Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Friday, March 23, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Jeff Benton
Your Friday freebie is the Under in the Orange-Blue Devils showdown.
Here we have a conference meeting between Syracuse and Duke on Friday night in Omaha, and I am liking this one to land Under the total.
The Orange likes to play them Low, but so do the Blue Devils - especially of late.
Syracuse has been Under in all 3 of their tournament games, and the Under is 6-2 over their last 8 games which includes their lone series meeting against Duke at Cameron Indoor, 60-44 in a game the Blue Devils made just 2 of 16 from behind the arc!!!
That Under is part of Duke's current 8-2 mark their last 10 games. True, one of the Overs came this past weekend when they scored 87-points against Rhode Island.
These teams are no strangers to one another, and the Under is 4-2 the past 6 meetings in ACC action since 2014, so do not expect many new "wrinkles" from either Coach Boeheim or Coach K. Do expect the baskets to be contested, and do expect them to come at a slow enough pace that keeps this Sweet 16 meeting Under the posted price.
First team to 50 wins!
Syracuse-Duke Under.
3* SYRACUSE-DUKE UNDER
Tommy Brunson
My comp play for Friday comes in the NBA as I play Denver and Washington to combine to play Over the posted total.
The Nuggets have played Over the total in their last pair of games on their current 7-game road swing, and the over for Denver is also on an overall 8-3 Over clip their last 11 games contested.
On the other side of the round-ball, the Wizards saw their 4-game Over streak snapped as they were held to only 90-points in their loss at San Antonio earlier this week.
The first meeting this season way back in October between the teams did hold Under, but 4 of the last 6 series meetings overall have played Over the total.
Look for the points to pile up in this Friday night Denver-Washington meeting in D.C.
2* DENVER-WASHINGTON OVER
Eric Schroeder
Time for the Portland Trail Blazers to get back to their winning ways. Their 13-game win streak was brought to a halt by the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Tonight the Blazers will bounce back with a win over the visiting Boston Celtics.
Portland has everything working perfectly right now, and even a loss to the Rockets won't slow things down. Houston is probably the best team right now - until Golden State gets healthy - so understandably, the Blazers fell short.
The Celtics are on the road for the first of four road games after playing a sandwich game in Boston following two road tilts, in Orlando and New Orleans. The C's have lost three of five, and in playing their fourth game in as many cities over eight days, this is a bad spot for them.
But a great spot for Portland, which will be out to avenge Tuesday's loss to the Rockets.
Take Portland.
2* TRAIL BLAZERS
Jack Brayman
My free play run is now at 47-37-2.
On Tuesday, the Portland Trail Blazers lost a marathon of a game with the Houston Rockets, 115-111. Earlier that night, the Boston Celtics rallied from being down six with 24 seconds left to overcome Oklahoma City, 100-99.
The Trail Blazers, who have gone over in four of their last five after two days rest, will be looking to avenge the loss, and Boston will be oozing momentum from its win over the Thunder.
This will be an exciting game, as the Blazers have won 18 of their last 20 at Moda Center, and love to run. The number is low because of Boston's defense, but given the Celtics are on the road, they're going to have to adapt to Portland's speed and adjust to an offensive scheme.
Boston, which has carried momentum into games that follow victories and comes in with a 5-2 over streak in those situations, has scored in triple digits in 10 of its last 13 games.
Play this one high, as we're in for a dandy.
4* OVER Celtics-Trail Blazers
Jimmy Boyd
Mar 23 '18, 9:35 PM in 9h
NCAA-B | Syracuse vs Duke
Play on: UNDER 133½ -105
Free pick n Syracuse/Duke UNDER
I'm recommending a play on the UNDER in Friday's Sweet 16 action between Duke and Syracuse. Duke has put on an offensive clinic in their first two games of the Tournament, as they put up 89 on Iona and 87 on Rhode Island. Both games combined for at least 149 points.
What will get overlooked by a lot of the public is just how great the Blue Devils were defensively. Duke held Iona to 67 points and Rhode Island to 62. Those are two really good offensive teams that like to push the pace. They also don't have the size to make things difficult on Duke defensive, which is why I think we are going to see a much lower output from the Blue Devils against the Orange.
Syracuse knows that it doesn't have the offensive fire-power to win games in a shootout, which is why they have been playing at a snails pace in the tournament. They want to limit the number of possessions and try and get their opponent out of sync. It worked to perfection in their last game, as they beat Michigan St 55-53. The game before that they held TCU to 52 and Arizona St to 56.
Let's also not overlook the earlier meeting in conference play. Duke really had to grind out a 60-44 win (Orange hung around for most of the game). That game had a combined 104 points, which is basically 30-points below the total here. I could see a little more offense, but not by much, as these are two of the best defensive teams in the country. Take the UNDER!
Jack Jones
Mar 23 '18, 10:05 PM in 10h
NBA | Celtics vs Blazers
Play on: Blazers -6½ -107 at 5Dimes
Jack’s Free Pick Friday: Portland Trail Blazers -6.5
The Boston Celtics are pretty much locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are 4.5 games behind the Raptors and 6.5 games ahead of the third-place Cavs. They don’t have much to play for as a result with just 11 games to go.
That’s why they have been content sitting three starters due to injury. They are playing without Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown right now. They have lost three of their last five coming in and were extremely fortunate to beat the Thunder at home last time out, trailing by 5 with 24 seconds left and pulling out a miracle.
The Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They are 13-1 SU & 12-2 ATS in their last 14 games overall. Their only loss came to the Houston Rockets by 4 points last time out. Now they’ve had two days off since that loss and will be rested and ready to start a new streak at home tonight.
Portland is 9-0 ATS in its last nine games vs. a team with a winning record. The Blazers are 18-2 SU & 18-2 ATS in their last 20 home games. Bet the Blazers Friday.
Cappers Club
Mar 23 '18, 9:55 PM in 10h
NCAA-B | Texas Tech vs Purdue
Play on: OVER 137 -110
Texas Tech vs Purdue Over 137
This play just missed out on our premium card. The Purdue Boilermakers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders face off on Friday and in this game the over has the value.
For the Boilermakers, they are a team that likes to push the pace and over the last five games they are averaging 75.2 points per game.
They will be facing a Red Raiders team who has struggled at times against teams who like to push the pace like the Jayhawks.
In this game it will be a close game, but the Boilermakers will be able to push the pace and that will push it to the over.
Back the Over.
5* FREE Cappers Club Pick
Good Luck, Cappers Club.
Mike Williams
Mar 23 '18, 7:05 PM in 7h
MLB | Nationals vs Marlins
Play on: Marlins +103 at 5Dimes
1* on Marlins +103
Ricky Tran
Mar 23 '18, 7:05 PM in 7h
NCAA-B | Clemson vs Kansas
Play on: Kansas -4 -106 at pinnacle
Ricky's Free play on the Kansas Jayhawks -4:
Key Angle: It's important to remember that Ricky never makes a bet on any game based on just one angle. In order to make the grade, all his premium picks must meet several important criteria. He doesn't share all his secrets within his analysis, instead he chooses to reveal only the angle that he feels is the most significant. In this game there is no doubt that the recent play of Kansas is particularly significant. The Jayhawks come in as winners of nine of their last 10, and they have covered the spread in seven of those nine wins. Clemson is coming off a blowout win over Auburn, and that might set them up for a let down here in the Sweet 16.
Key Trends:
- The Tigers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 versus the Big 12.
- The Jayhawks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 versus the Atlantic Coast.
- The Jayhawks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 NCAA Tournament games.
Verdict: Take Kansas -4
Mark Wilson
Mar 23 '18, 7:25 PM in 7h
NCAA-B | West Virginia vs Villanova
Play on: West Virginia +5 -102 at 5Dimes
West Virginia
Marc Lawrence
Mar 23 '18, 7:05 PM in 7h
NBA | Clippers vs Pacers
Play on: Pacers -3 -105 at 5Dimes
Play - Indiana Pacers (Game 852).
Edges - Pacers: 7-2 ATS L9 games in this series… Clippers: 3-6 ATS when not off a double-digit loss this season and facing a non-conference foes… With the Pacers off a loss and the Clippers off a 22-point win, we recommend a 1* play on Indiana. Thank you and good luck as always.
Dave Price
Mar 23 '18, 8:05 PM in 8h
NBA | Bucks vs Bulls
Play on: Bucks -5 -108 at 5Dimes
Dave’s Friday Free Play:
1* on Milwaukee Bucks -5
The Key: The Milwaukee Bucks will be without Giannis tonight, but they have enough to get the win and cover against the tanking Bulls tonight. The Bulls are resting all of their best players. They have lost 3 in a row coming in, including an 18-point loss at New York and a 33-point home loss to Denver in their last two games. If that’s not the sign of a tanking team I don’t know what is. The Bucks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. Take Milwaukee.
Stephen Nover
Mar 23 '18, 8:05 PM in 8h
NBA | Bucks vs Bulls
Play on: Bucks -5 -101 at 5Dimes
Who is the worst team in the NBA right now? As bad as the Suns, Grizzlies and Hawks are, my choice is the Bulls. This wouldn't be the case if the Bulls were healthy. But without their three best players - Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine - the Bulls are a JV team. And a bad one at that. The Suns at least have Devin Booker. The Grizzlies have Marc Gasol. The Hawks have Dennis Schroder. Who do the Bulls have left? This is Chicago's starting lineup: Cameron Payne, Justin Holiday, Denzel Valentin, Paul Zipser and Cristian Felicio. That reads more like a law office than a starting NBA roster. Denver was 11-23 on the road and minus its leading scorer, Gary Harris, when it played the Bulls at United Center two days ago. The Nuggets won by 33 points. The Bucks aren't likely to have Giannis Antetokounmpo for this game. Antetokounmpo suffered a sprained ankle in the Bucks' last game this past Wednesday. The Bucks don't need their star player, however, to bury the Bulls. Milwaukee still will have the three best players on the court in Kris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Jabari Parker. The Bucks also have the far superior bench. Now let's come to motivation, which is crucial at this late juncture of the season. The Bucks are clinging to a playoff spot. They can't afford a loss to the lowly Bulls. Not with a home game on tap against the Spurs followed by a four-game West Coast trip. There's no guarantee either that Antetokonumpo will return to the lineup soon. So the Bucks aren't going to screw around here. They will rally around their superstar being out and easily defeat this patsy. Chicago's incentive? Below the surface it's to increase its chances of getting a higher draft lottery pick. That's why the Bulls aren't in any rush to get their best players back on the court. It's why they are playing 10 people, but not veteran Robin Lopez, their best center. This series has a road team bias, too, with the visitor covering the past six times. (Editor's note: Stephen Nover is one of the top NBA 'cappers in North America and has a special 2-for-1 discount package going in the NBA today in addition to this free selection.)
Ray Monohan
Mar 23 '18, 7:05 PM in 7h
NCAA-B | Clemson vs Kansas
Play on: Kansas -5 -105 at 5Dimes
Kansas -5
Kansas holds a nice edge on Clemson here Friday night, making them worth a flyer in this spot.
The Jayhawks situationally are in such a nice spot.
For starters, they have dominated the ACC as of late. The Jayhawks enter Friday 5-1 ATS in their last 6 against the conference. That dominance comes from their depth and ability to really control the paint, something ACC teams lack of doing.
Along with that, Clemson has been a struggle against the Big 12. The Tigers have gone 0-4 ATS in their last 4 against the conference.
Some trends to note. Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. Jayhawks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 NCAA Tournament games.
Look for Kansas to really dominate inside, getting Clemson on edge early.
Back Kansas.
Good Luck, Razor Ray.
Friday 5* FREE CBB ATS Play