TUESDAY PREMEIUM SERVICE PLAYS

Hunter Price

(POD) L.A. CLIPPERS -4.5 over OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Can anyone tell me how the clippers have done against the spread recently? Well a little background research shows they are 7-2 over their last 9 games. Who would have seen that coming? Well we would have and did and are ready to roll with the new form Clippers as they look to go 8-2 as they head to Oklahoma City. This turnaround is no joke and the Clippers will continue to play better as Kaman and Camby continue to gel. Throw in the fact Baron Davis is a stud and the Thunder are in for a very long night. Look for the vets to set the tempo and the upstart Thunder to struggle.

NEW YORK KNICKS +13.5 over L.A. LAKERS

This play is all about public perception. For a moment forget about what each team’s record is and look at how they have fared ATS. The Knicks have gone a solid 14-10 compared to the Lakers 11-12 ATS. This is because the whole country has a love fest with the Lakers and conversely thinks the Knicks with the whole Marbury saga are the bottom feeders of the league. With D’Antoni running the show now in New York tonight’s game is going to be a scoring fest and just the kind of game the Knicks want to play. The Knicks are also 10-3-1 ATS on the road against teams with a winning records of over .600. In the end, look for the Lakers defensive miscues to keep the Knicks in the game late and in the end cover the 13.5 spread.

Ron Raymond

5* Marquette +6

5* Edmonton Oilers +105

ED MEYER

DENVER at HOUSTON
Pick: HOUSTON -3

With their 98-88 win in Dallas last night, the Nuggets extend their winning streak to four straight. However, the first three wins in the streak were against the Kings, Timberwolves and Warriors. In yesterday’s win, Carmelo got a little bit sloppy, committing six of the team’s 14 turnovers. When this happens and the Nuggets win anyway, it sets up the team for a disappointing performance. Indeed, Denver is 0-6 ATS (-9.8 ppg) after a win on the road in which Carmelo Anthony had at least 5 turnovers. Kenyon Martin was 2-2 from the arc and this also is not a good sign for the Nuggets. They are 0-4 ATS (-9.6 ppg) on the road after a win in which Kenyon Martin shot better than 50% from the arc.

As a team, the Nuggets are 0-5 ATS (-8.5 ppg) on the road after a double digit win in which they shot at least ten three-pointers and made at least half of them and 0-6-1 ATS (-7.6 ppg) with at most one day of rest after a double digit win in which they allowed less than 35% from the field. In the first meeting between these two this season, the Nuggets won 104-94. McGrady was out and Yao led the Rockets with 18 points. This is a strong revenge situation for Houston, as they are 6-0 ATS (+10.8 ppg) when seeking revenge for a loss in which Yao Ming was the Rockets' high scorer, winning each of the last five by double-digits – two as a dog. The Nuggets have their own revenge situation next, as they host the Cavs on Friday, a team that beat them 110-99 in Cleveland on 11/13. Denver is a poor 0-6 ATS (-13.3 ppg) as a road dog when they have a revenge game at home next – losing every game by double digits.

The Nuggets are getting complacent and will be over-confident here. The Rockets will play tough team defense and that should be enough to get the job done.

Jeff Benton

10 Dime: KNICKS (plus the points vs. Lakers)

I said it on Friday when I took the Kings plus the points versus the Lakers with my free play, and I’ll say again today: Even though they are miles better than the Knicks and could blow them out by 30 on any given night, you just cannot trust the Lakers to cover these ridiculous pointspreads right now. Including the non-cover against the Kings on Friday (they won by nine as a 17-point chalk) and the non-cover against the crappy TWolves on Sunday (they won by 12 as a 15-point favorite), the Lakers have now failed to cover in six straight games, all as a double-digit chalk. And they’re 5-11 ATS going back to mid-November, including 3-8 ATS at home and 2-10 ATS as a double-digit choice.

Los Angeles has always been a public team, and after jumping out to a 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS start, the oddsmakers were behind the 8-ball in terms of just how good this team was. Game after game, bettors were pounding the Lakers and the books were taking a beating. But those oddsmakers finally caught up and adjusted their numbers, only now they’ve over-adjusted. Why hasn’t the re-correction taken place? I’m guessing because the public is still in love with Kobe and his boys and are still laying the big prices, only now they’re the ones taking a beating.

Meanwhile, as the Lakers continue to burn money for their backers, the Knicks are doing nothing but covering spreads, going 6-0 ATS in their last six and 8-1 ATS in their last nine, all as an underdog. During this run, New York has cashed in five straight road games, including last night’s 111-103 loss in Phoenix as an 8½-point pup. The Knicks obviously are playing hard for new coach Mike D’Antoni, and even though they’re concluding a five-game road trip and playing in the second night of a back-to-back situation (while L.A. is rested), it’s not a concern to me because the Phoenix-to-L.A. trip is an easy one, because New York is a decent 3-2 ATS in back-to-backs and because D’Antoni knows the Lakers very well from his days coaching the Suns.

Also, over the last two years, the Knicks have gone 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS against the Lakers, with the two losses coming by margins of five points at home and 11 points in L.A. Bottom line: Until the Lakers show me they can cover these big numbers, I’m going to keep going against them, especially when they’re facing competitive opponents like the Knicks. Take the points.

Steve Liebmen

Vandy -8

Marquette +6

BeatYourBookie

Daily Premium Hoops & Hockey Winners for Tuesday

NCAA Basketball
100* Play Vanderbilt (-8) over South Florida (NCAA)
South Florida is 1-21 SU as a road underdog over the last 3 seasons
South Florida is 0-5 SU vs. SEC Conference Opponents
South Florid is averaging only 63 ppg this season

NBA Basketball
100* Play Oklahoma City (+4.5) over LA Clippers (NBA)
LA Clippers are 4-15 ATS coming off an upset win as an underdog the last 2 seasons
LA Clippers are 7-2 ATS over the last 9 games

Bonus Hoops & Hockey Plays

50* Play Ottawa (-200) over Atlanta (NHL)
50* Play Florida Atlantic (+1) over Denver (NCAA)

Ben BURNS

Basketball (NBA) - PORTLAND

Game: Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers Game Time: 12/16/2008 10:05:00 PM Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers Reason: I'm laying the points with PORTLAND. Seeing one's coach fired and getting a new one can be an emotional experience for players in all sports. Often, all that emotion translates into a big effort in the first game under the new coach. That was the case at Sacramento last night. Playing their first game under coach Kenny Natt, a longtime assistant, the 'emotional' Kings missed their first 10 shots. They eventually warmed up though and played one of their best games of the season, en route to a double-digit victory. While all the emotion that comes from a coaching change can often help a team in its first game, it rarely sticks around for the following one. That being said, off last night's big win, I expect the Kings to suffer from an emotional letdown this evening. Regardless of the Kings' "emotional state," they're simply in the wrong place at the wrong time tonight. For starters, Sacramento is simply not a good team right now, particularly on the road. Yes, the Kings won last night. However, that was at home and that game came against a bad Minnesota team which is now 4-20 on the season. Additionally, the T-Wolves were playing the second of back to back games. Tonight's situation is entirely different and much more difficult. Tonight, the Kings are on the road and tonight they'll be the team which is playing the second of back to back games. Note that the Kings are 2-9 on the road this season and that the last two times that they played the second of back to back games resulted in losses of 23 and 24 points. Tonight is far worse than a "regular" back to back situation though as the Kings are also playing their fourth game in five nights. That's as physically demanding as it gets in the NBA. Throw in the "emotional factor," from the coaching change and I expect the Kings to be an exhausted bunch. While the Kings are ripe to get blown out, the Blazers are hungry for a big win. They recently played a 5-game Eastern road trip, which saw them win four of five. They've only had two home games, which were separated by a road game, since that trip. They lost the first by a point vs. Orlando and then were upset by the Clippers on Friday. That means that they haven't had a win here yet in December (last win here was a blowout of New Orleans in late Nov.) and that they've had the past few days off to build up their anger about it. The Blazers are 8-4 ATS the last dozen times that they had three or more days off in between games. They're also 5-2 SU/ATS the last seven times that they played a home game where the total ranged between 195 and 199.5 points. In addition to have the talent edge, I look for the Blazers to be both the fresher and hungrier team tonight and for that to lead to a convincing one-sided victory. *NBA Blowout GOM

Basketball (NCAA) - DENVER

Game: Florida Atlantic vs. Denver Game Time: 12/16/2008 9:00:00 PM Prediction: Denver Reason: I'm playing on DENVER. This line has fallen from its opening number and is now at the point where a SU victory also ensures a pointspread victory. I feel that provides us with solid value with the home team. Neither team has played particularly well. However, the Pioneers have the advantage of playing at home and that's significant. The last time the Pioneers were on this floor, they earned a 62-58 victory over South Dakota State. Florida Atlantic did snap a 4-game losing streak last time out. However, the Owls have been dreadful on the road. In four road games, they've gone 0-4 losing to the likes of James Madison, McNeese St and Florida Gulf Coast. Looking at last year's meetings between these teams and we find the Pioneers at 2-0 ATS and that the home team was victorious in both tries. Overall, the Pioneers are 5-2 SU/ATS the last seven times that they were listed as home favorites of three points or less or at 'pick'em.' Look for homecourt to be the difference again this season, as the Owls remain winless in their true road games. *best bet

Rocketman

3* Devils

3* Calgary

Triple Crown Sports

3* Florida Atlantic

Pro Sports Plays

10* Take Vanderbilt (-8) over South Florida (NCAA Top Play)

Vanderbilt has won 46 of the last 48 games as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points and they have also lost 12 of the last 13 games after allowing 60 points or less in the last game.

5* Take Tennessee Tech (+17) over Florida State (NCAA Bonus Play)
5* Take Portland (-11.5) over Sacramento (NBA Bonus

WinningAngle

Play Oklahoma City (+4.5) over LA Clippers* (Top NBA Play)

Play Florida Atlantic (+1) over Denver* (Top NCAA Play)

Play Marquette (+6.5) over Tennessee

Play Philadelphia (-200) over Colorado* (Top NHL Play)

Erin Rynning

Playmaker NY Knicks

Playmaker S Florida

STEPHEN DIAMOND

15* CBB BEST BET

TENNESSEE

RICK J

CBB O/U

Tenn under 163.5

Portland under 147.5