Marc Lawrence
Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors
Raptors host the Pistons in an Eastern Conference clash north of the border knowing they are 15-8-1 ATS as a dog in this series, including 5-1 when playing off back-to-back losses. With Detroit looking dead ahead to a revenge rematch at home against the Cavaliers on Friday, look for Toronto to grab their revenge here tonight.Good luck - Marc Lawrence.
Play on: Toronto
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild
Prediction: Edmonton Oilers
Reason: The Oilers are one of the league's hottest team's having won 12 of their last 15 games. Edmonton is 8-3 in their last 11 games following a win. The Oilers have won 4 of their last 5 games on the road and vs. a team with a winning record. Minnesota is 3-8 in their last 11 games. The Wild are 2-6 in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning record. Edmonton has won the last 2 meetings and will get that much closer to a playoffs spot with tonight's two-points. Play on the Oilers +.
The Prez
Boston Red Sox @ Oakland Athletics
Boston's extra inning victory over Oakland on Tuesday makes them the the winner of the final 2007 game, and the winner of the first official 2008 contest. What the Red Sox really want is to be the team to win the final game of 2008, which means they would be the first organization to defend a World Championship, since the Yankees won three straight in the late 90's.
Left-handed cancer survivor John Lester will look to earn the Boston Red Sox a two-game sweep in Tokyo when he takes the pill to the hill against Rich Harden and the A's.
Lester has two career starts against Oakland, both no decisions with a modest 4.82 ERA. The A's got to Lester last September forcing him off the mound before the fifth inning. The oft-injured Harden is just trying to stay healthy, and do it for a full season. The hard-throwing right-hander has recorded but 13 games the last two years; and while the Red Sox have little history with Harden -- Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are a combined 6-for-7 with three walks, four home runs and eight RBIs in their careers against Harden.
The A's started 0-2 last season for the first time since 1998, while Boston hasn't won its first two since 1999.
The OVER is 8-2-2 in Red Sox last 12 vs. American League West.
The OVER is 4-0 in Athletics last 4 games vs. a left-handed starter, 10-1-2 in Athletics last 13 vs. American League East; 5-1 in Athletics last 6 during game 2 of a series.
Hunter Wendelstedt is behind the plate and his strikezone is a much better fit for the Boston left-hander, but Lester isn't experienced or savvy enough to overcome any lack of command when it strikes.
Play is OVER the Total of 9.5 with Lester and Harden listed
Bryan Leonard
Boston Red Sox @ Oakland Athletics
PICK: Boston Red Sox
We said it on Monday and we'll say it again today, this is a cheap line considering the overall talent on both these clubs. Boston is the defending champions while Oakland is a young rebuilding team without power or a proven ace. Sure Rich Harden has been good when he is healthy, but he has pitched just 46.2 innings in 2006, 25.2 innings in 2007 and 17 innings this spring. While we know you can't draw too many conclusions from spring training, Harden has allowed 27 base runners in his 17 innings this year. The linesmaker is treating him as though he is fully recovered, but we're not buying what the linesmaker is selling.
Boston pitching coach John Farrell stated earlier that John Lester could be a 15 game winner for the Sox this year, and we agree. Especially when you consider that Curt Schilling may be done. With the offensive stats the Red Sox will accumulate and pitcher worth his salt could win 12 games this season.
Once again we get the much better offensive team with comparable starting pitching. Oakland will likely be without closer Houston Street who had to go 1.2 innings yesterday in the opener. Beyond Street the Oakland bullpen is nothing special. Boston on the other hand is loaded in the back end of the bullpen which will give them a significant edge all season long. Big Papi has a solid but short history against Harden, off an 0-4 day we expect Ortiz to bounce back today.
PLAY BOSTON
VEAS EXPERTS
Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets
Minnesota, in off a 114-93 home win over New York, is 6-3 S/U and 5-4 ATS its last nine games. But it is also 11-23 ATS in road games off a home win over the last 3 seasons. It has had problems in Houston, losing the last two by 28 and 31 points. Houston has lost three-of-five and is 1-4 ATS since the end of its long winning streak but is 64-32 ATS after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread since 1996.
Play on: Houston
James Patrick Sports
Hornets vs. Cavaliers
It will be an emotional night at Quickin Loans Arena as the Cleveland Franchise pays tribute to longtime announcer Joe Tait as he calls his 3,000th Cavs game. The home team has also won and cashes in the past three series meetings. Our Wednesday selection is Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA action.
Alex Smart
Game: Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
Prediction: Phoenix Suns
The powerful Boston Celtics (55-15) have hit a speed bump, of late, as is evident by losing 2 straight games , and will be primed for a rebound performance here tonight against a equally motivated Phoenix Suns( 47-23) team that had a 7 game win streak ,snapped last time out in OT to the Detroit Pistons. Bottom line: The Suns need wins to retain their current western conference place in the standings, as they head towards the play offs. While the Celtics are a little more relaxed with the No.1 seed in East a certainty. With that said, I expect the run and gun Suns, to bring it all tonight, and wont go down without a fierce fight , making getting points golden. Final notes & Key Trends: The road team has covered 8 of the L/9 in this series, with the Suns covering 5 straight in Boston. The Celtics have failed to cover 5 of their L6 as 5 to 10.5 point favorites. The Suns are 12-4 ATS off a straight up loss. Play on the Phoenix Suns to cover
VEGAS SPORTS PICS
Ohio State Buckeyes - 8 over Dayton Flyers
Ohio State is 65-6 in home games under coach Matta off handily defeating a decent Cal team 73-56 in the second round on Monday night.
Mississippi Rebels + 8 over (at) Virginia Tech Hokies
Mississippi ranks 18th in the nation in scoring and 19th in rebounding margin. The Rebels are 5-1 ATS last six games vs. above .500 teams.
Stephen Nover
Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics
PICK: under
REASON FOR PICK: The Phoenix Suns have a great offense, ranking second in the league behind Golden State averaging 110 points a game.
But let's get something straight here. The Suns are not a great offensive team on the road when matched against an elite defense. Phoenix is averaging four less points per game on the road than at home.
The Suns have gone 'over' in 23 of their 36 home contests, but their road 'over/under' mark is 17-17. The Suns were held to 96 points during regulation on Monday by Detroit during their last game.
The Pistons rank No. 2 in the NBA defensively, giving up 91 points per game. Boston rates No. 1, yielding just 90.4 points per contest. The Celtics are sure to have their defensive intensity up after losing two in a row, including an embarrassing home loss on Monday to Philadelphia as a nine-point favorite.
The Celtics have gone 'under' the total in seven of their last nine matchups. They have gone 'under' 59 percent of the time at home this season.
It's a revenge spot, too, for Boston. The Suns defeated the Celtics in Phoenix on Feb. 22, 85-77. It was Phoenix's strongest defensive game of the season. The combined 162 points went 'under' the 216 1/2-point closing total by a whooping 54 1/2 points.
I like Boston, too, in this spot. But the Suns are playing too well for me to recommend laying this many points. The best investment is on the 'under' considering the situation, previous matchup and the tendencies of the two teams.
Sportsbettingstats
Dayton Flyers (23-10) at Ohio State Buckeyes (21-13)
Dayton comes into this quarterfinal NIT match up after beating Illinois State 55-48, while Ohio State beat California 73-56. Both these teams have something to prove in the NIT, as they both thought they were snubbed for the Big Dance. Dayton was 23-10, but only .500 (8-8) in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton is out to prove that the A-10 is a legit conference and should be more recognized in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. There were 6 teams in the conference with at least 20 wins and only half got into the Big Dance. Ohio State thought they should be in the main attraction as well going 21-13 in the Big 10, but losing 5 of their last 9 did not impress the NCAA selection committee. Dayton is led by their Guard play, as Brian Roberts (18.4 ppg) and Marcus Johnson (10.1 ppg) lead the Flyers. In their win against Illinois State the main man was Roberts with 16 points, who led all scorers in the game. In that game the Flyers shot 17/40 for a field goal percentage of 42.5%. Dayton also out rebounded Illinois State 33-32.On defense is where Dayton won the game holding Illinois State to only 21/62 shooting for a field goal percentage of 33.9%. Ohio State is a low scoring defensive team. In their win over California Guard Jamar Butler was the go to guy for the Buckeyes going for a game high 20 points. In their win over Cal the Buckeyes shot an even 50% field goal percentage shooting 29/50 and out rebounded Cal 34-29. On defense, the Buckeyes strong suit, they held Cal to 23/57 for a field goal percentage of 40.4%.
Staff Pick: The Buckeyes are in the Big 10, which is known as a tough defensive conference, but out of the Big 10 and in the NIT the Buckeyes have dropped 84 points and 73 points in their first two games of the tournament, so you know they have some legit offensive weapons. Dayton only managed 55 points against Illinois State, who are not nearly as good on the defensive end as Ohio State. For Dayton to have any shot in this game their Guards will have to shoot lights out and drain a lot of 3-pointers. They do not have the size to bang it down low with the Buckeyes. If Ohio State continues to play like they have been the previous two tournament games they will be sitting pretty in the semifinals. Look for the Buckeyes to stifle the Flyers defensively and easily win this game in front of their home crowd.
Buckeyes 74 Flyers 55
Jim Feist.
MIA Heat and NY Knicks.
Take " MIA Heat"
The Knicks are a favorite? Yes, considerable chalk. They take on a Miami team that has some kids who are playing hard, as the Heat beat the Bucks for the second time in six days. Miami is 6-3-1 ATS the last 10 games. "The guys playing right now, we have a lot of pride," Miami G Chris Quinn said of the Heat. NY is 4-8 SU, 2-9 ATS as chalk and 14-22 ATS at home. Play the Heat!
Dave Cokin.
WAS Wizards and SEA Sonics.
Take "WAS Wizards".
The Wizards have gotten hot since Caron Butler returned to action. They tossed in a big clunker Tuesday at Portland, but I'll look for Washington to get right back on the beam Wednesday night as they move on to Seattle. The Sonics finally got a win last game, but they're awful and I look for them to regress to their norm tonight. Wizards minus the points."
Cajun-Sports
Game: Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics
Line: Boston Celtics -5.5
Rating: THREE-Star (Selections rated from 1 to 6 units)
Selection: BOSTON CELTICS -5.5
Analysis: This game will be a rematch of a February 22nd contest that took place in the desert and the Suns actually handed the Celtics their first three-game losing streak of the season, in fact the only three-game losing streak the Celtics have had this season when they lost 85 to 77. The Suns were able to take advantage of the fact that Boston was playing their third West Coast game in four days. Tables are turned on the Suns now as they enter off a Saturday game against Houston and a road game against a very physical Pistons team on Monday night. We also note that the Celtics have lost only one home game this season to a Western Conference opponent and they will make sure the Suns don?t make it two. The Suns are catching the Celtics in a tough situation for them because Boston is coming in off two SU/ATS losses one was a road game in New Orleans and the other was their first game home after their West Coast road swing which saw them go a perfect 3-0 thru the Texas Triangle before losing to New Orleans in their last road contest before returning home. Our search for technical support has found significant advantages for the Celtics in this contest. We know the Celtics are 14-6 ATS versus teams who outscore their opponents by 3 or more per game. Boston is 22-8 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points, 35-17 ATS off a home loss over the last 3 seasons, 47-33 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons, 19-9 ATS in March games over the last 2 seasons. The Celtics are also 87-61-3 ATS off a home game with a line range of 5 to 8 points in their current contest. When Boston losses both SU/ATS & goes Under at home and now involved in a game with a line range of 5 to 8 points they are 20-9-1 ATS. If they are coming in off a SU/ATS loss where they went under the posted total and are now installed as a home favorite with a line range of 5 to 8 points they are 12-3 ATS. Boston?s defensive prowess which has them currently ranked at the top of the league and the Suns inability to play defense which has them ranked 27th makes a very difficult situation for the Suns to cover the number much less win. The situational, technical, motivational and fundamental advantages are too much for the Suns to overcome so we will lay the short number here as the Celtics get the win and cover on Wednesday night.
ARMVIN SPORTS
NHL LOS ANGELES at ANAHEIM Over 5.5
Insider Sports Report
4* Memphis/Sacramento OVER 216
Range 214.5 to 218
3* Bradley/Virginia OVER 153.5
Range 151.5 to 155.5
3* Dayton/Ohio St. OVER 125.5
Range 123.5 to 127.5
MATT FARGO
PICK: Seattle SuperSonics
REASON FOR PICK: Portland came in here on Monday and lost by 13 points as an eight-point chalk and now Washington comes in asking to lay almost as much. What makes the Wizards this good? Sure they are two-games over .500 and sitting in 5th place in the playoff race. Last time I checked however, they are from the pitiful Eastern Conference so being two games over .500 is pretty bad actually as if they were from the Western Conference, they would be in 11th place with no chance at a playoff berth.
I was on Seattle Monday and am on the Sonics again for very much the same reasons. Washington has won just 15 road games this season which is only four more than what Seattle has won at home. The Wizards lost by 20 points at Portland last night and that was with Brandon Roy playing only 14 minutes. Prior to the win over the Blazers, the Sonics had dropped 11 in a row but only two of those games were at home so the recent struggles were attached to a significant time of playing on the road.
Previous to last night’s blowout loss, Washington was playing well with six wins in its prior seven games but four of those came by single digits while another came in overtime so it certainly was not dominating anyone. Going back to the first meeting between these two teams this season shows a huge disparity. The Wizards were favored by 8.5 points in that meeting and they are close to that number again here but this time on the road. Washington has gone 19-19 since then so there is not a lot of reasoning for this number.
The Wizards are 6-10 in the second game of a back-to-back set this season and that includes a 0-3 record when both games are road games. Those three road losses in the second game have come by an average of 14.3 ppg. Seattle is a solid 9-1 ATS in its last 10 against good ball control teams that turn it over fewer than 14 times per game. This number is in a good range as the Sonics are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog between five and 10.5 points. Play Seattle Supersonics 1 Unit