JIM FEIST

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER / NEW JERSEY NETS
Take OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Oklahoma City has been as good as an ATM machine lately. This team just keeps producing money winning situations - all this despite only having won six games straight up on the season. However, the Thunder have won two of their last four games straight up after winning just four of their first 34. But when it comes to covering spreads, there isn't a hotter team. On the season the Thunder are 24-14 ATS. They have covered two straight, six of their last seven, 10 of the last 12, and 19 of the last 25. Kevin Durant leads the Thunder in scoring with a 23.7 ppg average. Nick Collison leads in rebounds (6.3 rpg) and Earl Watson leads in assists (6.1 apg). The good news for the New Jersey Nets is that they are in second place in the Atlantic Division. The bad news is that they are in the same division with Boston who has a 10 game lead over the Nets. The Nets have been a decent covering team this season, going 5-0 the last five games and 21-16 on the season. They haven't been so good when installed as a home favorite though, covering just two of the last seven games. More bad news for the Nets is the loss of forward Yi Jianlian, who will miss 3-4 weeks after breaking a finger in their loss to Milwuakee on Friday night, 104-102. Yi had been heating up too, posting back-to-back games of at least 20 points. For the season Yi averages 10.4 ppg and 6.2 rpg. We won't go against this covering machine known as Oklahoma City. And, without Yi, the Nets will be hurting a bit with their depth. Take the Thunder and look for the covering to continue.

The Gold Sheet

MONDAY, JANUARY 12

Milwaukee 104 - WASHINGTON 97—Washington in revenge mode (as it
often is these days) after bitter OT loss at Bradley Center way back on
November 5. But can Ed Tapscott’s crew do anything about it? Wizards blew
10-point 4th-Q lead that night, as Richard Jefferson (scored 32) helped Bucks
rally. Scott Skiles’ crew on nice uptick lately, winning 7 of last 11 SU thru Jan.
4, with 2 of those defeats by 5 points or fewer.

BOSTON 109 - Toronto 94—Boston outclassed Toronto when winning and
covering two early-season meetings, including 118-103 Nov. 23 win at Air
Canada Centre when Celtics hit 62% from floor. Teams also met yesterday
north of the border. TV—NBA NETWORK

NEW JERSEY 97 - Oklahoma City 93—Perhaps New Jersey’s exciting 93-
91 Jan. 2 win over Atlanta at Meadowlands (when Vince Carter nailed a triple at
buzzer) will signal a reversal in home fortunes for Nets, as they had failed to
cover 7 of previous 8 at Izod Center. But still not sure we want to lay price
against improving Ok City contingent that had covered 13 of last 17 thru Jan. 5
and is a noteworthy 12-4 as road dog thru Jan. 6. Kevin Durant’s big December
(25 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.8 apg during month) a signal that he’s All-Star Game-bound,
and imminent arrival of C Nenad Krstic from a stint in Russian league bodes well
for Thunder.

NEW ORLEANS 108 - New York 101—Granted, Chris Paul & his New
Orleans friends could have lots of fun at New York’s expense if Knicks insist on
going uptempo. But interestingly, New York has covered 7 of its last 8 on road
thru Jan. 5, as Mike D’Antoni’s new lineup focusing more on defense (really!)
during recent stretch. Leading scorers Al Harrington & Nate Robinson coming
off bench lately to provide spark.

CHICAGO 95 - Portland 90—Chicago still smarting from ugly 116-74 loss at
Rose Garden Nov. 19. Portland was motivated that night in what was not only
Greg Oden’s home debut, but also the first game after an embarrassing loss vs.
Golden State. Bulls only 34.6% from floor in that nightmare while getting
hammered on boards by 49-33 count. Blazers (only 6-11 vs. line away thru Jan.
3) certainly not to be feared on road, but Chicago’s chances for revenge much
improved if Luol Deng & Drew Gooden can return from December ankle injuries
and Kirk Hinrich returns from torn thumb ligament.

Key Release
UTAH 112 - Indiana 93—These two took turns walloping one another
last season, with host team winning by 20+ on both occasions. Looks like it’s
Utah’s turn, as rested Jazz catch Indiana coming off a game at Golden State
yesterday. Jazz are historically a solid big home favorite and have covered 10
of last 15 Delta Center chalk thru Jan. 4. Indiana off to its worst start since 1988-
89 campaign, and Pacers are just 2-6 last 8 when unrested.

CBB MONDAY, JANUARY 12

LOUISVILLE over Notre Dame by 4 to 6—07-LVL -8 90-85 CABLE TV—ESPN
OKLAHOMA over Texas by 3 to 5—07-Tex +2' 64-54, TEX -8' 62-45, Tex -
5' 77-49 (CT-neut.) CABLE TV—ESPN

Jorge Gonzalez

Davidson vs. Appalachian St T
Play: Davidson -11

Stephen Curry was told he was too small to play in the bigger conferences but he has proved many wrong since he stepped on the floor on Davidson. This season the Wildcats are 11-3 behind Curry's nation leading 29.4 points per game. Davidson's three losses this season were to Duke, Purdue and and a four-point loss to Oklahoma. The Wildcats won and covered their last five trips against the Mountaineers. The visitor has also covered the last seven meetings. Appalachian State is giving up over 80 points on the season and will have trouble slowing down Davidson. Take the Wildcats.

Tom Freese

Oklahoma City at New Jersey

New Jersey is 34-11 ATS off a game where they had 30 or more assists and they are 5-0 ATS their last 5 games. The Nets are 4-1 ATS off a straight up loss and the favorite in this series is 8-1 ATS the last 9 meetings. Oklahoma City is in a 31-14 ATS Play Against System that says to Go Against have lost 75% or more of their games if they have covered the spread in 5 of their last six games. PLAY ON NEW JERSEY -

Vegas Experts

Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards

The Bucks have covered 24 of their last 37 games this year and tonight are a small road favorite at a Washington team that has lost four straight and is just 1-8 vs. the number when favored by or getting less than three points. It's pretty astounding to learn that the Wizards have scored 93 points or less in eight straight games. That's bad news when facing a Milwaukee team that has scored 104+ points in four straight games. They'll outscore the Wiz here.

Play on: Milwaukee

LT Profits

Notre Dame +6.5

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Louisville Cardinals are both playing well lately, so expect a typically tight Big East battle here, making these points worth taking.

Notre Dame is 12-3 on the season thanks to a potent offense that is averaging 82.2 points per game. They have won six of their last seven games, although the lone loss during this stretch was a bad one at St. Johns.

That loss may actually work to their advantage here though, as it came in their last road game and it should help keep them focused, not that they would ever take Louisville lightly anyway. The Irish are obviously a much better squad than the Red Storm, and they are just about on par with these Cardinals, so a full effort here should ensure a close result.

Besides, that upset was the only loss in three true road games for Notre Dame this year, and they already own a conference road win at DePaul. It should also noted that the Irish are 3-0 against the spread vs. Louisville the last three seasons with two of those covers coming here on the road, including a narrow 90-85 defeat as 7.5-point underdogs vs. arguably a stronger Cardinals team last season.

Now the Cards are 11-3 in their own right, and they are coming off of back-to-back road conference wins, which is no easy feat. Still, they may have a tough time carrying that intensity here, especially after a 61-60 escape at Louisville on Saturday, and remember that the last time they played at home, they were shocked by UNLV as 13-point chalk.

Now Louisville may still win this game on the court, but under the circumstances, we fully expect Notre Dame to take this game down to the wire with the outcome nit decided until late.

Pick: Notre Dame +6.5

Frank Jordan

New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets
Play: New Orleans Hornets -11

The Knicks are in last place, 15 games out, 13-22, 5-14 on the road, losers of 3 in a row and 8 of 10. The Hornets are in second place just a half game out, 22-11, winners of 6 of 10, 12-4 at home. Look for the Hornets to dominate the Knicks in an easy win for the Hornets. Play New Orleans

Dwayne Bryant

New York Knicks +12

I love how this games sets up. The Knicks are off a 20-point loss at Houston in which they shot just 35.4% from the field. The Hornets are coming off a 27-point home win over the Clippers in which they shot over 50% from the field. The Hornets also have division rival Dallas up next. So the Hornets could be caught napping a bit, which gives us plenty of room under this number. The road team is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

The Knicks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog AND 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600. The Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference foes, 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a SU win, AND 0-5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win.

Take the New York Knicks +12

Wunderdog

Tampa Bay at Los Angeles Kings
Pick: UNDER 5.5 -130

The Lightning has been limited to 2.5 goals a game on the road this season in 23 games. The Kings simply can't get anything going on offense at home. They have already suffered six shutouts on the season. In their last seven home games, the Kings have managed just eight goals or just about one per game and overall, they have played 10 of their last 13 to the UNDER. The Lightning has played six of eight on the road against a team with a losing home record. These teams certainly have held those trends when facing off against each other as the last four between these sputtering offenses has seen all four go UNDER. I don't see that changing and will back the UNDER in this one.

Oklahoma City at New Jersey
Pick: UNDER 202

The Nets have really struggled at home as they have a much better record on the road, which is highly unusual in the NBA. They have really had problems with some of the bad teams, losing to Chicago, Charlotte, LA Clippers, Minnesota, and Toronto. They have played teams with losing records to eight UNDERS to just three OVERS at home. They have managed just 96 ppg against the 11 teams. The Thunder has boasted a very inconsistent offense. After scoring 100+, they have followed by playing 29 of 42 UNDER in their next game. I will back the UNDER in this one.

The Miller Group

Portland Trail Blazers @ Chicago Bulls
PICK: Chicago Bulls

As bad as the Bulls have played this season, they're still six games above .500 at home and deserve more respect than being dogged against a Blazers team that is just 6-12 ATS on the road.

Chicago brings a triple revenge angle to the table having lost all three matchups with Portland dating back to the start of last season.

The Blazers should be in letdown mode after scratching out wins by a combined four points in their last two games. It's interesting to note that they haven't won three games in a row since winning five straight from November 24th to December 3rd.

Chicago is getting healthier with Drew Gooden returning last week, and Luol Deng possibly back in the lineup on Monday night. Gooden has given them a much needed presence in the middle over their last three games, a major upgrade over his backup Aaron Gray.

With this being the final installment of a five-game homestand, and coming off a disappointing loss to the lowly Thunder on Saturday, we expect to see a supreme effort from the Bulls tonight. Take Chicago (4*).

Larry Ness

Indiana Pacers @ Utah Jazz
PICK: Utah Jazz

The Jazz are starting to get used to the idea of playing without All-Star forward Carlos Boozer (20.5-11.7) and they had better. The latest word is that Boozer will be out for at least four more weeks with a lower quad and knee problem. The Jazz are 14-11 without Boozer (22-15 overall) after beating the Pistons in Salt Lake City Saturday night (99-82). Okur (17.2-8.4) is having one of his best seasons and Paul Millsap has been just terrific. The third-year player from La Tech had his run of 19 consecutive double-doubles snapped on Saturday (he played only 22 minutes with nine points and seven rebounds) but is averaging 15.3 PPG and 9.5 RPG on the year. The Pacers lost 120-117 last night in Oakland to Golden State and are only 6-15 SU (11-10 ATS) on the road. However, there's more than a little good news coming out of Indiana. Granger (26.4-5.1-3.4) has developed into one of the NBA's best small forwards plus Mike Dunleavy, coming off a career-year (19.1-5.2-3.5), is finally getting back on the court (knee). He played for the first time this season on Jan 7 and in his three games back, has averaged 15.3-3.3-3.3. The bad news for the Pacers is that this is the team's final game of a five-game, eight-day road trip and will be the first time Dunleavy would have to play on back-to-back nights (we'll see?). The Jazz are 15-4 SU (12-7 ATS) at home and even without Boozer, are tough to beat here in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are completing a four-game homestand with this game (3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS) and have shot 51.3 percent while averaging 111.3 PPG in their first three games. That doesn't bode well for an Indiana team which allows 106.7 PPG on the season (ranking 29th of 30 teams), including a rather pathetic 121.5 PPG over the first four games of this current trip. Lay the points.

John Ryan

Tennessee Chattanooga at Citadel
Prediction: Citadel

Ai Simulator 3* graded play on the Citadel as they host Tennessee-Chattanooga slated to start a at 7:05 EST The AiS has had the Citadel identified 3 times this season and they all won. I think they will continue to keep coming up as well until the ?public? starts to back them, but until then, the opportunity continues to lie in playing on them when identified. They are a team that is getting better and better with each passing game. AiS shows a 72% probability that the Citadel will lose this game by 3 or fewer points and also has a 52% probability they will win the game. UT is just 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games after 2 consecutive conference games over the last 2 seasons; 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games after 2 straight games with 9 or less offensive rebounds over the last 3 seasons; 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) after a cover as a double digit favorite since 1997. The Citadel is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games after playing 2 consecutive games as a home underdog over the last 3 seasons. Supporting this graded play is a money line system that has gone 43-14 with the average play -100 and has made 29 units since 1997. Play on home teams with a money line of +135 to -155 off a home cover where the team lost straight up as a dog in January games. Take the Citadel.

Matt Fargo

Indiana Pacers at Utah Jazz
Prediction: Utah Jazz

This is the final game of this five-game roadtrip for the Pacers and it has been a frustrating run. After getting blown out in Denver, Indiana won a big game in Phoenix but it has lost back-to-back heartbreakers against the Lakers and Warriors. First, Kobe Bryant won on a shot with three seconds left and then Jamal Crawford won it last night on a three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining. Those losses are tough to take and with this being the third game in four nights, the Pacers can?t keep up here.

Utah destroyed Detroit in its last game on Saturday. The Jazz have won seven of their last eight games at home following a rare 2-3 stretch at the end of November and early December. Dating back to last season, the Jazz are 52-8 in their last 58 regular season games and they have taken out Indiana rather easily in the last two meetings at EnergySolutions Arena by 22 points each. The Jazz are 23-9 ATS in their last 32 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

After a 5-5 start to the season, Indiana is just 8-19 over its last 27 games and to no ones surprise it is struggling against the better teams from its schedule. The Pacers are 5-16 against the top 16 in the NBA. Indiana is allowing 106.7 ppg which is 2nd worst in the league. That average is even worse of late. After allowing a very respectable 96.3 ppg through the first 10 games, the Pacers have allowed 109.9 ppg since then, a span covering 27 games including 112.5 ppg in their last 18 games.

The Pacers are just 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600 while Utah is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 home games against a team with a road winning percentage less than .400. Don?t let the big number scare you off as the Jazz are 5-1 ATS in their last six games as a favorite of more than 10 points while the Pacers are 1-4-1 ATS as an underdog of the same amount. This is the final home game for Utah before a three-game trip so it wants to end the homestand on a positive note and that is with a big win. 3* Utah Jazz

Charlies Sports - free pick

nba. portalnd @ chicago+4. The Portland Trail Blazers received a big lift their last time out, as Brandon Roy returned to the lineup to spark them offensively.Roy and the Trail Blazers look for another strong offensive performance tonight, as they try to win three straight for the first time in more than five weeks in a matchup with the scuffling Chicago Bulls, bulls cover at home+4.

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JR TIPS

PORTLAND vs. CHICAGO FREE PICK
The Portland Trail Blazers received a spark as Brandon Roy returned to the lineup. Roy and the Trail Blazers look for another strong offensive performance tonight as they try to win three straight for the first time in more than five weeks in a matchup with the Bulls. Roy returned Saturday and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in Portland's 113-100 win over Golden State. Roy, averaging a team-high 22.8 points scored nine in the final period. Portland (22-14) went 2-2 in his absence against reigning division winners Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Blazers averaged 84.5 points in those games compared to 99.7 points with Roy in the lineup this season. The Blazers had no trouble beating the Bulls in their first meeting of the season scoring a season-high 62 first-half points en route to a 116-74 win,their most lopsided of the season. Roy led Portland with 20 points in that game and is averaging 24.3 points during his team's three-game winning streak against Chicago. The Bulls (16-21) conclude a five-game homestand Monday and have been unable to take advantage of it.Chicago opened its homestand with games against Minnesota, Sacramento and Washington, lost to Oklahoma City 109-98 in overtime on Saturday to fall to 2-2 during this home stretch. Chicago had just 16 assists and turned the ball over 16 times against the Thunder. Chicago has had little success on the offensive end lately as it's been held under 100 points in each of its last six games.With Portland surging on offense, recent play shows the Bulls will not be able to keep up with them on that side of the ball.
TAKE PORTLAND-2

Jack Jones

Notre Dame +6.5 over Louisville

The Fighting Irish will have the best player on the floor tonight, if not the better team overall. They'll need everything that Luke Harandody has if they want to walk out of Louisville with a Big East victory. Harangody is the defending Big East Player of the Year, and he's making his case to win the award yet against his season. He's averaging 24.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor. Harangody should get help from Keyle McAlarney (16.5 ppg), Tory jackson (11.8 ppg), and Ryan Ayers (11.5 ppg), but it's obvious that the Irish will rely mostly on their big man to pour in points and grab rebounds. Other than Harangody, these teams are fairly evenly matched. Give a slight bump for Louisville playing on their home court, but give the Irish the betting edge with one of the elite players in the nation on the court.

Utah Jazz -10.5

Utah boasts one of the best home records in the NBA at 15-4 this season, but what's impressive to me is that, despite being heavily favored on thier home court, they are 12-7 against the spread in their 19 home games this year. The Pacers are on the 5th game of a five-game road trip, so expect them to be worn out after consecutive games against the Nuggets, Suns, Lakers, and Warriors. On the trip, Indiana is just 1-3 so far, increasing their road loss total to 15 on the season compared to just 6 wins. The Jazz have won 3 of the last 4 in the series and their last two meetings with the Pacers have been dominating wins by 22 points in each contest. Indiana just doesn't have it together this year, especially on the defensive end of the court where they are allowing 106.7 points per game. They do have a viable scoring threat in Danny Granger, but their poor play on the defensive end pretty much negates anything he's able to accomplish. Jazz roll tonight in Salt Lake City.