Arthur Ralph Superpick
Wizards NBA
Regular Play
Raptors NBA
L Ness' Weekly Wipeout Winner-NBA (3-1 BKB run with Wipeout Winners!)
My Weekly Wipeout Winner is on the Was Wizards at 7:05 ET. Atlanta defeated Miami 117-111 in OT on Wednesday to complete a perfect three-game homestand. This is the latest into a season Atlanta (13-12) has been above the break-even mark since the lockout-shortened 1999 season, its last playoff team. The Hawks average only 94.4 PPG but are scoring 108.7 on 53.1 percent shooting during their winning streak. However, their perimeter shooting is still struggling. Atlanta is the worst 3-point shooting team in the league (30.7 percent) and made just 1-of-10 shots from beyond the 3-point arc on Wednesday. The Hawks made only 3-of-20 3-pointers in their 101-90 home loss to Washington on Nov. 11. Washington (13-11) lost to Chicago 95-84 on Wednesday, snapping a four-game winning streak SU and ATS. The Wizards had also taken a 6-1 SU and ATS overall run into that game, as well as an 8-2 SU and ATS home winning streak. Despite starting the year without Etan Thomas (heart) plus losing Arenas and now Daniels during the year, Washington continues to play well. Butler (22.4-7.0-4.2) and Jamison (21.0-10.7) have been outstanding, while PG Stevenson is averaging over 17 PPG since Arenas went down. Atlanta's Joe Johnson (21.7-3.9-5.3) is coming on while up front, Smith (17.4-7.9) and Williams (16.5-5.8) have played well at the forward positions plus Horford (8.8-9.1) and Pachulia (6.6-4.4) have done a solid job splitting time at center. However, Childress (12.2-4.9) is out at SG/SF, plus PGs Lue and Claxton are out, with Stoudamire listed as questionable. Atlanta has dropped 12 of its last 14 against the Wizards, including seven straight in Washington! Weekly Wipeout Winner on the Was Wizards.
Brian Lenoard
4* NBA Best Bet
Orlando over Utah The Utah Jazz enter action tonight in a sad state. They have now dropped seven straight road games and the team is starting to implode. Injuries to Mehmet Okur and Matt Harpring have shortened their rotation. Now Gordan Giricek and Coach Sloan are at odds and the team sent Giricek back to Utah after the game at Charlotte. He will not be with the team the final two games of this roadtrip. The Utah offense has struggled badly as of late, failing to reach the century mark in 5 of the last 6 games. Keep in mind that at one time this season Utah led the league in scoring. Orlando struggled a bit after their great start to the season but the team looks to be back on track with a solid roadtrip in Texas. Now they return home rested with just two games scheduled in the next six days after tonight. Therefore the Jazz will receive their full attention. The Magic should have a big edge down low tonight against a shortened Utah rotation as we expect Dwight Howard to have a monster game. Orlando has something to prove tonight as they have dropped their last three home games in straight up fashion. The current line says that these two teams are equal, with even Utah having a one point edge. That's simply not the case, especially considering the Utah personnel losses. Look for Orlando to make a statement against a team that is unraveling before our eyes. PLAY ORLANDO
Frank Rosenthal
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NEW ORLEANS BOWL
FAU VS MEMPHIS
305 FAU+3.5 SB
UNDER 67 SB
NBA
503 LAKERS-1.5 SB
507 BULLS UNDER 182.5 SB+
516 MAVS-11 SB
COLLEGE HOOPS
521 GEORGE MASON-8.5 SB+
530 HAWAII-1.5 SB
Karl Garrett
That's right, I am backing Isiah Thomas' team to make it 2 in a row in the win column, or should I say 2 in a row in the cover column. New York just beat Cleveland outright, as they made it a 3-1 spread run their last 4 games.
Charlotte is only 7-7 against the spread at home this year, and have failed their last 3 when installed as the favorite. The Bobcats did snap a 9 game straight up and against the spread losing streak their last time out, as they bested the Jazz at home, but the G-Man certainly doesn't trust them laying the points tonight against a New York team that may have finally been awakended following Isiah's latest appeal.
I will grab the points and look for another inspired effort from the Knickerbockers this evening in Charlotte.
3* NY KNICKS
MATT RIVERS
For Friday take the points with the Bulls.
I went against the Bulls against the Lakers the other night and won and also had the Pistons at the Fleet Center against the Celtics and cashed the ticket there as well.
I do not think that Boston will lose for a second straight game but I do think that the C's may have peaked a little in the 20-2 start to the season and will come back down to Earth a little as they are just not a 70 or so win team. Call it the Law of Averages, call it whatever but we are going to see Doc Rivers' squad play some mediocre ball in the near future and on the exact opposite extreme we are going to see the underachieving and disappointing Bulls build some momentum and play better as they seem to be doing a bit after the terrible 2-10 start.
Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace still form a solid team. Things have not been clicking like Scott Skiles would like but this team is still talented and fairly deep and are getting a bit much here.
Chicago is as undervalued as can be and Boston is still as overvalued as can be. Combine this and we are getting a deal tonight and a game that can't be passed up.
Jimmy The Moose COMP
Game: Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres
Prediction: Buffalo Sabres
Reason: The Flyers are struggling right now having lost 4 straight and 5 of their last 6 games. In their last 27 games vs. Northest team's the Flyers are 6-21. Buffalo has won 4 straight and 5 of their last 6. The Sabres have won 9 of their last 10 games vs. Eastern Conference team's. The Sabres have won their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Flyers have lost 5 of the last 6 meetings between the team's. Play on the Sabres
COMPS
HUDDLE UP SPTS
Friday Free Winner
Boston -10
COMPUTER SPTS
FRIDAY FREE WINNER
CHICAGO BULLS+10
RAZOR SHARP SPTS
YOUR FREE WINNER FOR FRIDAY: INDIANA -5½ over Minnesota
TOTALS 4U
FRIDAY'S FREE WINNER: PACERS/TIMBER WOLVES UNDER 203
#1 SPTS
FRIDAY'S FREE WINNER: TORONTO RAPTORS - 5
DARK HORSE SPTS
Free Play of the Day: NBA - Boston -10 over Chicago
VEGAS STEAMLINE
Free Winner for Friday: Take the St Johns Red Storm +2 over Hawaii
Marc Lawrence COMP
Game: Toronto Raptors at Seattle SuperSonics Dec 21 2007 10:35PM
Prediction: Toronto Raptors
Ben Burns comp
Game: Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics Dec 21 2007 7:05PM
Prediction: under
Jimmy The Moose comp
Game: Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres Dec 21 2007 7:35PM
Prediction: Buffalo Sabres
MATT FARGO- COMP
East Tennessee St +10.5 (-104)
**Note: This game is being played in Hawaii and is the second game in the Rainbow Classic, starting well past midnight.**
East Tennessee St. is coming off a 50-point loss at Syracuse on Saturday and that helps up in a big way here. The public is all over Georgia here based on that defeat plus the fact that the Bulldogs are a big named school with a 6-1 record to start the season. That record is a fraud as Georgia has played no one this season with the exception of Wisconsin and that ended in a 19-point loss. The six wins have come against teams ranked 149th, 246th, 174th, 223rd and 339th and a win over a non-Division I team.
The Buccaneers are ranked higher than all of those teams that Georgia has defeated and based on power rankings and schedule strength, I have East Tennessee St. as an eight-point favorite here. The game against Syracuse was an absolute disaster as the Buccaneers allowed the Orange to shoot 75.8 percent from the floor and a game like that provides a big wake up call. The other four losses came by an average of 5.5 ppg, three by four and less, so that Syracuse game can be chalked up as an aberration.
Georgia can score but the question remains can it score away from home? It obviously could not against Wisconsin but we can?t compare the Badgers with East Tennessee St. as far as defense goes. But basically the Bulldogs have yet to prove they are worthy of laying double-digits away from home. This team was hit hard by the losses of guards Mike Mercer and Takais Brown at the start of the season, the two leading scorers from last year.
East Tennessee St. won 24 games a season ago and has the top player in the Atlantic Sun in Courtney Pigram, the reigning Player of the Year. He is the leading scorer with 16.9 ppg and he is joined in the backcourt with Travis Strong who is his high school teammate and was forced to sit last season with a knee injury. Strong is the Buccaneers best shooter and top defender. The biggest question coming in was the frontcourt but Kevin Tiggs, the Division II JUCO Player of the Year, has quelled those questions rather quickly.
Play East Tennessee St. Buccaneers 1 Unit
Joe Wiz
NBA - Toronto (-5)
Karl Garrett comp
That's right, I am backing Isiah Thomas' team to make it 2 in a row in the win column, or should I say 2 in a row in the cover column. New York just beat Cleveland outright, as they made it a 3-1 spread run their last 4 games.
Charlotte is only 7-7 against the spread at home this year, and have failed their last 3 when installed as the favorite. The Bobcats did snap a 9 game straight up and against the spread losing streak their last time out, as they bested the Jazz at home, but the G-Man certainly doesn't trust them laying the points tonight against a New York team that may have finally been awakended following Isiah's latest appeal.
I will grab the points and look for another inspired effort from the Knickerbockers this evening in Charlotte.
3* NY KNICKS
MATT RIVERS Comp
For Friday take the points with the Bulls.
I went against the Bulls against the Lakers the other night and won and also had the Pistons at the Fleet Center against the Celtics and cashed the ticket there as well.
I do not think that Boston will lose for a second straight game but I do think that the C's may have peaked a little in the 20-2 start to the season and will come back down to Earth a little as they are just not a 70 or so win team. Call it the Law of Averages, call it whatever but we are going to see Doc Rivers' squad play some mediocre ball in the near future and on the exact opposite extreme we are going to see the underachieving and disappointing Bulls build some momentum and play better as they seem to be doing a bit after the terrible 2-10 start.
Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace still form a solid team. Things have not been clicking like Scott Skiles would like but this team is still talented and fairly deep and are getting a bit much here.
Chicago is as undervalued as can be and Boston is still as overvalued as can be. Combine this and we are getting a deal tonight and a game that can't be passed up.
Covers' Ice Picks
Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres (-139, 6)
There will be at least a few Sabres backers reflecting on better days tonight at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo. The reason for the trip down memory lane is the return of Daniel Briere, a big reason why the Sabres were the best regular-season team in 2006-07.
Now Briere is providing the same strong play in Philly, where he ranks second on the team with 35 points.
The Sabres have moved on and seem to be finding life after losing the highly sought-after center. Buffalo is 11-4-0 in its last 15 games, including wins in four straight.
Philadelphia has lost four straight overall and has allowed 17 goals during its season-high skid. The Flyers are 1-8-0 with one tie in its last 10 games at Buffalo.
Pick: Sabres
New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins (-141, 5 1/2)
Sidney Crosby picked up his first Gordie Howe hat trick Thursday night when he had a goal, an assist and fought Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference. That might light a spark under Crosby just in time to play a team he has dominated since joining the league.
The Penguins captain has 34 points in 18 career games against the Islanders, scoring at least one point in each of his nine home games against them. Another trend worth mentioning is the Pens have won two of three against the Islanders so far this season, with all three games ending with the same 3-2 score.
A lack of scoring has hurt the Islanders all season. Their 71 goals are fewest in the league, they are the only team that doesn't have a player with at least 11 goals.
Pick: Under
Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames (-152, 5)
Usually a team is more than happy to return home after a long road trip. For the Calgary Flames that may not be the case.
After sweeping a six-game road trip the Flames will try and keep the hot streak going at the Pengrowth Saddledome against the Dallas Stars. Calgary has not lost a game in regulation in December, going 7-0-2. A big reason for this was a line shuffling at the start of the month. The new line of Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow and Kristian Huselius have combined for 22 goals and 20 assists in nine games.
The Stars, who had a four-game win streak snapped on Thursday night, have dropped three straight games in Calgary.
Pick: Flames
BIG AL McMordie comps
CBB
Utah State Aggies over Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
NBA
Portland Trailblazers over Denver Nuggetts
Allen Eastman comp
Take Boston Celtics -10 over Chicago Bulls.
The Celtics suffered their first home loss of the season on Tuesday against Detroit. Don't look for lightning to strike twice, especially at the hands of the Bulls. Chicago has won four straight in Boston but that was against a line-up that didn't include Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The Celtics 12-1 home record and 20-3 start is no fluke. They'll handle the Bulls with ease tonight, especially if the injured Ben Wallace doesn't play.
Alex Smart- COMP
Rider +4.0
Fri Dec 21 '07 7:30p
Rutgers after a DD loss to powerful North Carolina at home last time out will be in a let down mode, here this evening against a non conference foe Rider, that they could easily be over looking. With a super star as good as Jason Thompson in your lineup , the Broncs are an extremely dangerous foe, making them a good bet getting points. Final notes : Rutgers is 1-7 L/8 ATS non conference action and are 0-4 ATS of a DD loss at home. Play on Ride
Mike Rose - COMP
CFB - 12/21/2007
MEMPHIS 2.5
James Patrick Sports
Youngstown State vs. Akron 8:00 p.m. est.
The Zips are a solid basketball team when they play in the James Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio. Their opponents in this game are the Penguins of Youngstown State. Our selection in Friday's college basketball action is #524 Akron Zips.
Scott Rickenbach
1* (regular play) Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Buffalo @ 7:35 ET -
This is a fantastic underdog situation for the Flyers. They will have plenty of emotion for tonight's game as former Sabres, Daniel Briere and Martin Biron, make their return to Buffalo. This will add a little extra intensity to this match-up as Briere and Biron are both out to notch a key two points tonight and they would love to do it against the organization that let them each go.
The Flyers are catching the Sabres at an ideal time as Buffalo is coming off of a very fortunate win. They were outshot by the Islanders 43-17 in their most recent game and yet they still managed to come out on top! That means Buffalo won't properly address how poorly they played in that game because they still got the win. Not addressing the problems means they repeat here and once again it will be the Sabres opponent who is "carrying the play" on the ice. With the Flyers in control, they notch a key road win at a great underdog price.
The Flyers have slumped recently and this has been especially true at home. A road trip up to Buffalo may be just what the Flyers need to get back on track. Look for the Flyers to take advantage of a Sabres team that is battling some key player personnel issues. Leading scorer Derek Roy was injured in the win over the Islanders. Also, center Tim Connolly left that game as well as he's been battling the flu and it got the best of them. If those guys do play tonight, neither one is 100% and the Flyers come into this game very hungry and take full advantage. After blowing a two goal lead on home ice to Phoenix, there is no doubt that the Flyers play the full sixty minutes in this one and that will be too much for a Sabres team that is likely to be shorthanded tonight.
Play Philadelphia on the money line as a regular selection.
Tony Mathews
Matchup: Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Selection: Portland Trail Blazers -2 (-110)
Explanation: We will lay the points with the Portland Trail Blazers as they face-off against the Denver Nuggets in Friday's NBA contest.
The Portland Trail Blazers hold a huge advantage on the defensive end. The Denver Nuggets (on the road) are allowing opponents to score an average of 107.5 points per game, while the Portland Trail Blazers are allowing opponents to score an average of only 93.6 points per game. That means that the Portland Trail Blazers defense is allowing opponents to score an average of 13.9 points per game less then the Denver Nuggets defense.
The Portland Trail Blazers have been playing well against Northwest Division teams. In fact, the Portland Trail Blazers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against Northwest Division teams.
The Portland Trail Blazers are 11-3 at home this season, and should be able to get another win tonight!
Take the Portland Trail Blazers -2
DAVE COKIN - Comp
The Hawks just swept their three game homestand, but I don't like their matchup tonight. They're facing a Washington team that tossed in a clunker last time out, so the Wizards should come to play tonight. They handled the Hawks by a good margin in Atlanta earlier, and I think they repeat that effort tonight. I'll give the points with the Wizards
JEFF BENTON - Comp
Simply put, Portland is an absolute must-play right now, having won nine straight games both straight-up and against the number. That includes Wednesday?s impressive 101-96 home win over Toronto as a three-point chalk, as the Blazers trailed by seven after three quarters, then went on to outscore the Raptors 25-13 over the final 12 minutes
The Blazers are now 11-3 on their home floor, including six straight wins and covers, with the offense pouring in an average of 103.7 points per game during the six-game home winning streak. And tonight, they host a Nuggets team that?s just 4-6 SU and 3-7 ATS on the road; 1-4 ATS as an underdog; and playing its second game in as many nights after Thursday?s grueling 112-111 double-overtime home win over Houston.
Now, do you really think, after leaving it all on the floor last night, the Nuggets are going to be able to get on a plane, fly west, arrive in Portland in the wee hours of the morning and have enough energy tonight to compete against a team that?s riding a nine-game winning streak? I think not. Portland makes it a perfect 10 in a row!
(based on a 1 to a 10 * Rating)
5* PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
PLATINUM PLAYS
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - 5 Over the New York Knicks
ARTHUR RALPH
Boston Celtics
HD ACTIONLINE
St Josephs -7
John Fina
December 21, 2007
Selection: Indiana Pacers -6 (-110)
Today the Indiana Pacers will be on the road as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. We will lay the points with the Pacers. This Timberwolves team is bad. The Timberwolves are 3-21 on the season and don't matchup well with the Pacers. One advantage the Pacers have comes on offense. The Pacers are scoring an average of 104.4 points per game, while the Timberwolves are scoring an average of only 92.8 points per game. It's clear the Pacers have a huge advantage on offense. We don't mind the Pacers being on the road as the Timberwolves have played poor basketball at home. In fact, the Timberwolves (dating all the way back to last season) are 18-40 ATS in their last 58 home games. The Pacers have already proven that they are the superior team when compared to the Timberwolves. This is shown by the Pacers being 8-3 ATS in their last 11 meetings against the Timberwolves. Lay the points!
Take the Indiana Pacers -6!
VEGAS STEAMLINE
Take the St Johns Red Storm +2 over Hawaii
BIG TIME SPORTS
FRIDAY DECEMBER 21st
LAKERS / SIXERS OVER 199
TRACE ADAMS
CHICAGO BULLS
Sports Gambling Hotline
Tonight in the NBA we will back the 76ers as the small home underdog. There is no doubt the Lakers are the better team, but as is the case in the association, the Lakers come in one road-weary bunch.
LA was at Cleveland last night, and dropped a 94-90 decision. Tonight will be Los Angeles' third game in four nights as the visitor, and they catch the Sixers having had the night off last night.
Philly is playing their best basketball of the season, winning 5 of their last 7 straight up, including 3 of their last 4 on their home hardwood.
Series numbers show the host having won and covered the last 4 meetings, and the 76ers are 4-2 straight up the last 6 times they have faced Kobe and the Boys.Play on Philly.
2* PHILADELPHIA
Bobby Maxwell
Tonight we take to the college hardwood for a FREE play on North Carolina State as the Wolfpack hosts Davidson.
It's been a very ambitious schedule for Davidson this early season as the Wildcats have already taken on the likes of UCLA, Duke and North Carolina.
Of course they lost to each of those opponents, but each time they cashed a winning ticket. Tonight the aspirations of a big upset are there as they go to Raliegh to take on North Carolina State. The Wolfpack won't overlook Davidson and will win this one by 10.
NC State's schedule hasn't been quite so ambitious but they have gone and beaten Villanova and beat South Carolina already this season. Plus you know the Wolfpack know what to expect, playing in the ACC gives them a boat-load of challenges every week.
The Wolfpack is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 Friday contests and playing at home before the holidays should produce a strong performance from them. Gavin Grant is a beast on the inside for NC State and look for J.J. Hickson to have a strong game and likely get himself a double-double in this one.
Play NC State to win this one.
3* N.C. STATE
Jennifer Barry
Friday, December 21 2007
Sport: NBA
Matchup: New York at Charlotte
Prediction: Charlotte Bobcats -5
JIM FEIST
A young Charlotte team continues to impress at home, at 8-6 SU, 7-6-1 ATS. In an upset of Utah this week, they were down 12 with just under six minutes left, then the Bobcats went on a 13-0 run, stopping the Jazz on seven of eight possessions and hitting 17 of their last 19 free throws. Newly acquired center Nazr Mohammed (17 points, eight rebounds) is a veteran inside force, something this team needs. They take on a terrible NY Knick team going nowhere that is 1-9 SU on the road! Charlotte went 2-0 SU/ATS at home against the Knicks last season, and that was an injury-depleted team. Play the Bobcats!
USA Sports Consulting - Earl Morgan
NHL - 12/21/2007 PHILADELPHIA 129
NHL - 12/21/2007 EDMONTON 121
Sharp Sports Advisors
CBB - 12/21/2007
EAST TENN STATE 10.5
MJP sports
CFB - 12/21/2007
MEMPHIS 2.5
BRW Sports Advisors
St Joseph's -7.5 (-105)
Point Shaver Picks
S Carolina Upstate +24 (+109)
Drew Gordon
Friday Plays:
1. 300,000* Wyoming
2. 50,000* Florida Atlantic
3. 50,000* Magic
4. 50,000* George Mason
1. Wyoming- While Wyoming hasn't played great basketball on the road this season, they're still head and shoulders better than Buffalo away from the firendly confines of home. The Bulls are 0-4 ATS away this season, but more importantly, have shown a complete lack of focus on both ends of the floor when they travel.
Let's examine Buffalo's last road game, a 76-63 shellacking at the hands of a very average Florida International team. A lot of the same issues that have plagued this Bulls team resurfaced in that game, as they're averaging only 57 ppg on 34% shooting, while surrendering a whopping 82 ppg on 48% shooting when they travel. Granted, you could argue those averages are high thanks to games at Pitt and at Connecticut, but there's still no excuse for their lopsided losses at Niagara and at Florida International.
Wyoming also has several very strong match up edges, including in the frontcourt, where bigmen C Nelson and F Taylor can and will dominate the painted area on both ends of the floor. The Bulls leading rebounder is a guard, which should tell you a lot about their frontline talent. The scary part for Buffalo is Nelson and Taylor aren't even the Cowboys best players, as the backcourt of Ewing and Jones should have little trouble with the Bulls guards. Along with F Dermondy, they make up a nice trio of shooters.
Bottom line, while this game is being played on a neutral court, the Bulls road-woes will resurface again tonight. Wyoming has the match ups edges necessary to control this contest from start to finish, as they're bigger down-low and much more talented in the backcourt. Cowboys get the win and grab the cash Friday night in El Paso.
Take Wyoming comfortably over Buffalo as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Florida Atlantic- Offense wins games, defense wins championships, is the age- old adage, but it couldn't be more relevant in tonight's New Orleans Bowl. We know both of these teams can put up points, but only one has the oppurtunistic defense necessary to stop the other, and that's the Owls, plain and simple.
Florida Atlantic has made a living off turnover differential, tied with Kansas for the best team in country at +19. The Owls not only take care of the rock, commiting only 1 turnover or less in 8 of their 12 games this season. But they're also an extremely oppurtunistic defense, grabbing at least one pick in 20 straight games. Besides their secondary, the Owls have the two top-tacklers in the Sun Belt conference with Joseph and Sincere.
I've heard several people in the media calling Florida Atlantic a one-dimensional team with QB Rusty Smith leading the way, but that simply isn't the case. While its true RB Charles Pierre doesn't have a 100-yard rushing game this season, he averages just as many yards per carry as the Tigers starting back Doss (4.6) and has more touchdowns (7 to 5). Owls may prefer to throw the ball, but they're far from one-dimensional!
Finally, Florida Atlantic is coming into this game peaking, with dominating road wins at Florida International and an outright upset at Troy as a 15-point underdog, you better believe their brimming with confidence. Expect more of the same tonight, as their defense once again makes the difference in this one.
Take Florida Atlantic plus the points over Memphis in tonight's New Orleans Bowl.
3. Magic- Neither one of these teams is playing well right now, as Utah has lost 8 of 9, while the Magic have lost 5 of 7. However, similar to last season, there's no question that Utah is having major issues on the road, having gone 10-26 ATS over their last 36 away games. Regardless of recent play, beating Dwight Howard and this Magic team in Orlando is too much to ask of the Jazz right now.
Clearly, the injury to Okur is hurting the Jazz, as he forces other bigmen out on the perimeter to guard his shot, taking them out of the paint. That would've been an excellent strategy against Howard, but with Okur out, Howard gets to patrol the paint guarding the sorry and foul prone Jarron Collins. Needless to say, look for Howard to have a monster game tonight.
Obviously, the more perimeter oriented Magic have no answer for Boozer, but again, with Okur out, Dwight Howard will be relatively free to rome the paint and help on Boozer. Jarron Collins averages only 2 ppg, so I don't think we need to worry about his production too much!
Finally, while its true the Magic have been a cash-machine on the road, and therefore not nearly as lucrative at home, I still expect them to respond tonight. Their last home game was a loss to the sorry Grizzlies, and you better believe they'll be looking to bounce back in front of the home fans. They took care of the Rockets in Houston two days ago, and I say they deliver the cash against a short-handed, road-weary Jazz team in this one.
Take the Magic over the Jazz in this NBA match up.
4. George Mason- Relatively easy call here, as the Patriots, even on the road, are head and shoulders better than this FIU team. With 2 of their 3 home wins coming in non-lined contest, and other win coming against Buffalo... Its safe to say the Golden Panthers are far from golden at home.
Oddsmakers have made George Mason a tough bet on the road this season, going 1-4 ATS away, but this time around, they've apparently loosened the reins, after watching them lose their last 3 away (2 on neutral courts). The Patriots got embarassed by Kent State in their last road game, and will be looking for a much more focused effort tonight.
Biggest problem for Florida International has been defense, as their allowing opponents to score 73 ppg on 46% shooting at home this year. With Will Thomas anchoring the frontline, averaging 14 ppg and 10 boards/game, and a bevy of strong and experienced guards, the Patriots will once again expose this FIU defense.
On the offensive end, the Panthers rely on their own frontline players for most of their scoring, problem is they're not a very deep team. So when Hicks (who plays only 22 minutes/game) gets tired, the production on this team drop off considerably. Having to chase around Will Thomas won't help the 7-footer either.
Bottom line, although their numbers are similar, the level of competition isn't, and it'll show tonight. The Patriots (who've beaten teams like South Carolina on a neutral court) aren't a great team, but they're sure as hell good enough to beat a struggling Panthers squad in this one, just like they did last year.
Take George Mason BIG over Florida International in this college hoops match up.
Robert Ferrigno
2.5-Unit Play. Take #547 St. Joseph's (-7) over Fairfield (7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 21)
This line is dropping so you may want to see if you can get an extra half-point. I like it at 7.0. Both of these teams should be a little rusty after long layoffs, but I actually tihnk that will help St. Joe's. They endured a brutal schedule and took some tough hits. But I think all that has done is heightened the value on what I think is one of the A-10's best teams. Fairfield has a lot of trouble putting the ball in the bucket and this is a game that, physically, the Hawks should control from start to finish. St. Joe's is 5-1 ATS following a loss and Fairfield is 1-6 ATS in its last seven against the A-10.
1-Unit Play. Take #545 Rider (+4) over Rutgers (7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 21)
This game means a lot more to Rider than it does to Rutgers. The Knights could be due for a letdown after getting so far up to play North Carolina. I don't imagine the student section will be rocking in the Rac today and the Broncs have had some success on the road, against better teams than Rutgers. I think this is a game they can win so we'll take the points.
LVTR
College Football
FAU -2.5
NBA
Minn/Indiana Under 203
Yankee Capper
NCAA Football
2 Units - Florida Atlantic/Memphis Over 66 ½
NBA
2 Units - LA Clippers +12
1 Units - Portland Trailblazers -4
Lenny Del Genio's 20* NBA Friday Rout
Play on Boston at 7:05 ET. Can't see the Bulls winning a fourth straight in Beantown, especially considering how angry these Celtics are going to be after blowing that game to the Pistons. Chicago is 0-7 against the spread vs. the Atlantic Division this season and is just 4-8 on the road this season, averaging just 90 points/game in the process. Boston, meanwhile, is still 12-1 at home where they are outscoring opponents by nearly 14 points/game (100-86.6). What truly amazes us about the Celtics 20-3 straight up record is how they've performed coming off their two previous losses. Back on 11/21, they crushed Golden State here at home, 105-82, as eleven-point chalk. That was impressive, but nothing compared to what they did to the Knicks two nights following a loss in Cleveland. All they did there was prevail 104-59 as 12.5-point chalk. Consider how bad the Knicks are and then realize that the Bulls are just two games better in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston is our 20* NBA Friday Rout.
Lifetime Play
Washington Wizards -4.5
Lem Banker
Florida Atlantic