SPORTS ADVISORS
Orlando (50-21, 39-31-1 ATS) at Atlanta (45-25, 41-29 ATS)
The red-hot Magic, who conclude a three-game road trip tonight, go for the series sweep of the Hawks in this Southeast Division clash at Philips Arena.
Orlando crushed the 76ers 109-93 as an eight-point road favorite Monday and has now won three in a row SU and ATS and is 13-2 in its last 15 games (11-4 ATS). Of the Magic’s last 15 wins, 12 have been double-digit blowouts. Additionally, going back to Jan. 31, Stan Van Gundy’s club has won nine of 11 on the highway (8-3 ATS).
Atlanta came up just short in Milwaukee on Monday, falling 98-95, but it cashed as a six-point underdog to move to 5-1 ATS in its last six games. The Hawks have still won 11 of their last 16 games, including six in a row at home. Atlanta’s 5-1 ATS run follows a 4-10 ATS plunge (1-5 ATS at home).
The Magic have annihilated Atlanta three times this season, winning 93-76 (road), 113-81 (home) and 104-86 (home), easily covering the spread in all three games. Going back to January 2009, the Magic are on a 6-0 SU and ATS run in this rivalry, and they’ve cashed in four straight trips to Philips Arena. Also, the SU winner has covered the spread in each of the last 16 meetings.
In addition owning the Hawks, Orlando is on spread-covering sprees of 6-1 overall, 4-1 on the road, 8-2 versus the Eastern Conference, 6-2 against the Southeast Division, 5-0 on Wednesday and 10-4 when playing on one day of rest.
Atlanta has cashed in five of six overall, four of five against the Eastern Conference and 15 of 20 on Wednesday, but the Hawks are also in pointspread funks of 0-5 against Southeast Division rivals, 0-4 after a SU defeat and 3-8 after one day of rest.
Orlando is on “under” runs of 8-3 in divisional games, 14-6-1 after a SU win and 47-19-1 after a day off. Conversely, the Magic carry “over” trends of 4-1 overall, 4-1 on the road and 14-5 on Wednesday, while the Hawks are on “over” stretches of 11-3 overall, 6-1 at home, 8-3 in Eastern Conference contests, 36-15-1 on Wednesday and 10-3 after a SU defeat.
Lastly, these teams have stayed under the total in the last four meetings overall and five of the last seven clashes in Atlanta.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ORLANDO
Denver (47-24, 31-35-5 ATS) at Boston (45-25, 29-39-2 ATS)
After opening their five-game, seven-day road trip with a stunning loss at the Knicks last night, the Nuggets will try to quickly rebound when they make their only stop of the season at TD Garden for a clash with the Celtics, who kick off a six-game homestand tonight.
Denver’s journey began at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, as they fell 109-104 to the Knicks as a seven-point road favorite. The Nuggets scored the game’s first 12 points but trailed for much of the fourth quarter. Although it has still won 11 of its last 16 games, Denver is now in an 0-5 ATS rut. Additionally, with Tuesday’s loss the Nuggets fell below .500 on the road this year at 17-18 (14-17-4 ATS).
Boston’s four-game SU and ATS winning streaks came to a halt with Monday’s 110-97 loss at Utah as a four-point road underdog. The Celtics took a 54-49 lead into halftime but got outscored 61-43 in the second half. Doc Rivers’ squad has won nine of its last 13 games and is 8-4-1 ATS, but Boston has been a spread-covering mess at home this year (10-22-1 ATS).
Denver pounded the Celtics 114-105 as a 4 ½-point home favorite back on Feb. 21, improving to 3-1 SU and ATS in the last four meetings. Although the road team took both of last year’s matchups, the host is still 8-2 SU and ATS in the last 10 meetings, with the chalk cashing in five of the last six. Also, the winner has covered the pointspread in each of the last 18 series clashes.
The Nuggets’ negative ATS trends of 0-5 overall, 0-5 against the Eastern Conference and 1-5-1 when playing on back-to-back days are offset by positive pointspread streaks of 19-8 against the Atlantic Division and 6-2-1 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, outside of a 4-1 ATS run overall, the Celtics are in pointspread slumps of 18-38-1 at home, 4-11-1 versus Western Conference foes and 5-12-2 after one day of rest.
The under is 6-2 in Denver’s last eight overall and 8-3 in Boston’s last 11 against the Western Conference. From there, the “over” is on runs of 10-5 for the Nuggets against the Eastern Conference, 5-3 for the Nuggets against the Atlantic Division, 9-3 for the Nuggets on Wednesday, 6-1 for the Celtics versus the Northwest Division and 5-1 for the Celtics against winning teams.
Finally, these teams have topped the total in seven of their last nine head-to-head battles overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
L.A. Lakers (52-18, 29-38-3 ATS) at San Antonio (42-27, 36-32-1 ATS)
The Lakers take a six-game winning streak to the AT&T Center where they tip off a five-game, eight-day road trip with a battle against the Spurs.
Los Angeles jumped on Washington early on Sunday and won 99-92, but it let off the gas in the fourth quarter and failed to cover as a 12-point home favorite. During the Lakers’ six-game run, they’ve won three straight as a visitor (2-1 ATS) after a four-game road losing skid. Although Los Angeles has won 14 of 19 overall, it is 4-11-1 ATS since the All-Star break (2-6 ATS on the road).
San Antonio split a two-game, two-day road trip to start this week, losing 119-114 in overtime at Atlanta on Sunday (as a 3½-point underdog) and holding on 99-96 at Oklahoma City on Monday (as a five-point pup). Despite continuing to play without All-Star point guard Tony Parker (broken hand), the Spurs have won 10 of 13, going 10-2 ATS in the last 12. San Antonio has played 17 of its last 23 games on the highway, but those six home games all ended in victories (5-1 ATS).
These rivals have split their first two meetings this season, with the host easily holding serve in each contest (105-85 Spurs win as a 3½-point chalk; 101-89 Lakers win as a 2½-point favorite). Los Angeles is 8-3 SU and ATS in the last 11 meetings; the home team has taken eight of the last 10 (6-4 ATS); and the SU winner has covered the number in seven of the last eight battles (including the last four in a row).
L.A.’s spread-covering woes include 4-11-1 overall, 2-5-1 against the Western Conference, 3-7-1 after a SU win and 1-5-1 when coming off two days of rest. Conversely, San Antonio is on pointspread surges of 10-2 overall, 4-0 at home, 7-0 in Western Conference games, 10-4-1 against the Pacific Division, 5-2 against winning teams and 4-1 after one day of rest.
The Lakers carry a slew of “under” trends, including 4-1 overall, 4-1 on the road, 9-2 in Western Conference contests, 6-1 against the Southwest Division, 10-1 after a non-cover, 8-2 versus winning teams and 20-6 when playing after two days of rest. The under is also 9-4 in the Spurs’ last 13 after a spread-cover, 8-2 in the Spurs’ last 10 after a victory, 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between these squads and 10-3 in the last 13 battles in San Antonio.
ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN ANTONIO and UNDER
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NIT
Rhode Island (25-9, 13-17-1 ATS) at Virginia Tech (25-8, 13-13-1 ATS)
After scoring a pair of NIT wins at home, Rhode Island now heads south to Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va., for a showdown against the Hokies with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line.
The Rams had little trouble with Northwestern a week ago today, posting a 76-64 opening-round victory as a six-point home favorite. However, they barely held off Nevada on Monday, winning 85-83 while coming up way short as an 8½-point chalk. Rhode Island has won four of its last five games – the only setback being a 13-point loss to Temple in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament – but the Rams are just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games, alternating spread-covers in the last five.
Virginia Tech also opened the NIT with an easy victory a week ago, pummeling Quinnipiac 81-61 as a 13-point home chalk. But the Hokies barely escaped against UConn in a second-round matchup Monday, getting the game-winning basket with less than 20 seconds remaining to survive 65-63 as a 4½-point home favorite. Like the Rams, Va-Tech has won four of its last five (3-2 ATS), with a 70-65 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the ACC tournament quarterfinals ending the Hokies’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
Rhode Island has been decent on the highway this season, going 10-7 in road/neutral-site games (9-7-1 ATS). Meanwhile, the Hokies are now 17-1 at home, outscoring visitors by an average of 15.1 points per game (75.2-60.1). However, they’re just 6-7 ATS in lined home contests.
These teams haven’t met since November 2001, when Virginia Tech rolled to an 86-63 victory as a 13-point favorite. They’ve split four contests SU and ATS since 1998.
The Rams are 21-10-1 ATS in their last 32 non-conference games and 4-1 ATS in their last five after a non-cover, but they’re also on pointspread nosedives of 4-9 overall, 1-5 on the road and 1-6 after a SU win. Virginia Tech is on positive ATS stretches of 5-1 outside the ACC, 7-1 on Wednesday and 6-2-1 after a non-cover, but it has also failed to cover in five of seven at home and it is 1-4-1 ATS in its last six after a SU victory.
It’s been all “unders” for Rhode Island, including 5-2 overall, 16-5-1 on the road, 5-0 on Wednesday, 11-4 after a SU win and 14-5-1 after an ATS setback. Also, Va-Tech has stayed low in seven of 10 at home and seven of eight versus the ACC, but the over is 12-3 in the Hokies’ last 15 non-conference games.
ATS ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH and UNDER
Dayton (22-12, 15-15-1 ATS) at Illinois (21-14, 16-18 ATS)
The Flyers try for their second straight road upset when they invade Assembly Hall for an NIT quarterfinal matchup against Illinois.
Five days after opening the NIT with a 21-point rout of Illinois State, Dayton made the short trek to Cincinnati on Monday and throttled the Bearcats 81-66 as a three-point underdog. It’s the first time since early February that Dayton has scored two straight wins, as the Flyers had ended the season in a 3-6 slump (1-7-1 ATS). Also, prior to winning at Cincinnati, they had lost four in a row (0-3-1 ATS) and six of seven (2-4-1 ATS) true road contests.
The Illini have taken advantage of their No. 1 seed in this tournament, crushing Stony Brook 76-66 as a seven-point road favorite a week ago tonight followed by Monday’s 75-58 rout of Kent State as an eight-point favorite. Illinois has won three of its last four games (4-0 ATS), a surge that comes on the heels of a 1-5 (2-4 ATS) funk. The SU winner is 7-2 ATS in the Illini’s last nine games.
Even with Monday’s win at Cincinnati, Dayton remains just 6-10 in road/neutral-site games (6-9-1 ATS). The Illini are 13-4 inside Assembly Hall, but just 6-10 ATS in lined action.
The Flyers have cashed in six straight non-Atlantic 10 games and seven of nine on Wednesday, but they’re otherwise in ATS slumps of 3-7-1 overall, 1-4-1 on the highway, 2-6-1 versus winning teams and 1-3-1 after a SU victory. Illinois is on ATS runs of 4-0 overall, 5-2 after a victory, 4-1 after a spread-cover and 31-15-2 on Wednesday, but it has failed to cover in six of its last eight at home.
Dayton has stayed under the total in six straight Wednesday contests and seven of eight non-conference games, but the Flyers also carry “over” trends of 4-1 overall, 5-2 on the road and 4-1 after a victory. Meanwhile, Illinois is on “over” stretches of 12-5 at home, 11-1 outside the Big Ten and 5-1 on Wednesday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ILLINOIS and OVER
VEGAS EXPERTS
Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have been a solid home team for awhile now, but not against the division rival Magic. Orlando has owned this Southeast Division rivalry, regardless of locale, with six straight wins and covers. This year alone, they have dominated Atlanta to the tune of 113-81 and 104-86. They are 4-1 ATS last five visits to Atlanta. The Magic are dynamite as a dog, going 23-10 ATS, including 18-5 ATS when taking three points or less on the road. Plus, they are a perfect 9-0 vs. the number in road games after scoring 105+ points each of their three previous games.
Play on: Orlando
Marc Lawrence
Rhode Island at Virginia Tech
The Hokies find themselves one win away from making it to the Final Four of the NIT tourney when they host Rhode Island this evening. Tech will take the court knowing they are 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in games off a spread loss when facing an opponent that is also off a spread loss. With the Rams just 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 games entering this contest, look for the Hokies to head off to the Garden with a convincing win here tonight.
Play on: Virginia Tech
BIG AL
L.A. Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs
PICK: L.A. Lakers +1
The Spurs are playing their best basketball of this not-so-young season, so from coach Gregg Popovich's perspective, it's "better late than never." They went into Oklahoma City on Monday and upset the Thunder, and that qualified as their biggest win of the year -- even more than their 20-point blowout of the Lakers earlier this season. And that's because San Antonio rebounded from a heartbreaking overtime loss at Philips Arena on Sunday, so they showed a lot of mettle in winning at OKC when playing on the road without rest. But even though the Spurs are finally playing well, they will be without Tony Parker tonight, and his quickness over Derek Fisher was one of the few, if any, matchup advantages the Spurs had over the Lakers. Surely, Duncan is, at best, a break-even proposition against Gasol. And San Antone has nobody who can guard either Lamar Odom or Kobe Bryant. The Lakers only "negative" in this game is that they might lack the requisite motivation, given they're firmly locked into the #1 seed out west. But Los Angeles generally gets up to play the Spurs, and we'll take L.A. as the small underdog here.
JIM FEIST
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS / MILWAUKEE BUCKS
TAKE: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Philadelphia has talent, with guard Andre Iguodala and a solid frontcourt of Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. The last game, Brand led the Sixers with 23 points, while Dalembert had 16 points and 14 rebounds. They take on a Milwaukee team that is not run-and-gun, but prefers a slower pace with plenty of defense. The Bucks don't cover as big favorites, at 2-4 ATS the last six times as chalk of five-and-a-half or more. These teams just met in January and the Bucks won by 3; earlier in the year the 76ers won by 13. Play the 76ers.
Hollywood Sports
Boston University at Virginia Commonwealth
Prediction: Virginia Commonwealth
The Boston Terriers (21-13) may have nine seniors motivated to continue their season in the semi-finals of the College Basketball Invitational but there remains a significant talent gap between themselves and Virginia Commonwealth. VCU (24-9) ranks #66 in the RPI which puts them much higher than Boston's #144 ranking. The Rams are too tough on their home court as they sport a 16-1 record with a strong +12.2 net point differential. Offensively, VCU shoots a solid 47.8% on their home court. But defense is where the Rams get it done as they hold their opponents to just 40.2% shooting on their home court. This is what will most challenge the Terriers as they shoot just 40.9% from the field themselves. VCU's up-tempo pace and 3-point shooting (39.8% from behind the arc on their home court) will overwhelm Boston. VCU has covered four of their last five home games as a favorite in the 7-12.5 point range. And they have covered 16 of their last 22 games when playing a team with a winning record. Their home court and constant pressure will wear down Boston University to produce the cover of the double-digit spread. Lay the points with Virginia Commonwealth.
MTi Sports
Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are 0-10 ATS (-11.3 ppg) when seeking revenge for a road loss in which Tim Duncan was NOT the Spurs' high scorer and 0-4 ATS (-10.5 ppg) at home with at most one day of rest after a game on the road in which they committed fewer than ten turnovers. The Lakers are 8-0 ATS (+12.2 ppg) since December 02, 2006 on the road with at least a day of rest after a win at home in which Kobe Bryant shot better than 50% from the arc. Take LA.
Tom Freese
Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks
Prediction: Orlando Magic
Atlanta is led in scoring by guard Joe Johnson and his 21.5 points game. Guard Jamal Crawford scores 17.9 points a game. Forward Josh Smith scores 15.7 points a game. Center Al Horford scores 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Forward Marvin Williams scores 10.3 points a game. The Hawks score 102.4 points a game 97.7 points a game. Atlanta is 3-8 ATS when playing with one day of rest and they are 0-4 ATS off a straight ip loss. Orlando is led in scoring by Center Dwight Howard with 18.5 points annd 13.1 rebounds a game. Shooting guard Vince Carter scores 16.9 points a game. Forward Rayshard Lewis scores 14.7 points a game. Point guard Jameer Nelson scores 12.2 points a game. Guard J.J. Redick scores 9.2 points a game. The Magic scores 102.1 points a game and they allow 95 points a game. Orlando is 41-20-2 ATS their last 63 games as underdogs and they are 6-1 ATS their last 7 games overall. PLAY ON ORLANDO -
Matt Fargo
Cleveland @ New Orleans
PICK: New Orleans +5.5
Even though Chris Paul did not have a good game in first contest back, his presence just makes the Hornets a better team. New Orleans won against Dallas on Monday in the first game of a five-game homestand and it looks to carry that momentum over into Wednesday as it takes on the best team in the NBA. The Hornets came into that game against the Mavericks with losses in 12 of their previous 15 games so it has been a rough stretch. To their credit, 10 of those 15 games were on the road and all were played with Paul sitting on the bench. In the 25 games that he was absent, New Orleans went 8-17 and to put that into perspective, the Hornets previous 17 losses were grouped with 23 wins which shows how much he was missed during this recent stint. With New Orleans clearly out of the playoff race, Paul easily could have shut it down for the season but even he said, it is about the team, no matter what position it is in, and moving forward into next season. Cleveland continues to win as it is now riding a seven-game winning streak as well as having gone 13-1 over its last 14 games. This includes a 6-1 record on the road but the last four road wins have come against some very average teams and while New Orleans can be lumped into that group, it is definitely a different feel now. The Cavaliers have all but sewn up first place in the Eastern Conference as well as first place in the entire league unless they completely implode with is highly unlikely. While the Cavaliers have been winning, they have not been winning money as they are just 36-34-1 ATS this season including a 29-32 ATS mark as a favorite. They are 8-1 in their last nine games but against the number they are just 3-6 and that is the sure sign of being completely overvalued. New Orleans lost the first meeting in Cleveland, without Paul, so it has the revenge angle going its way and it is 27-13 ATS in its last 40 home games revenging a same season loss. The Hornets did cover that game and they are 8-3 ATS this season when playing a team with a winning percentage greater than .700 and they are 25-7 ATS in their last 32 home games against teams with a winning road record. 3* New Orleans Hornets
Craig Trapp
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Play: Los Angeles Lakers +1
The Lakers championship march starts tonight as Kobe will try to send a message to the Spurs that no one has a chance verse them. This could be a potential matchup for Round 1 of the playoffs and Kobe will want to give this Spurs team no confidence. Expect this one to be a playoff type atmosphere. No Bynum is no trouble in fact the LAL might be better off as Gasol can play inside the lane more often where he has dominated. Spurs have no Parker but have been playing well. Lack of depth will be the difference as the Lakers will wear down an old team in SA.
Bryan Leonard
Utah at Toronto
The Jazz are playing terrific ball right now with their only losses in the past few weeks coming at the hands of New Orleans and Milwaukee, two of the hottest teams in the NBA. Utah is well rested having played at home the last two games plus they have an easy East Coast schedule on this trip. They don't play any of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Utah won't take the Raptors lightly if recent history is any indication. Utah pounded both Washington and Minnesota is flat scheduling spots, so they are not taking any opponent for granted. The Jazz have also owned this series winning nine straight against the Canadian club.
Toronto starts a key four game stretch on Wednesday facing Utah, Denver, Miami and Charlotte, four possible playoff teams. The later two being huge in the Raptors quest for playoff seeding. Toronto has won just 4 of their last 14 games but three of those victories were against Minnesota and New Jersey, the dregs of the league. In fact, the three wins before than came against Sacramento, Philadelphia and New Jersey again, so obviously this Toronto team hasn't stepped up when playing high quality opposition.
Utah has Indiana, Washington, New York and Golden State on deck so they have no need to look past Toronto. Look for the Raptor's fade to continue.
PLAY UTAH
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Minnesota Timberwolves +9.5
It's going to be very difficult for the Bobcats to get up for this one after such an emotionally and physically draining overtime win last night. Minnesota played Charlotte to a 1-point game last month, and I expect the Timberwolves to use that defeat as motivation tonight. The T-Wolves have been severely undervalued against good teams when playing them on the road. As a result, they are 35-17-1 ATS in their last 53 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Bobcats have shown time and time again why they can't be trusted laying big points. They are only 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite of 5.0-10.5 points and 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a road winning percentage of less than .400. We'll take the T-Wolves tonight.
JR O'Donnell
Dayton vs. Illinois
Play: Over 131
This is a huge gut move as we have information that the Fighting Illini will be making some noise in the Nit this tourney. The Illini average 75 ppg at home and have found there stroke as of late, They poured in 81 ,76, 75 the last 3 games and they will get up and down the floor tonight @ home. The Illini are 9-5 to the Over at home and we note that "D McCamey" has been red hot, the Over is 11-1 the last 12 for the home club, this baby opened at 129 in many shops and was moved to 131 in an instant
EZWINNERS
Indiana Pacers -8
The Pacers are playing very well. Indiana is coming off of a road win at Detroit last night and return home to face a struggling Washington team that will most likely be without one of their top players Andray Blatche. Washington has lost twelve straight games which is one shy of the franchise record of thirteen straight losses. Blatche was benched by coach Flip Saunders in their last game for not playing defense and will most likely not play in this game. Blatche had been playing very well as he has averaged 23.2 points per game over his last eighteen games. The Pacers have their star player Danny Granger 100% healthy and Indiana has won five straight home games. The Pacers are 4-0 against the spread against the Wizards in their last four meetings in Indiana and I expect that trend to continue tonight. Lay the points.
SPORTS WAGERS
Orlando +1.01 over ATLANTA
These two have met three times this season and the Magic’s smallest margin of victory was 17 points. They own this team and there’s no reason to believe this one will be any different. Orlando is much better defensively than they get credit for and offensively there is no comparison and it’s not in the Hawks favor. In fact, if a team can contain Joe Johnson, the Hawks are in trouble because nobody else is shooting well. So yeah, the Hawks have won five of its last seven but they beat Washington, Detroit and New Jersey before beating the Spurs in OT and the Bobcats in OT. They also have a few disturbing defeats over the past month that include losses to the Raps, Warriors and Knicks. They also choked in their last game in Milwaukee in which they had a decent lead most of the way and they showed that same characteristic in Toronto a week ago. Furthermore, they’re at a huge psychological disadvantage here after getting completely dominated by the Magic in all three games this year. Meanwhile, Orlando is hot and they’re just so dangerous. They have five guys that all can go off. They’ve won 11 of 12 and even when they don’t play well they’re winning big. They played a horrible game in Philly on Monday and won by 16. Some of their recent wins include a 26-point thrashing over the Spurs, a two-point win over the Lakers, a 16 and a 6-point win over the Heat and a 29-point win over the Bulls. They can also come back in a hurry with a slew of great three-point shooters. The Hawks are not playing well and to even have a remote shot here they’re going to have to be at their absolute best and we haven’t seen that from them for a long time. Play: Orlando +1.01 (Risking 2 units).
INDIANA –8 over Washington
It’s usually not a good idea to lay significant points with bad teams but in terms of momentum the Pacers have it while the Wizards would just like to hide and go away. As for the situation, well, that, too, heavily favors the home side. You see, the Wiz are coming off a four game winless road trip followed by an OT loss at home last night to the Cats. In the last game of that aforementioned trip they played the Lakers and last night they hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to tie it. The point is they lost again and that’s two games in a row they had some intensity and now they’ll hit the road again with 12 straight losses and very little intensity, playing its third game in four days. Oh, and by the way, they’re a putrid squad. The Pacers on the other hand are feeling it with four wins in five games with only loss over that span being by six points in Cleveland. Over that stretch the Pacers have a five-point win over Charlotte, a 20-point win over the Thunder and a 15-point win in Detroit last night. They Pacers are feeling it offensively while the Wiz are hard-pressed to score 80 these days and one has to wonder what’ll motivate them to even show up tonight. Blowout. Play: Indiana –8 (Risking 2.2 units to win 2).
Los Angeles +1.17 over COLORADO
When you think of the Av’s you think of a team that is having a great year but this team is actually hanging on right now for a playoff spot and incredibly enough, could miss the dance completely. Colorado has fallen to seventh place, just two points ahead of eighth place Detroit and just four points ahead of ninth place Calgary. One of those three teams is going to miss the playoffs and it’s not likely to be the Red Wings. So now the Av’s are feeling the squeeze. They’ve dropped three in a row and they’ve allowed 12 goals over that span. In fact, they’ve allowed three goals or more in 11 of its last 12 games and frankly, the only reason they’re in a playoff fight is because of Craig Anderson’s hot hand in goal. He’s feeling the pressure too now and could also be suffering from fatigue, as he’s appeared in 63 games already after appearing in just 48 games the previous two seasons combined. The Kings are back on track after a mini funk. They still don’t look as sharp as they did before the break but they have won two in a row and could definitely get hot again. The Kings are always tough to beat and when you consider everything including current form and a tag, the Kings are the right way to go. Play: Los Angeles +1.17 (Risking 2 units).