Free Picks: Service Plays for Wednesday, January 18

Oklahoma State at Iowa State
The Cyclones look to build on their 7-1 ATS record in their last 8 games against Big 12 opponents. Iowa State is the pick (-8) according to Dunkel, which has the Cyclones favored by 9 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Iowa State (-8)

Game 741-742: St. Joseph's at Xavier (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Joseph's 60.522; Xavier 68.039
Dunkel Line: Xavier by 7 1/2; 132
Vegas Line: Xavier by 6; 136
Dunkel Pick: Xavier (-6); Under

Game 743-744: Rhode Island at Fordham (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Rhode Island 49.518; Fordham 52.923
Dunkel Line: Fordham by 3 1/2; 139
Vegas Line: Fordham by 5; 136 1/2
Dunkel Pick Rhode Island (+5); Over

Game 745-746: Massachusetts at Duquesne (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Massachusetts 60.324; Duquesne 67.885
Dunkel Line: Duquesne by 7 1/2; 151
Vegas Line: Duquesne by 5; 156
Dunkel Pick: Duquesne (-5); Under

Game 747-748: Clemson at Miami (FL) (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Clemson 59.134; Miami (FL) 62.668
Dunkel Line: Miami (FL) by 3 1/2; 133
Vegas Line: Miami (FL) by 6; 126
Dunkel Pick: Clemson (+6); Over

Game 749-750: LaSalle at Temple (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LaSalle 61.885; Temple 68.452
Dunkel Line: Temple by 7 1/2; 147
Vegas Line: Temple by 4 1/2; 143 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Temple (-4 1/2); Over

Game 751-752: Richmond at George Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Richmond 60.128; George Washington 58.725
Dunkel Line: Richmond by 1 1/2; 122
Vegas Line: Richmond by 3 1/2; 127 1/2
Dunkel Pick: George Washington (+3 1/2); Under

Game 753-754: Indiana at Nebraska (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 67.471; Nebraska 64.556
Dunkel Line: Indiana by 3; 134
Vegas Line: Indiana by 4 1/2; 131
Dunkel Pick: Nebraska (+4 1/2); Over

Game 755-756: Drexel at Hofstra (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Drexel 66.257; Hofstra 58.088
Dunkel Line: Drexel by 8; 118
Vegas Line: Drexel by 4; 122
Dunkel Pick: Drexel (-4); Under

Game 757-758: Delaware at George Mason (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Delaware 51.325; George Mason 65.623
Dunkel Line: George Mason by 14 1/2; 140
Vegas Line: George Mason by 12; 136
Dunkel Pick: George Mason (-12); Over

Game 759-760: James Madison at NC Wilmington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: James Madison 49.833; NC Wilmington 52.508
Dunkel Line: NC Wilmington by 2 1/2; 137
Vegas Line: NC Wilmington by 4; 139
Dunkel Pick: James Madison (+4); Under

Game 761-762: Georgia State at Northeastern (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Georgia State 60.716; Northeastern 59.111
Dunkel Line: Georgia State by 2 1/2; 123
Vegas Line: Georgia State by 3 1/2; 118 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Northeastern (+3 1/2); Over

Game 763-764: St. John's at South Florida (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. John's 60.129; South Florida 67.925
Dunkel Line: South Florida by 8; 118
Vegas Line: South Florida by 6 1/2; 120 1/2
Dunkel Pick: South Florida (-6 1/2); Under

Game 765-766: Seton Hall at Villanova (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seton Hall 64.954; Villanova 65.867
Dunkel Line: Villanova by 1; 143
Vegas Line: Pick; 138
Dunkel Pick: Villanova; Over

Game 767-768: Kent State at Ohio (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kent State 60.250; Ohio 68.012
Dunkel Line: Ohio by 8; 133
Vegas Line: Ohio by 5; 136 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Ohio (-5); Under

Game 769-770: Northern Illinois at Toledo (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northern Illinois 39.379; Toledo 45.471
Dunkel Line: Toledo by 6; 134
Vegas Line: Toledo by 8; 129
Dunkel Pick: Northern Illinois (+8); Over

Game 771-772: Ball State at Central Michigan (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Ball State 54.692; Central Michigan 55.400
Dunkel Line: Central Michigan by 1; 122
Vegas Line: Pick; 125
Dunkel Pick: Central Michigan; Under

Game 773-774: Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Western Michigan 50.283; Eastern Michigan 48.504
Dunkel Line: Western Michigan by 2; 115
Vegas Line: Western Michigan by 4; 120
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Michigan (+4); Under

Game 775-776: Akron at Buffalo (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Akron 63.775; Buffalo 66.383
Dunkel Line: Buffalo by 3 1/2; 139
Vegas Line: Buffalo by 2; 135
Dunkel Pick: Buffalo (-2); Over

Game 777-778: Bowling Green at Miami (OH) (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Bowling Green 54.956; Miami (OH) 54.555
Dunkel Line: Even; 119
Vegas Line: Miami (OH) by 2 1/2; 124
Dunkel Pick: Bowling Green (+2 1/2); Under

Game 779-780: Cincinnati at Connecticut (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati 60.522; Connecticut 69.585
Dunkel Line: Connecticut by 9; 135
Vegas Line: Connecticut by 7; 129
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (-7); Over

Game 781-782: Old Dominion at Towson (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Old Dominion 57.274; Towson 42.624
Dunkel Line: Old Dominion by 14 1/2; 101
Vegas Line: Old Dominion by 15 1/2; 108 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Towson (+15 1/2); Under

Game 783-784: West Virginia at Marshall (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: West Virginia 69.367; Marshall 63.491
Dunkel Line: West Virginia by 6; 140
Vegas Line: West Virginia by 4; 134 1/2
Dunkel Pick: West Virginia (-4); Over

Game 785-786: Memphis at Central Florida (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 64.971; Central Florida 66.031
Dunkel Line: Central Florida by 1; 138
Vegas Line: Memphis by 1; 134 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Central Florida (+1); Over

Game 787-788: UAB at Rice (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UAB 57.173; Rice 64.044
Dunkel Line: Rice by 7; 120
Vegas Line: Rice by 5; 122 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Rice (-5); Under

Game 789-790: Houston at SMU (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 54.074; SMU 57.137
Dunkel Line: SMU by 3; 133
Vegas Line: SMU by 4 1/2; 126 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+4 1/2); Over

Game 791-792: Tulane at Tulsa (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tulane 55.482; Tulsa 64.259
Dunkel Line: Tulsa by 9; 112
Vegas Line: Tulsa by 7; 114 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (-7); Under

Game 793-794: Drake at Southern Illinois (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Drake 56.100; Southern Illinois 59.507
Dunkel Line: Southern Illinois by 3 1/2; 136
Vegas Line: Southern Illinois by 1 1/2; 140 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Southern Illinois (-1 1/2); Under

Game 795-796: Wichita State at Northern Iowa (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wichita State 63.423; Northern Iowa 64.279
Dunkel Line: Northern Iowa by 1; 133
Vegas Line: Wichita State by 2; 130
Dunkel Pick: Northern Iowa (+2); Over

Game 797-798: Creighton at Missouri State (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Creighton 68.684; Missouri State 65.735
Dunkel Line: Creighton by 3; 143
Vegas Line: Creighton by 1 1/2; 146
Dunkel Pick: Creighton (-1); Under

Game 799-800: Indiana State at Illinois State (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana State 57.844; Illinois State 60.836
Dunkel Line: Illinois State by 3; 134
Vegas Line: Illinois State by 5; 129
Dunkel Pick: Indiana State (+5); Over

Game 801-802: Tennessee at Georgia (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee 61.686; Georgia 65.067
Dunkel Line: Georgia by 3 1/2; 134
Vegas Line: Georgia by 2; 128
Dunkel Pick: Georgia (-2); Over

Game 803-804: Wyoming at Air Force (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Wyoming 60.800; Air Force 62.003
Dunkel Line: Air Force by 1; 110
Vegas Line: Wyoming by 1; 112
Dunkel Pick: Air Force (+1); Under

Game 805-806: Bradley at Evansville (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Bradley 55.702; Evansville 61.676
Dunkel Line: Evansville by 6; 150
Vegas Line: Evansville by 8 1/2; 147 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Bradley (+8 1/2); Over

Game 807-808: Mississippi State at Mississippi (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Mississippi State 67.705; Mississippi 63.616
Dunkel Line: Mississippi State by 4; 127
Vegas Line: Mississippi State by 2; 131
Dunkel Pick: Mississippi State (-2); Under

Game 809-810: East Carolina at UTEP (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: East Carolina 56.808; UTEP 60.001
Dunkel Line: UTEP by 3; 122
Vegas Line: UTEP by 5 1/2; 128 1/2
Dunkel Pick: East Carolina (+5 1/2); Under

Game 811-812: Oklahoma State at Iowa State (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma State 60.170; Iowa State 69.715
Dunkel Line: Iowa State by 9 1/2; 144
Vegas Line: Iowa State by 8; 138
Dunkel Pick: Iowa State (-8); Over

Game 813-814: Texas at Kansas State (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas 69.320; Kansas State 72.458
Dunkel Line: Kansas State by 3; 144
Vegas Line: Kansas State by 5 1/2; 137
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+5 1/2); Over

Game 815-816: Northwestern at Wisconsin (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Northwestern 62.943; Wisconsin 75.116
Dunkel Line: Wisconsin by 12; 112
Vegas Line: Wisconsin by 10; 117
Dunkel Pick: Wisconsin (-10); Under

Game 817-818: UC-Riverside at CS-Fullerton (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Riverside 50.504; CS-Fullerton 59.077
Dunkel Line: CS-Fullerton by 8 1/2; 128
Vegas Line: CS-Fullerton by 7 1/2; 131 1/2
Dunkel Pick: CS-Fullerton (-7 1/2); Under

Game 819-820: San Diego State at New Mexico (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego State 65.613; New Mexico 70.612
Dunkel Line: New Mexico by 5; 142
Vegas Line: New Mexico by 8 1/2; 135
Dunkel Pick: San Diego State (+8 1/2); Over

Game 821-822: TCU at UNLV (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: TCU 50.973; UNLV 73.890
Dunkel Line: UNLV by 23; 164
Vegas Line: UNLV by 20; 156 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UNLV (-20); Over

Game 823-824: Murray State at Morehead State (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Murray State 60.833; Morehead State 55.024
Dunkel Line: Murray State by 6; 122
Vegas Line: Murray State by 8 1/2; 127 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Morehead State (+8 1/2); Under

Marc Lawrence

La Salle at Temple
PLAY: La Salle

A Philly Five matchup takes place tonight in the Liacouras Center and with this game priced like a real road game for neighboring La Salle, we have no choice but to do some Exploring with John Giannini?s group. At press time, La Salle (13-4, 2-0) sits atop the Atlantic 10 and has triple-revenge on its mind from last season, with the three losses suffered to the Owls being the primary reason that the Explorers finished under .500 (15-18) in 2010-2011. Giannini and company are already 3-1 ATS with revenge this year and their 18-6 ATS mark as conference road dogs with revenge suggests the price is right for some more payback. With Temple looking to make amends of its own on Saturday against Richmond (the Spiders sent the Owls packing from last season?s A-10 Tourney), its more than an observation that Fran Dunphys group will fall to 1-5 ATS after Spider revengers. Points are optional as the Explorers discover their first win in this series since the 2008 campaign. We recommend a 1-unit play on La Salle.

Scott Spreitzer

Indiana State at Illinois State
Prediction: Illinois State

There will be no senior day in Normal, Illinois this season - because the Redbirds don't have a single senior on their entire roster. But as young as this team is, they have truly come together sooner than most thought they would. Coach Tim Jankovich took his team on a preseason trip to Canada and the Redbirds found a team chemistry before this season even began. They fell short on Friday night at home in a 9-point loss to Creighton. Illinois State came storming back from a big second half defecit, but suffered a bit of an emotional meltdown in the final minutes. The tough loss looked like it stayed with them in Sunday's road trip to Des Moines, ending in a 17-point loss to Drake. No surprise for such a young team. But I expect a bounce-back from the young Redbirds against an Indiana State team that suffered a tough home loss to Wichita State over the weekend. The Sycamores are 0-3 SU on the MVC road this season, losing by 15 & 17 at Drake and Northern Iowa, while allowing 73 points to a normally poor shooting SIU team in a loss in Carbondale. Six players average between 12.7 ppg and 7.7 ppg for Jankovich. And while they have no "stars" they do have a solid leader in Jackie Carmichael. Illinois State has depth and it'll be on display tonight. I'm laying the points with Illinois State on Wednesday.

Charlie Scott

Creighton vs. Missouri State
Play: Creighton -1.5

Creighton (16-2) is the better team playing with revenge Tonight. Creighton only has 2 s/u losses this season to St Joes and lost to Missouri St(11-8) on Dec 28 65-77. Creighton was off a big win the Night before shot a season low 38% that Night. Missouri St has a Young team with a new Head coach from last season, and comes off blowing a 5 point lead and losing in OT to Evansville Sunday Night.

Rob Vinciletti

Drake vs. So Illinois
Play: Drake +1.5

Drake has won the last 5 in the series and are 4-0 vs losing teams. They have won 4 of the last 5 after scoring 60 or less and take on a Southern Illinois Salukis team that has lost 7 of 9 vs winning teams and 7 of 8 after allowing 80 or more. Southern Illinois is also a poor 7-13 ats as a home favorite of 3 or less over the last few seasons. The Salukis scare no one with their 271st ranked home offense. Drake has the overall better numbers, particularly the shooting percentages in this one. Hostess may be going Bankrupt but DRAKES Cakes are in business.

Matt Fargo

Clemson @ Miami (FL)
PICK: Miami (FL)

Miami is off to a 0-2 start in the ACC but there is no reason for the Hurricanes to throw in the towel. They lost to a very good Virginia team by just a points and then lost to North Carolina, both of which came on the road. This is the first conference home game for the Hurricanes where they are 7-1 on the season, the only loss coming against Memphis back in early December. The opportunity is there to make up some ground, but they can't afford to let this game get away, along with their next game against NC State.

Clemson comes into this game with a 1-2 record in the conference. One of those losses came against Duke at home which is certainly expected but the other two games show the inconsistencies that is plaguing this team. The Tigers defeated Florida St. by 20 points at home, the same Florida St. team that just walloped North Carolina but then went on the road a few days later and lost to lowly Boston College. The road has been an issue over the years for Clemson where it has now lost its last three away from home.

Miami was hurt by poor shooting in its first two ACC games as it was just 8-33 from three-point range (24.2 percent) after shooting 39.0 percent from behind the arc in non-conference action. Coming off those two games should not be an issue as Miami has been off for a week so any carryover will not linger. Clemson is allowing 38.1 percent shooting from long range over its last five games so the Hurricanes should get the touch back in this game and start again where they left off.

Clemson has had some superior teams over Miami in recent years and it has won the last five meetings including the last two games played in Coral Gables. That sets Miami up for a solid revenge spot and puts the Tigers in a rough one as they are 8-20 ATS in their last 28 road games against teams with a winning record. They are also 9-23 ATS in their last 32 road games after scoring 30 or more points in the first half in two straight games. Miami meanwhile is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games following a non-cover.

Sean Murphy

San Diego State @ New Mexico
PICK: New Mexico -8.5

The table is set for New Mexico to gain an ounce of revenge against San Diego State on Wednesday night.

Last year, the Aztecs schooled the Lobos, winning by 10 points on this court, and by six points at home. Of course, San Diego State lost plenty of talent from that team, with Malcolm Thomas, Billy White, D.J. Gay, and Kawhi Leonard all moving on.

That's not to say the Aztecs cupboard is bare. They're off to a stellar 15-2 start this season, but my concern is that they might be a little 'fat and happy' off a 69-67 upset win over UNLV on Saturday.

It's not as if SDSU has faced all that tough of a schedule lately. Prior to that game against UNLV, the Aztecs had gone up against the likes of Cal-Riverside, Elon, Redlands, San Diego Christian, and Chicago State over their last five games.

New Mexico got its conference schedule off to a fine start, beating Wyoming by 10 points on Saturday. But there's no question, this is a game the Lobos have had circled for quite some time.

Unlike San Diego State, New Mexico returns a ton of talent from last year's team. In fact, all five Lobo starters were significant contributors a year ago.

It's difficult to find a team playing better than UNM right now. Over their last five games, they're averaging 81.6 points per game on 51.9% shooting, while giving up just 61.8 ppg on 37.1% shooting.

That's not to mention the Lobos dominance here at home, where they're 8-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in lined contests this season.

With a deep, quality bench, I'm confident that New Mexico can wear down San Diego State as this game progresses, and ultimately pull away in the second half. This line may look a little steep on paper, but as I've said time and time again, the game isn't played on paper. On the court, look for the Lobos to win convincingly.

Jim Feist

Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Hornets
Play: New Orleans Hornets +4

Memphis gets it done at home but is 1-4 straight up on the road. They are not a strong offensive teams (17th in scoring) while Zach Ranolph rehabs. The Grizzlies are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games and just finished up a 4-game home stand. They face a New Orleans team that slows the pace down, 7th in the NBA in points allowed (91.8 ppg) and third in rebounding. Look for a close, low scoring game and grab the home dog. Play the Hornets!

EZWINNERS

Philadelphia 76ers -6

The Sixers just continue to impress so far this season, especially at home. Philadelphia is undefeated at home this season and have won every one of those games by double digits. The Sixers get it done with defense and rebounding which is two areas in which the Nuggets rank in the bottom quarter of the NBA. Philly holds a big advantage in these two areas and I look for them to cruise to another comfortable home win against a Denver team playing their third game in four nights. Lay the points.

FREE NBA RELEASE FOR 1/18: We'll gladly fade the San Antonio Spurs and side with the Orlando Magic -5 at home. The aging Spurs are showing alot of fatigue in this crammed season. They just cant seem to keep up with all the back-to-back nights on the court. Note that the Spurs are just 1-4 ATS when playing on 0 days of rest. They may be entering this game at 9-5, but all five losses have come on the road where they are allowing 109 points per game. Thats going to be bad news once again for San Antonio as Orlando is scoring around 99 points/game this year, and 102/game over their last five. Despite all the trade rumors and speculation concerning the future of Dwight Howard, the Magic just keep rolling. They are 5-0 ATS in their last five games, 5-1 ATS in their last six as a favorite, and 4-1 ATS in their last five when playing on 0 days of rest. The Spurs are now 1-12 ATS in their last 13 road games, and just 1-4 ATS in their last five trips to Orlando. We fully expect that trend to continue on Wednesday. We'll side with the home chalk in this matchup, Orlando -5. Our Free Plays are now 143-78-1. Sign up at iseewinners.com to receive all of our free plays via email. Thank You & Good Luck.

David Banks

Spurs / Magic Under

A couple of division leaders are set to square off against one another Wednesday night when the Southwest leading San Antonio Spurs (9-4, 6-7 ATS) invade Disney World to battle the Southeast leading Orlando Magic (9-3, 8-4 ATS); tip-off from the Amway Center is set to go live on FOX-SA & SunSports starting at 7:00 ET.

The San Antonio Spurs have built upon last seasons resume that saw them earn the top seed in the Western Conference by going out and winning nine of their first 13 games of the year. This squad might be a bit longer in the tooth with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan having logged many miles on their basketball bodies, but Head Coach Gregg Popovich has instilled some youth in his starting five these last couple seasons. Within the AT&T Center, the Spurs are unbeaten this year winning all nine of their played games (6-3 ATS), but the road has been very much so unkind with them dropping all four games played both SU and versus the closing pointspread. In fact, you have to go all the way back to the second to last week of the 2010-11 season to find their last outright win as a visitor. Heading into Tuesday nights road clash in Miami, its been 287 days since the Spurs last tasted the thrill of victory away from San Antonio Yikes!

Before the season began, all the talk in Orlando centered around the possibility of moving Dwight Howard. Would he stay or would he go? Those were the only two questions on everyones mind involved in either running or cheering this team on. However, with the Magic currently holding the top spot in the Southeast Division along with the Atlanta Hawks, it looks as if Superman might just stick for the seasons duration. And why not? Head Coach Stan Van Gundy has himself one heck of a potent scoring attack to go along with a pretty deep roster capable of doing things in the postseason provided all the pieces are healthy. Last we saw the Magic in action, Ryan Anderson had a game for the ages going off for a career high 30 points while knocking down seven of his 13 three-point attempts. With just about everyone in the starting five save for Howard capable of knocking down the 3-Ball, it should come as no surprise that Orlando checks in as the 2nd best shooting team from beyond the arc (41.8%). The Magics been beaten just once in five tries as a host.

San Antonio is 2-2 SU & ATS on the back end of a back-to-back this season, but stands a moneymaking 17-6-1 ATS the L/24 times it took an a Southeast Division opponent. Orlandos 3-1 SU & ATS when playing on no rest to date, but has only covered on three of the L/10 instances it hosted an opponent sporting a losing road record.

DAVID MALINSKY

OKLAHOMA CITY / WASHINGTON UNDER 198.5

To say that the Washington offense is bad would be an understatement – the Wizards are at a truly historical level right now, scoring 3.1 fewer points per 100 possessions than any team in the league. That is a huge “stand alone” gap, but one that is not necessarily going to change as the schedule evolves – they just do not have the talent or chemistry to make anything special happen. That sets this one up for Oklahoma City to go into the “grinder” mode once again, all the while we still get excellent market value because the Thunder have not played to their defensive potential yet.

Note that since the All Star break LY, when Kendrick Perkins was able to be assimilated into the rotation, Scott Brooks has recognized these settings well – it has been an 11-4 run to the Under when favored by -8 or more. That is what you do when you have the expectations of playing into June; just win and move in when those settings are presented. In this year’s abbreviated schedule that is even more of a factor. Yet we still see a high Total because the Thunder are #16 on our best defensive ratings, a number that will absolutely fall as the season progresses – they have too much size and depth to not be one of the league’s better teams on that end of the court.

There is also, of course, the usual bonus that we get for Under’s in settings like this – it is most unlikely that the Wizards are close enough in the final minute for any late-game scramble shenanigans.

BRYAN POWER

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ COLORADO AVALANCHE
PICK: COLORADO AVALANCHE

Solid value on the Avs at home tonight as I look for them to bounce back from a poor showing in Phoenix Monday night, coming out on the short end of the stick in a 6-1 final. That was their third road game in five nights and tonight they return home where they've been much better all season. This will be the club's fifth home game since December 23rd (compared to 8 on the road). The Avs have done very well this season against Eastern Conference foes, winning nine of 11. Florida has scored two goals or less in five straight games. Their lone win during that stretch came at home against Vancouver, 2-1. They've allowed 33 goals the L9 games. They are off an OT loss to Boston Monday night, which historically speaking, does not set them up well. The Panthers are 9-24 L3 seasons off an overtime loss. This team is also juts 0-3-3 away from home since 12.8. Like I said at the top, look for a strong bounce back from the home side tonight.

SPORTS WAGERS

Indiana -5½ over SACRAMENTO

The Pacers are an afterthought when talking about the powers in the East and that has them somewhat undervalued here. If the Thunder are spotting 10½ to the Wizards in Washington, the Pacers should be in that range too. The Kings are 4-10 and they return home from a gruelling, five-game in six nights trip. This will be their sixth game in eight nights and they return home still committing the same mistakes they were making earlier in the year. Sacramento has developed so many bad habits, including Tyreke Evans who was billed as a can't miss star a couple of seasons ago. His methods include taking low percentage shots and not defending after a missed shot. He's regressed badly and the rest of the team is following his lead. Meanwhile the Pacers are quietly 9-3. They embark on a three-game, west coast trip starting here. They're blowing away bad teams and the Kings qualify, especially under these conditions. Indiana is a true contender. They have depth, shooters, size, youth, experience and confidence. The Pacers have had a rare three days off and they’ll be fresh to take command of this softie. Play: Sacramento -5½ (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).

Detroit +8½ over MINNESOTA

It's all about value and of course every game has its variables but if the Kings were getting +7½ in Minnesota a couple of days ago, how can the Pistons be getting +8½ the very next game? We know that the Pistons were whacked in Houston last night as a +7½-point dog. So, either that game was an underlay or this game is an overlay because the Rockets would absolutely be favored over the T-Wolves on a neutral floor. Detroit had an excuse for last night's poor performance. The Pistons were shaken up on their flight to Houston after an emergency alarm for a hydraulic issue was sounded and they were forced to make an emergency landing. They can get back to business here against a Timberwolves team that is more appealing taking back significant points than laying them. Minnesota has just three wins in its last eight games and those three wins came against Sacramento, New Orleans and Washington. The combined record of that trio is 8-32. Detroit's 17-point loss in Houston last night has them undervalued here. Combine that with the T-Wolves 13-point win over Sacramento on Wednesday and it's created a very nice overlay on a Piston's team that is better than this point-spread suggests. Play: Detroit +8½ (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).

San Antonio +5½/+205 over ORLANDO

Both teams played last night. The Spurs blew a 17-point lead against Miami and were outscored in the second half by an alarming 71-35. In the end, the Spurs allowed 120 points and Dwayne Wade didn't play for the Heat. The Spurs are 9-0 at home and 0-5 on the road. All this can't be sitting well with Greg Popovich or anybody else and the Spurs are a franchise that has always responded well under adverse conditions. Expect 100% focus for tonight’s contest after last night's debacle. The Magic are coming off a narrow win over the Bobcats last night. That win occurred after a four-game trip that saw Orlando sweep. The result is to pay a premium here and the timing is right to fade the inflated price, especially with the Lakers on deck Friday night in a featured nationally televised game. This is a perfect spot for the Spurs to man up and start imposing their will on the road in the same way they do at home. Popovich won't have it any other way. Play: San Antonio +5½ (Risking 1.05 units to win 1) Play: San Antonio +205 (Risking 1 unit).