Karl Garrett
Dallas -1 at TORONTO
In a near-pick spot, prefer to side with the Mavericks over the Raptors.
Toronto just can't get any traction this season, as they have followed their brief 2-game winning streak with home losses in their last pair of games, and are now just 3-9 against the spread at home this season.
Dallas comes into this one off a Monday home loss to Denver, but the Mavericks have played their best against the spread basketball on the road this season, as they are just 2-11 ATS at home, but are 7-3 ATS on the road.
The Mavericks may not be as reliable as they once were in season's past, but they still have the horses to notch this road win in pretty much a pick-em game.
G-Man backs Dallas to hand Toronto another home loss.
3♦ DALLAS
Sports Gambling Hotline
Rider +7 at LA SALLE
College basketball tonight, and we feel the La Salle Explorers are giving away a few points too many tonight at home against the 5-2 Broncos of Rider.
La Salle just got beat by their in-city brother Villanova by 11-points to even their ledger at 4-4 for the year. When the Explorers are able to win a game these days, they are playing them close, as their last 3 wins have come by a combined total of just 14-points.
We expect another close on tonight, as Rider is a decent 5-2 straight up this season, and show an average of 70 ppg on the road, while allowing an average of 71 ppg on the highway.
This game could very easily come down to who has the last shot, so we will take the underdog getting what we feel is an inflated price.
Play on Rider, as the Broncos stay close.
1♦ RIDER
Matt Rivers
For Wednesday lay the number with UCLA.
When looking for the worst team in division one college hoops you have to take a look at this motley Loyola Marymount bunch. Long gone are the elite 8 days of Kimble, Fryer and the late Hank Gathers. Today this program is as bad as it gets and the 0-10 record does nothing to hurt that sentiment.
Meanwhile at home today we have a top 10 at the very worst UCLA team that has advanced to three straight Final Fours headed by one of the best coaches in the country in Ben Howland. The Bruins are not a total offensive juggernaut that run up and down the court and score 100 a game but their defense is ferocious as usual making me believe that today's visitors in the Lions seriously may not score 40 points.
Collison, Shipp, Aboya and the Bruins are going to win this thing going away. The only way they don't cover would come in garbage time as UCLA wins big but just misses out on grabbing the cash in a 24 or so point victory. But I would not be shocked to see an absolute burial of a final something like 85-40 making me think that the upside is a lot higher than the downside making this big chalk the clear way to go.
Utah (-3) at NEW JERSEY
The Jazz, losers of five straight at New Jersey, are in revenge after suffering their most lopsided home defeat of the season. But understand, Utah was severely short-handed in that Nov. 29 clash, which the Nets won 105-88. So with Andrei Kirilenko healthy (Carlos Boozer is doubtful for tonight), I am thinking the Jazz will have an easy time tonight because the Nets have struggled at home this season, going 4-7 and allowing 103.3 points per game.
I know Utah comes off one of its worst offensive performances of the season in Boston on Monday night, but it’s this type of game the oddsmakers are begging you to take the Nets with the writing on the wall. The writing that says: take the Nets, the dog is the play. But in reality, the Jazz are the favored team for a reason.
Despite the futility in the Garden State, the Jazz are on ATS runs of 4-1 on the highway, 5-1 playing on one days rest and 4-1 against teams with a winning record. On the other hand, the Nets are mired in a 2-5 rut when hosting teams with a losing road record. The head-to-head meetings, I’m not going to lie to you, favor the Nets. But you know what, if there were ever a trend-breaker – this is the game.
1♦ JAZZ
Illinois State -5' at CENTRAL MICHIGAN
This should be an easy one for the undefeated Redbirds on the road, thanks to Emmanuel Holloway, who in four road games this season is shooting 55.6 percents from the field and a scorching 56.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Dating back to last season, Illinois State has won its last four true road games. The Redbirds are 4-0 this season away from Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, with two victories coming on their opponent's home floor.
And since Illinois State is one of just 13 NCAA Division I basketball programs that are still undefeated, I feel comfy in laying the chalk with the ‘Birds, especially since they’re on ATS runs of 10-3 versus the Mid-American Conference, 7-3 off a straight-up win and 4-1 overall. On the other hand, CMU is mired in a 1-4 ATS skid against the Missouri Valley Conference. ISU outscores teams by an average final of 84-69, so let’s aim for the double-digit win tonight.
3♦ ILLINOIS STATE