Jimmy Boyd
San Antonio Spurs -1
It's not very often you can back the Spurs as a mere 1-point favorite, even when they are on the road. Phoenix is an emerging power in the Western Conference, but I'm not quite convinced they are ready to contend with the likes of San Antonio. The Spurs got pushed to the limit in their home opener by a very good Dallas team, while Phoenix rolled over a bad Lakers squad. I think that's playing into the value here. Keep in mind that San Antonio has opened each of the last 3 seasons 2-0. They are also getting back Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard who missed the opener.
Offensively the Suns are looking to play at a rapid pace and really put pressure on the other team. I think they'll have a lot of success with it, but not against a smart defensive team like San Antonio, who has a ton of chemistry with basically everyone back from last year. The Spurs should also be able to take advantage of Phoenix defensively.
San Antonio is 29-12 ATSin their last 41 road games off a close home win by 3-points or less and 15-3 ATS in their last 18 off a game where they made 12 or more 3-point shots. We also see a nice system telling us to fade the Suns, as home teams off a home win against a division rival are just 17-43 ATS on Friday nights over the last 5 seasons. That's a 72% system in favor of the Spurs.
Steve Janus
Milwaukee Bucks -9
I wouldn't be caught laying this many points on the Bucks against any other team in the league, but I don't think people understand just how bad this 76ers team, especially with reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams sidelined. I faded Philadelphia in the opener against Indiana and they held to form in a 12-point loss. If the Pacers-depleted roster can beat this team by 12-points, so can the Bucks. I was really impressed with how Milwaukee came out the gate, as they should have won in Charlotte. There hasn't been a lot to cheer about with this team in recent years, but the drafting of talented rookie Jabari Parker and addition of Jason Kidd as head coach has created a big buzz in Milwaukee and I expect the fans to be as loud as they will all season in the home opener.
Scott Spreitzer
Cleveland vs. Chicago
Play: Under 193
Chicago can be a defensive juggernaut when all hands are on deck and that's the case tonight (sans Jimmy Butler - thumb). The Bulls will welcome a Cavaliers squad that came out strong last night in LeBron's return to Cleveland, before the Cavs found the going rough on the offensive end, eventually losing to the Knicks. I do believe it's going to take a few games for the Cavs to find their offensive chemistry, but we can rest assured they'll bring the energy and intensity on the defensive end on a nightly basis. We'll play the Under between the Cavs & Bulls on Friday night.
Ari Atari
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Play: Los Angeles Clippers -12
Once again this is a free pick only and my true NBA season begins with the ABSOLUTE BEST premium selections once each team has 3 games under their belt. The Wizards were my first free winner and you can expect many more to come this season.
Man, these Lakers.
They're truly in a tough spot. First they get thrown into a back to back for the first 2 games of the season against run and gun offenses that know how to move the ball. Then they lose their lottery pick for the entire season as Julius Randle goes out with a leg fracture.
Now you throw them into a home game matchup that really isn't a home game. The Lakers need a game against a team that will come in and play with an approach to work out their kinks such as the Kings or Jazz. Instead they get the Clip Show. Lob City. Rejuvenated and Energized. New Ownership and the same guys who know how to destroy the Lakers inside and out.
You realize the Clippers beat the Lakers all 3 times in 2014 by an average of 35.7 points? That's not a typo and it's not a combined score. The Clippers show no mercy. It's an overall attitude that a revolution is taking place in Tinseltown and the Clippers are taking the throne as the team in LA.
I'm not a fan of either team and I don't recommend large wagers when either team plays. This is a good pick from -12 to -19 for the Clippers to blow out the Lakers early on. Kobe is already shaking his head as its going from bad to worse.
Take a small play on the Clippers and wait for SportsAtari's true NBA season to return.
Jeff Scott Sports
MEMPHIS -24 over Tulsa: The Tigers are playing solid ball right now and they have the kind of defense that should really keep the Golden Hurricane in check. Tulsa’s big issues this year have been on the defensive side of the ball, where they have allowed a whopping 40.7 ppg and the Tigers can certainly take advantage of that, having scored 35.7 ppg on the year. Memphis has allowed just 15 ppg at home, while Tulsa has allowed 42.3 ppg on the road. This is a bad Tulsa team this year and they just won’t score nearly enough or get enough stops to keep this one within 4 TDs.
Cincinnati / Tulane Under 57.5: Tulane can’t score right now as they have averaged just 11 ppg in their last 4 games, and this Cincinnati defense is coming around, having allowed just 20 total points in their last 2 games. The Bearcats have a weak run defense and that is where Tulane will look to attack them, which will keep the Cincinnati offense off the field and eat clock. That Bearcats offense is high powered for sure, but Tulane has allowed just 20.3 ppg at home this year and just 18 ppg in their last 3 games overall. I think their defense can slow the Bearcats down here enough to keep this game in 40’s.
Tony George
Philadelphia -2
Well Houston will have their hands full here and they never fare well against the NFC, and or elite teams either. The key to Philly despite the picks thrown by QB Foles being an issue is the re-commitment to run and the past 2 weeks RB McCoy has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and quitter frankly the OL is vastly healthier for the Eagles as well. We also catch Philly coming off a road loss ion game at 6-1 Arizona they should have and could have won.
While Houston’s running game with RB Foster is their only option, you always ask yourself who has the better QB and it is a no brainer that QB Fitzpatrick is a liability and not an asset and his throws picks folks. Wins over Redskins, Raiders, Titans and Bills are hardly a list of teams who frankly impress me as big wins for the Texans, I like Philly’s balanced attack, fast pace and 1-2 punch at RB and big play maker WR Macklin here to get back on track. I can assure you Philly, with a red hot Dallas team in their division, will have a sense of priority and awareness coming into this game, and will approach this as a big game, and while JJ Watt for Houston is a playmaker, this style of offense is not to his liking.
Rocketman
Memphis @ Indiana
Play: Indiana +6
The Memphis Grizzlies travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers on Friday night. Both teams come in with 1-0 records on the season. Indiana is 44-18 SU and 40-22 ATS last 3 years in the first half of the season. Indiana is 79-23 SU at home the past 3 years. Indiana is 13-3 SU at home vs Memphis last 16 meetings. Memphis is 5-15-3 ATS last 23 games when playing on one days rest. Memphis is 2-9 ATS last 11 games after an ATS loss. Indiana is 5-1 ATS last 6 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. Home team is 5-1 ATS last 6 meetings in this series. We'll recommend a small play on Indiana tonight!
Nelly
Cincinnati at Tulane
Play: Tulane
Tulane is just 2-5 but the defense has been pretty solid, allowing just 23 points in the last two conference games. The Wave have posted just over 18 points per game on offense but the schedule featured three quality major conference foes outside of league play to wear on the numbers. The Bearcats have also lost badly in all of its elevated tests this season but after three straight lopsided losses, Cincinnati has posted consecutive wins. The lone road win for Cincinnati came at SMU but the offense is impressive with Gunner Kiel at quarterback as he has already thrown for 20 touchdowns this season. Cincinnati has East Carolina up next as this could be a flat spot and Tulane expects to get starting quarterback Tanner Lee back this week. Tulane is more than a yard per play superior to Cincinnati on defense and the Wave should force Cincinnati into a one-dimensional attack with a strong run defense. Tulane out-gained Central Florida on the road last week in a seven-point defeat and the Wave played within 50 yards of both Georgia Tech and Duke this season. Cincinnati has really struggled against quality defenses and this should be a good situation for the home underdog to play well.
Vegas Butcher
Cleveland Cavaliers +3.5
This one opened at -2.5, went to -4.5, and now is dropping again to about -3.5. Regardless of the line movement, the Cavs stunk the bed yesterday. LeBron was 5 for 15 (1 for 5 from 3PT), with only 17 points, and 8 turnovers. Of course it’s important to remember that this was his first start in Cleveland, emotions were very high, and it was a very difficult game to play in. Now on the road, and facing their top challenger in the East, I’d expect a much better effort from James and Co. Varejao and Love, have the size and rebounding prowess to match up with Chicago’s ‘typical’ size advantage in the post. Cleveland has the perimeter shooters to open things up offensively against a tough Chicago D. They also have solid depth to matchup with the Bulls there as well. The biggest mismatch though could be LeBron James of course. Jimmy Butler participated in the shoot-around but he is listed as GTD, so hard to predict if he’ll play. The drop in the spread, indicates to me that he most likely won’t. That’s going to be a major problem for the Bulls as neither Dunleavy nor Hinrich will be able to handle LeBron. Bulls did a good job against the Knicks and Carmelo, but NY doesn’t have the perimeter weapons that the Cavs do, especially since their best 3PT shooter Jose Calderon missed the game. Even if Butler plays, how effective will he truly be? Something tells me that we’re in for a great game here between two teams that are competing for the Eastern Conference crown. This very well should be a very close game and I think points are at a premium.
Memphis Grizzlies -6
David West, George Hill, and CJ Watson will once again be out for this game. In their place you will see Scola, Solomon hill, Sloan, CJ Miles, Rodney Stuckey, and Chris Copeland. Even though the Pacers beat the Sixers by 12 in their opening game, the average margin throughout was about +2 points. It was actually a 3-point game with 4 minutes left, when Pacers went on a bit of a run and Sixers managed to score 2 points from that point on. Now this Indiana lineup gets to face one of the better teams in the West. Z-Bo should own Scola on the block, while Hibbert could have a very tough time against Gasol in this one. I’d expect a lot of inefficient looks from the Pacers tonight, as they are stepping up in class for this game.
Harry Bondi
CINCINNATI (-6.5) over Tulane
It's been a disappointing season for the Bearcats as they come into tonight just barely over .500 at 4-3, but they have been at their best when playing inferior competition. In two games against teams with losing records they have gone 2-0 ATS and SU and over the last three seasons that record improves to 7-3 ATS and 9-1 SU. One thing that hasn't been a disappointment is the Cinci offense, which is averaging 34 points per game. That's way too much firepower for a Green Wave attack that is averaging 18 points per game and hasn't score more than 13 points in a game in over a month. Lay the points!
SPORTS WAGERS
Nashville -½ +140 over CALGARY
We like the Flames. We’ve liked them all year and we know for sure that when we back them, we’re going to get an honest effort. Rarely will the Flames get outworked. However, Calgary is without three regular centers in Matt Stajan, Mikael Backlund and Joe Colborne. They also lost left-winger Mason Raymond, who was leading the team in goals scored with 5. Joe Colborne leads the team in points with eight. For a team that was already lacking in scoring, these added injuries change everything. Coach Bob Hartley now needs to shake up his lines and try and piece things together. Calgary is still pretty deep at center and they are still very good behind the blue-line, which still makes them playable, but not against the Predators in this situation.
Nashville embarked on a six game trip on Wednesday that began in Edmonton and they were very sharp in a 4-1 victory. A setback here and that win would mean nothing. The Preds know they have to play even harder tonight. They lost to Calgary back in Nashville just 17 days ago and they will not make the mistake of taking them lightly here. The Preds have a chance to start this important trip 2-0 and they’re good enough to keep it rolling. In fact, Nashville has been downright dominating in plenty of games already this year. Pekka Rinne is playing at a high level again. The Preds defense ranks highly in shots on net against and their offense is warming up too. Nashville is staying out of the box as well, as they have only taken six minors over its past three games, which is another positive sign that they are the team applying pressure on the opposition. Motivated by revenge and the possibility of a great road trip, the Preds are very worthy of a play here.
SPORTS WAGERS
Hamilton -6½ over OTTAWA
Indeed Henry Burris would love nothing more than to stick it to his old team and coach and make life very difficult for the Tiger-Cats. By defeating Hamilton, Ottawa would likely eliminate Hamilton from playoff contention but we don’t see that happening. You see, Ottawa was eliminated from the playoffs two weeks ago. Last week, in what the Redblacks owner called the most important game of the season after the tragic events in Ottawa just two days prior, the Redblacks played to an extremely emotional crowd and played their hearts out in a 23-17 setback. We can’t envision them bringing that same emotion or intensity to this game. Instead, we see a big emotional letdown for the Redblacks. Henry Burris is 40-years old and it’s been a long season. He has an efficiency rating of only 80.3, throwing for just 10 TDs against 11 picks. He has managed to complete 61.3 percent of his attempts but many of those completions came at garbage time when opposing teams’ defense let up. This is a bad football team coming off a very emotional game.
The Ti-Cats have one road win (at Winnipeg) all year How can that be? They have played some of their best football on the road but they have very little to show for it. When they lost to Montreal, they outgained the Als by 167 yards. Hamilton lost close games in Calgary, Edmonton and B.C, losing all three by a combined 14 points. Hamilton needs this game badly to secure a playoff spot. They have a QB in Zach Collaros that has thrown for more than 300 yards in six games this season and that went off for 335 yards on 24-36 last week in Toronto. Hamilton’s passing attack ranks second in the league with 4,442 yards, completing 64.7 percent of pass attempts. Hamilton has shot themselves in the foot repeatedly this season but they remain one of the most talented teams in the league on both sides of the ball. There’s no tomorrow for this underachieving squad and if they show up and play hard and focused football for 60 minutes, they should absolutely bury this vulnerable opponent. Man, we hate to lay road points but this one is well set up for the vastly superior Tabbies and so we’ll step in.
Sean Higgs
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls
Play: Cleveland Cavaliers +4.5
So the Cavs starting meekly last night at home and drop one to the Knicks, who just happen to be a team the Bulls destroyed. So of course if Chicago beats NY by 24 on the road. And the Cavs lose to NY by 5, well then by all intention purposes this is going to be 30 point win for the Bulls! Way to much emotions last night for LeBron and friends. This team is going to be good. James knows how to bring a team together after being in Miami. We will grab the points here.
Bruce Marshall
Los Angeles Kings at Detroit Red Wings
Pick: Los Angeles Kings
We have learned from the past to respect the Kings when things are looking down, as they are after last night's 3-0 loss at Pittsburgh. Darryl Sutter's team joing Buffalo as the only teams to be shut out more than twice, and L.A. has scored two or fewer goals seven times, while scoring on just 6.3 percent of shots in its last six contests. The bad news out of the way, these are still the Stanley Cup champs, and they have not lost more than two straight this season.
Nick Parsons
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Indiana Pacers
Play: Memphis Grizzlies -6
Two 1-0 teams meet Friday night, when the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Indiana Pacers.
The injury ravaged Indiana Pacers opened the season with a 103-91 home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Center Roy Hibbert led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocks. Hibbert got help from Rodney Stuckey and Donald Sloan who scored 16 points apiece. The win marked the 4th consecutive season opening win for the Pacers.
Indiana will likely be without All-Star Forward Paul George for the entire season. In the opener, the Pacers were without Guard George Hill (sprained right ankle) and Forward David West (bruised left knee).
Memphis opened up their season at home with their 15th straight home victory. They held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-101. Center Marc Gasol led the way with 32 points. It was the Grizzlies first season opening win since the franchise left Vancouver.
Memphis used their strength inside to outscore the young Timberwolves 58-34 in the paint. The inside duo of Gasol and Forward Zach Randolph combined to shoot 24 for 33 on the evening.
I feel the Pacers are in BIG trouble in this game. Hibbert is the only starter playing from last year’s team due to all the injuries. I think Gasol and Zack Randolph will be able to neutralize Hibbert and the Pacers just don’t have enough fire power to get the job done.