Greg Daraban
Philadelphia at Dallas
The Sixers have lost 6 straight. However this team is very capable of throwing in a good game from time to time, and now there is talk of Iverson coming back to the team.Dallas is beatable at home just 5-2.Close game on tap take the double digits.Take Philadelphia
BRANDON LANG
20 DIME - NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Lost in the shuffle of the their near win at Indy is the fact the Patriots defense couldn't stop Indy giving up 35 points.
Yes, Tom Brady looked really good in that game, but let's also not lose sight of the fact New England was playing an opponent they were and are very familiar with.
Tonight they take on a completely different beast in the New Orleans Saints.
Now I was right on the money when I took the Patriots over Indy, and amazingly enough catching 2 points was just enough to get the ATS win.
Amazingly enough, this line much like the New England-Indy line, opened at -3 and has steadily come down.
In doing my radio shows prior to the New England-Indy game I kept saying the same thing over and over again.
You don't go against Tom Brady or Peyton Manning when they are catching points anywhere on the planet earth simply because they are not underdogs very often.
You also match up Belichick and Brady versus the NFC and you will see the fact they have gone 25-2 SU their last 27.
However, there are exceptions to every rule, not only in sports gambling, but in life and in this game tonight the exception is this:
No disrespect to Peyton Manning, but New England is facing perhaps the hottest QB in the NFL right now in Drew Brees with an offense that can not only throw it but they can run it to.
I also can't get by the fact this Saints team has won every single game they have played this year by 8 points or more.
They have found a way to win every single game by a touchdown or more.
Indy has had close games. Patriots have had close games, and even lost 3 games on the road to Denver, Jets and the aforementioned Indy.
With this line coming down, which tells me the world is betting the Patriots, I am going against the public money and backing the Saints at home.
The bottom line for me is this. The overall body of work by the Saints this year and the consistency of their offense and the margins of their wins over everyone tells me they are the right side.
Patriots didn't play all that well last week against the Jets and in fact it was a 20-10 game in the 3rd quarter when Sanchez threw another of his INT's to allow New England to pull away.
I will say it again, every single Saints win this year has been by a margin of more than a touchdown, and getting them in a near pick-em at home against a still young and learning defense is good enough for me.
Lastly, if you don't get pressure on Drew Brees, you are done and considering the fact the Patriots are 28th in the NFL at sacking the QB and the Saints are 3rd best in protecting Drew Brees, expect a great night from the Purdue grad.
It's going to be a great game but at the end of the day in my opinion, the right side of this game is the Saints at home.
FREE SELECTION - DALLAS MAVERICKS
Inside Corner
5* New England Patriots +3
LARRY NESS
20* Monday Night Mayhem
GSW -2 vs IND
The good news for the Pacers last Friday was that swingman Mike Dunleavy made his season debut after undergoing knee surgery in March. He scored 13 points in 15 minutes but the Pacers lost 113-92 at home to Dallas. The Pacers play in Oakland tonight against the Warriors, where Dunleavy played his first four-plus seasons before being traded to Indiana during the 2006-07 season. Indiana's leading scorer Danny Granger (24.8-6.4)) also returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday's 86-73 win over the Clippers with a sprained MCL in his left knee. He scored 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting vs the Mavericks but against the defenseless Warriors, it could be "easy pickings." After all, he had 31 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 108-94 victory over the visiting Warriors on November 11. That being said, the Pacers enter this game having lost FIVE of their last six games. It's not good when your PG (TJ Ford) is averaging just 3.1 APG (10.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG) and I'm not much of a fan of the team's shooting guard, Brandon Rush (8.4-4.8). I've always liked Troy Murphy (10.5-8.5) but he's played just eight games and he looks 'rusty.' A MAJOR surprise this year has been former Denver defensive-stopper, Dahntay Jones. Jones averaged just 5.4 PPG last year as part of Denver's high-scoring offense but here in Indiana, has averaged 16.4 PPG. Now to the Warriors. Azubuike (13.9-4.6) is done for the season after nine games, Bell (11.8) remains sidelined with wrist problem and Biedrins, who averaged a double-double last season (11.9-11.2), remains out for a little while longer with abdominal problems. Still, the Warriors have plenty of scoring options and surprising depth. Ellis (23.1-4.4-5.5) is a "big-time" scorer, plus Morrow (13.1-4.1) and rookie Curry (10.4-3.1-5.4) are pretty fair backcourt partners. Maggette (16.4-5.0) has always been a talent and so far, he's healthy. With Biedrins out and Azubuike done for the year, frontcourt players Randolph (11.5-6.9) and Radmanovic (6.6-4.8) will get more time. What the Warriors can't (or won't) do is play defense. They allow 112.7 PPG and 50.1 percent on FGs (including 40.2 on threes). All THREE of those figures are a league-worst. Still, Indiana is the perfect team for Golden State to face, a mediocre (at best) defensive one itself, that will surely play Golden State's "type of game."It's a perfect matchup for the Warriors. Monday Night Mayhem 20* GS Warriors.
igz1 sports
3* NY Rangers +100
3* Dallas +130
3* Atlanta -165
3* Milwaukee -2
RAS
1.5 UNITS San Jose State +5
RATED PICKS
New England Patriots: +1.5 2 units
Milwaukee Bucks: -2.5 2 units
Utah Jazz: -10 2 units
Golden State Warriors: -2 5 units
Virginia: -5.5 2 units
Bowling Green: -10.5 2 units
Canisius: +4.5 2 units
Frank Patron
20000 Unit NFL Lock
New England @ New Orleans Over 56.5
KBHOOPS
5* Utah Jazz -9.5 *POD*
5* Milwaukee Bucks UNDER 196
5* Penn State +6
Pitbull
20 units St. Marys -4.5
20 units Milwaukee Under 196
15 units Saints ML -130
ATS LOCK CLUB
3 Units on New Orleans (-1.5) over New England, 8:35pmET
Power Play Wins
New Orleans Saints -1.5
The Boooj
25 Units New England +1.5
Marc Lawrence
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS +2.5
The big game of the week in the NFL kicks off under the Monday night lights when undefeated New Orleans host New England in what many perceive to be a possible Super Bowl preview. It’s been our contention all month long that the Saints have been a balloon prick away from bursting. Last week Tampa wasn’t able to muster enough of a threat to expose New Orleans but a look back at the Saints’ previous four contests found them sweating bullets. In those games New Orleans trailed Miami, 24-20, at the half. They then held off Atlanta in an eight-point squeaker. In addition, they were down 11 at the half against Carolina before rallying and then withstood a pass into the end zone on the final play of the game to hold off St. Louis. Not a desired worksheet for a team looking to remain perfect while holding off Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. In case you hadn’t heard, Belichick is 8-1 ATS in his head coaching career as a dog against undefeated opponents, including 6-0 ATS away. In addition, Brady is 25-10-1 ATS in games in which has is not favored, including 6-1 SU and 7-0 ATS away versus an .818 or greater opponent. In addition, the Patriots are 25-2 SU in its last 27 games against NFC opposition, including 12-0 SU and 11-0-1 ATS versus .400 or greater opposition. It all adds up to the end of New Orleans magical run. Take the points with the Pats. We recommend a 3-unit play on New England.
Ron Raymond
76ers/Mavericks UNDER 200
When DALLAS played as a home team - During Last 5 Years - With 3 Over or Less - Lost Last Game by 16 Points or Less - With SU Record of 2 Win 1 Lost in L3G; the UNDER is 9-3-0 for the Mavericks in this cycle the last 5 seasons. Take the Under.
Tony George
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS -1.5
All 3 losses of the Pats have been on the road. That is HUGE. The Colts beat them without a running game, and the running game is HUGE for the Saints in this game. All the talk about Brees and Brady is for the birds, it is defense and running the ball that will win it. Yes both QB will throw the hell out of it, but at days end in the red zone running the ball and screen passes favor the Saints who are world beaters at home.
Play 1 Unit on New Orleans.