KBHoops
5* Cincinnati +101 **POD**
5* 2 teamer Kansas City/Yankees +105
5* Whitesoxs -114
4* Detroit -129
Bob Valentino
25 Dime - LA Lakers
Maddux Sports
3 units on LA Lakers -5
Kiki Sports
2* Phillies/Reds Over
Tony Weston
25 Dime Denver
10 Dime Nuggets - Lakers Under
Craig Davis
30 Dime - RANGERS
10 Dime - GIANTS
5 Dime - ROYALS -1.5
Matt Rivers
1. 100,000♦ Nuggets
2. 50,000♦ Phillies
1. Denver clearly was the better team in game one and will once again be the better team today after getting nipped at the wire thanks to a great finishing performance from Kobe Bryant. The Nuggets are the better overall team, I don't care if they are not the top seed like LA or if they are the underdog in the series. George Karl's squad is too talented and too deep with Carmelo, Billups, Nene, Smith, Martin and others.
Sure Kobe is a superstar and can single-handedly win a game as we just saw but I am not at all impressed with the rest of Phil Jackson's squad, I'm just not. Who knows if Lamar Odom or Derek Fisher will show up? Pau Gasol is very good but I do not fully trust him either. Let's not forget how this is basically the same team that crapped in their pants last year in the Finals against the grinding and defensive minded Celtics as LA was overall somewhat mentally weak against Boston. I'm not sure a lot has changed since then and these Nuggets are no-joke.
Denver is going to come out with a vengeance in this game two. They know they should be the team with the 1-0 series lead and are not going to get swept in Staples in these first two games. The Nuggets are going to come out and dominate as they have done for the past few months. The Lakers are too wishy washy right now and really do not have that feeling where they will step on the neck of an opponent.
If the Lakers win this game, which I guess with Kobe and being at home they could, it will not be going away and therefore the handful of points will be enough as the Nuggs continue their unreal run against that number. But to be honest with you I rerally do see Denver walking off the court in a quality outright!
2. I cannot say that I fully trust Joe Blanton at all but Micah Owings is on the exact same level as Blanton and to get the much much much better offense of the Phillies at this cheap price against the decent but far from good Reds makes me all about the visitors.
Throw out the starters as both Owings and Blanton could be alright or could get blasted so that is a wash. But the defending World Champs boast too much pop with Rollins, Utley, Ibanez and Howard to not expect them to get to Owings and take care of business today.
Sure the Reds have been fairly successful thus far in the early going, relatively speaking, but they are by far inferior today in pretty much every category and with the exception of Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips really do not have any pop at all.
The Great American Ballpark is a total hitters' park and to be able to back the hard hitting Fightin' Phils at this price today is a steal that cannot be passed up, period!
SportsOddsAndPicks
NBA Playoffs
Denver at L.A. Lakers OVER 211
Major League Baseball
L.A. Angels +115 (with Saunders) over Seattle
NHL Playoffs
Carolina at Pittsburgh OVER 5.5
Winning Way Sports
4 units on Florida Marlins +110
Anthony Redd
15 Dime Lakers (1st Half)
ATS Lock Club
3 Units Lakers
ATS Financial
3 Units Lakers/Nuggets Over
Dr. Canada
Pens/Canes Over 5.5
Robert Ferringo
1.5-Unit Play. Take Philadelphia (-110) over Cincinnati
1.5-Unit Play. Take San Francisco (-135) over San Diego
1.5-Unit Play. Take Kansas City (-1.5, +110) over Cleveland
2-Unit Play. Take Tampa Bay (-1.5, +110) over Oakland
1-Unit Play. Take Houston (-145) over Milwaukee
Today's Totals
4-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 10.0 Toronto at Boston
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.5 Oakland at Tampa Bay
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 9.0 Milwaukee at Houston
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.5 Arizona at Florida
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.5 Minnesota at Chicago White Sox
Teddy Covers
5* Big Ticket: Orioles / Yankees Over 10.5
3* - Denver Nuggets +6
Matt Fargo
9* MLB DARK HORSE DANDY *100% YTD*
Milwaukee Brewers