Jeff Scott Sports
3 UNIT PLAYS
Texas/ Detroit Over 9.5
The Over is 5-1 in Rangers last 6 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game, while the Over is 6-1 in Galarragas last 7 sthe arts when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game. Last year these teams combined for 15 rpg in the 9 games played, while the last 10 games played here have averaged 12.4 rpg. Armando Galarraga had a fine year for the Tigers last year, posting a 3.73 ERA overall, but it was slighty higher at home (4.18) and he will be facing a hot Texas offense that just hit .346 and scored 29 runs in their 3 games with Cleveland. Kris Benson hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2006 and he has a career 4.34 ERA, plus in his lone stint pitching in the AL (Balt, 2006) he has a 4.82 ERA. Kris also has a career 4.88 ERA in his 61 day starts. Detroit's offense has not started that great, but they still have the potential to be one of the best in the league and should be able to get their fair share of runs off of Benson, while the hot Rangers offense will have their way with Galarraga. Look for 12+ runs in this one.
ATLANTA -1.5 (EVEN) over Washington
The Nats are one of the worst teams in the league as they really have very little hitting to go along with horrible pitching. Washington hit just .226 and posted a 9.38 ERA in their 3 games with the Marlins and they were outscored by 4.3 rpg in the series. Now this bad Nats offense must face Derek Lowe, who shut down the powerful Phils in the Braves opener. derek allowed the Phils just no ER's on 2 hits in 8 innings. The Braves have hit .279 and have scored 19 runs in their 1st 3 games and will be taking on a rookie pitcher (Sharion Martis), who had a 5.89 ERA in his 4 starts last year. Atlanta will come into this game mad after blowing a huge lead in their last game vs the Phils and they will take their frustrations out on a Nationals team team that will be lucky to win 65 games this year. Atlanta easily here.
2 UNIT PLAY
KANSAS CITY +164 over NY Yankees
The Yankees are 1-6 in Pettittes last 7 starts vs. American League Central and 1-9 in Pettittes last 10 starts on grass, while the Royals are 11-1 in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400 and 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a left-handed starter. Ok let us review. The Yanks lost 2 out of 3 in Baltimore, where the Orioles are not a contender of anything, while the Royals just took 2 of 3 at the White Sox, a team that is much stronger that the Orioles, yet the Royals are huge home underdogs to the Yankees today. i know a few of us here on the forum are expecting a big turnaround by the Royals, but this line shows that vegas doesn't agree. Well folks Vegas is wrong. This royals team will be heard from all year long. They have one off the better outfields in the league. thier infield is also solid and they have a very strong bullpen. The Pitching matchup does favor the Yanks as Petitte is 12-3 vs the Royals, while Ponson is 6-13 vs the Yanks, but this Royals team is young and hungry and they proved that in their trip to ChiTown. The Yanks also showed they are hurting a bit without A-Rod and they will struggle in this series just like the Baltimore series. KC in an Upset here.
1 UNIT PLAY
NY Mets -117 over FLORIDA
The Mets are 23-6 in Maines last 29 starts vs. National League East, while the Marlins are 1-7 in Sanchezs last 8 starts vs. National League East. John Main is 6-2 with a 2.36 ERA in March/ April over his career, plus he is 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 6 starts vs the Fish, including a 2-0 mark with a 3.22 ERA at Dolphin Stadium. The Marlins are 3-0 on the year, but that was vs the Nats and tonight they make a giant step up in competion. Look for Maine to out duel Sanchez, as the Mets take game 1 of this series.
Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
CAL (-150) vs EDM
The scoreboard read a one-sided loss. The play was the complete opposite. The Flames were easily the better team from start to finish, outshooting the Canucks 46-25. Calgary simply couldn't solve Roberto Luongo. Jarome Iginla's late second-period goal drew them even, but Mattias Ohlund scored 22 seconds later for the game-winner; that being said I expect a complete effort tonight as the Flames look to secure top spot in the Northwest. Look for CALGARY to improve to 14-9 (+3.6 units) vs. division opponents!
Free Selection from Totals4U
Friday's free selection: San Antonio Spurs - 3 1/2
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EZWINNER'S FREE SELECTION
Date: Friday, April 10, 2009
Game: Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs
Sport: NBA
Time: 7:35PM CST
(720) San Antonio Spurs -3.5
The Spurs are not rolling like they want to be heading into the playoffs,
but this is a great chance for them to get things going against a Utah
Jazz team that is really struggling away from Salt Lake. Utah is now
1-11 against the spread in their last twelve games as a road underdog
and they are a horrible 1-10 against the spread in their last eleven trips
to San Antonio. Lay the points with San Antonio.
2009 Free Selections Record 55-43 (56.1%)
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Charlie's Sports - free pick
mlb. tampa bay-130 @ baltimore. Dominant play against the Baltimore Orioles last year helped Tampa Bay on its surprising run to the top of the AL East. The Rays’ first series of this season seems to suggest they’ll be in the hunt for another division title.Coming off a strong performance against one of the AL East’s top contenders, the Rays look to extend a 12-game winning streak against the Orioles in the opener of a three-game set tonight, d'rays win-130
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Undefeated's system tools picks now on a 10 wins and 4 loss run
Today's pick: NBA - New Jersey and Detroit OVER 189.5
😉
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Utah Jazz +3.5
After getting absolutely crushed by Dallas Wednesday, expect the Jazz to bounce back strong tonight against a banged up Spurs team. Ginobli is out for the season and Tim Duncan is battling a knee injury. We've seen throughout the season that the Spurs are an average team at best without the big three intact. San Antonio has certainly had Utah's number on the road, but the Jazz should be even more motivated tonight because of that fact. The Spurs are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a home favorite of 4.5 points or less, and 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games. Lastly, plays on road teams (UTAH) - explosive offensive team - scoring 103+ points/game on the season, after trailing in their previous game by 15 or more points at the half are 36-11 ATS the last 5 seasons. Bet the Jazz.
Tom Freese
New Orleans Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks
Play: Under 196½
Dallas is 9-2 UNDER their last 11 home games vs. New Orleans and they are 7-3 UNDER off a double digit win. The Mavericks are 5-1 UNDER vs. a team with a win percentage of over 60% and they are 11-5 UNDER their last 16 Division games. New Orleans is 9-2 UNDER when playing with one day of rest and they are 12-3 UNDER their last 15 games overall. The Hornets are 16-5 UNDER on Friday and they are 10-2 UNDER vs. an opponent that scored 100 or more points in their last game. PLAY ON 'UNDER'
LT Profits
Nationals/Braves Under 8.5
Derek Lowe was masterful in his Atlanta Braves debut on Sunday night, and a repeat performance should key a safe Under in the Atlanta home opener vs. the Washington Nationals tonight.
Lowe looked to be in midseason form, as he allowed just two hits and walked nobody in eight scoreless innings vs. the Phillies in a stadium that usually strongly favors the hitters. Lowe comes off of arguably the best season of his career last year, and if Sunday was any indication, he has not missed a step this year.
He has also pitched sensationally vs. the Nationals in recent years. He faced Washington twice last year, allowing a total of two runs and seven hits in 16 innings with just two walks. He also allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings in one of his two starts vs. the Nats two years ago, and he should have continued success here vs. a Washington lineup that is hitting just .219 vs. right-handers in the early going this season.
Young Shairon Martis pitched credibly for Washington after his September call-up last year, allowing three runs or less in three of his four starts. One of those outings came vs. these Braves, where he allowed two runs and four hits, albeit in only five innings. His stamina is questionable, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing here as the bullpen is a strength for the Nationals.
Look for Washington to get practically nothing against Lowe here, and for Martis and the Washington bullpen to keep the Atlanta bats in check enough for a sage Under.
Pick: Nationals/Braves Under 8.5
DUNKEL
Phoenix at Memphis
The Suns are just 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a road favorite and run into a Memphis team that is 4-0 ATS in its last 4 games as a home underdog between 1 and 4 1/2 points. The Grizzlies are the underdog pick (+2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the game even. Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+2 1/2).
Game 701-702: Cleveland at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 126.716; Philadelphia 118.535
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 8; 195
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 6 1/2; 187 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-6 1/2); Over
Game 703-704: New York at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: New York 114.506; Orlando 125.972
Dunkel Line & Total: Orlando by 11 1/2; 214 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 10 1/2; 209 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-10 1/2); Over
Game 705-706: Miami at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 119.226; Boston 125.466
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 6; 197 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 707-708: Indiana at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 118.356; Atlanta 123.192
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 5; 205 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta 6 1/2; 211 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (+6 1/2); Under
Game 709-710: New Jersey at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 113.645; Detroit 119.280
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 5 1/2; 194
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit by 7; 189 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (+7); Over
Game 711-712: Phoenix at Memphis
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 118.531; Memphis 118.683
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 221 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 2 1/2; 226
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+2 1/2); Under
Game 713-714: Washington at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 110.613; Toronto 120.890
Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 10 1/2; 228
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 715-716: Charlotte at Oklahoma City
Dunkel Ratings: Charlotte 119.040; Oklahoma City 112.907
Dunkel Line & Total: Charlotte by 6; 194 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Charlotte by 3 1/2; 187
Dunkel Pick: Charlotte (-3 1/2); Over
Game 717-718: New Orleans at Dallas
Dunkel Ratings: New Orleans 114.173; Dallas 123.972
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 10; 208
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 6; 195 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-6); Over
Game 719-720: Utah at San Antonio
Dunkel Ratings: Utah 116.239; San Antonio 123.116
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 7; 197 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 3 1/2; 191 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (-3 1/2); Over
Game 721-722: LA Lakers at Portland
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 123.534; Portland 127.957
Dunkel Line & Total: Portland by 4 1/2; 197
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 1; 195
Dunkel Pick: Portland (+1); Over
Game 723-724: Sacramento at LA Clippers
Dunkel Ratings: Sacramento 109.693; LA Clippers 112.564
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Clippers by 3; 230
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 725-726: Houston at Golden State
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 121.682; Golden State 116.505
Dunkel Line & Total: Houston by 6; 225
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
MLB
Seattle at Oakland
The Mariners are 0-4 in Rowland-Smith's last 4 starts as an underdog and face an Oakland team that is 7-1 in its last 8 home games. The A's are the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has Oakland favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-135).
Game 901-902: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago Cubs (Harden) 15.181; Milwaukee (Looper) 15.076
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-145); Over
Game 903-904: Philadelphia at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 14.857; Colorado (Marquis) 16.389
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+140); Over
Game 905-906: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Karstens) 14.206; Cincinnati (Cueto) 14.959
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-140); Over
Game 907-908: NY Mets at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Maine) 15.462; Florida (Sanchez) 14.975
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-130); Under
Game 909-910: Washington at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Martis) 13.111; Atlanta (Lowe) 16.770
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 3 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-215); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-215); Over
Game 911-912: Houston at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Hampton) 15.635; St. Louis (Pineiro) 14.295
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+140); Under
Game 913-914: LA Dodgers at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (McDonald) 13.452; Arizona (Garland) 14.707
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-115); Over
Game 915-916: San Francisco at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 14.222; San Diego (Hill) 14.988
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+120); Over
Game 917-918: Texas at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Benson) 15.528; Detroit (Galarraga) 15.373
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-165); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+155); Under
Game 919-920: Toronto at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Richmond) 14.766; Cleveland (Lewis) 15.542
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-150); Under
Game 921-922: NY Yankees at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Pettitte) 17.367; Kansas City (Ponson) 16.175
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-160); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-160); Over
Game 923-924: Tampa Bay at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 15.114; Baltimore (Hendrickson) 16.003
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-135); 10
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+125); Over
Game 925-926: Minnesota at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Dickey) 16.350; White Sox (Contreras) 14.644
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-155); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+145); Over
Game 927-928: Boston at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 14.032; LA Angels (Weaver) 15.624
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+115); Over
Game 929-930: Seattle at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Rowland-Smith) 14.893; Oakland (Anderson) 15.952
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-135); Over
NHL
Columbus at St. Louis
The Blue Jackets run into a St. Louis team that is 7-2 in its last 9 games, including 4-0 at home. The Blues are the pick (-160) according to Dunkel, which has St. Louis favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-160).
Game 1-2: Nashville at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.503; Minnesota 12.867
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota (-170); 5
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-170); Under
Game 3-4: Columbus at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 11.516; St. Louis 12.675
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-160); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-160); Over
Game 5-6: Calgary at Edmonton
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 10.627; Edmonton 12.115
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary (-155); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+135); Over
Game 7-8: Dallas at Anaheim
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 11.564; Anaheim 10.904
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-240); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (+200); Under
JACK JONES
Cincinnati Reds -144 over Pittsburgh Pirates
I like Johnny Cueto and think he'll have a pretty solid year and there is value with taking him at home today in his first start. The Reds got their bats going the last two games of the series with the Mets so he should have plenty of support. In the spring he threw 23 innings and gave up just 4 runs while Jeff Karstens on the other hand gave up 30 hits and 17 runs in just 23. It's hard not to like the Reds here in this spot.
Evan Altemus
Texas Rangers @ Detroit Tigers
Pick: Texas Rangers +130
Texas is going to be an excellent money making team for baseball bettors over the first month of the season. They have one of the best, if not the best, line-up in baseball and have already crushed opposing pitchers this season. They scored 29 runs in their series against Cleveland, and now they get to face a struggling Detroit bullpen. The Tigers bullpen is going to have significant problems while they wait for Joel Zumaya to return. Texas also has the advantage of getting a motivated Kris Benson to take the mound for the start. Benson hasn’t seen action since the 2006 season due to injuries and struggles. However, he appears to be over those problems and pitched well in Spring Training. I look for Texas to continue their momentum and hot hitting in this game. The Rangers have the vastly better line-up, and Detroit’s line-up hasn’t seen Benson’s stuff in almost three years. Look for the Tigers bullpen to get shelled in the last three innings, as they won’t let quality young starter Armando Gallaraga see extensive action in this game.
John Martin
1 Unit on Detroit Pistons -7.5
Detroit has picked up their play as they head into the playoffs. The Pistons have won back-to-back games now, beating Charlotte at home by 7 and then winning at New York by 27. This team will continue their great play against a New Jersey team that has been eliminated from the playoffs. The Nets are in for a letdown tonight after a 2-point loss at Boston in their last game. Coming off a game against the defending Champions, it will be very hard for New Jersey to get mentally ready to play tonight in Detroit, especially considering this is a meaningless game for them. Detroit is 26-12 ATS after 2 consecutive covers as a favorite over the last 3 seasons. New Jersey is 11-23 ATS in road games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. The Pistons are playing much better right now and they will clearly be the more motivated team at home tonight. Cash in with Detroit as the favorite.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Cleveland Cavs -7
Cleveland goes to Boston next, but I don't expect them to get caught napping tonight with home court throughout the playoffs on the line. Philly has struggled on the road all season and if it ran out of gas last night in Chicago, it certainly isn't going to be able to keep up with the Cavs tonight. The injury to Thaddeus Young has really hurt the 76ers as it exposes their lack of depth even more. Philly is 2-12 ATS versus good defensive teams - shooting pct defense of <=43% over the last 3 seasons, losing to these teams by an average score of 88.6 to 103.7. Lay the number.
Ted Sevransky
Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors
PICK: Toronto Raptors
The betting marketplace seems to be very concerned about whether Gilbert Arenas is going to play for the Washington Wizards; or Brendan Haywood or Nick Young or Caron Butler or any of the other banged up guys on Ed Tapscott’s roster. These injuries are completely irrelevant to Washington ’s performance, and savvy bettors are ignoring them completely.
The reality is that the Wizards are a team struggling with effort issues right now. In most ‘normal’ games, the Wizards are a bottom feeder team playing out the string, a very easy ‘bet against’ squad. Every once in a while, Washington has something special to play for, like a Barack Obama visit to the Verizon Center or a national TV game against the same Cavaliers team that knocked them out of the playoffs in each of the last three years. In those two games, Washington covered the spread by more than 40 points.
However, in their ‘ordinary’ games, the Wizards couldn’t care less. We’re getting value betting against Washington because the marketplace over-reacting to the injury issues and the outlier performances. That gives us a solid opportunity to confidently bet against Washington here as they travel to Toronto to take on the suddenly resurgent Raptors; winners of six of their last nine. 2* Take Toronto.
DAVE MALINSKY
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
PICK: Over 10
On a breezy spring evening in Phoenix in which the Chase Roof will be open we see the potential for two under-achieving offenses to have a break-out here, with the starting pitchers and middle relievers (the latter in play because of the former) obliging.
Jon Garland gets more respect than he deserves from the marketplace off of seven straight seasons of double-figure wins, but while he only turns 30 this September, the fact that he worked at least 190 innings in each of those seasons has already taken a toll. The Angels did not try all that hard to re-sign him after his 14-8/4.90 from LY, seeing what the White Sox did the previous season – a guy that has to survive on guile, because he can no longer miss bats. A 24-21 record the past two seasons can not hide the fact that he allowed an awful ratio of 456 hits vs. only 188 strikeouts in that span. Less than half of his starters with the Angels registered for the “Quality” tag LY, and his penchant for getting too many balls hit in the air does not make him conducive to success in this environment. We saw that already this spring, with his 1-3/6.23 in the Cactus League.
Meanwhile James McDonald gets the call from the Dodgers because they do not have a Garland, some veteran that could go out and eat early-season innings while the young prospect develops. McDonald opens in The Show despite only working 22.1 innings at AAA and six in the Majors in his young career, and there was nothing in his 5.03 over 19.2 spring innings that shows that he is ready to be a part of this rotation yet. Of particular concern for tonight’s matchup are extremely high fly-ball tendencies through his Minor League outings. They will likely keep him on a pitch count in the early going, which forces the middle relief corps into play, and Joe Torre lacks a couple of options from that unit tonight, with Corey Wade unlikely to be available after working back-to-back games, and three in four at San Diego, while Ronald Belisario is also doubtful to be an option after throwing 32 Thursday pitches.
Ron Raymond
SDP / SFG Over 8
When SAN FRANCISCO team played as a Road team - During a night game - Playing on Friday - Scored 7 or less runs FOR in their last game - Coming off a Win vs. NL CENTRAL opponent; The OVER is 8-2-1 for the Giants in this spot.When SAN FRANCISCO team played as a 100 to -120 Road Favorite - Vs. Right handed pitchers - 1st game of a series; The OVER is 10-0-1 for the Giants in this situation since 98!
Jrtips
NEW ORLEANS vs. DALLAS
The Dallas Mavericks clinched the last playoff spot in the Western Conference by delivering two of their best offensive performances of the season over the last week. The Mavericks (47-31) shot 60.0 percent from the field, making a season-high 15 3-pointers in a 140-116 rout of Phoenix on Sunday, then clinched its ninth straight postseason berth with a 130-101 win over Utah on Wednesday night. Now with the playoff spot wrapped up, the Mavericks turn their attention toward avoiding an eighth-place finish and a first-round meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas is tied with Utah for seventh place and sits one game behind sixth-place New Orleans (48-30). The Hornets have dropped three of their last four after a 105-100 home loss to Phoenix on Wednesday night. The Hornets have won both their games against the Mavericks this season with All-Star point guard Chris Paul averaging 26.3 points, 11.1 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals while shooting 49.5 percent from the field in 11 games against the Mavericks since the start of last season, including playoffs. This season Chris Paul has averaged 30.0 points, 13.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals. Jason Kidd has done a great job running Dallas' offense lately, but he's struggled to contain Paul and has averaged just 10.9 points and 6.4 assists in nine games against New Orleans since the Maverick. Kidd had 10 assists and Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points while going 12-for-18 from the field Wednesday. Jason Terry added 21 points with five 3-pointers off the bench as the Dallas reserves outscored Utah's 63-30. Knowing the importance of each game and the sense of urgency, Dallas and New Orleans will treat every game like it's a Game 7 playoff game. dalas is playing the best offfense of any team in the league right now but they still dont have an answer for the Hornets and Chris Paul.TAKE OVER 195 1/2