SPORTS WAGERS
CLEVELAND/Washington Under 192
The Wizards are coming off perhaps their best win of the year. They were trailing at home to the Timberwolves by 12 at the half and rallied to win it with a big third quarter. In the second half, the Wiz held the T-Wolves to 37 points and that’s something they can build on. Defense wins basketball games and that commitment to defense in the second half is what allowed them to come from behind last night. The Wizards would be foolish not to apply that here, especially on the road and they figure to do just that.
These two clubs met in Washington on Saturday night and the Cavs won in OT, 103-96. That was the first time these two went over the total in their past eight games against one another. In other words, they know each other well and most of those games ended in the 180’s. Cleveland has also been off since Saturday and when a team is off for four days they usually don’t come out shooting well. The Cavs are one of the weakest offensive teams in the Association. No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett has been terrible (twice as many fouls as baskets), Dion Waiters reportedly got into a confrontation in a players-only meeting and the Cavaliers are getting very little from the big man trio of Andrew Bynum, Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller.
MINNESOTA -1 over L.A. Clippers
Forget last night’s game in Washington. The T-Wolves thought they were home free after building a 12-point halftime lead but could never get back on track in the second half. This is a Timberwolves team that has won five of six home games and that there is a lot to like about. The Wolves lead the league in pace and have top-10 units in offensive and defensive efficiency. Kevin Love is putting up MVP-type numbers, averaging 26.8 points and 13.6 rebounds with a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 29.7. After losing to the Clip Joint in L.A nine days ago by just two points the T-Wolves figure to hold home court here.
The Clippers had a good week with wins over Minnesota, OKC and Brooklyn before losing to Memphis. All four of those games were in L.A. but on the road, the Clippers have just two wins in five games. Those two games occurred in Sacramento and Houston. The Clippers are among the elite, there is no question about it. However, getting used to a new system takes more than a few games. Doc Rivers is a no-nonsense coach that demands great attention to details. By mid-season the Clippers will be in much better form. Right now, they are beatable. Adding Lamar Odom sure doesn't sound like a stroke of genius and the team isn't getting anything out of Matt Barnes besides controversy. The Timberwolves are also among the elite and asking them just to win here is the prudent choice.
SPORTS WAGERS
WASHINGTON +104 over Pittsburgh
OT included. The Penguins are favored here because why? Pittsburgh is under .500 on the road. The last time they won on the road was back on November 2 in Columbus. Over their past six road games, the Pens have scored 10 goals. Pittsburgh has one road win this entire season against a team over .500 and that came way back on October 12 in Tampa Bay. The Penguins are not as dangerous this year as in previous seasons and the fact that they are favored in Washington, whether they win here or not, is bordering on ludicrous.
Washington is playing great hockey after a slow start. The Caps are coming off a 4-1 win over the Blues and they’ve won eight of their 11 home games. The Caps have won three in a row in which they’ve scored four goals in each game and they’ve also picked up points in eight of their past nine games. Now we get to take back a tag on the squad in much better form that hasn’t lost at home since October 16th against a Penguins team that hasn’t looked this average in a long time. Wrong aside favored.
Pass NCAAB & NCAAF
Chris Jordan
On an 8-3-1 run with complimentary releases. Last night I lost going against the Washington Wizards, so I'll take another shot against one of the worst teams in the league, as I like the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Washington won outright last night over Minnesota, so I would think a letdown is in order, especially on the road against a decent and improving Cleveland team.
Though the Wizards pulled off the win last night at home, they're still allowing 104.1 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league. That should help an offensively starved Cavaliers team that can build momentum and execute better than usual in a game liike this.
Fact is, and bottom line, the Cavalers might be 4-7 and still are a work in progress, but they've been respectable at home, and actually snapped a three-game skid Saturday with a 103-96 overtime win at Washington against these same Wizards. So, at home, I'd think covering a low number should be pretty easy.
The Cavs have won four in a row over the Wizards, and tonight will make five straight. Lay the chalk.
2♦ CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Jeff Benton
Your Wednesday freebie is for the MAC meeting between Northern Illinois and host Toledo to climb into the high 70's pointswise and for the Over to be the play.
Both teams bringing in some pretty offensive numbers (no pun intended!), as the Rockets blasted off for 51 points in last week's win over Buffalo in a game that saw 92 combined points. That puts Toledo on a 4-1 Over run their last 5 games.
As for visiting Northern Illinois, the Huskies have played Overs in 3 straight and 7 of their 10 games played this season. They are led by Jordan Lynch who can score on you using his legs, or he can score on you by using his arm. The senior QB is a highlight machine.
Not to be outdone, Terrance Owens is no slouch himself for the Rockets.
Last year's series meeting was surprisingly low, but 2 of the last 3 in the series have indeed landed Over the posted price.
Offense on display tonight as I see a game that ends around 49-45 and goes Over the total.
2♦ NIU-TOLEDO OVER
Craig Davis
Free play of the day on the Indiana Pacers over the New York Knicks minus the small number.
Let's face it... the Knicks stink!!
They've lost three straight and seven of their last nine in what can be considered a dismal start compared to what many thought they would do after last year's showing.
The Hawks came to Madison Square Garden three nights ago and absolutely embarrassed the Knicks, 110-90. Last night the Pistons ended a seven-game losing streak to the Knicks.
It's almost as if the Knicks have become the butt of all NBA jokes right now. "Hey, if you want to snap your losing streak, play the Knicks!!"
They're not scoring, they're not playing defense, they're not rebounding... it's almost as if they don't have an identity on either side of the ball.
Granted, it's still really early and we saw what they did in the second half of last season, but this can't be good for their confidence.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are looking to get back on the court for the first time since their 110-94 blowout loss at Chicago... their first loss of the year.
You knew they weren't going to win every game, and losing at Chicago after blitzing the Bulls in their first meeting in Indiana isn't exactly a bad loss.
Having said that, the Pacers are on a mission this year... a mission to get home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
They want that Game 7 vs. Miami (assuming they both get there) to be at home because they believe if last year's Game 7 was in Indy instead of South Beach, the Pacers would have been playing the Spurs in the Finals.
3♦ INDIANA
Scott Delaney
My free winner for tonight is on the Indiana Pacers, laying points to the struggling New York Knicks, who looked awful last night in Motown against the Detroit Pistons, and won't be up for this challenge tonight.
Now that Indiana's season-opening win streak has been to an abrupt halt, the next goal is to become the NBA's first 10-win team. I doubt the Pacers will duplicate the dismal shooting performance they displayed against Chicago their last time out, and will more than likely be ready to explode tonight.
The Pacers - who shot a season-low 40.0 percent in the loss, including a 4-for-16 performance from 3-point range - ousted the Knicks from the playoffs last season, remember? And this year's version is much better, so I suspect they'll have the same get-up-and-go against New York, which is vividly worse than it was in the postseason last year.
Fact is, while Indiana has emerged as the top team in the league for now, the Knicks just appear to be an also-ran that is banged up and not necessarily ready for a game like this. Metta World Peace has missed consecutive games and is doubtful for tonight after having his left knee drained two days ago, while Tyson Chandler is out with a non-displaced fracture in his right fibula.
Indiana checks into this one on ATS win streaks of 6-0 after a straight-up loss - obviously dating back to last season - and 7-2 overall. The Knicks, meanwhile, have lost six straight to the books inside Madison Square Garden.
Lay the road chalk.
5♦ INDIANA
Brad Wilton
Going to lay the double-digits with the rested Spurs here on Wednesday as they take on a Celtics team that was in action last night at Houston.
After their 4 game winning streak, Boston has returned to their losing ways, as the C's hit Alamo Town having lost 4 in a row both straight up and against the spread with last night's setback at the Toyota Center.
San Antonio was off last night, and they enter tonight's game riding a 7 game winning streak that includes covers in 3 of their last 4 games.
The Spurs have not lost in their 4 home games this season, and they did take care of business against a better Boston team last year, winning and covering both meetings by double-digits.
San Antone is now 4-1-1 against the spread the past 6 times they have faced Boston.
Lay it as the Spurs name it against the Celts tonight.
3♦ SAN ANTONIO
Ken Thomson
Evansville -5
Played this game last night as there were five's everywhere. Most places now at 5 1/2 but Bet on Line still at minus five. D.J. Balentine is the man that makes this Evansville machine go. He has scored 29 points in each of the three games this season, which included a win on the road vs. IUPUI and a 13-point win over Mercer at home. Balentine gets to the free throw line a lot and is ( 35 of 38 ) so far this season. Look for the Purple Aces to take advantage of their guard play from Balentine as well as Duane Gibson and Adam Wing who combine for another ( 27 points ). Egidijus Mockevicius, a 6'10'' sophomore from Lithuania has a lot of skills down low in the paint and has the potential to be an NBA player if he can fine tune his game. Valpo is playing better but is going through early season adjustments with five new starters. I expect a close game for 30 minutes before Evansville pulls away down the stretch with an advantage at the Charity Stripe and the home crowd advantage!
Teddy Covers
Texas State vs. Southern Methodist
Pick: Southern Methodist
SMU is deep, with nine different players averaging double digit minutes in their first three games and all five starters back from last year’s squad.
They have a strong backcourt led by Nic Moore and Nick Russell. Frosh sensation Keith Frazier – the first McDonald’s All American to ever play for SMU - -should be back in the lineup tonight after missing their game at Arkansas on Monday.
For their first two games, the Mustangs defense was nothing short of stellar; both in transition and in the halfcourt; completely shutting down TCU and Rhode Island in their first two games (33% shooting allowed). But they laid a real stinker on Monday Night, unable to defend the three point line or to avoid turnovers leading to easy transition buckets in a hostile environment against Arkansas’s pressure defense.
Expect a strong bounceback effort from Larry Brown’s squad here; a team I’m looking to support off a shoddy showing, especially as they step down in class tonight. Texas State is 0-3 r because they haven’t played a lick of defense, allowing their first three opponents (none of them any better than SMU) to shoot a combined 52% from the floor and 49% from three point range against them. The Bobcats shot 51% from the field in their last game and still lost by 17 to Oral Roberts. I don’t expect them to approach those lofty shooting percentage numbers here.
Nelly
Cleveland Cavaliers + over Washington Wizards
Cleveland and Washington were both expected to take a step forward this season but so far the early returns in the first month have been disappointing. Cleveland is just 4-7 on the season while Washington is just 3-7 even after a big home win over Minnesota last night. Washington had a great disparity between its home and road results last season and Wizards shot over 48 percent last night with nearly 47 percent 3-point shooting to barely hold on against an improved Minnesota team. Washington was perfect from the free throw line and managed to keep the rebounding disparity relatively close. Cleveland's last game was Saturday in Washington as they get another shot at the Wizards after a 103-96 overtime win on the road. The Cavaliers won that game despite 20 turnovers as they did shoot well in the matchup. Cleveland is 3-1 S/U at home this season and Washington is just 1-5 S/U on the road this season. Cleveland has now won four in a row in this series and as just a slight favorite at home this is a much better situation for the Cavaliers rested and at home with the Wizards coming off a big win last night.
Harry Bondi
TOLEDO +2.5 over Northern Illinois
Two of the MAC's best square off tonight in a game that will play a major role in who wins the conference title this year. Both teams possess explosive offenses and below-average defenses, but we simply can't go against a Toledo team that's won 75% of its home games since 1992, including 14-3 straight up on this field the last three years. The Rockets are also 10-5 ATS as a dog the last 15 times they have received points and are being a bit overlooked in this game because Northern Illinois is getting all the attention for being a possible BCS buster. The Huskies have to get by this game before they can start dreaming about another big Bowl Game check and that will be no easy task. Take the underrated underdog.
Hope you don't mind a little contribution:
MADDUX SPORTS:
Today's Free Pick is Brooklyn & Charlotte Over 187.5
OC Dooley
Dayton +8
This is the fourth year that Brian Gregory has been Georgia Tech’s head coach and once again his troops are off to an excellent 3-0 start. But the Yellow Jackets have not begun a campaign 4-0 since back in 2008. In addition the team is in a classic “emotional letdown” spot as they just defeated rival Georgia on the road. The visiting side for this evening’s game is the same Dayton contingent that used to be coached for EIGHT years by Gregory who led the Flyers to a pair of NCAA tournaments along with three NIT postseason berths. In Gregory’s final four seasons with the program Dayton won at least 22 games each time which caused the head coach to go for more money. Dayton is 3-0 out of the gate with all games in front of their fans which sets up an UNDEFEATED three-year angle from the database. After three consecutive games at home Dayton has COVERED SIX IN A ROW and tonight they face their old head coach
The Duke's Sports
Toledo +3
Northern Illinois/Toledo 8:00: Like the revenge minded Rockets which have been strong at home and present a stiff challenge on each side of the ball. The Rockets had an extra prep day, which is huge this late in the season for recovery. Toledo has offensive firepower to match dangerous QB Jordan Lynch and company. Rockets' QB Owens has limited turnovers and has good support from a veteran offensive line and a run game. RB Kareem Hunt has been a solid fill in for injured David Fluellen (leg). The Rockets' defense is yielding but opportunistic -- forcing 19 turnovers this year. And at home in a sold out Glass Bowl, we'll give them the edge. Dog in this series is 8-3 ATS and Toledo has covered 5 of the last 7. Throw in triple revenge and Toledo has a great shot of pulling this out.
Jeff Scott Sports
Northern Illinois -2.5 over TOLEDO: I know how good Toledo has been at home this year, and that they are on a roll, but I have to go with the Huskies in this one. The Huskies are the better team in this matchup and are playing for a shot at a second consecutive trip to a BCS bowl. They still have a ton to play for and I feel they will show up to play just like they did vs a very good Ball State squad last week. Sure they had problems pulling away in that game, but their ground attack really wore out Ball State late and I see that happening here as well. Toledo will make a game of it, but in the end I expect Northern Illinois to still be undefeated with a win by a TD.