of Jennings and Ellis, Mil has gone 6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS. As a result, they have opened up an eight game lead for the final playoff spot in the East. Longtime playoff participant Dallas, fell into a deep hole without the services of Nowitzki for the first part of the season. As a result, they trail the Lakers by two games in the loss column for the final playoff spot. But they enter tonight on a 3-0 SU surge, including a 100-77 wipeout of the T-Wolves Sunday evening. Inverted home road dichotomy seals the deal for a visiting Mavs team who will be treating this like it is a playoff game. Dallas is 19-10 ATS as road dog TO -3, while Mil is just 10-19 ATS at home this season.
NHL Predictions
Los Angeles Kings +110
The defending Stanley Cup Champs are 14-8-2 on the season and 5-6-1 on the road. Phoenix is 12-10-3 on the year and 9-5-1 at home. The Kings have won two straight, both vs Calgary, and have now won 11 of their last 14 games overall. The Coyotes are coming off of a 2-1 home victory which snapped a mini 2 game losing streak. They've won 4 of their last 9 games, and two of those came via the shootout. The Coyotes gave up 31 goals over those 9 games (3.44 goals per game), which isn't good news for playing the Kings right now. Los Angeles has scored 49 goals over their last 14 games (3.5 goals per game) moving them to 9th in the NHL in goals per game. These two teams have already met this season, with Los Angeles winning 4-2 in Phoenix. The Kings took out Phoenix 4-1 in last year's playoffs, making them 5-1 in their last 6 meetings. The Kings are also a perfect 4-0 in their last 4 meetings in Phoenix. I like the way Los Angeles has been playing lately and I think they roll their momentum into tonight to pick up another win.
Harry Bondi
DALLAS (+1.5) over Milwaukee
It's a bizarre scheduling spot for the Bucks, who are home for one night after a three-game road trip and then go back on the highway tomorrow night for a date at Washington. That makes for a great situation to jump on the Mavs, who are clicking very nicely right now. Dallas comes in on a three-game winning streak, including a 100-77 rout of Minnesota on Sunday. Dallas is a team that plays its best with momentum on its side, as seen by a 34-18 ATS record the last three seasons in a game following a victory by 10 points or more. The distracted Bucks get taken out at home by the red-hot Mavs.
Nelly
Minnesota Timberwolves + over San Antonio Spurs
The Wolves are certainly a tough team to back right now but after back-to-back blowout losses this should be a focused effort with a marquee opponent in town. The Spurs are certainly a letdown risk after a big comeback to beat the Thunder last night in a huge game in the Western Conference standings and without Tony Parker the Spurs could struggle in the second of two consecutive games in as many days. The Spurs have lost three of the last eight games and Minnesota is still a strong defensive team despite the season heading in the wrong direction the last two months. The Spurs won in Minnesota just over a month ago but only by 10 points in what was a competitive game. Minnesota won outright in both home meetings last season in this series and this is a huge spread for Spurs in a very tricky situation.