Ben Burns
9* Houston -9
The Raptors managed a victory at Dallas last time out. They were fortunate to catch the Mavericks without Dirk Nowitski though. I expect them to find things far more difficult tonight.
The Rockets lost last game. That was against a red hot Miami team though. Prior to that, they'd won eight straight games here. The average margin of victory was 10.8 points.
The Raptors are severely banged-up right now. They'll be without Bargnani, Stojakovic and Evans and they've got several other players who are less than 100% and/or who are gametime decisions.
Note that Bargnani had 26 points against the Rockets when these teams met in Toronto.
Even when healthy, this isn't a good role for the Raptors. They're 7-13-1 ATS (2-19 SU) the last 21 times that they were listed as road underdogs in the +6.5 to +9 range.
During that stretch, the Rockets were 13-9-1 ATS (19-4 SU) when listed as home favorites in the -6.5 to -9 range. That includes a 3-0 ATS mark their last three in that situation. The Rockets are also already 16-7 ATS when facing teams which allow more than 99 points per game. They've dominated the Raptors here over the years and beat them by 24 here last season. Playing with 'revenge,' I expect them to continue their strong homecourt play, as they close out 2010 with another double-digit victory.
Rocketman
3* Vancouver -115
Vancouver has won 7 of their last 8 games overall while Dallas has lost 3 of their last 4. Canucks are 5-0 in their last 5 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. Canucks are 6-0 in their last 6 games as a road favorite. Canucks are 6-1 in their last 7 vs. Western Conference. Canucks are 5-1 in their last 6 road games. Canucks are 5-1 in their last 6 games following a win. Canucks are 13-3 in their last 16 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game. Canucks are 4-1 in their last 5 games as a road favorite of -110 to -150. Canucks are 4-1 in their last 5 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game. Canucks are 6-2 in their last 8 vs. a team with a winning record. Canucks are 8-3 in their last 11 Friday games. Canucks are 26-10 in their last 36 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game. Canucks are 20-8 in their last 28 overall. Canucks are 7-3 in their last 10 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Canucks are 68-32-2 in their last 102 games playing on 2 days rest. Canucks are 35-17 in their last 52 games as a favorite. Stars are 1-4 in their last 5 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game. Stars are 1-4 in their last 5 home games. Canucks are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings. We'll play Vancouver for 2 DIMES tonight!
Mike Lineback
Lakers/76ers Under
Teddy Covers
Phoenix Suns
Hawaii
DON WALLACE SPORTS
3* FLORIDA ST. +2.5
3* OKLAHOMA CITY -5.5
3* HOUSTON -9
O.C. Dooley
2 Units Florida State +3
Last year this Bowl game produced a 37-14 rout by the Atlantic Coast Conference representative as Virginia Tech dominated Tennessee who operates out of a conference (SEC) that traditionally has been college football’s best. Due to that league’s reputation and the reputation of Steve Spurrier, the SEC representative has been cast as the favorite this evening in what on paper appears to be an “even” game. It was one month ago when both South Carolina and Florida State were dominated in their respective conference championship contests, so both are seeking redemption. The key factor to consider though is that Florida State was WITHOUT their star quarterback Christian Ponder (elbow) in their ACC Conference Championship beating, along with running back Jermaine Thomas (knee). The one month of preparation has allowed two key offensive Florida State cogs to properly heal and I have found out that Ponder has been “throwing bullets” in practice. South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier used to lead a dominant Florida Gators program in the 1990’s when he faced rival Florida State 12 different times. The most recent encounter of Steve Spurrier against the Seminoles was way back in 2001 when his Gators won going away by a 37-13 final count. Normally Pre-New Years Bowl games do not provide this kind of intrigue, but we have an excellent matchup tonight as Florida State finally gets to face Spurrier again, even though Bobby Bowden is no longer the head coach. The new Seminoles leader is Jimbo Fisher who is a now former offensive coordinator and knows how to light up the scoreboard. But it was the hiring of DEFENSIVE coordinator Mark Stoops that grabbed my attention. Stoops helped Arizona rank #25 in total defense a year ago and he was the “secondary coach” for Miami’s 2001 National Championship team that led the country in both pass efficiency defense and scoring defense. In the offseason Florida State also hired now former East Carolina coordinator Greg Hudson as linebacker coach. It was Hudson’s defense that helped East Carolina win back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2008 and 2009. To make a long story short Florida State has an excellent COACHING staff and the team courtesy of a full month off is finally starting to get healthy, especially at the quarterback and running back slots