Matt Rivers
Comp play for Wednesday night is Georgetown as the small road chalk over Connecticut.
UConn is looking for their 20th win of the season, but due to program violations, the Huskies are playing for nothing more than pride in this one.
Georgetown is looking to rise up the ranks come selection Sunday, and the Hoyas bring an impressive 9 game win and cover streak into Storrs. The Hoyas are also an impressive 11-1 against the spread their last 12 games overall.
Connecticut is just 5-6 against the spread this season at home, and are just 2-5 straight up the last 7 in this Big East rivalry.
Kevin Ollie has done a solid job keeping this team playing for "pride" alone this year, but right now it is impossible to pick against a Hoyas team that has won at Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Syracuse in recent outings.
Georgetown the call.
3* GEORGETOWN
Jeff Benton
6 straight freebie winners now after Tennessee upsets Florida last night!
Your Wednesday freebie is the Rockets to blast the Bucks at the Toyota Center.
Houston has been off since Saturday when they were busy blowing a double-digit lead in the second half at Washington in a 105-103 loss. The Rockets are still enjoying an 11-3 pointspread run their past 14, and they catch the Bucks fresh off their upset win last night in Dallas.
Even with last night's win, Milwaukee has been absorbing the losses more frequently these days, now 3 of 4 after last night's unlikely win at the Mavericks, and 7 in their last 9 both straight up and against the spread.
The last time these teams met, Houston blasted Milwaukee by 14 at the Bradley Center. I don't see much changing tonight with the rested Rockets playing against the unrested Bucks.
Lay it.
2♦ HOUSTON
DAVID BANKS
Golden State Warriors +6.5
The Golden State Warriors (33-23, 29-26-1 ATS) are hoping to continue their mastery vs. Eastern Conference teams this season when they visit the New York Knicks (33-20, 25-26-2 ATS) at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY Wednesday at 8:05 ET on ESPN. Pending their Tuesday night result at Indiana, the Warriors are 15-5 straight up and 14-6 ATS vs. the East this season, including 8-3 straight up on the road with five outright upsets as road underdogs, which is their role here. The Knick meantime may have snapped a four-game losing streak vs. the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday, but they again failed to cover the spread and are on an ugly 0-6-1 ATS skid.
The Warriors in fact first gained some national attention this season with a 6-1 Eastern road trip in December that included a win in Miami that really turned a lot of heads, as it became apparent that this is an exciting young team with a bright future. Golden State has a prolific scoring backcourt with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack off the bench, and it has All-Star David Lee up front who is averaging 19.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. The Warriors are averaging 101.2 points per game while playing at the sixth fastest pace in the NBA with a tempo rating of 96.7 possessions per contest, but because of that, the Golden State defense often gets overlooked. Yes, the Warriors only rank 25th in points allowed at 101.4 per game, but that is solely because of that pace as the fact of the matter is that that they rank seventh in the NBA in field goal percentage allowed at 44.0 percent and fifth in three-point defense at 34.2 percent. They are also a good rebounding team ranking third in the league with 44.9 boards per game, with 33.8 of those rebounds coming on the defensive glass.
Now the Knicks rank sixth in the NBA in three-point percentage at 37.4 percent, which is behind Golden State in second at 39.1 percent, but the Knicks actually rely on the three-pointers more. That is because New York launches 29.0 attempts from beyond the arc per game compared to 19.7 for the Warriors, with the Knicks making an average of 10.8 of them compared to 7.7 for Golden State. That is where the Warriors' underrated three-point defense and defensive rebounding come into play, as the Knicks may not get as many open three-point looks as they have become accustomed to getting, and they do not figure to get many second opportunities with Lee & Co. clearing the boards. The New York defense has also taken a step back as of late, as while the Knicks have allowed 96.3 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting over the entire season, those numbers have ballooned to 102.4 points on 46.6 percent shooting including an awful 39.4 percent on three-point attempts over the last five games.
The Warriors are 5-1 ATS in the last six head-to-head meetings and an impressive 32-13 ATS in their last 45 games vs. Atlantic Division foes. The Knicks are 1-5 ATS in their last six games vs. teams with winning straight up
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Arizona State +8 over UCLAFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Bruins are in a battle for first place in the Pac-12 with Oregon and Arizona. Entering today, UCLA is just a half game back of those two and this is the Bruins’ game in hand. Still, we can’t recommend this favorite spotting significant points because they have not proven to be trustworthy. UCLA’s 16-point victory over USC this past Sunday was its largest margin of victory in a conference game this season. The Bruins have played a bunch of close games against lesser competition and this is not a favorable matchup or scheduling situation. Aside from already losing at Arizona State (by 18), UCLA has a huge game against first place Arizona on deck on Saturday in a game the Bruins will host.
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Arizona State is on the dreaded NCAA tournament bubble as the Sun Devils continue to mix impressive victories with head-scratching losses. They have won two of their last three games, including an overtime victory at Colorado, but lost to Utah and Stanford before that. They are also the last team to have defeated California, the hottest team in the Pac-12 right now. The Sun Devils have three games left, all on the road. To get into the tournament, the Sun Devils are going to have to win either this one or the last game of the season at Arizona. ASU figures to have that mindset here and they have enough firepower and talent to keep this one close throughout. An outright win is not out of the question.
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Washington +129 over PHILADELPHIAFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. The Flyers don’t need offensive help. Their 60 goals scored rank them fourth in the league. The problem is goals allowed, where Philly has surrendered 66 goals, the third most in the NHL. So what do the Flyers do? They traded a fourth round pick yesterday to reacquire the offensive-oriented Simon Gagne, who Philly traded to Tampa back in 2010. This season, Gagne has sat much of the year in the press box, playing just 11 games for the Kings. At age 33 and riddled with injuries over the years, he’ll fit right in with the slow skating Flyers. Philadelphia has played the most games (21) in the NHL and sit just four points above last place in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are just four points ahead of the Capitals and Washington has three games in hand. The Flyers defense is slow, Bryzgalov has been shaky and as the chalk, they have little appeal.
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Washington labored out of the gate with just one win in its first seven games and two victories in its first 11. Then something clicked. The Capitals bought into Adam Oate’s system. Every player is contributing in one way or another. The Capitals are a strong skating team with some gritty guys that every team would love to have. Alex Ovechkin has come alive. He recorded a hat trick in the Caps 5-1 over the Devils on the weekend and Washington followed that up with a 3-0 win over the Hurricanes yesterday. The Caps have won five of seven and have allowed just six goals against in their past four. Washington is in better form than Philly, they’re vastly superior to the Flyers in the defensive end and in a game they can surely win, they offer up nothing but value here.
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TORONTO +100 over MontrealFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. The Canadiens lead the Eastern Conference with 27 points. Give them credit. However, the Habs have played the majority of their games at home and their strength of schedule ranks 25th out of 30 teams. Montreal is greatly improved from a year ago and they still possess one of the top netminders in the league but they’re far from being the best team in the East and its dissention in the standings is inevitable. Montreal has lost two of its past three games with only win over that span occurring against the lifeless Rangers. Do they deserve to be favored, albeit a small one, in Toronto? Probably not.
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Round three. In two previous games this season, Toronto is 2-0 over the Habs while outscoring them 8-1. No question, Montreal has motivation to avenge those two losses, especially the last one in Montreal, a 6-0 Leafs victory. It was by far the Canadiens’ worst game of the season and the Maple Leafs’ best but one cannot ignore the Maple Leafs’ success over Montreal this season. Toronto is getting outstanding goaltending from Ben Scrivens, leading Toronto to three straight home wins, while outscoring the opposition 11-3. Meanwhile, Carey Price is 0-3 with a 3.07 goals-against average in his last three starts in this series. The Maple Leafs are solid defensively for the first time in years. They’ve also been consistent and to top it off, their confidence is soaring against this hated rival. Poorly priced game with legit home team has our attention.
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LOS ANGELES -½ +109 over DetroitFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Regulation only. After a five-game losing streak, the Red Wings responded by scoring 12 goals over their next two games in defeating both Nashville and Vancouver, the latter by an 8-3 count. It was just one of those games for Canucks goaltender, Roberto Luongo, who allowed all eight goals on 28 shots. Both of those wins were at the Joe. On the road, Detroit has two wins in seven tries. One of those wins was in OT against Columbus. Detroit will now head to Los Angeles with numerous injuries and a makeshift defense. Nine players are out for the Red Wings with Valtteri Filppula being the latest to join the infirmary.
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Los Angeles went into Detroit on February 10th and lost 3-2. They dominated that game from start to finish, while outshooting the Red Wings 47-30. Since then, the Kings have won six of seven with only loss over that period taking place in Chicago by a score of 3-2. The Kings have outscored their last seven opponents by a count of 23-10. The Stanley Cup champs are showing no hangover effects right now as they continue to dominate games. On Sunday, the red-hot Ducks came in here and Los Angeles buried them, 5-2. This host is in great form, they’re healthy and Jonathan Quick, after a shaky start, has his game back. The Kings are as good as they were in last year’s playoffs while the Red Wings are much worse. That all gets revealed here.
Pass NBA
Bob BalfeFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Dallas 7.5 over MemphisFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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In the world of sports handicapping you cannot bring yesterdays action into the next day. Dallas has now blown two games in which they had 4th quarter leads at home and now will be on the road. As bad as they have been they still have been in position to win games. In my opinion this line is over inflated because of Dallas blowing games. When you have a player like Dirk you are never out of a game. This Dallas team has been playing very sloppy yet still are not getting blown out. Maybe the road is exactly what they need right now. This game should be closer than the odds makers are indicating. Take the Mavs.
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Michigan -13 over Penn StateFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Not even close. The talent level is so one sided that Michigan should be up double digits by the half. They must not slip up on the road at the end of the season with so much on the line. This is the time of year that great teams need to prove they are far more superior than the weaker teams in the conference. Take Michigan.
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West Virginia PK over BaylorFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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West Virginia gets kind of a raw deal this year and I don’t see how this team will ever compete in the BIG 12. The travel just is not fair for this team. Road games are so far away and even travel back home is like going to another road game. Its not bad for football when you are only playing once a week and traveling 4-5 times a year, but for basketball its brutal. With that being said this team is good at home and you can’t look at the first game against Baylor because it was during one of those brutal travel stretches for this team. Now Baylor will feel what its like to have to make this trip deep in the year while not playing well as of late. Take WVU.
Nelly
Orlando Magic - over Sacramento Kings
The Kings gave their all last night in a double-overtime loss at Miami, falling 141-129. Five players played over 40 minutes last night and the Kings shot almost 52 percent including making 14 three-point shots to stay in the game. This will be a fourth straight road game and a sixth road game over the past seven contests, making it an extremely difficult situation. Orlando is coming off a Tuesday night win in Philadelphia which snapped a five-game losing streak. The Magic have been far from a reliable squad with a 16-41 record on the season with poor ATS marks. In road games this season the Kings are being outscored 105-93 on average however with Sacramento featuring a 5-26 S/U road record. The Kings are 6-9 ATS this season on the road against losing teams and the Kings are just 6-12 ATS this season on the road following a loss. Orlando is 4-4 S/U at home coming off a win and with J.J. Redick recently traded and Jameer Nelson injured this team is playing with a new energy with younger players getting an opportunity to see the court more. Backing Orlando certainly has not been a winning proposition this season but this is a truly difficult emotional and scheduling spot for the Kings.
Wunderdog
Toronto at Cleveland
Pick: Toronto -3.5
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors are a pair of disappointing teams that are starting to make some headway. The Cavs have elevated their play recently, but not to the same level as the Raptors. Toronto traded for Rudy Gay and he has made a change to this team. Gay is averaging over 20 points per game, and is grabbing 6.7 boards and gives them a bonafide closer down the stretch. It has transformed Toronto into a winning team since his arrival at 7-4. Toronto has really beaten up on bad teams where they are now 14-3 ATS in their last 17 vs. a team below the .400 mark on the season. Go with Toronto here.
Undefeated's Triple/Quadruple Confirmed Plays
I just got this play for +105 - amazing !!!
HANDICAPPING KINGS - JIMMY
Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs
UNDER 5 -110
Daily NHL Shots on Goal
by Nick Pellegrino
Montreal-Toronto, UNDER 5 (Even)
TRENDS For Montreal vs. Toronto:
* Under is 8-0 in the last eight meetings in Toronto.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
Game 53-54: Montreal at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 11.631; Toronto 12.722
Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Toronto (-110); 5
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-110); Under
Jimmy Boyd
Memphis Grizzlies -7.5
Dallas is in a tough spot when they face Memphis. They are having a rough season and tonight’s game is the second leg of a back to back run. The Mavericks just lost to Milwaukee last night and now they have to travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies. Always play on home favorites winning between 60-75% of their games like Memphis when they are off 5 or more consecutive wins playing a team winning between 40-49% of their games like Dallas. This system is 60-25 (70.6%) since 1996. The Grizzlies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 75 points in their previous game. They have won seven consecutive games compared to Dallas who is coming off back to back losses. The Grizzlies are playing on a couple days of rest which should have them prepared for this matchup.
Matt Fargo
St Josephs vs. Saint Louis
Play: St Josephs
St. Louis has been on a huge roll as it has won nine straight games and proving how good it has been, it has covered all nine of those games in the process. The Billikens are coming off a win in their last game last Friday night as they pulled away from Butler on the road and thus took over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Ten Conference. Coming into the season, expectations were very high and the conference was expected to come down to three teams along with Butler and VCU and so far that has been true to form. St. Louis has lost only twice at home this season so coming into Chaifetz Arena is no easy task. The difference now though is that the Billikens are overvalued because of the recent perfect streak. They are a perfect 9-0 ATS as single digit favorites but 5-6 ATS when laying double-digits. St. Josephs comes into this game with some momentum from a win over George Washington on Saturday which evened its conference record to 6-6 on the season. Overall the Hawks have a winning record on the road at 7-5 so they know how to get it done on the highway. Getting this many points has been pretty rare but when it is the case, they have been lucrative as the Hawks are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games when getting 10 or more points. Additionally, they fall into a great situation where we play against home favorites of 10 or more points with a winning percentage of .800 or better after seven or more consecutive wins, playing a team with a winning percentage between .600 and .800. This situation is 81-49 ATS (62.3 percent) over the last five seasons.
Ray Monohan
Northern Iowa vs. So Illinois
Play: Northern Iowa
This play just missed out on being a 6* premium release for Razor. Look who is in third in the Missouri Valley right now - its Northern Iowa. They have beaten both Creighton and Wichita State already this season and are in a solid position to enter the conversation for the Big Dance...assuming no slip ups. Tonight they are small favourites on the road against Southern Illinois who has rapidly dropped to the bottom of the conference pecking order. UNI lost their bracket buster against Denver and needs to rebound. They have won their last 4 against the Salukis including a 13 point victory earlier this season. I see no reason for that streak not to continue and only one was as close as this margin.
Ben Burns
New Jersey vs. Winnipeg
Pick: New Jersey
Normally a much better team when playing at Winnipeg, the Jets are coming off a rare successful road trip. Tuesday's 4-3 upset victory at MSG gave them a 4-1 record since their last home game.
One of those four wins came against these same Devils, a 4-2 win on 2/24. Give the Jets credit for their successful voyage. However, keep in mind that playing the first game back home from a road trip can sometimes be tough.
Why is it that the first game back home from a trip can be difficult?
Part of the logic is that the players can be distracted by the return to every day life. They can have girlfriends, spouses and/or friends that demand their attention. Bills to pay. Household chores to tend to. Things of that nature.
Those factors may not sound like much but if you ask players or coaches, they'll tell you that they can indeed come into play.
Also, note that the Jets are actually 0-3 their last three at Winnipeg. So, their long-standing tendency of being a better home team may be starting to change. (In fact, they actually have a better road record than home record this season.)
Facing a revenge-minded and well-rested New Jersey team, I won't be surprised if the Jets stumble here.
The Devils, who haven't played since the 2/24 loss against the Jets, are already 2-0 this season, when facing a team which defeated them in the previous meeting.
Most recently, after losing on 2/2 at Pittsburgh, the Devils beat the Penguins on both 2/9 and 2/10. Also, after losing vs. the Islanders on 1/31, they beat the Isles (at Long Island) by a 3-0 score on 2/3. (They subsequently lost their next game vs. the Isles on 2/16 but weren't in the revenge role at that time.)
The Devils won their last visit to Winnipeg and they're 8-2 the last 10 times that they were a guest in this series, dating back to when the Jets (Thrashers) were based out of Atlanta.
Off back to back losses and having dropped four of five, we should be able to count on a determined effort from the visitors.
While they may not have Brodeur between the pipes, I believe the Devils are well worth a look here. Consider New Jersey.
Brandon Lee
Connecticut +1.5
Connecticut should not be an underdog at home to Georgetown. The Hoyas are coming off a huge road win at Syracuse on Saturday as a 8-point dog, but that's actually a good thing for the Huskies. It's going to be hard for Georgetown to match UConn's intensity in their second road game in five days. Connecticut is a dominant 6-1 S.U. at home in their last seven games against Georgetown and are an impressive 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games vs very good defensive teams (allowing shooting percentage of 39% or less) over the last 3 seasons. Take the Points!
Jack Jones
Pistons/Wizards UNDER 190.5
I look for a low-scoring affair tonight between the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards in this Eastern Conference showdown. One look at the recent meetings between these teams and it's easy to see that the books have inflated this number Wednesday night.
The UNDER is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings between Detroit and Washington. They have combined for 183 or fewer points in five of those six meetings with final combined scores of 181, 183, 168, 193, 156 and 175 points. The Wizards and Pistons have combined to average 176.0 points/game in those six contests, which is roughly 15 points less than tonight's posted total.
These are two of the worst offensive teams in the league as it is. Washington scores just 92.0 points/game overall while Detroit puts up 94.9 points/game, including 92.6 on the road. Both squads are underrated defensively, too, as the Pistons allow 97.6 points/game while the Wizards yield 95.5 points/game.
The UNDER is 22-5 in Wizards last 27 games following a S.U. win. The UNDER is 6-1 in Wizards last 7 games overall. The UNDER is 37-18-2 in Wizards last 57 vs. Eastern Conference opponents. The UNDER is 8-2-1 in Pistons last 11 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Washington is 12-1 to the UNDER after 2 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons. Bet the UNDER in this game Wednesday.
Dave Price
Connecticut +1.5
Now's the time to fade Georgetown. It has won 9 in a row SU and ATS and is coming off an absolutely huge win at Syracuse, snapping the Orange's 38-game home win streak. Teams riding that high are often prime for a letdown. We just saw it last night with Indiana falling at Minnesota. The numbers suggest this is a good time to go against Georgetown as well. Consider that plays against February road favorites or pickems that check in off six consecutive wins or more are 116-65 ATS the last 5 seasons. Georgetown has had a tough time at UConn, and it's not alone. The Huskies 12-2 at home, including 5-0 at Gampel Pavilion. The Hoyas have lost six of their last seven road games against Connecticut, including all three previous meetings at Gampel Pavilion by an average of 22.0 points. Take UConn.