Black Widow
1* on Memphis Grizzlies +7
Memphis is the real deal this season. The Grizzlies may only be 17-19 on the year, but they have several close losses and have played a very difficult schedule. Still, this squad has proven they can compete against the best the league has to offer. The Grizzlies have won 3 straight against winning teams in the Lakers, Thunder and Jazz, and are 10-0 ATS in their last 10 vs. a team with a winning record. Getting them as a 7-point underdog tonight is an absolute gift from odds makers, and we'll gladly take advantage. Memphis is 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games as an underdog, including 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in this series and we'll side with the dog tonight showing great value. Take Memphis and the points.
Joe Gavazzi
Towson vs. Georgia State
Play: Georgia State -8
We play momentum here with two teams headed opposite directions. Towson lost 3 of their top 4 scorers and has shown no ability to stop the wind. They allow 79 PPG away, including a 99-68 loss at JMU on the 5th. They’re 0-3 SU in the Colonial with a pair of double-digit road losses. Georgia State HC Barnes got lucky; his 2 Juco front-liners Buckner and McGee are making a HUGE difference. They’ve already won outright on this floor vs. James Madison and for us on the 3rd 76-66 vs. highly respected VCU. They enter on a momentum-building 3-0-1 ATS streak plus 57 AFP.
Ben Burns
New York Islanders @ Colorado
PICK: Colorado Avalanche
I successfully played against the Islanders in their last game, a 2-1 loss at Edmonton. This afternoon, they're at an even more difficult venue and I look for them to struggle once again. Note that the Isles, who close out their road trip by facing the defending champs tomorrow, are an awful 1-11 the last 12 times that they scored one or less goals in their previous game.
With the loss at Edmonton, the Isles are now 4-8 (-1.8) against teams from the West. On the other hand, the Avalanche are 8-6 (+2.8) against teams from the East.
The Avs already lost at Long Island and they've been struggling lately. With more difficult games vs. the Wings and Hawks on deck, they absolutely can't afford to get swept by the Isles. Consider laying the wood.
Teddy Covers
Utah @ Houston
PICK: Utah +1
Things are really starting to fall apart in Houston right now. The Rockets lost their fourth consecutive game last night, a non-competitive effort in Orlando. Head coach Rick Adelman, venting some frustration: “We struggled offensively; we just gave in at the other end.”
Whatever limited defense the Rockets have put together this year took a major hit when center Chuck Hayes joined center Yao Ming on the sidelines in street clothes. Hayes got hurt against Miami, a game where the Rockets allowed 125 points on 58 percent Heat shooting. Since that time, Houston has allowed 110, 105, 100, 113 and 103 points in their last five contests. Once again last night, we saw an opponent eclipse the 50% shooting mark against the Rockets. A back-to-back game against a strong offensive team like the Jazz isn’t likely to help Houston’s chances tonight.
Utah has lost back-to-back games themselves, falling by 23 to Atlanta and 11 at Memphis in their last two contests. But one thing we’ve seen repeatedly from Jerry Sloan’s squad is a strong propensity to avoid losing streaks – this two game skid matches their longest in more than a year! Sloan: “I don’t like the taste of it. I hope (the players) don’t.” All star point guard Deron Williams showed great leadership talking about Utah’s season high 23 turnovers last night: “It starts with me”. The Jazz have won four of six in this series and they’ve covered the spread in seven of their last ten trips to Houston; two trends that should continue today. 2* Take Utah.
Hollywood Sports
Boise St. at Hawaii
Prediction: Boise St.
The Broncos (10-5) come off a gutty 102-101 overtime win at San Jose State. They have proven themselves capable away from home with their 4-4 record. They have covered the point spread in 9 of their last 13 road games. One of the things this club is doing particularly well is banging the glass on the offensive end as they are rebounding 36.4% of their missed shots (57th in the nation). They travel to Honolulu to face a Hawaii team (9-6) on a three-game losing streak after their 59-44 loss to Idaho. The problem for the Warriors as they enter WAC play is they are being exposed for their weak non-confernece schedule that averags mearly a .327 winning percentage (325th in the nation). Hawaii also has trouble holding on to the basketball as they are turning the ball over in 25.3% of their possessions (328th in the nation). This is a terrible characteristic to have against Boise State that thrives in forcing turnovers. The Broncos are 7th in the nation with their 13.9% steal rate as well as 12th in the nation by forcing their opponents to turn the ball over in 26.2% of their possessions. This intangible will make a game-defining difference. Lay the points with Boise State Saturday night.