Friday Service Plays

Black Widow Sports

1* on New Jersey Nets +7.5

For a team that has owned the Atlanta Hawks, it is a surprise to see the New Jersey Nets as a 7.5-point underdog them tonight. The linsemakers must be ignoring the fact that New Jersey is 4-0 SU and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. the Hawks. The best part about it for New Jersey is that they were an underdog in all 4 meetings. The Nets simply know how to play this team, and there are so many match-ups that go in New Jersey's favor here. It starts with PG Devin Harris, who had 26 points and 11 assists in his last game against Atlanta. Harris had 33 points and 10 assists in a 119-107 win at Atlanta earlier this season. Mike Bibby simply gets owned by Harris, who just finds a way to get around him and get to the basket to either score or find his teammates open looks. The Hawks won't have an answer for Harris tonight, and we expect another big game from New Jersey's floor general as he faces his favorite opponent. The Nets are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 road games overall. New Jersey is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in road games after playing a game as an underdog this season. Take the Nets and the points as they look for a 5th straight win over the Hawks in this series

Black Magic Sports

1 Unit on Utah Jazz -9

Utah will come out fired up and hungry for a win tonight, even though it's just the Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town. The Jazz are going through their worst stretch right now, having lost 4 straight games heading in. The Thunder have been coming on strong, winning 3 of their last 4. But their quality of opponents have been sub-par to say the least. OKC has faced the Warriors, Clippers, Nets and Grizzlies in their last 4. They had to go into overtime to beat Memphis last time out at home. Utah is also playing with revenge in mind, having lost to Oklahoma City on the road in one of their worst losses of the season earlier this month. So Utah has all the motivational factors in place to come out with a double-digit win tonight. The Jazz are 21-7 SU & 15-12 ATS in their last 28 home games vs. the Thunder. Utah is 42-25 ATS as a home favorite over the last 2 seasons. The Jazz are 14-3 ATS in home games after a home game where both teams score 100 or more points over the last 3 seasons. Utah will not lose a 5th game in a row tonight, instead they put together one of their best games of the season playing inspired basketball for four quarters. Cash in with the Jazz as the favorite.

Info Plays

3* on Harvard -5.5

Reasons why Harvard covers the spread Friday:

1.) Head coach Tommy Amaker has his team playing great basketball in his second year on the job. He has welcomed back 5 starters from last year's team, and they've really turned this thing around. Harvard already owns one of the biggest upsets of the year, a win at Boston College, which is a team that has beaten the North Carolina Tar Heels this season. By no means to we think that Harvard could compete with UNC, but this team is certainly underrated right now. Harvard is 9-7 on the season and looking to reach double-digits wins tonight as things are really looking up from an 8-22 campaign last season.

2.) Pennsylvania used to be a powerhouse and a great team against the spread, but over the last 2 seasons this team has really taken a fall. They remain overrated as they are just 4-10 SU & 2-6 ATS on the season. The Quakers are no match for a Harvard team that has won 5 of their last 7 games overall. But Harvard is coming off an upset loss, so they'll be extra motivated tonight to get back in the win column.

3.) System Play. We'll Play Against - An underdog (PENNSYLVANIA) - poor three point shooting team (<=32%) against an average 3PT defense (32-36.5%), after 2 straight games - attempting 10+ less free throws than opponent. This is a 48-21 ATS System hitting 69.6% over the last 5 seasons. Pennsylvania has been shooting themselves out of games all season, attempting 21 three-pointers per game and making them at just a 31.3% clip overall, and a 30.3% clip on the road. The Quakers settle for way too many jump shots, and Harvard will thrive off of it tonight as they get easy buckets in transition all game long off of long rebounds. Also, Harvard forces 18 Turnovers Per Game at home this season. Bet Harvard at home.

Marc Lawrence

Play On: Golden State

The Warriors take on the Hornets in New Orleans Friday night in a game that is filled with value and a strong handicapping edge. The value comes from the fact that the Hornets enter off back-to-back double-digit wins and covers while the Warriors check in off a 24-point loss. Toss in the fact that New Orleans is looking dead ahead to a huge showdown up next with San Antonio tomorrow night and we'll look for Golden State to improve on its 6-2 ATS mark the last eight games in this series here tonight. Take the points with the Warriors.

Cajun Sports

Boston Celtics -5.5 vs. Detroit Pistons
PLAY: 2* Boston Celtics -5.5

The Palace at Auburn Hills will be the site of tonights Eastern Conference clash between the host Detroit Pistons and the visiting Boston Celtics. Boston enters tonights game off a home win over Sacramento 119 to 100 as a seventeen point home favorite. Detroit is also off a win as the Pistons went on the road and defeated Minnesota 98 to 89 as a 1.5 point road chalk.

Boston appears to have corrected their problems that caused a recent losing skid, if they win tonight that will be ten straight victories. In the process they have rewarded their backers by posting a record of 8-1 against the number during this winning streak. Over their most recent five game stretch the Celtics have a seventeen point game differential over their opponents, they are averaging 107.0 points per game and holding opponents to just 90.0 points per game. Not good news for Detroit as their struggles continue.

Although the Pistons are coming in off a win over the Timberwolves they are only 3-7 both SU and ATS their last ten games overall. They are averaging 95.2 points per game versus teams that would normally allow over 99 points per game. Defensively they have held their opponents to 92.8 points per game and these teams average 98.9 points per game. This small point per game differential has not been enough to determine the outcome of games for the Pistons as they continue to struggle.

Pistons head coach Michael Curry has still not settled on a starting lineup and this has caused obvious problems for the men from the Motor City. This Pistons team looks nothing like the ones that were a major force in the East in years past they no longer force opponents into bad shots or force turnovers or rebound or play solid defense all of which were staples of Pistons teams until now. There has certainly been a changing of the guard in the East.

The once feared Palace has been nothing but a money-maker for Celtic backers recently as the defending champs have cashed in seven of their last eight trips to the Motor City. They have also won three of the last four series meetings in Detroit and won those by double-digits as well. The Celtics are the ones doing it with defense as they have held this Detroit team to an average of only 78 points per game on less than 39 percent shooting from the field in their two meetings this season both of which were easy wins for Boston.

Overall this series has been dominated by the defending champs recently as they have won eight of the last ten meetings and cashed the winning ticket in seven of those contests. We expect nothing less from the Celtics as the men from the Motor City search for an identity the Celtics are absolutely sure of who they are and what they do to this Detroit team is not in question tonight.

PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: (2*) Boston Celtics 95 Detroit Pistons 84

Jeff Benton

For Friday’s freebie in the NBA, we’ll lay the points with the once-again red-hot Celtics at Detroit.

I’ll be honest with you: This one seems almost too easy. Boston is riding a nine-game winning streak, going 8-1 ATS, including seven straight covers in its last seven games. During the streak, the Celtics have won and covered four straight on the road, with an average margin of victory of 12.8 points per game, and that includes wins on back-to-back nights at Miami (98-83) and Orlando (90-80) last week.

Since Thursday’s win at the Magic, the Celtics have played just twice, and because both were lopsided home wins over the Mavericks (124-100) and Kings (119-100), the team’s starters got a lot of time to rest on the bench. In fact, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce each played less than 28 minutes in both games, meaning they (and the entire team, for that matter) should be very fresh for this one.

As for Detroit, yeah, it pulled out a 98-89 win at Minnesota on Wednesday (costing me a 15 Dime Best Bet play in the process), but the Pistons are still just 3-8 SU and ATS in their last 11 games, including 1-4 SU and ATS at home, with the winner covering the spread in each contest. If you really want a clear picture of the way both teams are going right now, consider that one day before Boston posted a 24-point beat-down of Dallas, the Mavericks went to Detroit and won 112-91 as a 3½-point underdog.

Lastly, here’s the icing on the cake: Going back to last season and including the Eastern Conference finals playoff series, the Celtics are on an 8-2 SU and a 7-3 ATS tear against the Pistons. They’re also 7-1 ATS in their last eight visits to Motown.

Given the opponent and the fact this one’s on national TV, I’m sure the Pistons will be fired up and will give a good effort, but it’s not going to be enough to hang with the defending champs, who are very much back on their game.

5♦ BOSTON CELTICS

Bobby Maxwell

New Jersey at ATLANTA -7'

Thursday was our sixth straight day with a winning FREE selection for you as we scored with Michigan State over Iowa. Tonight we'll make it seven in a row as we go to the NBA hardwood for a comp selection on the Hawks at home over the Nets.

This one is tough to explain but the Nets have absolutely dominated the Hawks lately. They have won four straight and eight of the last nine, going 8-1 ATS in those nine. But the Hawks are such a better team than the Nets, we are willing to lay the chalk with them in this contest.

Neither one of these teams have done much lately with the Hawks dropping three straight while the Nets have lost seven of eight and two in a row. New Jersey has lost five of its last six (3-3 ATS) on the road and they lost on Wednesday 107-106 as a two-point underdog.

Atlanta lost to the Knicks 112-104 on Wednesday as a one-point favorite, but they lost their last home game, falling 104-99 to the Suns on Sunday as a four-point chalk. On our side is the fact the Hawks are 17-5 at home this season.

This young Atlanta team has got talent up and down its roster. They just got to start putting it together with some consistency. They will not struggle to get this one over the Nets tonight. Play the Hawks to win this one by 10 with ease.

4♦ ATLANTA

Jimmy The Moose

Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning
Prediction: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Flyers come into this one having lost 3 of their last 5 games. Philadelphia has dropped 4 of their last 5 road games. Tampa has been playing a lot better winning 4 of their last 6 games. Tampa is 4-1 in their last 5 home games. Philadelphia has lost 7 of their last 9 trips to Tampa. The Flyers are 7-19 in the last 26 meetings overall between the clubs. Tampa's playing better and are a good play at home. Play on the Lightninig +.

Scott Spreitzer

New Jersey Nets at Atlanta Hawks
Prediction: New Jersey Nets

Atlanta has been slipping since the injury to Al Horford. Joe Johnson said a couple of games ago that the team was not playing hard for long stretches of games, causing the Hawks to lose their edge. I thought the rest of the team might respond to those words last time out, but no such luck. The Hawks lost again, this time by a 112-104 margin to the Knicks. The Hawks have been favored over the Nets three times already this season, yet the Nets have won all three games outright, including 119-107 on this floor in mid-November! It's no surprise ATL couldn't cover those meetings, after all, they're just 9-16 ATS as a favorite this season, including 1-5 ATS when laying a number in a range that includes tonight's price. New Jersey has been a solid money-maker this season covering 15 of 22 away from home. The average final margin in their 22 road games is a decent minus-1.6 ppg. Finally, the Hawks have no matchup for Vince Carter. He has dominated ATL in the three meetings this season, averaging over 24 ppg, while connecting on 59% of his treys. We're getting a decent amount of points with New Jersey which means we don't even need the season sweep to cover the spread. I'm taking the points with the Nets on Friday night.

Matt Fargo

Princeton @ Dartmouth
PICK: Princeton

Dartmouth is one of the worst teams in Division I and for good reason. The Big Green are 3-13 on the season and that is with playing one of the easiest schedule in the country as the slate is ranked 338th in terms of strength. Dartmouth is coming off its biggest win of the season, a nine-point overtime win at rival Harvard last weekend. Its two best game of the season came against the Crimson, including a one-point home loss in the first meeting, and that is no surprise considering the rivalry as well as the fact that the series have been closely contested over the last few years. It went into that game last Saturday riding an eight-game losing streak and while some came against some good teams, some of the other losses came against Army, Stony Brook and New Hampshire, all of which came at home. Speaking of home, there is no home court edge here as the Big Green are 2-7 at Edward Leede Arena with a horrendous attendance. That game against Stony Brook drew a whopping 221 spectators. Princeton is certainly no prize but it has been playing some decent basketball. It comes in riding a three-game winning streak which came on the heels of a six-game losing skid so thing may be turning around for the Tigers. After winning its first two road games, Princeton has lost four straight away from home but it was competitive in all of those games including the last two games that resulted in one-point losers in each. The Tigers owned this series before the last two years as Dartmouth has won three of the last four meetings including two straight routs at home. The Tigers lost by 19 points in Hanover last season and while I’m not a big fan of road revenge, of their seven Ivy League road losses last season, this was the worst and they no doubt have this one circled. Princeton has edges in almost every statistical category with the exception of assist/turnover ratio but the margin there is only -0.03 which is very insignificant. What is significant are advantages in free throw shooting, 72.1 percent to 62.4 percent, rebounding margin, +0.9 to -6.0 and offensive efficiency, 92.2 to 85.9. That offensive efficiency rating for Dartmouth is dead last in the Ancient Eight and 332nd in the nation. Dartmouth also has a 108.6 defensive efficiency rating which is 7th in the Ivy League and 304th nationally. In efficient field goal percentage, Princeton is +4.4 percent (offensive less defense) while Dartmouth is -5.6 percent. Going back to free throw shooting, the Big Green are hitting a putrid 56.7 percent from the stripe over their last five games and that is perplexing that a college team can be that bad. The recent strong play for the Tigers can be attributed to taking good care of the ball. The Tigers haven’t had more than 14 turnovers in any of the last eight games. In the season’s first five games, the Tigers never had fewer than 15. Dartmouth is forcing only 12.4 tpg over its last five games so that streak should not be in jeopardy. Princeton has covered its last five road games and that helps here knowing that the road team is 10-4 ATS over the last 10 meetings. 3* Princeton Tigers

JIM FEIST

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS / CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Take LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

A classic sandwich game for the home team. Cleveland is having a busy week, with road games against rivals Orlando and Detroit. Sandwiched inbetween is this game against the LA Clippers. The Cavaliers had a similar game against the Kings the other night, and didn't appear interested, as a 17-point favorite, rallying from a halftime deficit to win by 7. The Clippers are getting healthy, with Baron Davis and Marcus Camby returning the last game. Another look-ahead spot for the home team with bigger fish to fry than this one, play the LA Clippers!

DAVE COKIN

CHICAGO BULLS / SACRAMENTO KINGS
Take CHICAGO BULLS

Chicago finally won a game last time out, scoring an easy win over the pathetic Clippers. But even though the Bulls have hardly been impressive, they're at least in better form than the reeling Kings. Sacramento has lost seven straight, and they're a woeful 7-15 vs. the number at home. The Kings are getting absolutely killed on the glass in virtually every game, and they don't shoot it well enough to compensate for that liability. Backing the Bulls as even minimal road chalk is not easy, but that's the way I'd play this one.

Jrtips

BOSTON vs. DETROIT

The Boston Celtics are on a current nine-game winning streak and go for their 10th straight win tonight against the Pistons who are looking to end a rough three-week stretch. Boston (38-9) won nine straight games by an average of 16.5 points after winning 119-100 victory over Sacramento on Wednesday night while Detriot won over Minnesota on that same night which was it's fourth win in 12 games. Since trading for Garnett and Ray Allen in the summer of 2007, the Celtics have won eight of 11 games against the Pistons, including four of five at The Palace of Auburn Hills and four of six in the Eastern Conference finals last spring. Boston has won the teams' first two meetings this season by an average of 15.0 points. Richard Hamilton ws injured in Boston"s last game and wil not play tonight. Rasheed Wallace has been held to 23 total points and 8-for-26 shooting (30.8 percent) in both games against Boston who's defense is too much for Detroit to overcome with Iverson and Wallace strugging and now without Hamilton. Look for Boston to win it's 11th in a row.TAKE BOSTON -5

LT Profits

Pennsylvania +6.0

A quick glance at the records may suggest that the 9-7 Harvard Crimson have the edge when they host the 4-10 Pennsylvania Quakers tonight, but a closer look reveals that Penn has value here getting this many points.

This is actually the Ivy League opener for the Quakers, so their record is a bit deceptive, as they have played some major programs during the non-conference portion of their schedule. Remember that Penn is a Big Five school, so facing Villanova, Temple, St. Josephs and La Salle is a nice way of preparing for the weaker teams of the Ivy League.

Penn did cover the number vs. La Salle, and they also show a narrow two-point loss to Drexel and even a covering loss at North Carolina on their ledger. Harvard is obviously much more in their element, and we feel that the Quakers could only benefit by playing all those quality teams early on.

Harvard has already played two conference games, and they were already shocked here at home by Dartmouth in overtime last game as 15-point favorites. The biggest claim to fame for the Crimson so far this season is their upset win at Boston College, but do not forget that they were playing a very flat Eagles team that night that was coming off of a shocker over North Carolina.

Looking at the Pomeroy Ratings, Penn has a Strength of Schedule ranked number 127 in the nation, while Harvard has played a cream puff schedule that ranks just 318 even with that Boston College game factored in.

Look for a more toughened Penn team to fight right down to the final buzzer here.

Pick: Pennsylvania +6