Free Picks: Service Plays for Friday, October 31

DUNKEL INDEX

NBA

NHL

Anaheim at Dallas
The Ducks head to Dallas tonight to face a Stars team that is 1-4 in its last 5 home games. Anaheim is the pick (-105) according to Dunkel, which has the Ducks favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-105)

Game 51-52: Toronto at Columbus (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 11.219; Columbus 12.774
Dunkel Line & Total: Columbus by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Columbus (-110); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Columbus (-110); Under

Game 53-54: Los Angeles at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 12.421; Detroit 11.012
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-115); 5
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-115); Over

Game 55-56: Anaheim at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 12.877; Dallas 11.445
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas (-115); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-105); Under

Game 57-58: Nashville at Calgary (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 10.905; Calgary 12.328
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Nashville (-120); 5
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+100); Over

Sam Martin

Tulsa at Memphis
Play: Memphis

After beating rival Tulane to open their season, Tulsa has since dropped their next six games in a row going just 1-5 at the betting window in the process. Half of those six losses have come by at least 25 points and two of those six losses saw the Golden Hurricane line up in the role of the favorite. We'll fade Tulsa this Friday as they are completely overmatched against a high-scoring Memphis team.

This is a big number to cover, but not big enough to scare us away. Memphis has shown themselves willing and able to cover big numbers, going a perfect 3-0 ATS when favored by double-digits this year. In fact, they not only covered the spread in all three of those games, but covered the spread by at least a touchdown all three times! The 41 ppg Memphis scores at home combined with Tulsa's 42 ppg allowed on the road equates to a huge offensive night by the home team who drop the visitor to 5-15 ATS in their last 20 games overall!

Ross Benjamin

Tulsa vs. Memphis
Play: Memphis -24

These are a pair of CUSA teams that are headed in opposite directions. Memphis comes off a 48-10 conference win at SMU last Saturday, and covered as a 23.5 point favorite. Tulsa comes off a 38-30 conference home loss to South Florida, and failed to cover as a 2.0 point underdog. These two results set up a strong college football technical betting system.

Any conference home favorite of 35.0 or less, coming off a conference away favorite of 17.5 or more ATS win in which they covered by 3.0 or more, versus an opponent coming off a conference home underdog ATS loss in which they failed to cover by 1.5 or more, has gone 16-0 SU&ATS since 1980. The home favorite won those 16-games by an average of 34.8 points per game. Play on the Memphis Tigers minus the big number.

Marc Lawrence

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns
Pick: Phoenix Suns

Edges - Suns: 6-2-1 ATS home off home, Spurs: 1-6 ATS road openers. With the defending champions make their trip away from home this campaign, and carrying the NBA champion bulls eye on their back, and the Suns vastly improved this season, we recommend a 1-unit play on Phoenix.

Jim Feist

Clippers at Lakers
Pick" Over

New Laker coach Byron Scott said he wanted his team to play tough defense. Well talk is cheap because this team is 0-2 allowing 113.5 ppg -- 27th in the NBA. Kobe Bryant was a one-man show for the Los Angeles Lakers the last game and the result was a 119-99 Suns blowout, shooting 55% from the field and 50% from long range (16-32). They face a deep and talented Clippers team that loves to run at opponents, 9-2 over the total playing on no days rest. When these city rivals play it's been all about going uptempo with the over 11-2 in the last 13 meetings.

Jesse Schule

Nashville vs. Calgary
Pick: Under

As is the case with any NHL game, there's a decent chance these two teams will score a total of five goals tonight. That being said, I believe there is a far greater chance that they come up short of the number, rather than go over that total.

The Flames have only seen one of their nine games so far go over the total, while the Predators have seen the total go under in 8-of-10. Both teams have played rock solid defense this season, and each team comes in riding a hot goaltender.

Jonas Hiller has surrendered just three goals over his last four starts, with a record of 3-2-1 with a 1.63 GAA for the season. Pekka Rinne is 6-1-1 with a 1.71 GAA, and he stopped 26-of-27 shots in a win at Edmonton in his latest start.

He's had little room for error, as the Predators don't score a lot of goals, and they are converting on a brutal 7% of their power-play chances. Calgary hasn't been much better, and they could be thin up front tonight, with four centers listed as questionable (Stajan, Colborne, Backlund & Bennett).

We should see a defensive struggle in Cow Town tonight.

Jesse Schule's Featured Package

Ross Benjamin

Tulsa vs. Memphis
Play: Memphis -24

These are a pair of CUSA teams that are headed in opposite directions. Memphis comes off a 48-10 conference win at SMU last Saturday, and covered as a 23.5 point favorite. Tulsa comes off a 38-30 conference home loss to South Florida, and failed to cover as a 2.0 point underdog. These two results set up a strong college football technical betting system.

Any conference home favorite of 35.0 or less, coming off a conference away favorite of 17.5 or more ATS win in which they covered by 3.0 or more, versus an opponent coming off a conference home underdog ATS loss in which they failed to cover by 1.5 or more, has gone 16-0 SU&ATS since 1980. The home favorite won those 16-games by an average of 34.8 points per game. Play on the Memphis Tigers minus the big number.

Joe Gavazzi

Cincinnati at Tulane
Play: Cincinnati

Despite noted improvement under 3rd year HC Johnson, from 2-10 SU to 7-6 SU from his first to second year, the Green Wave is far from a premier program. Consider their 2-5 SU pedigree in which they are averaging just 19 PPG on 354 YPG and 5.0 YP play. Clearly, they are on the verge of being an Offensive Oaf. Every season in college football, there is a team who makes a late season turnaround. Could that be this year’s Cincinnati Bearcats (a team who went 29-10 SU the previous 3 seasons)? A disastrous defensive start, including allowing 146 points in consecutive weeks of a 0-3 SU ATS run vs. Ohio St., Memphis, and Miami, FL left the Bearcats as unwanted road kill. I know it was only SMU and USF, but against that weaker competition, Cincinnati allowed just 20 points in wins of 34 and 17 including early game competition that resulted in wins of 24 vs. Toledo and 7 vs. Miami, OH. It means the Bearcats are 4-3 SU with victories against every team they should beat. Whether it’s QB Kiel at the helm or former starter QB Legaux, look for a resurgent Bearcat team to continue their success against lower echelon teams.

Chase Diamond

Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee
Play: Milwaukee -9

This game features the 0-1 Sixers at the 0-1 Bucks. Lets face it both teams here are awful but I think the Sixers will set records this year on how bad they are look at their roster almost 80% are undrafted rookies you won't see the Bucks favored by 9 against any other team in the NBA. Public is backing the Bucks and for a good reason take the Bucks minus the points for a easy double digit cover.

Chase Diamond's Featured Package

LT Profits

San Antonio vs Phoenix
Pick: Phoenix +2

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs nipped Dallas 101-100 at home opening night despite being without Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills, but it may be difficult repeating that on the road vs. the Phoenix Suns, who opened with a 119-99 rout of the Lakers. The good news for the Spurs is Leonard is expected back, but the bad news is Manu Ginobili suffered a thigh injury and is questionable. Mills is out until February and Splitter is doubtful, so the usually great San Antonio depth could take a big hit and vs. a young, up-tempo energetic team in enemy territory no less. The Suns picked up where they left off as the surprise of the league last year, and they added a third scoring guard in Isaiah Thomas, who scored 23 points off the bench Wednesday. The Suns are 37-15-1 ATS in their last 53 games playing on exactly one day of rest.

Jeff Clement

Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee
Play: Over 201.5

The Over is 9-0 last 9 Philadelphia games following a loss and the Over is 10-1 in Milwaukee games against the NBA Atlantic teams. The Over is 4-0 last 4 Milwaukee games and the Over is 5-2 last 7 meetings.

Jack Jones

Tulane +7

Tulane starting quarterback Tanner Lee has missed the past two games due to injury. Its offense was held to a combined 25 points in splitting the last two games against UConn and UCF. Lee is expected to return to the starting QB role this week, which should give this offense a big boost. He has thrown for 914 yards and eight touchdowns on the season and is clearly an upgrade over Nick Montana.

The defense has shouldered the load for the Green Wave the last two weeks in Lee’s absence. They have only allowed a combined 23 points in their last two games against UConn and UCF. They gave up just 217 total yards to the Huskies while forcing three turnovers. Even more impressive was the 233 total yards they allowed to the Knights while forcing four turnovers.

Tulane comes into this game off its bye week having last played UCF of October 18th. That means it will have two full weeks to rest and prepare for Cincinnati, which last played on October 24th against South Florida. That extra rest has allowed Lee to get healthy, but it has also given the Green Wave ample time to get ready for what the Bearcats are going to throw at them.

I’m not a big believer in Cincinnati this year, and it’s easy to see why with some of the performances it has put up this season. It started with a 7-point home win over a terrible Miami (Ohio) team as a 30-point favorite in its second game of the season. That was the start of an 0-4 ATS stretch in which it lost at Ohio State (28-50) as a 17-point underdog, versus Memphis (14-41) as a 3-point favorite, and at Miami (34-55) as a 15-point underdog.

Its only four wins this year have come against the likes of Toledo, Miami (Ohio), SMU and South Florida. Its only road win came at SMU. What is holding the Bearcats back this season is a defense that is giving up a ridiculous 489.3 yards per game to rank 118th out of 128 teams in total defense. Tulane is only allowing 367.3 yards per game to rank a respectable 49th in total defense. I believe defense will be the difference in this game and why Tulane stays within a TD of Cincinnati.

Plays on any team (TULANE) – average rushing team (+/- 40 RY/G) against a poor team who is outrushed by 50+ YPG after 7+ games, after allowing 100 or less rushing yards in two straight games are 23-4 (85.2%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.

Tulane is a perfect 9-0 ATS in October games over the last three seasons. The Green Wave are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 conference games. The Bearcats are 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Green Wave are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games.

Dave Price

Los Angeles Lakers +11

It's been a terrible start for the Lakers with back-to-back blowout defeats. They've had a day to rally the troops, and I expect a much better effort from them tonight. They'll be lacking no motivation against a Clippers team that has clubbed them by 36, 48 and 23 points in the last three meetings. Despite losses of 18 and 20 points in their first two games and their recent history with the Clippers they are catching just 11 points? Clearly, the books want the money coming in on the Clipps. The Clippers were a 13-point favorite against the Thunder last night and won by only three points. That OKC team is without Durant and got less than nine minutes from Westbrook. As a head coach, Byron Scott's teams are 61-39 ATS as double-digit underdogs. Take the points as the Lakers keep this one within the number.

Matt Fargo

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Play: Columbus Blue Jackets -105

Two 4-5 teams square off tonight and we will be backing the home team despite a rash of injuries that have hit the roster. The Blue Jackets are dealing with several players on the shelf and while that is certainly a cause for concern, we are catching incredible value because of it. When players go down, the others taking over are playing just as hard so while the talent in some cases may take a slight step down, the effort does not. The Blue Jackets have dropped three straight games but two of those were against the Kings and Ducks and the other was against red hot Ottawa. Toronto meanwhile is coming off a win at home against Buffalo which is far from impressive and it has followed up its last two wins with losses next time out. Goalie Jonathan Bernier is coming off a shutout but it isn't overly difficult to not allow a goal when you are only seeing 10 shots the entire game. Columbus hasn't exactly been peppering the goal but it is coming off a 38-shot performance last time out. The Maple Leafs are 3-10 in their last 13 games against teams with a losing record while the Blue Jackets are 41-18 in their last 59 games against teams with a losing record. They also fall into an excellent situation where we play against road teams against the money line that are coming off a divisional win by four goals or more while playing five or less games in 14 days. This situation is 44-21 (67.7 percent) since 1996.

Matt Fargo's Featured Package