SPORTS WAGERS
1st HALF WAGER
L.A. Clippers +7 over ORLANDO
The Clippers play terrific ball for three quarters and always have a meltdown in either the third or fourth period and it’s for that reason the play here is in the first half. You look at the Clip Joints past results and what you see is a whole bunch of lopsided scores but misleading one’s too. A close look reveals that the Clip Joint has dropped five of its last six but a closer look reveals that at the half they were down four in Phoenix and a week later were up one on the Suns at the half in L.A. Against Ok City they were down five at the half and in Utah on Saturday they were down a single point at the half. Those are some damn tough teams indeed and the Clip Joint did not look a bit out of place against any of them. Now they’ll play in Orlando against a Magic squad coming off that big win on ABC over the Lakers on Sunday. The Magic have won five in a row and when you combine that with the aforementioned win over the Lakers what we have is a very vulnerable spot that they’re in. The line is Orlando –12 but we can take back +7 in the first half with the Clip Joint and their current form suggests that’s the right way to go. Play: L.A. Clippers +7 in the first half (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).
WEBER ST. –7½ over Portland St.
It’s been a heck of ride for the Big Sky conference this season, as they produced three legitimate teams that posted big wins over quality opponents and whose regular season crown came down to the final game. As with all small conferences however, the winner of the conference tournament is the only school getting the automatic bid and I believe the Weber State Wildcats are getting that birth. The Wildcats finished the season at 36.1% from three point land while hoisting 40% of their shots from that distance, a remarkable success and a statistic opponents must be aware of. Unfortunately for Portland State, it’s one thing to say “we need to stop the three” and another to actually go out and do it. After 31 games of evidence, it’s safe to say Portland State won’t come close to stopping the Wildcats on offense and I say that because the Vikings were without a doubt the worst defensive team in the NCAA this season. They allowed opponents to shoot a staggering 40.7% on three’s, 53.5% on two’s, finished 340th out of 347 in defensive efficiency and allowed 90 or more points seven times this season. It was a complete abomination at the defensive end and it’s the main reason why it’s impossible to trust them with your money. The only way Portland State stays in this game is with ridiculously hot shooting. It’s possible the game stays close for about 20 minutes or so but to have to score on every trip down the court just to stay close is unrealistic and with the intensity level rising because of postseason play it makes it that much harder. Look for Weber State and Northern Colorado to meet in the final with a tournament birth on the line. Play: #592 Weber State –7½ (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).
Lenny Del Genio
Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards
Prediction: Washington Wizards
No really, we're not kidding. After all the controversy surrounding Gilbert Arenas and the cost-cutting ventures that involved trading away Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood, the remaining players on the roster seem to be galvanized. They began February by covering six straight games and should have beaten Boston last time out, letting a 13-point slip away in the game's final six minutes. Meanwhile, this play has just as much to do with a play-against situation for Houston. This will be the Rockets third road game in four nights. They were small road favorites in both games previous and are off an outright loss to Detroit in overtime on Sunday. The Wiz are another unfamiliar opponent for them and one that they do not matchup well against. Washington is 10-1 ATS coming off a loss by 3pts or less. Houston is 5-15 ATS off a non-conf game and 1-10 ATS in Tuesday road games. Take Washington.
Sean Higgs
Pennsylvania vs. Princeton
Play: Pennsylvania +12.5
Penn has covered 5 of the last 7 overall in this series and 7 of 8 while visiting Princeton. The road team has coverd 4 straight. Penn is on a nice 5-0 ATS run their last 5 on the road, and are 4-1 ATS last 5 vs the Ivy. Quakers also a money making 7-1 ATS overall their last 8 as underdogs. Princeton just 2-12 ATS as home faves of 13 or more.
Freddy Wills
Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Bobcats
Play: Charlotte Bobcats -3.5
This is a bad match up for the Heat. They got hammered the last time they visited Charlotte giving up 100+ and scoring just 65 points. Charlotte just has too much talent defensively not to win outright once again. Charlotte even won by 10 on the road. Charlotte is 22-8 at home and they are chasing the Heat for the final playoff spot. This will likely be a huge game in terms of whether or not they'll be in the playoffs.
Hollywood Sports
IUPUI at Oakland
Play: Oakland
Oakland (25-8) has waited 365 days to redeem themselves after their heartbreaking last second loss to North Dakota State is last season's Summit Conference Tournament Championship. The Golden Grizzlies lone loss in conference play was a 24-point defeat to Indiana-Purdue but they have the chance to avenge that loss in this championship game. The RPI ratings suggest Oakland should have the edge here as they rank #57 as compared to the #85 ranking for the Jaguars. IUPUI (24-9) comes off a 69-65 win over Oral Roberts as a 3-point favorite -- but they have failed to cover the spread in five of their last seven games after a game where they covered the spread. They are also just 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog of under seven points. Oakland sports a probable future NBA player in 6'10" center Keith Benson who scores 17.3 PPG and 10.3 rebounds per game. Benson's inside presence should make the difference in securing Oakland the Summit Conference Tournament Championship and a berth into the Big Dance. Lay the points with Oakland.
Info Plays
3* on Heat/Bobcats UNDER 183.5
Reasons why this game goes UNDER
1.) System Play. We'll Play Under - Any team (CHARLOTTE) - average shooting team (43.5-45.5%) against an average defensive team (43.5-45.5%), after 2 straight games - allowing a shooting pct. of 39% or less. This is a 35-12 UNDER System hitting 74.5% over the last 5 seasons.
2.) These are two excellent defensive teams, and two sub-par offensive teams battling out for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. There's no question this will be a defensive battle with what's at stake, and we don't see either squad topping the 90-point mark tonight. Bet the UNDER.
Wunderdog
Ottawa vs. Edmonton
Play: Under 5½
I like the UNDER in this one tonight. Ottawa is 17-13 UNDER on the road this season and four of their last five have gone UNDER. Edmonton is 21-13 UNDER at home this year. On the road vs. poor teams (those outscored by .5+ goals per game), Ottawa is 21-12 UNDER the past two seasons. And, Edmonton is 11-3 UNDER in non-conference games this season. Take the Oilers on the puck line and the UNDER.
O.C. Dooley
Celtics / Bucks Under 187.5
Not only is Milwaukee one of the NBA's hottest teams of late, they have been winning on the strength of a DEFENSE that has held 12 of the past 19 opponents to less than 90 points on the scoreboard. The bottom line is that tonight features two of the league's highest statistical ranked defenses as Boston is #1 in average points allowed (93.8) per game and #6 in field goal percentage defense (44.5). Milwaukee is #8 in defensive average points allowed (96.5) per contest and #10 in defensive field goal percentage (45.2) against. Here is a 70-PERCENT SYSTEM (44-19 past five years) which plays road teams like Boston off a home "non cover" where they won outright as a favorite UNDER a low posted total that is in the 180's range. In the past two years Boston has played UNDER the total on the ROAD at near a 70-PERCENT clip (25-12) when facing an opponent with a winning record. Milwaukee just happens to be 10-2 UNDER for the entire season to date when the posted total has been in the 180's range which is the case tonight
Dave Price
1 Unit on Washington Wizards +4
I just can't justify laying the points here when you consider Houston is 2-11 ATS in road games when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 25% to 40%) over the last 2 seasons, losing to these teams by an average score of 98.3 to 102.1. In addition, Houston is 1-10 ATS in road games on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons and Washington is 10-1 ATS off a close road loss of 3 points or less over the last 3 seasons. We'll take the points.