Big Al Mcmordie
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers
At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers plus the points over the Lakers. At the start of the season, the two favorites for the NBA Title were the Lakers and Celtics, but it's Cleveland which has emerged as the current front-runner after its strong play to start the season. The Cavaliers already showed Boston that their ready to take the next step when they blew out the Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena earlier this month. Now, Cleveland looks to inform Los Angeles of the same. And there has been no team better than the Cavs on the road of late, when installed as an underdog or as a small favorite. Indeed, since January 20, 2007, Cleveland is a dominant 47-20 ATS on the road when not favored by three or more points, including 22-6 ATS vs. a foe off a straight-up loss. Take the points with the Cavs.
Johnny Guild
Milwaukee Bucks at Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are 14-4 at home overall. Meanwhile, the Bucks have struggle away from home this season, just 9-16 on the road. Take the Trail Blazers on their home court. Portland has won the last three meetings against Milwaukee all close battles, but the Bucks will be shorthanded without center Andrew Bogut, with a back injury
Portland Trail Blazers -6.5
CBB
Kansas Jayhawks -10.5
Mr. A
Atlanta Hawks -5½
San Antonio Spurs -3½
Boston Celtics -8
Easybaseballbetting
Knicks -2.5
We love the Knicks today as they are killers during day games. They also perform quite well on MLK day. They face a Bulls team that has scheduling disadvantage (they will be facing the Hawks with triple revenge in their next game). With such a short line, we cannot but love the value in this wager.
Minnesota -5
Another bet that we love today. The Clippers finally got a win their last time out, but we see them falling into their previous self today as they are horrible on Mondays. They have not covered their last 10 Monday games and we see this as no different. Minnesota has been playing very well recently and they will avenge an earlier loss to these same Clippers today. Take the short line on the Twolves and see them beat the crap out of the Clips today.
Phoenix +8
Boston and Phoenix simply do not match up well together. Phoenix has not lost by more than 9 points in recent games and asking them to keep this game close, if not win this game straight up, is not too unreasonable. Boston may be regaining their form, but we feel the value of 8 points here is tremendous.
Milwaukee +6.5
The Bucks have been alternating wins and losses recently and we see them bouncing back from their recent loss to the lowly Clippers last time out. They face an overrated Portland team today who is coming home from a 4 game Eastern road swing. Portland is coming off an OT loss to the Bobcats and we simply do not see them being focused today. Milwaukee has been great as an underdog and an excellent bet on the road. Take the points in what should be an exciting game up in Portland.
Vegas Experts
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers
At 10:35 pm, our member selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers plus the points over the Lakers. At the start of the season, the two favorites for the NBA Title were the Lakers and Celtics, but it's Cleveland which has emerged as the current front-runner after its strong play to start the season. The Cavaliers already showed Boston that their ready to take the next step when they blew out the Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena earlier this month. Now, Cleveland looks to inform Los Angeles of the same. And there has been no team better than the Cavs on the road of late, when installed as an underdog or as a small favorite. Indeed, since January 20, 2007, Cleveland is a dominant 47-20 ATS on the road when not favored by three or more points, including 22-6 ATS vs. a foe off a straight-up loss. Take the points with the Cavs. Good luck, as always, Al McMordie.
Play on: Cleveland
Vernon Croy
Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
Play: Boston Celtics -8
The Suns just played an early 12:30 game against the Raptors yesterday and they almost lost that game when they should have been the superior team. The Celtics come into this game playing with 1 day of rest and that will be a huge advantage for them over this old Phoenix team that is playing with no days rest. The Suns are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a dog and just 5-13 ATS when playing against a team that has a winning record. The Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team that has a winning record and they are also 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games when favored by 6.5 to 9 points. The Celtics are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 home games and I have them dominating this game from start to finish at home Monday night. The Celtics have out-rebounded their opponents by an average of 5.5 rebounds per game at home this season while the Suns have been out-rebounded by an average of 4.5 rebounds per game on the road this season. The Celtics have out-scored their opponents by an average of 12.7 ppg at home this season where they are shooting 49.3% while also shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc this season. Take Boston as my NBA Free Play for Monday night and make sure you get on my NBA Smash of the Month that cashes hands down tonight.
Matt Fargo
Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
Play:Boston Celtics -8
I think it is safe to say that Boston is back. It has won four straight games after suffering through a miserable 2-7 slump that had many people talking that the luster was suddenly gone. They have responded well and even though these four wins have come against Toronto and New Jersey, both of which were hone-and-home sets, the restoration of the confidence is the most important part. The upcoming schedule is not easy for Boston as after this game, 10 of its next 14 games are on the road including eight games against teams currently sitting in playoff spots. Boston needs to take care of its business at home which it has done for the most part this season, going 20-2 which is the second best record in the league behind Cleveland’s 20-0 mark. During that recent nine-game stinkfest, only two of those games were at home with just one resulting in a loss and that was against the Rockets. I went against Phoenix on Friday at home against the Timberwolves and it certainly paid off with an outright win for Minnesota. The Suns did bounce back on Sunday with a win in Toronto, which resulted in a push against the number, but now it is time for a back-to-back set against a rugged defense. Phoenix is 12-10 over its last 22 games and is currently only a game out from actually missing the playoffs. The Western Conference is rugged once again as it is going to be a nine-team race for eight playoff spots and the Suns could be on the outside looking in. There is a changing of the guard in the conference as young teams such as Portland and New Orleans are taking over for the teams that used to rule the conference such as Phoenix and Dallas. The Suns have been one of the bigger disappointments for backers as hey are just 13-23-1 against the number including a7-9-1 ATS mark on the road. The Suns have allowed 108.4 ppg over their last five games and it has been nearly as bad during the 12-10 stretch. Over those 22 games, the defense has given up an average of 106.5 ppg. The Celtics are all about their defense but they are more than capable of putting up big offensive numbers as proven over their last three games by averaging 112.7 ppg. It should be noted that during that 2-7 stretch, the Celtics scored fewer than 90 points in six of those losses. When scoring 100 or more points in regulation, Boston is a perfect 20-0 this season while going 14-6 ATS. Hitting that century mark will be the key and Boston should be able to accomplish that without a problem against this defense. Phoenix had won five straight meetings prior to the Celtics snapping that skid at home last season in a 20-point win. The Celtics are 26-4 this season against teams residing outside the top ten and surprisingly enough, the Suns are in that category as they are ranked 12th in the league. Boston is 16-6 ATS this season when playing teams that force fewer than 14 turnovers per game. The Suns are only 7-18 ATS when involved in a game where the total is set at 200 or higher while the Celtics are 18-8 ATS after scoring 105 or more points last game showing that the offensive success does in fact carry over. Look for Boston to show that it really is back with a romp at home. 3* Boston Celtics
LT Profits
Los Angeles Lakers -5.0
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA at 31-7, one-half game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers at 31-8, but we look for the Lakers to make a statement at home in this nationally televised TNT matchup tonight.
The Lakers could use a statement win after losing to another Eastern heavyweight, the Orlando Magic, 109-103 here at home on Friday. Still, that leaves Showtime at 20-3 straight up at Staples Center, where they are winning their games by an average of +9.4 points per game.
Also, no other team in the NBA has had the Lakers number like the Cavaliers, as Cleveland has incredibly won the last five head-to-head meetings between these clubs with two of those wins coming in Los Angeles. You can bet that the Lake Show is well aware of this and anxious to atone for this in front of a national audience.
Besides, while the Cavaliers are an amazing 20-0 at home, they are a more human 11-7 on the road, losing to some East teams that are considerably weaker than this Lakers squad. In fact, Cleveland is 1-3 straight up in the last three road games with those defeats coming at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat,
This is considerably tougher, and when you factor in the revenge angle at home, we are looking for a Lakers win by at least eight points or so.
Pick: Lakers -5
John Ryan
Indiana Pacers at New Orleans Hornets
Prediction: New Orleans Hornets
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on New Orleans as the host Indiana slated to start at 3:30 EST. AiS shows a 73% probability that NO will win this game by 8 or more points and has a 90% probability of scoring 105 or more points. Note that Indiana is just 12-38 ATS (-29.8 Units) in road games when they allow 105 to 109 points in a game since 1996. New Orleans is a strong 36-8 ATS (+27.2 Units) when they score 105 or more points in a game over the last 2 seasons. Pacers like to run an up tempo style of offense and New Orleans has done very well against this style sporting a 20-9 ATS mark versus teams averaging 83 or more shots per game over the past 2 seasons. New Orleans is also 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after a game forcing opponent to commit 8 or less turnovers over the last 2 seasons. Take New Orleans.
David Malinsky
Syracuse @ Pittsburgh
PICK: Syracuse
In some ways we can understand the early money to Pittsburgh here – the markets tend to like playing on class teams off of a defeat. But at +9 we can not resist buying in with a team that clearly defines our notion of being a “tough out”, in a game that we believe goes to the final possessions before the outright winner is known.
This is not really a “bounce-back” setting for Jamie Dixon and his Panthers. In losing their #1 Rating, and undefeated season, with the frustrating late collapse at Louisville, there is hardly the necessary amount of time to psychologically get back to the top of their game. And note the additional challenges the quick turnaround brings – in having to go from the Cardinal traps and presses, and almost purely man-to-man defense in the half-court, it will now be an evening of that 2-3 Syracuse zone. With only one practice day, and that being a day in which Dixon’s team was physically and mentally tired, we can expect some ugly offensive sequences tonight.
Syracuse also has had only one preparation day, but that is not nearly as big of a negative for Jim Boeheim and the Orange. They wrapped up Saturday’s win over Notre Dame 6.5 hours before the Pittsburgh/Louisville ending, and in addition to the usual film work to prepare, they got to see the Panthers in action in that game. From a tactical standpoint the preparation is not difficult, since the Pittsburgh playbook has not changed much from LY, and from a mental standpoint it is quite easy – the memories of LY’s bitter 82-77 loss at the Carrier Dome, when they led by 11 with 3:49 to play, is arguably the worst feeling any of the current roster has had from any defeat.
Now the machups and the setting call for an intense struggle. In Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson the Orange have some bangers down low that will not be intimidated by DeJuan Blair or Tyrell Biggs, and Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris, Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf (15.3 points per game since coming off of his suspension, despite no starting assignments in that span) on the perimeter bring a lot of savvy and ability. With no matchup advantages, and with that ugly 64.8 percent shooting, the Panthers will be fortunate to merely win here, much less get the kind of breathing room the markets are calling for.