Black Widow
1* on Philadelphia 76ers -3
The Philadelphia 76ers are showing solid value as a mere 3-point home favorite against the Toronto Raptors tonight. Both teams are playing the second of a back-to-back. Toronto lost 94-109 at Washington last night against a Wizards team that was playing without John Wall. Meanwhile, the 76ers lost 93-101 at Cleveland against a Cavaliers team that is better than most expected. The reason we are backing the 76ers tonight is because they are the deeper team, so they can handle this back-to-back situation better. Plus, the 76ers have been dealt a brutal schedule early with 7 of their first 11 games on the road. This 76ers team will start playing up to their potential now that they have a few games under their belts under a new head coach in Doug Collins. Toronto is simply the least talented team in the NBA. The Raptors are 1-8 in their last 9 games overall, and 1-6 in road games this season giving up 109.3 points/game. The Raptors are 8-22 ATS (-16.2 Units) off a road loss over the last 2 seasons. Toronto is 8-19 ATS in their last 27 games playing on 0 days rest. Take the 76ers and lay the points.
Dave Price
1 Unit on Houston Rockets +7
The Rockets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog while the Thunder are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. Look for OKC to get caught looking past Houston tonight as it prepares for a big revenge game with Boston. Take the points.
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Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Houston Rockets +7
The Thunder are being overvalued on their home floor tonight. OKC is just 3-3 at home on the season, and its last 2 home wins came by just 6 and 2 points respectively. Houston is coming off a tough loss last night, but consider that it is 71-37 ATS in its last 108 road games after a loss by 6 points or less. The Thunder are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games and 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. Lastly, the Rockets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog. Take the points.
Jack Jones
Miami Heat -7.5
I'll back the Miami Heat as Wednesday's free pick against the Phoenix Suns. Miami comes into this game well-rested and ready to go. The Heat are playing on 3 days' rest, and only their 2nd game in 6 days. Meanwhile, Phoenix comes into this game on little rest. The Suns are playing their 3rd game in 4 days and their 4th game in 6 days. Clearly, the Heat will be the more energized team tonight playing in front of their home crowd and on a lot of rest.
The Heat are outscoring their opponents by 12.0 PPG at home this season. The Suns are giving up a whopping 107.8 PPG on the road this year, while Miami is putting up 109.3 PPG at home. The Suns are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 meetings with Miami, including 2-7 ATS in their last 9 road meetings in this series. With some extra practice to work out the kinks, the Heat are primed to put forth one of their best efforts of the season. The Suns are primed to lay their biggest egg yet with the little rest they have coming into this one. Take Miami Wednesday.
Larry Ness
Utah State @ Brigham Young
PICK: Brigham Young -7
Stew Morrill has taken the Aggies to SEVEN NCAA tourneys in his 12 seasons. While he loses PG Quayle (12.4-6.2 APG), he returns his other four starters from a team which won 27 games. Guards Newbold and Williams are solid but don't score much, so Morrill has to be thrilled with new PG Brockeith Pane (by way of Houston and then a JC), scoring 23 points while adding five rebounds and four assists in Utah State's 77-65 opening-season win over Weber St. The 6-7 Wesley (13.7-6.6) is expected to have a HUGE season and he didn't disappoint in the team's first game, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds. However, winning in Provo won't come easy in this rivalry game. The Cougars lost at Logan last year 71-61 and haven't gotten the Aggies on their home court since December 2006 (BYU won that one, 75-62). In Fredette (22.1) and Emery (12.5), BYU has a terrific guard duo. Fredette opened with 24 points and eight assists in BYU's 83-56 romp over Fresno State while the 6-8 Noah Hartsock (6.5-5.1 LY) scored 21 points off the bench (five rebounds). The 6-5 Abouo (4.6-3.1) expects to contribute more this year and he opened with 13 points. The BKB Cougars may remember their FB 'brothers' losing at Logan earlier this year to the Aggies and may just look to extend the margin at the end. Expect just that! Lay the points.
Hollywood Sports
Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets
Prediction: New Orleans Hornets
Dallas (7-2) successfully ended New Orleans' unbeaten start to the season on Monday with their 98-95 win. But now the Mavs have to travel to New Orleans where the Hornets have covered the spread in 27 of their last 36 games at home in the Bee Hive. New Orleans (8-1) enjoys a +10.1 net point differential at home this year. Both these clubs are playing excellent defense this season -- yet the Mavs were able to shoot a nice 48.3% from the field on Monday. That is unlikely to occur again tonight. But the Hornets can be very encouraged by the fact that they outrebounded Dallas by a 52-42 margin. They should avenge that Monday loss in this home-and-home series. Lay the points with New Orleans.
SPORTS WAGERS
New York +1.52 over SACRAMENTO
The Knicks have lost six in a row but there’s an excellent chance that streak ends tonight. New York is playing with a real sense of urgency and their loss last night to the Nuggets proved that. Despite the loss, the Knicks rallied from a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game with three minutes to go but could not get the win. That pushed the losing streak to six but it showed that the players and coaches are giving it their all to stop the bleeding. The Kings are exactly the kind of team to break this sort of streak against because they are young, don’t play defense, and are on a five game losing skid themselves. Unlike the Knicks, who many pundits expect to be a playoff team, the Kings aren’t expected to do much and in the NBA expectations play a huge role in determining a team’s psyche. The Kings have some nice players starting with Tyreke Evans but can’t be considered any better talent-wise than the Knicks. Sacramento is also 1-4 at home with awful losses to the Pistons and Wolves; they also have a -5.4 point differential on the season which ranks 27th in the NBA. New York has to know that tonight’s tilt is its best chance to get a win since losing to Minnesota. A loss tonight sends them further down the abyss and that means at the very least we will get maximum effort from all the players. Knicks outright. Play: New York +1.52 (Risking 2 units).
Michael Cannon
Phoenix at MIAMI (-8)
Take the Heat to get it done over the Suns.
I have to think Miami gets the double-digit win here.
The Suns just aren’t the same team sans Amare Stoudemire. Steve Nash doesn’t have anybody close to his talent that he can trust in the up-tempo game Phoenix likes to play. As a result Nash’s assists are down and his turnovers are up.
Phoenix is also vulnerable defensively to the slasher types, of which Miami has two of the best in Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
The Heat haven’t lived up to the hype so far, but you have to think they’re going to start clicking.
There is a great chance of that happening tonight.
Lay the points with the Heat.
3♦ MIAMI
Scott Delaney
Washington at BOSTON (-13')
I'm not sure how and why, but the Celtics had trouble against the hapless Wizards last season.
Given they're arguably the best-performing team right now in the NBA, and the Wizards are a little banged up already, I don't think Boston will have as much trouble in this season's first meeting.
Boston has already notched a pair of wins over the star-filled Miami Heat, has won three games in overtime and is off to the best start in the Eastern Conference with an 8-2 record, despite playing just four home games.
And why has this team been so successful, even with injuries to the O'Neal boys? Well, there's the core group of stars: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Glen Davis - all of whom have been around and know the system.
Toss int he play of Rajon Rondo, who is contributing a ridiculous 15.1 assists per game, and I'd say coach Doc Rivers has himeself a lethal weapon once again.
Realistically, Rondo has been setting the tone with his keen playmaking ability, as he's hit double figures in assists in all but one game. So as long as he's getting everyone involved, the Celtics will always be in a position to win.
Not going to lie, I have become fond of John Wall, the Wizards' newest newsmaker. But neither Wall - who is out tonight - nor his teammates have enough firepower to keep pace with Boston.
Lay the home chalk.
5♦ BOSTON
Stephen Nover
L.A. Lakers (-8) at DETROIT
The Lakers played at Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The total was 193 and the teams combined to score 225 points with the Lakers winning, 118-107. The Bucks made the mistake of attempting to play up-tempo against the Lakers.
Don't expect Detroit to make that same mistake. The Lakers are the highest-scoring team in the league. The Pistons rank 26th offensively. If you discount Detroit scoring 113 points in overtime against the pathetic Clippers, the Pistons would be averaging 92 points in their last eight games.
The Pistons know they need to slow tempo to have a shot against the Lakers. The Pistons rank a respectable 13th in defense and are No. 1 in defensive 3-point field goal percentage.
The Pistons have a history of going under when playing the racehorse teams of the Pacific Division. They have gone under in seven of their last eight meetings versus Pacific teams with the lone over during this span being the overtime game against the Clippers.
There's going to be a defensive atmosphere and intensity to this matchup, too, with the return of bad boy Ron Artest to the Palace of Auburn Hills. This is Artest's fifth game back there since the infamous brawl in 2004 when he was with Indiana.
3♦ LOS ANGELES
Craig Davis
Dallas (+5) at NEW ORLEANS
Something's gotta give. The Dallas Mavericks are a perfect 3-0 on the road while the Hornets are a perfect 5-0 at home. The Mavs ended the Hornets perfect start to the season with a come-from-behind win Monday, but the Hornets have a chance to get their revenge just two nights later.
New Orleans and Dallas are separated by just one game in the very competitive NBA Southwest Division of the Western Conference, and the Mavs could pull even with a win tonight, which would also give them an advantage in the tiebreaker department.
New Orleans, however, has won six straight home games in this series vs. Dallas, and with revenge on their minds, you'd think the Hornets were the right side here.
But I disagree. The Mavs played terrible in Monday's win, but still managed to come back from a 10-point deficit to win that game. Imagine if they actually put together a couple of good quarters instead of just a couple good minutes.
Dallas is deep, deeper than the Hornets. They have a lot of veteran leadership on this team and it appears no lead is too large to overcome for them. Monday was the third time they have come back from double-digits down to win a game this year.
And the Mavs learned something very valuable in Monday's win. The best way to quiet New Orleans PG Chris Paul is to zone him up. Paul had 20 points in the first half against a man-to-man defense, but when the Mavs went zone in the second half, Paul scored just two more the rest of the game.
Expect another close game, but in the end the Mavs will use their solid free throw shooting to win.
3♦ DALLAS
Chris Jordan
L.A. Clippers at MINNESOTA (-4)
When do you take the Timberwolves as a favorite? When they play a hard-luck, crappy-ass team like the Clippers, who are off to their worst start in 12 years.
Los Angeles is horrendous, and at 1-10, will struggle mightily against an improving Timberwolves team that might be 3-9, but has been playing more and more competitive each game.
The Clippers, who have lost nine straight on the road, suffered their sixth straight overall Monday, 110-96 to a New Jersey team that had lost 23 consecutive road games against Western Conference opponents.
Point blank, the Clippers are still looking for an identity, and still looking for a leader to step up and still looking for an identity. It's not going to happen tonight, cause their morale won't be up for an equally bad T'Wolves team.
Problem is, Minnesota is improving; L.A. is not.
Lay the home chalk here.
4♦ MINNESOTA
Derek Mancini
Dallas at NEW ORLEANS (-5)
Revenge spots are rare in the NBA, given the 82 game regular season, but a home and home series is one of the few situations where we see an obvious oppurtunity for revenge. Such is the case with the Hornets tonight, who were handed their first loss of the young NBA season Monday in Dallas, and now get to host the Mavericks two days later.
If there's one place we've seen the Hornets really play well, its at home, where they've won and covered every game they've played there (5-0 SUATS). That includes wins over Miami, Denver, and Portland - three very respectable teams. Enter the Mavericks, who besides a game in Denver, have yet to really be tested on the highway (I'm not going to count wins at Memphis or the Clippers as quality road wins. Dallas is far from proven on the road, and I expect we'll see them get slightly exposed here.
Match ups are also a consideration, because I would be shocked to see David West and Emaka Okafor play as poorly as they did on Monday, combining to make just 7 of their 24 shots. We already know the Mavericks can't slow Chris Paul, and if the Hornets frontline bounces back tonight, there's no question they'll win and cover this contest. It doesn't hurt that the home team in this series is 5-1-2 ATS in their L8 meetings. Look for a resurgent bounce back effort from the Hornets as they return home tonight. Lay it with New Orleans over Dallas Wednesday.
3♦ NEW ORLEANS
Chuck O'Brien
Chicago at SAN ANTONIO (-7)
For today’s complimentary selection in the NBA, I’ll take the Spurs as a home favorite against Chicago.
Reports of San Antonio’s demise appear to have been premature, as Ginobili, Parker, Duncan and Co. are off to an 8-1 start. Since falling 99-90 to New Orleans (which was the last unbeaten team in the NBA prior to losing Monday in Dallas), the Spurs have won seven in a row, going 4-2-1 ATS. The last three victories have come in convincing fashion over the Clippers (107-95), 76ers (116-93) and Thunder (117-104).
San Antonio comes into this contest well-rested, having been idle since Sunday’s 13-point win in Oklahoma City, while Chicago is in a back-to-back situation (having held off the Rockets 95-92 last night). Although the Bulls have won four in a row, Tuesday’s game in Houston kicked off a brutal seven-game, 12-day Western Conference road trip (Chicago played six of its first eight at home).
Normally a defensive-minded squad, the Spurs have been winning with offense through the first 2 ½ weeks of this season, averaging 109 ppg on 46.7 percent shooting overall and a whopping 44 percent shooting from three-point range. And in its four home victories, San Antonio has tallied 122, 124, 107 and 116 points. That’s a big deal, as Chicago has surrendered an average of 102.7 ppg in its three roadies.
Finally, San Antonio is in a double-revenge spot here, as Chicago swept the season series last year (including a 98-83 victory in the Alamo Dome). Prior to that, the Spurs had won and covered four straight meetings. In fact, the SU winner is on a 10-0 ATS roll when these teams hook up.
3♦ SAN ANTONIO
Karl Garrett
Chicago at SAN ANTONIO (-7')
NBA free play tonight as the Bulls and the Spurs are both streaking right now, but my money will be on the Spurs to cool off Chicago.
Chicago made it 4 straight wins last night with the road victory at Houston, but that was just their first road win in 3 games this season. Playing in a back-to-back situation this evening against a San Antonio team that has had an extra-days rest, and has won their last 7 games is going to spell trouble come 4th quarter crunch time.
San Antonio is seeking a measure of revenge, as Chicago has won and covered the last pair of series meetings. Prior to those 2 victories, it was the Spurs that had held the upper-hand in the series, winning and covering the previous 4 showdowns.
Going to back the rested Spurs to pull away late from the Bulls for the home win and cover as San Antonio snaps the series 2 game slide both SU and ATS.
Lay it!
2♦ SAN ANTONIO
Bobby Maxwell
Chicago (+7') at SAN ANTONIO
For my comp selection, it was a big fourth quarter that lifted the Bulls to a victory in Houston on Tuesday night and a 33-point performance from PG Derek Rose didn’t hurt either. Tonight, I think Chicago matches up very well with the Spurs and they will go into San Antonio and definitely get the cover, maybe even pulling off the outright upset.
Chicago won both meetings last season, including a 98-93 win in San Antonio on January 25, cashing as an 8 ½-point underdog. Rose had 27 points and six assists in that one, but it was the balance by the Bulls that did the trick, getting six players in double figures and shooting 53.8 percent from the floor.
Bulls’ center Joakim Noah was able to limit Tim Duncan to just 15 points and five rebounds and he should matchup well with him again tonight. Noah has the young legs and never-give-up attitude and is just faster than Duncan and the Spurs.
With Tuesday’s win, the Bulls have rattled off four straight victories and held the opposition to 96 points or less in each of the last four.
San Antonio is off to a great start this season, winning seven straight since losing the second game of the season at home to the Hornets. It’s the same cast of characters for the Spurs, with Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker dominating the scoring column.
In this series, the road team is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 clashes. Chicago comes in on ATS surges of 11-3 on the road, 8-2 as a road ‘dog, 6-1 on the second night of a back-to-back and 13-3-1 against Southwest Division teams. Meanwhile, the Spurs are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 at home and 1-4 ATS against teams with winning records.
I will grab the points and play Chicago tonight, but won’t be surprised when the young legs of Chicago steal this one from the Spurs.
2♦ CHICAGO
Joel Tyson
Miami-Ohio (-10) at AKRON
Free play in college football this Wednesday is to lay the wood with the Redhawks as they play at winless Akron.
The Zips is an appropriate name for Akron this year, as they are winless in 10 tries thus far. Not only that, but the points have been of little value to the host, as Akron is 0-6 their last 6 lined home games, and 1-8 overall their last 9 tries at InfoCision Stadium!
Miami-Ohio is right in the thick of things in the East Division, and they need a win to keep pace with Ohio. The Redhawks have won and covered 3 of their last 4, including a pair of wins and a pair of covers in their last 2 games - both away from home.
The Redhawks are on an 8-2 straight up run in this series, and they have been able to cover in 4 of the last 6 in the series. Even with Dysert doubtful, I don't see any issue with the Redhawks rolling big tonight over the hapless Zips.
Lay the wood!
4♦ MIAMI-OHIO
Stephen Nover
UW-Green Bay (+15) at MARQUETTE
This is a short road trip for Green Bay. The Phoenix have had this early game marked leading into the season. First-year Green Bay coach Brian Wardle is a former Marquette player and was the Golden Eagles' director of basketball operations from 2003-2005. He knows the Golden Eagles and is popular at his old school.
Marquette won't want to embarrass its former player and assistant. This is important when taking this many points.
Marquette coach Buzz Williams is using the early portion of the season to work on his lineup. There already is uncertainty at shooting guard with Darius Johnson-Odom off to a slow start.
Green Bay has a solid backcourt with Rahom Fletcher, a first team All-Horizon League pick last year who finished third in the conference in scoring, and Bryquis Perine, who ranked fourth in the conference in assists. Wardle also upgraded his frontcourt landing 7-foot recruit Alec Brown.
3♦ UW GREEN BAY
Chris Jordan
Uab (-2) at MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
I actually love the Blazers this season, and think they could surprise some people in their conference, and quite possibly in the tournament. Tonight they'll have no trouble against Middle Tennessee State, which steps up in class after winning a 90-46 season-opening rout over NAIA school Tennessee Temple.
The Blazers have won all three games in the series, including a 65-64 victory over MTSU in Birmingham last season.
They're even better this season, as they're is a real athletic team, and they have a very experienced backcourt.
UAB returns five lettermen and two starters from last season's team that went 25-9 and lost to North Carolina in the NIT quarterfinal. And fifth-year coach Mike Davis is in a prime position to do some great thigns with this team, which is led by all-conference point guard Aaron Johnson, a senior who could break the program's career assists record by season's end.
The Blue Raiders will also have to contend with a pair of talented big men in 6-foot-8 forward Ovie Soko and 6-10 center Cameron Moore.
MTSU may challenge in the first half, feeding off the home crowd, but in the end I like the Blazers to pull away for this one.
4♦ UAB
Derek Mancini
Utah State (+7) at BYU
Now onto your free pick, as Brigham Young hosts in-state rival Utah State. Big early season battle going down in Provo tonight, and I'm seeing a lot of love for the Cougars here. We all remember the last time these two rivals met, and the Aggies 71-61 win in Logan. I know the revenge angle is being touted by a lot of people here, but I'm not buying it.
The match ups are still close enough to warrant a play on the Aggies, as stud PF Tai Wesley looks even better this season, and while everyone was worried about the departure of PG Jared Quayle, juco-tranfer Brokeith Pane has been rock-solid. I love the size on the wings with Pooh Williams as a 6'4 defensive stopper and Tyler Newbold as the 6'5 "veteran" SG, who's been a starter since he walked on campus.
No question the Cougars have the best player on the floor in Jimmer Fredette, but don't get too sucked in by their big win against Fresno State. Bulldogs are terrible, and trying to compare them to the Aggies is like comparing apples and oranges. Aggies have the frontcourt to match up with the Cougars, AND the size and depth necessary to deal with Fredette and company. Let's not forget they held BYU's star guard to 5 of 15 shooting and 3 turnovers in their last meeting. Early season in-state rivalry will be hard-fought and competitive, grab the points with Utah State over BYU tonight.
2♦ UTAH STATE
Craig Davis
Utah State at BYU (-6')
Tonight's free play is on the BYU Cougars over Utah State. There's a little revenge on the minds of the Cougars tonight in Provo. Last season, BYU suffered its first loss at the hands of Utah State. Well, they get their shot at redeeming that loss tonight when they host the unranked Aggies a litter earlier in the season. This Utah State team definitely should not be taken lightly (as the Cougars have learned).
The Aggies have made the Big Dance the last two seasons and many associated with that school believe they are primed for another run this year.
BYU, though, is experienced and led by pre-season All-American Jimmer Fredette. They are also trying to build on last year's trip to the Field of 64, hoping to get past the second round. Tonight's game is a great early-season gauge to see exactly where they are.
They got started on the right foot with an impressive 83-56 shellacking of Fresno State at home as 23-point favorites. Fredette, who averaged 22.1 points a season ago, scored 24 while shooting 9 of 15 from the field in that win. Junior F Noah Hartsock, also a starter in 2009-10, also shot 9 of 15 and added 21 points in 25 minutes off the bench.
This group is more experienced and deeper than a year ago and really wants to make a statement early. I think they will. Take BYU minus the number as my college free play of the day.
3♦ BYU
Bobby Maxwell
Utah St. at BYU (-7)
For my comp selection, the Cougars are a much improved team that the squad that made it to the second-round of the tourney last season. And they still remember the loss handed to them by in-state rival Utah State a year ago. That won’t happen again and you’ll see BYU pull away in the second half.
BYU jumped all over Fresno State on Friday night, winning 83-56 as 20-point home favorites. Preseason All-American Jimmer Fredette led the way with 24 points and the Cougars got 21 points in 25 minutes from reserve Noah Hartsock, a starter last season.
Last year, Utah State handed BYU its first loss of the year with a 71-61 victory at home. The Aggies held Fredette to 5-of-15 shooting and Hartsock only had four. They opened this season with a 77-65 win over Weber State and coach Stew Morrill’s team is now 24-1 against in-state opponents since he arrived.
BYU has won 12 straight November games, dating back to 2007 when they fell to then top-ranked North Carolina. Last time these two teams met in Provo was 2008 when the Cougars got a 68-63 win.
The Aggies are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games while BYU has cashed in five of their last six non-conference games and five of their last 7 home games. In this series, the favorite is on a 5-1 ATS surge and the home team has gotten the cash in seven of the last nine overall.
I’ll lay the points and look for BYU to win this thing with a big second half. Play the Cougars.
5♦ BYU
Michael Cannon
Missouri State (+6) at TENNESSEE
Take the points with Missouri State tonight over Tennessee.
The Vols are a young team and were already upset by Division II Indianapolis in the preseason. They vowed to never take any opponent lightly again, but allowed Belmont to close to within a point of the lead in the second half on Tuesday.
That tells me this team needs to grow up and with only two returning starters they’re going to experience more lows along the way.
Missouri State returns its top five scorers from last season’s team that finished 24-12 and beat Pacific to win the CollegeInsider.com tournament championship.
Tennessee could also be without starting guard Melvin Goins, who has a side injury.
Take the points with Missouri State.
3♦ MISSOURI STATE
Karl Garrett
Rider at USC (-13)
College basketball comp play winner late night tonight, and the G-Man is laying the double-digits with the Trojans of USC over visiting Rider.
The Broncos are in Los Angeles, fresh from their 3,000 mile flight from New Jersey and if the time change doesn't get them first, look for Kevin O'Neil's improved Trojan squad to actually get them on the hardwood tonight.
USC is once again eligible for postseason play after getting banned last season due to the O.J. Mayo fiasco, and the Trojans sure look like they are on a mission this season, already 2-0 with wins over Cal-Irvine, and Santa Clara, and a 1-0-1 spread mark in those pair of wins.
This will be the third straight home contest for the Trojans, and that "comfort factor" will lead to a comfortable win and cover over the Broncos who don't usually make trips like this one during the course of their season.
USC your winner minus the number.
4♦ USC
O.C. Dooley
Suns / Heat Under 209
It certainly has been a sluggish start for superstar-laden Miami who not only have lost twice in the most recent 3 outings, the defense has been scorched for an average of 109 points per pop during the stretch. That defense certainly will be put to a severe test this evening against high-octane Phoenix who back on Sunday defeated the world champion Lakers by nailing an amazing 22 different “three point” attempts from behind the arc. One would think tonight’s posted total would be higher especially since the Suns have had over/under spots of 215+ in each of the past four games, while the Heat have exceeded the spot in SIX consecutive contests. Not only have the oddsmakers made a loud statement in tonight’s early evening ESPN national telecast, my database research indicates that Phoenix is a staggering 15-3 UNDER/ROAD the past eighteen times they have gone up against a “quality” opponent with a winning record. The clincher is a massive “22-4” SYSTEM (85% past five years) which plays winning home teams like Miami after going above the total by more than 6 points in three consecutive contests UNDER a posted spot between 200-and-209’ points. In the offseason both of these teams made massive personnel changes and are still attempting to gain some offensive chemistry
Wunderdog
Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat
Play: Miami Heat -8
The Miami Heat and their trio of stars seem to be on the move upward as they get more time together on the court. The Heat are 35-17-2 in their last 54 vs Pacific teams and the Suns are a big part of that, especially playing in Miami where they are just 2-7 in the last nine in Miami. Miami in this one.
Evan Altemus
Washington +13
Washington will be without John Wall again tonight. The Wizards were without him last night, yet they were able to get a blowout win over Toronto. Usually in the NBA you want to back a team in their first game without their star player then fade them after that. However, I think this situation is a little different. Gilbert Arenas stepped up big time in Wall's absence, as well as the rest of the team. The Wizards are 1-1 ATS this season in back-to-back games and are playing one here. Boston is coming off of a successful four game road trip, where they went 4-0 ATS and 3-1 straight up. However, the Celtics are notorious for not using effort to blowout weaker teams at home. Boston is trying to conserve as much energy as they can for the playoffs and they are horrible in the role of a big home favorite against weaker teams. The Celtics are 0-3 ATS in their last 3 home games this season, all against weaker teams. Look for Washington to get the point spread cover in a loss.