Peter Tran
CELTICS
Andrew Jett
SMU CFB
Randy Chambers
FLYERS NHL
Brett Nault
DUKE
James Madison (+24) at FLORIDA
By Tommy Brunson
My Wednesday comp play release is the Dukes of James Madison plus the mega-points at Florida.
This release is not so much a vote of confidence for the 4-8 Dukes as it is a vote of NON-confidence on the Florida Gators!
No doubt Florida is going to avoid the upset tonight at home, but the way the Gators have been playing this month sure leaves a ton of doubt as to whether or not they can stretch the margin of victory enough to cover this roomy impost.
Mike White's team owns just one straight up and against the spread win over their last 5 games, so I am definitely not too interested in laying this type of number tonight.
James Madison sports a 2-2 mark their past 4, but they have covered in their last pair of games, and 3 of their last 4 games overall.
Florida is in dire need of a win, and tonight's schedule is kind to them, but I don't see that win coming by the required number.
Take James Madison plus the points.
1* JAMES MADISON
Brandon Lee
Dec 20 '17, 8:05 PM in 8h
NBA | Lakers vs Rockets
Play on: Lakers +15 -103 at 5Dimes
10* FREE NBA PICK (Lakers +15)
I'm willing to roll the dice here with the Lakers as a massive underdog in Wednesday's game at Houston. The Rockets are an elite team and come in off a 120-99 win and cover over the Jazz as a 12-point favorite. That was as fortunate a cover as you will find, as Houston actually went into the 4th quarter of that game trailing by 5 before outscoring Utah 41-15 in the final 12 minutes. Prior to that this team was just 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games. LA comes in off a crushing overtime loss to the Warriors at home, but were able to cover as 5.5-point dogs. The Lakers have been playing much better than their record of late would suggest and I think they got enough offensive fire-power to hang around and keep this closer than expected. Note that the Rockets are just 18-34 ATS in their last 52 as a home favorite of 12.5 or more and a mere 4-15 ATS over the last 2 seasons in home games against good passing teams who average 23 or more assists per game. Give me the Lakers +15!
Jimmy Boyd
Dec 20 '17, 7:00 PM
NCAA-B | Towson vs Oakland
Play on: Towson +4½ -110
Free Pick on Towson +
I like the value we are getting here with Towson as a dog against the Grizzlies. The Tigers only loss of the season came in their opener, where they fell 54-57 at Old Dominion as a 5-point dog. Since that defeat Towson has rolled off 10 straight wins, which includes a 67-60 win over a quality LaSalle team as a 3.5-point dog.
Oakland comes in at 6-5, but have lost 2 of their last 3 and are in a big letdown spot after laying it all on the line in 13-point loss on the road against Michigan State as a 19-point dog. That was a rare cover for the Grizzlies, who are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 lined games.
Oakland gets a lot of respect for their dynamic duo of Kendrick Nunn and Martez Walker, who are both averaging over 20 ppg. What gets overlooked is that the Grizzlies play lilting to no defensive, as they are giving up 80 ppg. The Tigers are capable offensive team at 76 ppg, but where they excel is on the defensive end. They are only giving up 61.7 ppg, while holding opponents to just 37% shooting.
Tigers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 off a win, 5-1-1 ATS last 7 on the road and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games. Take Towson!
Power Sports NBA
Memphis vs. Golden State
Wed, Dec 20 10:30 PM
Pick: Golden State -10
1* Golden State (10:35 ET): This is one where, provided the Warriors are motivated, I just don't think the oddsmakers could make the line high enough. Granted, we know Steph Curry won't be playing and there's a good chance Draymond Green won't either. But the Dubs have that unique luxury of still having Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. As for Memphis, they too are w/o their starting PG (Mike Conley), but the difference is that has yielded disastrous results (2-15 SU L17 games) as they have no depth. Lay the points.
Going back to the time when Conley got hurt, the Grizzlies have covered the spread in only four of their last 17 games. They are not only w/o Conley, but Wayne Selden, Brendan Wright and Chandler Parsons too. It's going to be a real "skeleton crew" taking the floor tonight and that's why I feel GSW can simply "name the score" here. In terms of net efficiency rating, the Dubs are 16.5 pts better than the Grizz this season.
Memphis has not scored more than 96 pts in any of their last four games. That's not good, but a real problem here as Golden State averages 116.8 PPG and is 12-1 SU this season when holding their opponent to 104 pts or fewer. Monday was a wake up call w/ the Lakers taking them to overtime, so expect the World Champs to be focused coming into tonight. There also won't be any kind of distraction here like the Kobe Bryant retirement ceremony was on Monday. 1* Golden State
Will Rogers NBA
San Antonio vs. Portland
Wed, Dec 20 10:00 PM
Today's free play is Portland (NBA)
John Martin
Dec 20 '17, 7:35 PM in 6h
NBA | Pacers vs Hawks
Play on: Hawks +4½ -110 at Bovada
1 Unit FREE PLAY on Atlanta Hawks +4.5
The Indiana Pacers are coming off an extremely deflating 111-112 home loss to the Boston Celtics in which they blew a 5-point lead in the final 30 seconds. Teams were previously 366-0 in that situation this season. I think they suffer a hangover from that defeat here tonight. They will also be playing their 3rd game in 4 days so they aren’t fresh. The Hawks will be playing only their 2nd game in 5 days. They have been covering machines of late by going 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. They have only lost two of their last seven games by more than 4 points. The home team is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings. Give me the Hawks.
Jack Jones
Dec 20 '17, 7:35 PM in 6h
NBA | Heat vs Celtics
Play on: Celtics -7½ -110 at betonline
Jack’s Free Pick Wednesday: Boston Celtics -7.5
The Boston Celtics had their 16-game winning streak come to an end against Miami on November 22nd. They have not forgotten, and they will want to exact their revenge on the Heat at TD Garden this time around Wednesday night.
The Celtics have managed to keep it rolling since that defeat, going 10-4 in their last 14 games overall to improve to 26-5 in their last 31 games. I think they’ll have no problem winning by a margin tonight due to all of the injuries the Heat are dealing with right now.
Miami will be without three key players in Hassan Whiteside, James Johnson and Justice Winslow tonight. Not to mention, Goran Dragic is battling an elbow injury, while Dion Waiters is battling an illness. The Heat simply don’t have the horses now to be competitive with a team that caliber of Boston.
The Celtics are 8-1 ATS when revenging a loss vs. opponent this season. Boston is 10-1 ATS off a close win by 3 points or less over the last two seasons. The Heat are 0-4 ATS in their last four vs. a team with a winning record. The Celtics are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss. The Heat are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 meetings in Boston. Bet the Celtics Wednesday.
Bobby Conn
Dec 20 '17, 7:00 PM in 5h
NCAA-B | Houston vs Providence
Play on: Houston -4½ -117 at betonline
1* Free Play on Houston -4½ -117
Hunter Price
Dec 20 '17, 2:00 PM in 43m
NCAA-B | Bradley vs SE Missouri State
Play on: SE Missouri State +5½ -115 at Bovada
1* Free Pick on SE Missouri State +5½ -115
Detroit (+165) at PHILADELPHIA
By Jack Brayman
My free winner for tonight is on the ice. It's a short card, but I really like the value I see with the Detroit Red Wings in Philadelphia tonight, against the Flyers.
Detroit has responded from a three-game losing streak, and 1-10 skid, by winning two in a row - including a 6-3 win at the New York Islanders. That's not an easy place to play, and you're not going to find many teams beating the Islanders in a high-scoring game.
The Wings are in the midst of a crucial four-game road trip, which continues in Boston on Saturday.
Tonight they catch a Flyers team that has played much better since its own losing skid that saw it lose 10 straight. But after winning six in a row, Philly has just lost at home to Los Angeles, 4-1, on Monday.
I'm not saying the wheels are falling off for Philly, but I'm also not buying in to the fact it is suddenly a damn-near $2 favorite.
Take the road dog.
5* RED WINGS