Hollywood Sports
New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets
Prediction: New York Knicks
Denver (5-5) returns home off after their 100-94 loss to Phoenix last night. Playing back-to-back night is difficult enough in the NBA -- but having to do so after playing against the up-tempo Suns is a unique challenge. The Nuggets are notorious for underachieving in the second game in back-to-back situations as they have are just 5-12-2 in their last 19 games played without rest. Denver really is missing their two big men in Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen who remain on the sidelines with injuries. Their absence is showing up on both ends of the court as they are shooting only 44.9% from the field while allowing their opponents to shoot 46.5%. The Nuggets are also a mere 1-9-2 in their last 12 games against Eastern Conference foes. New York (3-7) comes off a 104-96 loss to the Rockets on Sunday as whispers are beginning to grow louder about the job stability of Mike Dantoni. Look for a better effort from the Knicks in this contest where they know they have a chance to catch the Nuggets napping after their loss in Phoenix yesterday. Take the points with the Knicks.
Rocketman Sports
Ohio State vs. Florida
Play: Florida -1.5
Ohio State is ranked #5 in the nation while Florida comes in ranked as the 10th best team in the nation. I always like looking at taking the lower ranked team giving points at home in this situation. Florida is 33-6 SU at home the past 3 years. Florida is 30-12 SU as a favorite the past 3 seasons. Buckeyes are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. Southeastern. Buckeyes are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. Buckeyes are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog. Buckeyes are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog of 0.5-6.5. Buckeyes are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog of 0.5-6.5. Buckeyes are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games. Buckeyes are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win of more than 20 points. We'll recommend a small play on Florida tonight!
Wunderdog Sports
Idaho vs. Washington State
Play: Washington St -14.5
The Vandals may be 1-0, but can't be too confident after struggling with non Div-1 opponent Eastern Oregon, while Washington State was hammering Southern University at home by 40. The edge here is clearly in talent, but the Vandals will likely surrender a lot of second chance points, as the Cougars were immense in their opener off the glass, holding a decisive 50-23 advantage. The Vandals suffered a lot of graduation losses from a year ago and are not going to be up to the task on the road vs. a far superior opponent. The Vandals have struggled vs. good teams, falling prey to a 0-7 ATS mark in their last seven vs. a team with a winning percentage of over .600. Washington State wins and covers.
Sean Murphy
Chicago @ Houston
PICK: Chicago +1.5
Despite key injuries to Aaron Brooks and Yao Ming, the Rockets have actually been playing better basketball lately - notching back-to-back wins in Indiana and New York to finish their most recent road trip.
I'm not ready to buy into the Rockets again - not yet anyway. They haven't exactly impressed here at home, where they're 1-2 SU and ATS, losing the only two times they stepped up in competition against the Nuggets and Hornets. Dating back to last season, they're just 8-21 ATS over their last 29 home games.
The Bulls head into their annual circus road trip with a full head of steam. They've won three straight games, holding each of their opponents to 96 points or less.
We've seen this team play with a much different attitude under head coach Tom Thibodeau. He's instilled a new level of confidence in his players, which just wasn't there during the short-lived Vinny Del Negro era. While the Bulls have struggled on this trip over the years, I'm confident Thibodeau will have them in the right frame of mind entering this year's jaunt.
It's not as if the Bulls have been perennial losers away from home. Remember, they finished last season with a flurry, winning five of their final six road games. They're 0-2 on the road to start this season, but they've run into a pair of tough opponents in the Thunder and Celtics.
Chicago will be without Kyle Korver for this one, and while his absence leaves a bit of a hole off the bench, it's not as if he's been playing lights out. In fact, Korver had scored just 29 points while committing six turnovers compared to two assists over the last four games.
The Rockets injuries I mentioned earlier are much more significant, and I'll also add that they'll be without Chase Budinger on Tuesday. He's become a significant contributor off the bench, and will certainly be missed tonight.
Houston dominated this series for years but Chicago has answered back with three consecutive wins since February of 2009. Last year, the Bulls walked into Houston and came away with a 104-97 win as six-point underdogs against a tougher Rockets squad. Look for the end result to be similar here tonight. Take Chicago.
Larry Ness
Brown @ Rhode Island
PICK: Brown +17.5
Brown visits to Kingston tonight to take on Rhode Island. Brown opened its new campaign last Friday with a 69-65 win at Fordham. The Bears return four starters and are said to have had a strong recruiting class. As for Rhode Island, the Rams have been idle since a season-opening 83-75 loss to Big East power Pittsburgh. Jim Baron's Rams posted 26 wins last season, including a trip to the NIT semifinals. However, Cothran (14.3-3.4) and Ulmer (12.1-7.4), two of the team's three double-digit scorers from LY's team are gone. That being said, EIGHT of the Ram's top-10 players return. The 6-8 Delroy James (13.2-5.3) had 20 points in the loss to Pitt. Sophomore guard Akeem Richmond (8.1) added 16 points, while little-used 6-7 forward Nikola Malesevic from LY contributed 13 points in only 13 minutes of action off the bench. Jones and Mejia both play the point plus the 7-0 Martell (7.5-3.8) and the 6-9 Outerbridge (5.9-3.0) are back up front. While Rhode Island will want to get that first win, covering this HUGE number will not come easy. The 6-8 Mullery (15.2-6.2) will be missed at Brown but the 6-5 Peter Sullivan leads the returnees after averaging 12.3-4.5 last year. Tucker Halpern (8.1) and Andrew McCarthy (6.7-4.7) are both 6-8 and return after solid freshman seasons. Garrett Leffelman (7.5) and Adrian Williams (5.7 ppg) are a pair of senior guards plus then there is Brown's freshman class. We'll see how it plays out later on but here, expect the "little school from Rhode Island" to hang around vs the "big boys" from Kingston. take the points.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Memphis Grizzlies -1
Off 3 straight disappointing losses, this talented Memphis team should be ready to respond tonight. Plus, it only helps our cause that Portland star Brandon Roy is expected to sit this one out with a knee injury.
Without getting much from Roy, Portland really struggled in a 107-87 loss to New Orleans in its last game.
Following yesterday's poor performance against Orlando, the Grizzlies held a team meeting. The general message, according to guard Mike Conley, was that everyone needs to step it up and be accountable. Expect that meeting to inspire a better performance from Memphis tonight.
Memphis has won 2 of the last 3 meetings against the Blazers. Back the Grizzlies tonight.
Black Widow
1* on Los Angeles Lakers -3.5
Coming off back-to-back losses, we expect the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers to respond like champs as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday. The Lakers are off to an 8-2 start this year, but have ran into a couple of tough teams in the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. Admittedly, they have not played their best basketball in those two contests, and that's why Kobe and company will respond with a great effort tonight. The Lakers are scoring 112.5 points/game this season while the Bucks are putting up a mere 92.1 points/game. That's another reason why we feel Milwaukee won't be able to keep up with L.A. on the scoreboard. Plus, the Lakers are 5-0 in their last 5 meetings with Milwaukee, winning four of those games by 5 points or more. The Bucks are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Western Conference. Take the Lakers and lay the points.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on New York Knicks +8
This is a flat spot for Denver, playing back-to-back after suffering such an emotionally draining loss last night. The Nuggets couldn't hold onto an 8-point fourth-quarter lead last night. Now, they get a Knicks team that will be leaving it all on the floor to bring a 5-game losing streak to an end. The Knicks should have success with their uptempo style of play against a Denver team that wore down late against the run-and-gun Suns last night. Each of the last 4 meetings between these teams have been decided by 7 or fewer points. Plus, the Nuggets are a lousy 1-9-2 ATS in their last 12 vs. the Eastern Conference and just 5-12-2 ATS in their last 19 games when playing without a day of rest. Take the points.
Info Plays
3* on Cleveland Cavaliers -2
Reasons the Cavs cover:
1.) System Play. We'll Play On - Home teams (CLEVELAND) - off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite, playing with 2 days rest. This is a 48-14 ATS System hitting 77.4% over the last 5 seasons.
2.) Andre Iguodala is out for the 76ers. He is their best player, and they simply are not the same team without him. Bet the Cavs at home.
Jack Jones
Atlanta Hawks -2
The Atlanta Hawks have absolutely owned the Indiana Pacers in recent seasons. There are mismatches all over the floor in their favor, as they clearly have the better athletes and Indiana just cannot seem to find an answer for it. Atlanta is 6-0 SU & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings with Indiana. In fact, the Hawks have beaten the Pacers by 10, 12, 11, 4, 14 and 6 points in those six victories, so for the most part the games haven't really even been close.
Atlanta is 4-1 SU & 4-1 ATS on the road this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 7.2 PPG. They have proven they can win away from home already, with their only road loss coming to the Magic by just 4 points. Atlanta is a perfect 9-0 ATS in road games after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread over the last 3 seasons. The Hawks are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5. The Pacers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Roll with the Hawks Tuesday.
Ross Benjamin
Belmont @ Tennessee
Play: Belmont +14.5
This is a Belmont team that returns 11 players from last seasons team that won 19 games and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. As opposed to the gritty teams in recent years that Belmont has put on the floor this is far and away their most athletic squad. Tennessee is without a doubt the far superior team on paper. However with all the whirlwind that has been hampering the Tennessee program centering around head coach Bruce Pearl it can't help but to have some effect on the team. This looks to be a flat spot for the ranked home team. Play on Belmont plus the points as a free selection.
SPORTS WAGERS
HOUSTON –1½ over Chicago
The Rockets are finally starting to win after their brutal 0-5 start. Houston has won three of its last four games by an average of 11 points, a stretch that has seen Kevin Martin average 25 points a game and Luis Scola average 22 a night. The Rockets have also inserted Brad Miller into the starting lineup to replace Yao Ming and he responded with 23-8-5 night against the Pacers on Friday. The Rockets are fourth in the NBA in offense and third in free throw percentage, a key statistic when betting against the Bulls. Chicago has won three in a row at home with big wins against the Nuggets and Warriors but lost in this mini winning streak is the fact that the Bulls still allow opponents to shoot close to 38% from three and send their opponents to the line 27 times a night. Tom Thibodeau is known as a defensive mastermind but it seems that the Bulls are still interested in scoring points and worrying about defense later. Against teams like the Wizards and Warriors, teams that rank 30th and 20th in offensive efficiency, that strategy can work. But against elite offenses like Houston’s, the Bulls will have to lock in defensively and they simply haven’t shown they can do that yet. Chicago has also played six home games and last played on the road November 5th when they lost to the Celtics. It would be prudent to wait and see how this team plays on the road; since the Derrick Rose era began the Bulls have a .341 road winning percentage. The Rockets still appear to be severely undervalued by the books and public. A mini win streak is sometimes all it takes for a team to start playing to its potential and home court is no better place to start. Play: Houston –1½ (Risking 2.14 units to win 2).
Nashville +1.05 over Toronto
Eventually the Maple Leafs are going to win a game but until they do and a tag is offered on the opposition, we’ll gladly step in. With each loss the pressure mounts and with each loss the next game becomes harder to win. The Leafs have now dropped eight in a row and they played as good as they’re capable of in its last loss against Vancouver on Saturday night. However, J.S. Giguere allowed a softie late in the third, the Canucks added an empty netter and the Leafs dropped another one. Toronto will come right back with Giguere tonight while the better goalie remains on the bench. Why? Because Burke, Wilson and Giguere are buddies. Only the Islanders and Oilers have fewer wins than Toronto’s five and let’s not forget the Leafs opened the year 4-0. Enter the Nashville Predators, a team that the Leafs are not going to outwork because when rested and ready to go nobody outworks the Preds. This is a rare visit for them to Toronto and that’s also a little extra motivation. The Preds have won two in a row over St. Louis and Chicago and they embark on a four-game trip beginning here. Aside from not wanting to be the team that loses to the Leafs, teams often play its best game on the first game of a trip in order to “set the tone”. Both Martin Erat and Ryan Suter played in the Preds last game against Chicago after missing a few games with injuries and lastly, the Preds have a solid edge between the pipes with Pekka Rinne over Giguere. Play: Nashville +1.05 (Risking 2 units).