SPORTS ADVISORS
Miami (30-26, 26-28-2 ATS) at Atlanta (32-25, 29-28 ATS)
The Hawks return home after losing the final three games of their six-game road trip, as they host the inconsistent Heat.
Atlanta has been on the road for the majority of the month, with tonight just its third home game in February. The Hawks have lost three straight (1-2 ATS) and four of their last five (1-4 ATS), including a tough 110-109 setback at Denver on Wednesday, but they cashed as 9½-point ‘dogs.
Miami comes into this one having alternated SU wins and losses in their eight games (3-5 ATS). The Heat come into this one off Tuesday’s 103-91 home win over the Pistons, cashing as four-point favorites. However, the last time they hit the road they dropped a 122-99 decision to the Magic on Sunday, coming nowhere near cashing as nine-point pups.
These teams have split the first two meetings this season, with Atlanta getting an 87-73 victory in Miami on Dec. 12 as a two-point underdog and then the Heat scoring a 95-79 home win on Jan. 26 as a three-point chalk. Miami is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 series clashes and 20-7 ATS in the last 27, including 6-1 ATS in their last seven visits to Atlanta.
The Heat are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games on Friday, but they are just 16-35-3 ATS in their last 54 after a straight-up win and 1-4 ATS in their last five after a spread-cover. Atlanta is on ATS slides of 3-8 against teams with a winning record and 5-11 at home against teams with a losing road mark, but it is 4-1 in its last five against Eastern Conference teams and 5-2 when returning home after a road trip of seven or more days.
Miami has stayed under the total in six of its last eight games after getting two days off and eight of its last 11 Friday outings, but it is one “over” streaks of 8-3-1 overall, 9-3 on the road and 4-1 after a straight-up win. The Hawks have gone over the total in eight of their last 11 at home, four of five after a spread-cover, five of six Friday games and four straight against the Eastern Conference. Lastly, the under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MIAMI
L.A. Lakers (48-10, 31-27 ATS) at Denver (38-20, 31-26-1 ATS)
The Lakers head to the Pepsi Center in Denver seeking their 10th straight victory over the Nuggets in this lopsided Western Conference rivalry.
Los Angeles comes in with a six-game overall winning streak (4-2 ATS) after crushing the Suns on Thursday night 132-106 as an 11-point home favorite. The Lakers have scored 107 points or more in each of their last five games and they’ve won three straight on the road, most recently taking down Oklahoma City 107-93 on Tuesday as 7½-point favorites.
Denver has lost three off its last four (0-4 ATS) but barely edged the Hawks 110-109 on Wednesday, coming up well short as a 9½-point home chalk. The Nuggets have given up 109.6 points per game in their last five outings, and they haven’t been able to hold the Lakers to less than 102 in any of their last 10 meetings.
Los Angeles has already beaten the Nuggets twice this season and the Lakers haven’t lost to Denver in nine contests since 2007 (8-1 ATS). The lone game the Nuggets covered was back in November when they fell 104-97 as 8½-point home underdogs. The Lakers are 20-8 ATS in the last 28 meetings with Denver and 4-1 ATS in their last five visits to the Pepsi Center.
The Lakers are just 2-7 ATS in their last nine Friday contests, but otherwise they are on a host of positive pointspread streaks, including 10-4 overall, 20-8 on the second night of back-to-backs, 8-3 as a favorite, 6-1 as a road favorite and 7-1 on the road against teams with a winning home record. Denver is on ATS runs of 15-7 after getting a day off and 4-1 against Pacific Division teams, but the Nuggets are on ATS slides of 0-4 overall 2-6 as an underdog and 1-5 as a home ‘dog.
Los Angeles is on “over” streaks of 9-4-1 overall, 10-2-1 on the highway, 8-3-1 against the Western Conference, 7-1-1 as a road favorite and 6-0 on the second night of a back-to-back. Denver has stayed below the total in 20 of 28 as a home ‘dog, five of seven as a ‘dog anywhere, four of five against the Pacific Division and five straight against teams with a winning record. In this rivalry, the under is 5-0 in the last five clashes overall and 4-0 in the last four in the Mile High City.
ATS ADVANTAGE: LAKERS and UNDER
Cleveland (44-12, 37-19 ATS) at San Antonio (39-17, 29-25-2 ATS)
The Cavaliers try to rebound from a blowout loss in the opening game of their four-game road trip at Houston when they invade the AT&T Center in San Antonio for their first meeting of the season against the Spurs..
Cleveland went to Houston on Thursday night and got smoked by the Rockets 93-74 as a 3½-point favorite. The loss snapped a five-game SU and ATS winning streak, and the 74 points was 27 points below what the Cavs had averaged during their five-game run.
San Antonio has rattled off five straight wins, including the last two blowout victories at home without Manu Ginobili or Tim Duncan (both injured) in the lineup. The Spurs destroyed Dallas 93-76 on Tuesday as a five-point favorite and then did the same to the Blazers on Wednesday, winning 99-84 as a five-point chalk.
The visitor has taken the last four Cavs-Spurs meetings (3-1 ATS), including Cleveland’s 90-88 victory as a 7 ½-point road underdog in last year’s trip to the AT&T Center. San Antonio is 5-1 SU (4-2 ATS) against the Cavs dating back to the 2007 NBA Finals when the Spurs swept Cleveland 4-0 (3-1 ATS).
Despite losing Thursday, the Cavaliers remain on a plethora of ATS runs that include 42-19 overall, 15-6 against Western Conference teams, 9-1 on Fridays, 8-2 on the second night of a back-to-back and 5-1 against Southwest Division squads. San Antonio is just 1-4 ATS at home against teams with a winning road mark, but the Spurs are on pointspread surges of 4-1 at home, 6-0-1 after getting a day off and 8-0 against teams with a winning straight-up record.
For Cleveland, the over is 4-0 in their last four on the second night of a back-to-back, but otherwise the under is on runs of 6-2 overall, 12-5 on Fridays and 7-2 against teams with a winning record. San Antonio has topped the total in nine of 14 overall, eight of 11 at home and five of seven when getting a day off, but the Spurs are also on “under” streaks of 7-3 against the Eastern Conference, 11-5 on Friday and 8-1 against the Central Division. In this rivalry, the under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings overall and 4-1 in the last five in San Antonio.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Jrtips
BUCKS vs. HORNETS
Tyson Chandler had another big night in the Hornets last game and now New Orleans (34-22) looks to win their eighth straight home game against the struggling Milwaukee Bucks tonight at New Orleans Arena. The Hornets are looking to win three in a row for the first time in more than a month. They have now won four of their last six, including a 90-87 victory over Detroit on Wednesday. David West had 30 points, Chris Paul added 20 and the two combined for 23 of the Hornets' 25 fourth-quarter points. Chandler, meanwhile, had a season-high 17 rebounds to go along with 10 points. The Hornets have now won both games after going 7-9 without Chandler who gives the Hornets alot of second-chance points and a stronger defensive team. The Hornets are third place in the Southwest Division, five games behind first-place San Antonio. Tonight's game starts a stretch in which three of their next five opponents are below .500 that can help them close the gap and the team has discussed putting together a string of games and gaining some momentum. The Hornets have won five straight over the Bucks (28-32) and seven in a row against them at home. Milwaukee is slumping again, losing three of four after winning five of seven. Milwaukee is coming off a 116-96 loss to Dallas on Wednesday. Charlie Villanueva scored 25 points, including 19 in the first quarter, but the Bucks were outscored 30-15 at the free-throw line and outrebounded 51-25. Villanueva, who is averaging 29.0 points in his last three games, accounted for all of his team's field goals in the first quarter, going 8-of-11 while his teammates were 0-for-13. Milwaukee has given up 110.0 points in its last nine games and has been outrebounded in six of those contests. The Mavericks scored 46 points in the paint as the Bucks continue to try to adjust without center and leading rebounder Andrew Bogut and tonight they face Chandler who is averaging 16.0 points and 18.3 rebounds in his last four games against Milwaukee.The Bucks haven't won in New Orleans since 2003. The Hornets are a bad matchup for the Bucks even when they were playing well, without a center, the Hornets will once again dominate the Bucks inside getting easy points and win this game at home going away.
TAKE NEW ORLEANS-9
DAVE COKIN
MANHATTAN / FAIRFIELD
Take MANHATTAN
You'll be hard pressed to find any team that's had a rougher time of it than Fairfield. The Stags have been obliterated by injuries and other issues, and they just don't have the bodies to get it done right now. There's certainly been no lack of effort from the remaining players, but those empty chairs on the bench tell the story. Manhattan is coming on nicely to finish up the regular season, while the Stags appear to be on fumes at this point. I'll go with the Jaspers plus the points for the Friday free opinion.
JIM FEIST
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS / GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Take GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Charlotte is a long way from home, playing their 4th straight game out West. This team lacks offense and can't keep pace with uptempo attacks, as in a 10-point loss at Phoenix. Charlotte is on a 1-3 SU/ATS run. They take on a Golden State team that is going with the kids. "I'm going to give Jamal Crawford a day off against Charlotte so I can play some of the younger guys," coach Don Nelson said. The immediate beneficiaries figure to be second-year guards Marco Belinelli and C.J. Watson. Young kids are hungry to play hard, as they are fighting for a job and more minutes. The Warriors are on a 4-2 SU/ATS run and have far more offensive punch than the road weary visitors. Play the Warriors.
Scott Spreitzer
Game: Manhattan College at Fairfield
Prediction: Manhattan College
This one truly comes down to numbers, and I'm not referring to the line in particular. While it's nice to be getting points in this situation, the "numbers" I'm talking about have to deal with the amount of bodies Fairfield can put on the floor. The Stags have lost four straight games and injuries have truly taken their toll. Fairfield played just six players in their most recent game, a loss to Hofstra. Forward Greg Nero is the most recent casualty. He is suffering from back problems and missed the Hofstra game. Nero, averaging 12.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg, is listed as questionable tonight. I would not be surprised to see him sit out of this one, also. The Stags have a first-round bye in the MAAC tourney wrapped-up and there's talk that they'll give him tonight off, so he's 100% by the time they play their first conference tourney tilt. The Jaspers are much healthier, have won five of their last six games, and they're getting points. I believe, in this situation, the underdog is the better team. I'll grab the number with Manhattan on Friday night.
Cajun Sports
Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards
Play: Chicago Bulls -5.5
The Verizon Center will be the site of tonight’s Eastern Conference battle between the host Washington Wizards and the visiting Chicago Bulls. On Wednesday we went against this Bulls team at New Jersey and won our 5* Eastern Conference Game of the Week as the Nets got the win and cover 111 to 99 but it’s a much different situation tonight at Washington. The Wizards are 13-44 SU on the season and have really struggled against the number of late posting a record of 7-17 ATS their last twenty-four times to post. They are 21-35 ATS overall on the season and just four short quarters from loser number 36 ATS. The Bulls have won both previous meetings between these two teams straight up but they have split against the spread. We know that the Wizards are 8-19 ATS when coming off a home game, 3-12 ATS after going ‘over’ at home, 9-20-1 ATS off a SU loss in their last game and now face a conference opponent and they are 7-17-1 ATS when coming in off a SU / ATS loss and now face a conference foe. Both teams are active in two of our NBA Systems that tell us to Play AGAINST NBA home teams after suffering two ATS losses, 75-105-3 ATS and to Play ON NBA conference road teams coming off an ATS loss on the road in their last game, 45-22-1 ATS. The recent changes to the Bulls lineup has added some depth to this team that they did not have in their first two meetings against the Wizards and that just adds another nail in the proverbial coffin of tonight’s host so lay the chalk as the visitor gets the SU and ATS win on the road tonight in our nation’s capital.
PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: (2*) Chicago Bulls 98 Washington Wizards 89
Bob Harvey
Los Angeles Lakers -2.5
Los Angeles has dominated this series with Denver going 9-0 SU and 8-1 ATS the past nine meetings. The UNDER has also figured prominently going 7-1 in the last eight meetings. The Lakers are coming off a resounding 132-106 pounding of Phoenix last night. It was a wire-to-wire win for the Lakers who were able to rest their starters for most of the second half. That will come in handy tonight in Denver.
The Lakers are a glossy 21-6 SU and 16-11 ATS on the road, with the OVER going 15-11. On average, the Lakers have won these games by an average score of 109-102. Overall the Lakers have won six straight and are on a 13-1 straight up run. They’re also 11-1 since losing Andrew Bynum to a knee injury.
The perception here is that with the Lakers defense, or lack of, that we could see another total topper tonight. However, I just don’t see Denver having the horses to keep up with them. Nene won’t play so that leaves the Nuggets thin in the middle where Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol should dominate. I’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating. This Denver has bad chemistry with a capital C. Last time I checked there’s only one basketball and ANY team with Carmelo Anthony on the team knows where the ball is going. That frustrates his Nuggets more than the media reports.
Given that Phil Jackson was able to rest his regulars for the bulk of the Phoenix game, I see the Lakers giving it another wire-to-wire effort and easily covering the number.
James Patrick
Clippers vs. Kings
Our Friday selection in NBA action is LA Clippers - Sacramento Kings Over the Total as the Clippers are 7-0 ATS and the Kings 6-1 ATS Over the Total in Friday action. LA is 14-3-1 ATS Over the Total on the road and 20-7-1 ATS Over the Total overall. Let the scoring begin in Sacramento.
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Columbia
When Columbia takes on Harvard in an Ivy League clash tonight they will do so knowing the Lions are 9-1 ATS in this series on this floor. With Columbia of an 8-point loss and Harvard off a 6-point upset win, look for more of the same here tonight.
Jimmy The Moose
Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers
Prediction: Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal has won 2 in a row but over their last 17 games they are 5-12. The Canadiens are 1-10 in their last 11 road games. In their last 11 games vs. an Eastern Conference opponent the Canadiens are 2-9. In their last 5 games following a win they are 1-4. Philadelphia is 12-4 in their last 16 home games. In their last 28 home games vs. a team with a losing road record the Flyers are 20-8. In their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning record they are 4-0. Montreal has lost 5 of the last 7 meetings and will drop another one tonight. Play on the Philadelphia Flyers -.
Nick Parsons
Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames
Prediction: Calgary Flames
Calgary is available at a little higher price than what I like to use as a guaranteed pick. Yet, the value certainly appears to be there for the Flames in this one. Minnesota continues to have trouble scoring goals and they are known as a team that generally doesn't travel well. Facing the Wild when you're in your own barn tends to be much different than facing them in Minnesota. That's good news for the Flames tonight and the other good news is that Calgary has been on an offensive surge that has helped trigger their overall surge in the standings. The Wild just can't match the potency of the Flames offense and laying the price with Calgary is definitely worth a look here.
Rob Vinciletti
Illinois Chicago vs. Loyola Chicago
Play: Illinois Chicago -2½
On Friday night the comp play is on Illinois-Chicago.Game 885 at 9pm eastern.Ill-Chi. is a solid 10-1 su vs teams who allow 65 or less on the season,14-6 ats as a road favorite in this range,7-2 su vs losing teams,and 6-1 ats with 5 or 6 days rest.Loyola is just 3-6 su at home with revenge and has not fared well vs Ill-chic. the last few years going 1-6 su and 0-7 ats.Look for Illinois Chicago to continue there series dominance here on Friday night.
Bobby Maxwell
Philadelphia at NEW YORK -2'
Two FREE winners delivered to you on Thursday as we gave you Cincinnati and Stanford. Today we'll get you a comp play winner on the pro hardwood as we go with the Knicks at home against the Sixers.
The Sixers have on all three meetings with the Knicks this season but right now it's New York who is playing better basketball between these two squads.
New York has won three of five overall, but lost a tough 114-109 game to the Magic in New York on Wednesday, falling short as a three-point 'dog. The Knicks score 108.7 points a game at home while the Sixers average just 95.1 points on the highway.
In this rivalry, the home team is on a 23-9 ATS run in the last 32 meetings and the Knicks are 10-3 ATS in their last 14 meetings with the Sixers in Madison Square Garden.
New York is on ATS runs of 4-1-1 on Fridays and 8-2-2 ATS in their last 12 after a spread-cover. This team can score points and they'll do enough to get past the Sixers in this one. Play the Knicks to get the win by 10.
2♦ NEW YORK
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Bucks/Hornets UNDER 200.5
The Hornets just don't play high scoring games at home. In fact, the most points scored in a New Orleans home game all season has been just 206. Some of it has to do with an improved defense and some of it has to do with chemistry problems on offense this season. The Under is 4-1 in Bucks last 5 games as a road underdog and 7-3 in Bucks last 10 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Under is 11-4 in Hornets last 15 Friday games, 9-2 in Hornets last 12 home games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5, and 13-6-1 in Hornets last 20 vs. Eastern Conference. The books have set the bar too high. This one goes under.
Big Al McMordie
Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks
The Heat defeated Atlanta earlier this season by 16 points, so Atlanta comes into tonight's game with revenge. And, according to my database, Joe Johnson & Co. should get it. Indeed, Atlanta is a terrific 39-13 ATS since 2003 at home when playing with revenge from a loss of more than 10 points, if the Hawks also are rested. Also, Miami is a poor 3-20 ATS off a win and cover, if NOT getting 5 or more points.
Play on: Atlanta