Marc Lawrence
San Diego +3
When the Titans host the Chargers Christmas night in Tennessee they will take the field as a 7-7 team trying to secure a playoff spot, despite a horrific 0-6 start to the season. With no less than seven teams sitting on a 7-7 fence heading into Week Fifteen of the 2009 season (six in the AFC), our database tell us these dead-even .500 teams are 'play against' propositions when installed as favorite, gong 2-13 ATS off a win when facing .300 or greater opposition, including 1-8 SU and 0-9 ATS since 1998. To further complicate matters, Tennessee finds itself in the last leg of a 3-game home stand, a role in which hosts are just 31-51 ATS since 1990 when playing off a pair of wins. With the Chargers still battling for home field supremacy in the upcoming playoffs, look for the Chargers to make it 18 straight wins in December while improving to 6-0 ATS in this series here tonight. Take the points with the better team. We recommend a 3-unit play on San Diego.
NORTHCOAST
MARQUEE - OVER 47
Winning Points
Tennessee
Double Dragon
Chargers +3
Kelso
5 Units Magic
4 Units Lakers
3 Units Heat
ATS LOCK CLUB
3* Units Tennessee Titans
Street Rosenthal
*200 San Diego Chargers +3
*200 New York Knicks -2
Trey Scott
*200 College of Charleston +4
Axiumsports
Boston/Orlando UNDER 189
1st Half-Tennessee -1.5
FantasySportsGametime
100* Play Boston (+5.5) over Orlando
Boston has won 13 of the last 14 games and they have also won 17 of the last 21 games when revenging a home loss vs. an opponent. Boston has won 27 of the last 35 games when playing with two days or less of rest and they are averaging over 107 points a game on offense over the last five games.
50* Play Cleveland (+5.5) over LA Lakers
Cleveland has won 13 of the last 14 games after having won two of the last three games and they have also won 4 consecutive games when playing their 4th road game in seven days. Los Angeles has lost 5 of the last 7 games against the spread and they have also lost 18 of the last 26 games against the spread when playing in the month of December.
100* Play UNLV (-3) over USC (TOP NCAA PLAY)
UNLV has won 21 of the last 23 games when playing in the month of December and they have also won 10 of the last 12 games when playing with one day of rest. UNLV has won 9 of the last 10 games coming off a win by 20 points or more and they are averaging over 78 points a game on offense this season.
100* Play Tennessee (-3) over San Diego (TOP NFL PLAY)
Tennessee has won 7 of the last 8 games and they have also covered the spread in 17 of the last 21 games when playing as a home favorite of 3 points or less. Tennessee has won 11 of the last 12 games coming off a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better and they are averaging over 29 points a game at home this season.
Tim Trushel
Tennessee
Brandon Lang
50 DIME - SAN DIEGO CHARGERS - (if 3 you buy the 1/2 and get 3 1/2. if 2 1/2 you buy off the 1/2 to 3) - The dream dies today for the Titans.
Listen, it made for a great story for awhile, but the cold harsh reality about this team from the very beginning was they just weren't a playoff caliber team.
Folks, you don't lose a game in the NFL 59-0 and rally to make the playoffs. Not happening. At least not in my lifetime.
In this 7-1 run to get back to 7-7, the Titans have only played 2 teams who currently have a winning record, Indy and Arizona.
The Dolphins, Jags and Texans are all 7-7 while the Niners, Bills and Rams all have losing records.
Their only loss in this run is against the Colts, who just happen to be the # 1 seed and now they are going to fall to the # 2 seed today.
All this talk about a short week, traveling on Christmas is just that, talk.
Fact of the matter is this is the hottest December team I can remember winning 17 in a row, and 12-0 under head coach Norv Turner.
Bottom line is you can see how attractive the 3 1/2 points are to me tonight.
The only teams the Titans have faced this season that have winning marks are New England, Arizona and Indianapolis twice. The Titans got a miracle win over Arizona while going 0-3 straight-up and against the spread against the Colts and Patriots losing by a combined margin of 117-26.
They can beat the also-rans of the NFL, but not the elite as they are going once again fail miserably against the big boys.
Lastly, against the Chargers, Jeff Fisher comes up short every time as he is 0-5 SU and ATS and tonight you can make that 0-6.
Folks, I have a team that has won 9 in a row getting points and that is good enough for me. Win tonight, wrap up the # 2 seed and rest all your banged up players next week at home against the Redskins.
Sounds good to me.
10 DIME - NEW YORK KNICKS - Like the way this team is playing.
They have won 7 of their last 9 SU, and 6 of 9 against the number, and now catch the Heat on Christmas in the good old Garden.
Heat off a solid win at home over the Jazz but folks, the Jazz have a history of imploding on the road.
This is a Heat team that just finished a 6 game home stand and now takes to the road for the first time since December 6th and on Christmas no less.
Sorry folks but just like the Cavs above, I will force these Christmas road teams to show up and play with 60 minutes of intensity when they wish they were at home like everyone else.
Knicks are the play.
10 DIME - LA LAKERS - Tough spot for the Cavs.
Playing on Christmas against this Lakers bunch is tough on anybody but for a team that lost at Dallas on this road trip who were playing without big Dirk, and struggled at Sacramento, I just don't see them staying inside single digits of LA today.
I mean, you can't handle the Kings? You let them take you to OT? Can I trust you in LA on Christmas? Nope.
The Lakers when motivated, and laying a manageable number are a dangerous animal.
In fact, the Lakers have laid 7 or less only twice this year and covered both destroying the Hornets 104-88 and the Suns 121-102.
That is good enough for me.
FREE SELECTION - DENVER NUGGETS
HALFBETS
SMU v. Northeastern
PICK: SMU +3 1H (5*)
PICK: SMU +6.5 Game (7*)
St Mary CA v. Hawaii
PICK: St Mary CA -7.5 Game (8*)
USC v. UNLV
WE see this game either going in to OT or somewhere in the 65-60 final.
PICK: OVER 122.5 Game (9*) Best Bet of the day
Miami v. NY 12
NY has been on a real roll lately playing the best basketball they have played in a while. Miami rolls in to town on Christmas and a televised event on ESPN. No matter what you can tell me, the Knicks dont deserve to be laying 2.5 to Miami here. I will take the more talented Wade and crew with the points in this one.
PICK: Miami +2.5 Game (9*) Best Bet of the day
PICK: OVER 197.5 Game (6*)
Boston v. Orlando
One team who has been a real thorn in the side of Boston has been Orlando. The come to the sunshine state as a 5 point underdog. Orlando has covered most of the times in the past meetings. The one sticking factor here however is the value prop. You have one of the best teams in the NBA who are 12-1 on the road as an underdog? We will have to take our chances on this one and take the Celtics getting the points.
PICK: Boston +5 Game (7*)
PICK: Boston +2.5 1H (4*)
Cleveland v. LA
Can you say NBA playoffs? This is a just a precursor to what we will see this year in the playoffs. Get ready for one of the best gifts you can get in the NBA on Christmas. LeBron v. Kobe on National TV on Christmas, it just makes our spine tingle. Anyway we would be all over the Cavs here getting the 5.5 but the real factor is the last leg of a 4 game road trip that leads us to jump on the Lakers. WE just think the Lakers will turn up the heat in LA for the visiting Cavs.
PICK: Lakers -5.5 Game (8*)
PICK: UNDER 194 Game (4*)
LA v. Phoenix
PICK: OVER 108.5 1H (7*)
Marc Lawrence
San Diego +3
When the Titans host the Chargers Christmas night in Tennessee they will take the field as a 7-7 team trying to secure a playoff spot, despite a horrific 0-6 start to the season. With no less than seven teams sitting on a 7-7 fence heading into Week Fifteen of the 2009 season (six in the AFC), our database tell us these dead-even .500 teams are 'play against' propositions when installed as favorite, gong 2-13 ATS off a win when facing .300 or greater opposition, including 1-8 SU and 0-9 ATS since 1998. To further complicate matters, Tennessee finds itself in the last leg of a 3-game home stand, a role in which hosts are just 31-51 ATS since 1990 when playing off a pair of wins. With the Chargers still battling for home field supremacy in the upcoming playoffs, look for the Chargers to make it 18 straight wins in December while improving to 6-0 ATS in this series here tonight. Take the points with the better team. We recommend a 3-unit play on San Diego.
IF THIS SYSTEM WORKS, THEN THERE ARE TWO MORE PLAY AGAINST ON SUNDAY--With no less than seven teams sitting on a 7-7 fence heading into Week Fifteen of the 2009 season (six in the AFC), our database tell us these dead-even .500 teams are 'play against' propositions when installed as favorite, gong 2-13 ATS off a win when facing .300 or greater opposition, including 1-8 SU and 0-9 ATS since 1998.
PITT -2-
ATL-9MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL HERE AT THESPREAD AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO BLADE AND MICHAEL FOR EVERYTHNG THEY DO TO HELP US ALL OUT
Wayne Root
Vegas Legend - Tennessee
YANKEE CAPPER
5 Units - San Diego Chargers +3
5 Units - Miami Heat +2
5 Units - Boston Celtics +5
5 Units - LA Lakers -6
5 Units - Portland Trailblazers -1.5