Raging Bull
New Orleans Hornets -2
Pacers / Thunder over 211
Craig Davis
30 Dime - NETS
15 Dime - THUNDER
NEW JERSEY NETS --- Philly might be 24-15 at home, but they’re just 16-20 on the road and they are coming in off the game of their life Saturday… which secured Philly a playoff spot. They trailed Detroit nearly the entire game, which forced HC Tony DiLeo’s hand. He did something he doesn’t like doing, but he told the media after the game he had no choice.
DiLeo kept Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller on the floor the entire second half. No breaks. That rarely happens in the NBA, but coach DiLeo said he figured this was the game “they had to win” in order to lock up the playoff spot. The rest will take care of itself.
So how can the Sixers, a below .500 team on the road, be expected to get back up to that emotion level for this game against lowly New Jersey… a team that has a 2% chance of making the playoffs? How much “legs” will the Sixers have after that intensive, come-from-behind win in the final minutes against Detroit? The answer… very little.
New Jersey might not be playing their best basketball right now, but they do appear to be relatively healthy and they have taken their first two meetings with Philly, albeit they’ve each been decided by two points. Both Philly (on the road) and New Jersey (at home) allow 100 PPG, so don’t be surprised to see this game very close in the first half. However, when all is said and done and the smoke clears, New Jersey will have fresh legs in the fourth quarter while Philly is expected to wear down.
Sixers are just 1-5 ATS in their last six when playing on no games rest while the Nets are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six home games vs. teams with a SU losing road record. Nets are still fighting for whatever miniscule chance they have at the post-season and will give everything they’ve got to gather the SU win. Take the Nets as your top play winner.
OKC THUNDER --- First things first. Indiana is a pitiful road team (10-29). The Pacers have dropped 15 of their last 19 games away from Conseco Fieldhouse and many of those games weren’t even close. For whatever reason, some teams simply can’t win on the road… Indiana is a prime example.
Secondly, the Pacers are not likely to make the playoffs unless they catch fire, win all their remaining games, and hope about four other teams fall completely apart. Is it possible the Pacers make the playoffs? Sure. Is it probable? Not likely. I have a feeling, though I can’t prove it, that Indiana players have finally come to the realization they aren’t going to make the playoffs, no matter what their chances are.
OKC has been a trainwreck recently… I understand that. They’ve dropped four of five and six of their last eight. But I’ve also seen them live, in action, six times this year and I know what they’re fully capable of at home. I watched them beat a very good San Antonio team a few nights ago and despite some of their recent struggles, I still believe this team is on the way to being very good next season.
The nucleus of this team, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook have played better (together) than many thought, and against teams that don’t play defense (allowing over 100 PPG), the Thunder play much, much better. As much as I like Danny Granger, I like Durant, Green and Westy even better.
Thunder wins this game at home in front of a lively Sunday night crowd.
Donnie Black
Black Magic: New Jersey +3
Fairway Jay
Dallas Mavericks -3 / 4 units
Utah Jazz +2.5 / 3 units
Los Angeles Clippers +17 / 3 units
CALIFORNIA SPORTS
4* Rockets
3* Cavaliers
CHARLIES SPORTS
500* Indiana @ Oklahoma City Over 212
30* Toronto -5'
20* Denver @ Minnesota Over 207
20* Oklahoma City -1'
10* Dodgers +125
10* Phillies -130 free play
ROOT
Chairman - Portland
Millionaire - Oklahoma City
NSA
20* New Orleans -2.5
20* Toronto -5
20* Phillies -130
10* Phillies OVER 8.5
10* San Antonio +6.5
10* Portland +4.5
10* Toronto +2.5 free play
Eddie Mush
4* Jazz +2
6* Blazers +4
8* Spurs +6.5
Brandon Lang
15 Dime Trail Blazers - They just keep blowing teams out, and tonight will be no different. Four straight routs, and the Blazers are now on the verge of their first postseason appearance in six years. Portland sits one half-game ahead of Houston for fourth place in the Western Conference and needs a win or a Phoenix loss going into today's action to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
And there is no better time to get hot like this. Portland has won its last four games by a minimum of 20 points, and catch a Houston team that has been inconistent on offense, scoring anywhere from 81 points to as high as 110 over its last five outings. Yet while the Rockets' defense has stepped up lately, they've still lost three of their last four outings.
And with Portland winning four straight and covering eight of their last nine, I don't see any better play except the Blazers in this one tonight.
FREE - New Orleans Hornets
LT Profits
2* New Orleans
Stephen Nover
Charlotte at Detroit Over 174
Two defensive-minded clubs spell a low total to the oddsmaker.. But they've set this total too low.The Pistons are averaging 98.2 points in their last nine games, discounting two offensive clunkers versus the Cavaliers and Lakers.The Bobcats probably aren't going to have their primary defender, Raja Bell. He was carried off the court in the Bobcats' last game with a calf injury.Charlotte has picked up its offense. The Bobcats are averaging 98.6 points in their last 11 games.
Indiana +2
Indiana is on the brink of elimination from making the playoffs. But the Pacers have shown heart and should be motivated for this road matchup.Indiana has covered seven of its past 10 away matchups. Oklahoma City is a young team and its young players are hitting the wall as the long season finally winds down.The Thunder is 2-6 in its last eight games with one of those victories occurring against the Timberwolves. The Thunder has dropped their past four home contests.Oklahoma City's last four losses have been by 35, 19, 16 and 18 points. The Pacers, on the other hand, have been competitive lately against good teams.In their last six games, the Pacers lost 126-121 to the Spurs, beat the Bulls, beat the Wizards by nine, lost on the road to the Bulls by six, defeated the Heat, won at the Bobcats by 25 and lost by two to the Mavericks.The Thunder is bringing up rookie D.J. White and Kyle Weaver from their Tulsa team in the developmental league. Both players are expected to play against the Pacers as coach Scott Brooks wants to give them a chance.The Pacers are the better team and have motivation.
Maddux Sports
Basketball
3 units on Phoenix +3.5
3 units on Indiana +2
3 units on New Jersey +2.5
Hockey
2 units on San Jose +105
Anthony Redd
10 - Dime - Portland Trail Blazers
Mike Lineback
Pistons