Thursday 12/26/19 thread for free handicapping service plays and expert predictions for NFL, NCAAF, & NBA games
Steve Janus
Dec 26 '19, 7:35 PM in 10h
NBA | Knicks vs Nets
Play on: Knicks +7½ -104 at Pinnacle
1* Free Sharp Play on Knicks +7½ -104
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Ray Monohan
Dec 26 '19, 10:35 PM in 13h
NBA | Blazers vs Jazz
Play on: Jazz -5½ -105 at Pinnacle
Jazz -5.5
The Portland Trail Blazers 14-17 (13-16-2 ATS) make the trek over to Utah on Thursday night for a nice western conference matchup vs. the Utah Jazz. 18-12 (12-17-1 ATS) This game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. PT at Vivint Smart Home Arena. As far as injuries are concerned Rip City will be without Nurkic, Hood and Collins. For Utah they'll be missing Conley. I'm pretty sure Clarkson will be playing.
Last game out Utah lost 107-104 to the Miami Heat on Monday. Wit h that loss the Jazz saw its five-game winning streak come to an end. The Blazers had their four game winning streak snapped against a team that had lost 14 of their last 15 as they lost to the Pelicans 102-94 at the Moda Center on Monday.
The 3-ball is going to be the difference maker in this game. Last game out for PDX Lillard had his worst 3-point shooting performance of the season, and as a team PDX was 13.8% from three-point range against the Pelicans. The Jazz on the other hand shoot really well at home, and their 11-3 home record is proof of this. Throw in the fact that big man Rudy Gobert shooting 67% from the field this season (1st in the NBA) and you have a nice recipe for a W.'
An added bonus will be if Jordan Clarkson suits up. He averaged 14PPG in 29 games off the bench for the Cavs and he will slot in as the backup behind Mitchell. These two teams are both a lot different than the 2018 matchups and I like the Jazz more this year.
Some trends to consider. Portland are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games against an opponent in the Western conference. Utah are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games, and 7-2 SU in their last 9 games against an opponent in the Western conference.
The Jazz split the series with PDX in 2018/19 2-2. These two teams have split their last 12 meetings 6-6. But tonight I'm on the Jazz -5.5.
Play Jazz -5.5.
Good Luck, Razor Ray.
Thursday 5* FREE NBA ATS Play
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Mike Wynn
Free Pick: Detroit -6 Over Washington
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Razor Sharp
YOUR RAZOR SHARP FREE PICK FOR THURSDAY: WASHINGTON/DETROIT UNDER the total of 231
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Totals4U
Thursday's Free Selection: New York Knicks/Brooklyn Nets under 221
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Roz Wins
Roz's THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2019 Free Pick
CFB
12/26 01:00 PM Take : (224) LOUISIANA TECH
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Atlantic Sports
Thursday's Free Selection from Atlantic Sports: Minnesota + 5
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#1 Sports
Thursday's Free Selection: Utah Jazz - 5 1/2
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Platinum Plays
Your Free Pick: the Washington/Detroit Game OVER 231 Points
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Sharp Bettor
SharpBettor FREE Play Thursday, December 26, 2019
CFB
12/26 05:00 PM CF (225) PITTSBURGH VS (226) EASTERN MICHIGAN
Take : E.Michigan
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Easy Money Sports
Lee's Free Thursday Selection Is
SACRAMENTO -4
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Nevada Sharpshooter
Your free winner for Thursday : WASHINGTON +6 over Detroit
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Golden Dragon
FREE WINNER for Thursday
Detroit -6' NBA
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Hawkeye Sports
Thursday's Free Pick: Carolina Hurricanes - 170 (plays Friday)
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Huddle Up Sports
Free Play: NY Knicks +7 NBA
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Arthur Ralph
Free Play THURS Det Pistons -6
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Vegas Steam Line
Your free winner for Thursday: NEW YORK/BROOKLYN UNDER the total of 221
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High Stakes Syndicate
Free Selection for Thursday: Utah Jazz - 5 1/2
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Kenny Towers
Your Free Pick for Thursday: Washington/Detroit UNDER 231
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Stephen DeAngelo
For Thursday’s freebie, take the OVER in the Quick Lane Bowl between Pitt and Eastern Michigan from Ford Field in Detroit.
No doubt this is a classic contrast in styles, with Pitt’s stellar defense (17 points, 203 yards per game allowed) butting heads with Eastern Michigan’s explosive offense (30.3 points, 428 yards per game). But rather than focus on the season in total, I prefer to focus on recent form. When you do that, you see that the Panthers’ defense struggled down the stretch, surrendering point totals of 27 (North Carolina), 28 (Virginia Tech and 26 (Boston College) in their final three games.
Pitt also got lit up for 30 points by Virginia, 34 by UCF and 30 by Duke. In fact, except for Penn State (17 points allowed), the Panthers were average at best against the better offenses they faced.
Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan scored 42, 45 and 26 points in its final three games and was involved in one shootout after another this season. The Eagles’ lowest-scoring game this year was a 29-23 loss to Ball State (52 total points). Eastern Michigan’s other 12 games had combined point totals of 53, 55, 65, 63, 58, 61, 71, 54, 56, 62 and 60. In other words, the total in this game is a field goal lower than the lowest-scoring game the Eagles played all year! In fact, this could end up being EMU’s low-water game of 2019 and still go over the total if it lands on 50 or 51.
Finally, this bowl game will be played in the comforts of a dome, so there won’t be any weather elements affecting the passing game. That’s good news for Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass III (2,858 passing yards, 22 passing TDs, 7 rushing TDs) and Panthers gunslinger Kenny Pickett (2,737 passing yards, 11 passing TDs, 2 rushing TDs).
Throw in the usual offensive trickery, fourth-down gambles and wide-open play you usually see in these mid-level bowl games, and this one should clear 50 points by the middle of the fourth quarter.
4* OVER the total
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Bob Valentino
That is the case tonight in the Quick Lane Bowl when 7-5 Pittsburgh takes on 6-6 Eastern Michigan.
I know that the oddmakers are not stupid, so while the Panthers come in at 2-6-1 against the spread their last 9 as a double-digit favorite and while the Eagles are 6-1 as a double-digit underdog - that loss coming early this year at Kentucky 38-17 as the +15 1/2 point underdog - I am going to lay it with Pitt as they look to win their first bowl game under 5th year coach Pat Narduzzi and end a 4 game bowl drought that dates back to 2013 when they beat another MAC team on this very field in the Little Caesar's Bowl.
Pitt did lose their final 2 games of the regular season, as they were shutout at Virginia Tech and they lost at home to Boston College. While the Panthers have been offensively-challenged, quarterback Kenny Pickett is not a bum and Pittsburgh's top receiver Taysir Mack is expected to be back from his ankle injury to help secure the win for the bowl-starved Panthers.
The real key though to why I am willing to lay the wood is the Pittsburgh defense which finished just outside of the top ten for the regular season and was ranked # 1 in the ACC with 49 quarterback sacks. They also held opponents to over 90 yards below their season average which was good for # 9 in the FBS stats.
That means that EMU quarterback Mike Glass better be on his game for the Eagles if they wish to stay in this game, let alone stay inside of the impost. True, Ford Field is less than 40 miles from Eastern's home base in Ypsilanti, but have you ever seen Rynearson Stadium filled up for any of EMU's MAC home games? There won't be much of a home-field advantage for Chris Creighton's team at all tonight.
Coming into this year's bowl season, teams out of the MAC were just 9-32 straight up in bowl play - Eastern contributing with a loss in their bowl game last season, and also a loss back in 2016 under Creighton - but to the MAC's credit they are off to a 2-1 start to this year's bowl season. I Can't go for that mark to improve tonight though, as I see EMU losing touch in this game.
Narduzzi is itching to break his bowl maiden, and I think he gets it convincingly as the Panthers defense swings the tide and aids their offense with a few short fields to work with as Pitt wins by 13 or 14 points tonight in the Motor City.
2* PITTSBURGH
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Mitchell Newman
Thursday comp play out of the NBA on the Kings as the home favorite over the Timberwolves.
Minnesota has really struggled in the month of December, as they come into this game having dropped every game played so far this month - 0-11 straight up - and the points have not been of much help, as Minny is just 1-9-1 against the spread in those 11 losses.
Sacramento is also entering play tonight on a bit of a slide, as the Kings have followed a 4-1 straight up run with losses in each of their last 4.
I say back the Kings to be the team that breaks their slide first though, as the T-Wolves will be playing once again without Karl-Anthony Towns who is hampered by a knee injury.
These teams split their 4 season series meetings a season ago, as the home team was able to win and cover in all 4 of the meetings.
Home team to dominate once again tonight.
Kings minus the points to hand the Timberwolves their 12 straight loss.
3* SACRAMENTO
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