Bob WingerterFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Utah Jazz vs. Atlanta Hawks
Play: Atlanta Hawks -3
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It’s not a surprise Atlanta is off to a fast start. The Hawks have the same starting five as last year along with their three top reserves. Even new head coach Larry Drew was an assistant Hawks coach. So there has been no learning curve just motivation following last year’s embarrassing playoff sweep by Orlando and a renewed commitment after the team tuned out former coach Mike Woodson. The Hawks started fast last year, too, winning and covering 11 of their first 13 games. Utah is making the transition to life without Carlos Boozer. This is the Jazz’s third road game in four nights.

Larry NessFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Seton Hall @ Temple
PICK: Temple -4.5
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The 22nd-ranked Temple Owls open up their 2010-11 season playing host to Seton Hall. Fran Dunphy's Owls are coming off a 29-6 season, winning the A-10 regular season title for the first time since 2002, as well as claiming a third straight A-10 conference tourney title. The Pirates were a more modest 19-13 last year (just 9-9 in the Big East) and have replaced Bobby Gonzalez on the sidelines with Kevin Willard (formerly of Iona). The new coach inherits a veteran team but one which has underachieved. Senior guard Jeremy Hazell is back after averaging 20.4 PPG, joined by PGs Theodore and Lawrence. The 6-6 Jeff Robinson (12.5-5.8) and 6-8 Herb Pope (11.5-10.7) are important up front but Pope's health is always a concern. The Owls are led by PF Lavoy Allen (11.5-10.7), who became the first Temple player to average a double-double since 1971! Guard Juan Fernandez (12.6) knocked down 45.3 percent of his three-point attempts a year ago plus improvement is expected from junior guard Moore (7.8). Temple led the A-10 in scoring defense last season (56.8 ppg) but finished last in scoring offense (64.9 ppg). This game is a 'battle' of styles. Seton Hall’s removing Gonzalez for Willard as head coach is merely going from one Pitino clone to another. Little will change. Temple takes care of the ball, plays a deliberate and efficient style of offense plus DEFENDS! That's too much for "The Hall." Owls win comfortably.

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COLUMBUS -½ +1.16 over Colorado
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Rick Nash is out and that could actually work in the Jackets favor tonight. You see, Columbus is coming off a huge win over the Blue Notes in which they punished them 8-1. Now, instead of a letdown, they’ll dig down a little deeper in support of their leader and will likely play just as good a game as they did against St. Louis. The Jackets have won three of its last four games and outscored the opposition 14-1 in those three wins. Its only loss over that stretch came against the Wild in a game they lost 3-2 but dominated play. Columbus is playing as well as any team in the league and it’s no fluke. The Av’s come in winners in three of its last five. However, they’ve played four straight at home and will play in Detroit tomorrow night. Aside from its #1 goaltender Craig Anderson being on the rack, the Av’s also have five regular defensemen out and the latest casualty to join them is T.J. Galiardi. The Av’s are simply outmanned and extremely vulnerable playing with a whole slew of rookies behind the blue-line and a back-up goaltender. For the Jackets, without Nash, the bet goes on. Play: Columbus -½ +1.10 (Risking 2 units).
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FLORIDA -½ +1.15 over Minnesota
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The Wild played last night in Atlanta and its luck finally ran out with a 5-1 loss. That’s the Wild team you can expect to see a lot more of. They really are a handicapped team in that they offer up very little in terms of offense or defense. They have less talented players than 99% of the teams in this league (see Toronto) and they’re simply not going to win at the pace they were. Again, Minnesota gets badly outplayed every single game and that’s not going to change until they make some serious personnel changes. Florida is so much better than they get credit for. This is a dangerous squad with a ton of good draft picks and they’re slowly but surely improving with each game. They have recent wins over Tampa Bay (6-0), Montreal (3-1) and Carolina (7-4). They’re coming off a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs and they embark on a four-game road trip starting tomorrow in Philly, thus making this one an important game. Play: Florida -½ +1.15 (Risking 2 units).

Lenny Del Genio

NYK -3 vs MIN

The one thing that the Knicks can consistently do right is score as evidenced by the 120 points they put up against Chicago last Thursday and the 117 they scored on Golden State last time out. Off three consecutive losses, they will be supremely motivated to beat an inferior opponent and a small price to boot. Minnesota just snapped its six-game losing streak with a 98-89 win over Sacramento last time out (as 11 pt underdogs), but the schedule does not favor them here as this is their third game in four nights, a situation they are just 5-17 ATS in when playing at home in the Target Center. The T'wolves are also just 2-9-1 ATS the last 12 times they've been a home dog. Take New York.

Wunderdog

UL Monroe vs. Texas Tech
Play: Texas Tech -23

The Texas Tech Red Raiders kick off the 2010-11 season vs the UL Monroe Warhawks. The Red Raiders lost their last seven a year ago, but got some redemption finishing on a positive note with an NIT run ending in Madison Square Garden. Texas Tech has reason for optimism returning the two key players from a year ago in Mike Singletary and John Roberson. Both combined to average around 15ppg a year ago. Overall Tech has four returning starters and look to be an improved team. The Warhawks won just ten games against div-1A competition a year ago playing in the weak Sun belt Conference. While optimism reigns supreme for the Warhawks, they lost their only two dependable scorers in Forbes and Hooper, and return just two starters from a bad team. This one could get ugly.

Jimmy Boyd

1 Unit on Portland Trail Blazers +2.5

The Blazers will be out for revenge tonight following a 1-point overtime defeat to Oklahoma City last week. The Blazers gave up a 13-point lead in that game. With that in the back of their mind, they won't take their foot off the gas pedal tonight.

OKC has really struggled to put teams away this season because its defense hasn't been good enough. In fact, 2 of OKC's 4 wins have come by a single point. Considering how poorly the Thunder have played on the defensive end, I'm not ready to lay any amount of points with them against a team as good as Portland. Plus, the Thunder are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.

Portland has won 6 of the last 9 in this series straight up and against the spread. Also, it is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games as an underdog of 4.5 or fewer points. Bet the Blazers.

Black Widow

1* on Utah Jazz +3.5

The Utah Jazz are playing with more confidence than any team in the league right now. Utah set an NBA record with 3 straight wins after trailing by 10 points or more at halftime, doing so against the Magic, Heat and Clippers. Meanwhile, Atlanta has fallen fast after their 6-0 start. The Hawks have lost 3 straight games to the Suns, Magic and Bucks. Two of those losses came at home, including a 91-108 loss to the Bucks last time out. Utah has won 19 of their last 26 meetings with Atlanta. Getting points here is just an added bonus, though we likely won't need them. Utah is 23-9 ATS (+13.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons. The Jazz have proven they play their best on little rest, as they are 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) when playing their 3rd game in 4 days over the last 2 seasons. In fact, they are winning by an average of 7.9 points/game in this situation. Take Utah and the points.

Info Plays

3* on Atlanta Hawks -3

Reasons the Hawks cover:

1.) System Play. We'll Play On - Favorites (ATLANTA) - good team - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game, after a blowout loss by 15 points or more. This is a 106-58 ATS System hitting 64.6% over the last 5 seasons.

2.) Utah is in for a big letdown tonight after setting an NBA record for coming from behind 3 straight games to win when trailing by 10 or more at halftime. This Jazz team can't keep winning games that way, and it catches up with them tonight against a hungry Hawks squad. Bet Atlanta at home.

Jack Jones

Orlando Magic -14

Toronto is one of the worst teams in the league, and their starting line-up is absolutely horrendous. The Raptors are 1-7 this season, including 0-4 on the road. The Raptors are giving up a whopping 110.2 PPG on the road this season. The Magic are going to be very hungry tonight after blowing a double-digit halftime lead to the Utah Jazz last time out. Orlando is 4-1 at home this season, outscoring opponents by 16.0 PPG. They are putting up 106.4 PPG on their home floor while allowing only 90.4 PPG.

The Raptors simply do not have an answer for Dwight Howard inside. He is going to dominate the paint, giving his team plenty of second chance opportunities throughout this game. The Magic are 20-7 ATS in home games off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite since 1996. Orlando is 17-6 ATS when playing against a terrible team (Win Pct. <=25%) over the last 3 seasons. The Magic are 12-2 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite of 11.0 or greater. Toronto is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog of 11.0 or greater. Roll with Orlando Friday.

These are choice teams to win to night.
NBA
Huston Rocket
Utah Jazz
NY Knicks
Washington Wizards.

NHL
New Jersey Devils
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flame
Tampa bay Lightening