BOB BALFE
Houston -6.5 over Oklahoma City
Inside Odds
4* Dime Play - New Jersey Nets +12
2* Best Bet - Phoenix Suns +10.5
3* Late Steam - Boise St / La Tech OVER 50.5
Playbook
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers
Play: Portland -3.5
Trailblazers: 6-2 ATS home vs Spurs, including 3-0 ATS off a SU and ATS loss. 7-1 SU and ATS home off an immediate home loss. Spurs: 2-6 dog on Fridays.
NHL PRO PICKS
Toronto +108
Florida +105
Vancouver +138
Wunderdog
Vancouver Canucks @ Dallas Stars
Pick: 5 units Dallas Stars -150
Dallas has just three true losses in their first 15 games and sit at 6-3-6 for the season. Vancouver is not playing on the road as they did a year ago, coming into this one at just 3-5. That road mark is something the Stars have made quick work of as they have been 74-32-7 when they face a team with a road record of .400 or worse over their last 113! Dallas has never been a place for the Canucks to get healthy either as they are just 4-9 in their last 13 visits in Big D. This has also been a favorite-laden series with the favorite claiming the cash in each of their last four. There are a lot of indicators pointing to a Dallas win here, and a long term trend of nearly 70% is much better than the price offered here. Dallas gets the call.
KEVIN ROGERS
Thunder at Rockets
Pick: Rockets -6
The Rockets have been one of the surprises of the first two weeks, picking up wins over the Blazers and Jazz, while falling by a point to the Lakers in overtime on Wednesday. Houston has proved they can compete and win without Yao Ming and Ron Artest, as the Rockets host the Thunder tonight. Oklahoma City started the season on the right foot, beating the Kings and Pistons. However, Sacramento and Detroit are a combined 3-7 out of the gate. The Thunder slipped up with consecutive home losses against the Blazers and Lakers, despite taking Los Angeles to overtime. Houston beat Oklahoma City all three times last season, with two of the wins coming by double-digits. The Rockets are clearly the more physical team and will handle the Thunder on the inside, while OKC has plenty of problems from the outside, shooting just 30% from beyond the arc. I'll lay the points with the Rockets.
Northcoast
Marquee Boise St Under
5 Dime Sports
NY Islanders @ New Jersey Devils
3.5 Dime Play Take NY Islanders ML Here we have the public hammering the NJ Devils around the 65% range. But guess what the line is moving in favor of the Islanders. If you have been following me then you know I love to go against the public when ever a situational play comes up. These two teams are very even in offensive statistics, but the Islanders have been playing great on the road this season and have not been able to capitalize with wins. They have lost 3 games on the road this year in either over time or shoot out fashion. The Devils haven't been that great at home this season, going 2-4 at home so far with one win coming against Carolina who is struggling to say the least. The Islanders are 4-3 ats on the road this season and 7-1 ats off one days rest. The Devils on the other had are 1-5 ats at home so far and 3-2 ats off one days rest. I like the Islanders to win tonight as they find a way to finish this one out.
NCAAFB
Boise State Over 50.5
NBA
Charlotte +2.5 and under 180.5
Orlando -12 and under 192.5
Washington +1.5 and over 208
Denver and over
BRANDON LANG
15 DIME - BOISE STATE BRONCOS - Going to lay the wood tonight.
In pulling the trigger on this 21 point spread, I just kept coming back to a pair of games that get me on Boise State tonight. It's their 2 battles on the road versus Fresno State and Bowling Green.
At Bowling Green, against the 3rd best passing offense in the country and the leading receiver in the country in Freddie Barnes, Boise flat out destroyed the Falcons to the tune of 49-14.
At Fresno State, against the 5th best rushing attack in the country and 37th best offense overall, they managed to win that game 51-34.
So against 2 teams with top 10 rushing and passing attacks in the country they won by margins of 17 and 35.
Yes, La-Tech has a much better defense than both Fresno and Bowling Green, but it's a defense that has never matched up with Boise State year in and year out.
The last 5 meeting have all been Boise State blowouts by an average margin of 29 points.
Now this year's version of Boise State offensivley is average over 41 points a game and in my mind, they will get to the magical number of 45 which I feel is what they are going to have to get to so they can cover this number.
This is a tired bunch of players at La-Tech.
They traveled across country to Utah State and lost a heartbreaker 23-21. They went back home only to fly cross country again to take on Idaho and lost another heartbreaker 35-34, because their moron of a place kicker missed an extra point on their last TD.
Now back home, with a ton of injuries at key positions across the board, they take on a Broncos team that in front of a national tv audience and BCS implications, will be motivated to take care of business in a very big way.
Can La-Tech play great and cover this number? You bet they can but in no way, shape or form are they the right side of this game.
The Tech offense is going to have to make plays in this football game. An offense ranked 39th running it, 81st passing it. An offense facing a Boise defense ranked 11th in the country stopping the run and the 10th best defense overall.
Tech will not be able to run it. If they are going to cover this number they are going to have to throw and when that happens, you can count on turnovers, of which Boise has forced 19 this year, good for 20th in the country.
Boise hired a PR firm to help them with this BCS mess and if they don't step up tonight and hammer a complete inferior opponent in front of a national tv audience, no PR firm will be able to help them.
They need to dominate this team. Hammer this team. Leave no doubt versus this team. Basically they need to do to this team what they have always done to this team. BLOW THEM OUT.
I will tip my cap to Louisiana Tech if they play great football for 60 minutes and cover this number but for my dollar, I am not going to be on the wong side of a Broncos blowout tonight. NO WAY.
I see Boise State winning this game by 4 touchdowns.
5 DIME - CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - Great spot for the Bobcats against the Hawks tonight.
Atlanta comes into this game off a 3-game west coast road trip, and I expect them to be a step slow tonight against a fired up Bobcats team tonight.
People don't understand what it is like traveling to the west coast, playing 3 games out there and now traveling back east playing their 4th game in 6 nights, early in the season or not, jet lag is jet lag.
Charlotte is playing better since their opening night loss to the Celtics in a game they got beat 92-59.
They have won 2 of their last 3 SU but covering all 3 against the Knicks, Cavs and Nets. Now as a small home dog versus the Hawks, I like their defense in this spot.
They have covered 17 of their last 23 games at home and considering how good a defense they are playing, I love them catching this number in a game I feel they win outright.
Grab the small puppy Charlotte Bobcats tonight.
5 DIME - DENVER NUGGETS - Love the Nuggets.
They are undefeated at 5-0 while covering 4 of their first 5. The only game they didn't cover was a 10 1/2 number at home winning by 10 over Memphis.
There little journey through the Eastern Conference has seen them cover both games over Indiana and New Jersey by 18 and 28 points respectively.
The New Jersey game is a perfect example as to how good this team can be when they want to turn it on. Trailing by 1 at the half, they came out in the 2nd half and outscored the Nets by 18 points in the 3rd putting the game away.
At a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS on the road this year, I like them to have their focus from the opening tip versus D'wade and the Heat and win this one from wire to wire.
I expect a playoff atmosphere in Miami tonight and in an enviorment like that, I like the more balanced team from top to bottom, the Denver Nuggets.
Unlocked Sports
2* Memphis/LA OVER 210
2* Vancouver +138
NSA
20* Boise State Broncos / Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Under 51.5
20* Boise State Broncos -20.5
20* Phoenix Suns / Boston Celtics Under 207.0
10* San Antonio Spurs +4.5
10* Miami Heat
10* Atlanta Hawks -2
Street Rosenthal
*200 Carolina Hurricanes -130
*200 Phoenix Suns +10.5
*200 New Orleans Hornets -5
Trey Scott
*200 Miami Heat -1
*200 New York Knicks +8
*200 Charlotte Bobcats +2
BIG AL
Magic -12.5
KBHoops
5* New Orleans -4.5 **POD**
3* Denver +1
3* Louisiana Tech +21 -120
MATT FARGO
5* Toronto Raptors +4.5
5* Louisiana Tech Bulldogs +20.5
4* Charlotte Bobcats +2
PPP
3% Portland Trail Blazers -4.5
3% Cleveland Cavaliers -8
2% Louisiana Tech Bulldogs +20.5
3% Denver Nuggets -1
3% Orlando Magic -12.5