Kelso Sturgeon
MARIST by 14 over St. Peter's - Marist flexed its muscles last week with a solid win at Rider and sent a message to the world that it again just might be an NCAA team. The Red Foxes are always extremely tough at home and catch a St. Peter's team that continues to struggle through the rebuilding process. It is of no small important, either, that Marist always comes to play.
FIEST comp
Mavericks
A young Seattle team is struggling, on an 0-5 SU, 1-4 ATS run. Luke Ridnour has played in just 15 games because of injuries and has missed six of the past seven. They are not playing any defense, allowing 104 ppg, fifth worst in the NBA. They are getting outscored by 7 ppg, only the Knicks and T-Wolves are worse. Dallas has had a day of rest after a big win over Detroit, 102-86. Winners of 10 of 12 and 12 of 15, the Mavs are one win behind the Suns for most in the West. Dallas is on a 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS run, winning by an average of 14 points. Play the Mavericks!
Mighty Quinn
Wizards +3
Cappers Access
Bulls
Scott Rickenbach
1* (regular play) Minnesota Wild Money Line -125 @ Chicago @ 8:35 ET - Normally we would look to fade Minnesota in a situation like this. The Wild are coming off of a big win at Detroit last night where Minnesota earned the extra point in shootout for the upset victory. However, notice we said "normally" in our opening statement above. That is the key as there is certainly nothing "normal" about the current situation on the Blackhawks hockey club.
Chicago has now lost seven straight games and they haven't defeated the Wild in over two years. The chances of snapping their skid against Minnesota do not look too promising either. The Blackhawks are simply ravaged with injuries right now. Chicago is without a number of key players but the worst part of the injury situation is the current absence of Jason Williams, Jonathan Toews, and Brent Sopel. Those are three very talented players that had a lot to do with the Hawks stronger play when this was a healthy hockey club.
The scary thing for Blackhawks fans right now is that the Hawks aren't just losing, they're getting crushed. Chicago's last seven losses have come by a combined score of 28-12. Also, the Blackhawks have lost eight straight match-ups with the Wild and the last two defeats have been shutout losses! Note that the Wild come into this match-up riding the emotional high of beating the Red Wings at Detroit. We expect the Wild to maintain the momentum as new ownership of the Minnesota hockey club was announced yesterday and there is currently a positive "buzz" around this team!
The Wild are also very close to getting Mikko Koivu back from injury as he may come off the injured reserve on Friday. While it is true the Wild had been struggling before yesterday's win, nobody is struggling as badly as the Blackhawks right now!
Play Minnesota on the money line as a regular selection.
Arthur Ralph
Super Play Cavs (Superpicks 28-13 Record)
Regular Play Dallas Mavs
Marc Lawrence Comp
Game: Orlando Magic at Denver Nuggets
Prediction: Denver Nuggets
Reason: Play On: Denver Nuggets
Note: Nuggets return home to host the Magic off a 22-point road loss. With Orlando off a 7-point road win, look for the home team in this series to improve to 10-0 ATS here tonight.
Burns
Maac GOM-------Siena
Shootout---------Over Heat/Hornets
Conf GOM---------Sonics
Sports Gambling Hotline
Orlando at DENVER -5
We gave you another comp winner last night on Stanford as they drilled Oregon State. Now 8-2 our last 10 comp releases, and 40-24 overall our last 64 free plays!
Tonight it is all about the "home-cooking" in the Orlando-Denver matchup.
Did you know that the home team in this series has won and covered 9 in a row? That being the case, we will side with the host Nuggets to handle an Orlando team that is just 7-10 straight up their last 17 games.
Denver comes into this one having won 6 of their last 8 games straight up, and the Nuggets have gone 7-2 against the spread their last 9 games.
Orlando's last win in the Mile High City comes back in December of 2002. It is also important to note that the favorite in this series is on a 10-2 spread run the last 12 meetings.
We will stick with the trends in this one, and play the Nuggets minus the number at home tonight.
Play on Denver.
3* DENVER
Gator's "Right" Angle Technical Analysis
at Cleveland Cavaliers by 8.0 Charlotte Bobcats O/U 190.0
Cleveland Cavaliers are 3-12-0 O/U After 1 ATS Loss (8 -> 9.5)
Charlotte Bobcats are 7-19-1 ATS After 2 Wins (All Lines)
Charlotte Bobcats are 20-38-1 ATS After 2 ATS Wins (All Lines)
at Atlanta Hawks by 4.0 Washington Wizards O/U 192.0
Atlanta Hawks are 82-56-3 O/U As Home (All Lines)
Atlanta Hawks are 41-20-1 O/U After 2 Home (All Lines)
Toronto Raptors by 5.0 at New York Knicks O/U 194.0
New York Knicks are 38-20-1 O/U All Games (4 -> 5.5)
at New Jersey Nets by NL Boston Celtics O/U NL
Boston Celtics are 80-56-4 ATS As Away (All Lines)
at New Orleans Hornets by 10.0 Miami Heat O/U 189.5
New Orleans Hornets are 10-2-0 ATS After 1 ATS Loss (10 -> 11.5)
New Orleans Hornets are 9-2-1 ATS After 1 Unders (10 -> 11.5)
Miami Heat are 17-6-2 ATS All Games (10 -> 11.5)
at Houston Rockets by NL Minnesota Timberwolves O/U NL
Houston Rockets are 56-82-4 ATS As Home (All Lines)
Minnesota Timberwolves are 117-160-2 ATS All Games (All Lines)
Minnesota Timberwolves are 45-69-0 ATS After 1 ATS Wins (All Lines)
Minnesota Timberwolves are 53-81-1 ATS After 1 Overs (All Lines)
at Denver Nuggets by 5.0 Orlando Magic O/U 218.0
Denver Nuggets are 21-9-0 O/U After 1 Losses (4 -> 5.5)
Denver Nuggets are 88-58-2 ATS After 1 Overs (All Lines)
at Los Angeles (Lk) Lakers by NL Milwaukee Bucks O/U NL
Los Angeles (Lk) Lakers are 86-59-0 O/U As Favorite (All Lines)
Los Angeles (Lk) Lakers are 86-60-0 O/U As Home (All Lines)
Milwaukee Bucks are 12-3-0 O/U After 3 Wins (All Lines)
at Golden State Warriors by 10.0 Memphis Grizzlies O/U 224.0
Golden State Warriors are 14-5-0 ATS All Games (10 -> 11.5)
Dallas Mavericks by 9.0 at Seattle SuperSonics O/U 196.5
Dallas Mavericks are 65-91-3 O/U As Away (All Lines)
Seattle SuperSonics are 14-27-1 ATS All Games (8 -> 9.5)
Comps
Tom Scott ...Boston Celtics -6½ to cut down Nets
Peter Loshak ... Mavericks, Supersonics Under 196
Scott Rickenbach... Wild (-125) to top struggling Hawks
Bob Harvey... Canucks -200 to crack Coyotes
Marc Lawrence... Nuggets -4½ to cover vs. Magic
Platium Plays.... the RIDER BRONCS - 2½ Over the Iona Gaels
TV HOTLINE COMP... DENVER -5
Darkhorse... New Orleans -11.5 over Miami
Razor Sharp... MIAMI/NEW ORLEANS UNDER the total of 189
The Scout... Niagara -4 over Siena
Huddle-Up.... Denver -5
Jimmy The Moose ... Toronto Raptors
NSA ... Boston @ New Jersey UNDER 185.5
Joe Wiz.... Toronto -5 over the Knicks
Buzz ... Charlotte/Cleveland over 187.5
Matt Rivers ... Dartmouth in revenge
Jake Timlin.... Grizzlies & Warriors OVER.
Scott Delaney... 3* BOBCATS
Jeff Benton ... 3* HOUSTON ROCKETS
Tony Weston ... 3* NETS
Jimmy Boyd .... 1 Unit on Denver -4.5
Paul Leiner ... 5* St Peters +11.5
Killer Bee Sports... Chicago Bulls +3 (-132)
HeadWaiter Sports... Minnesota Wild -122
Chris Jordan ... 3* WIZARDS
Karl Garrett.... 1* CHICAGO
Drew Gordan ... 2* ATLANTA
Michael Cannon... 2* WASHINGTON Wiz
WINNING POINTS
***BEST BET
Washington over *Atlanta by 7
The Wizards entered 2008 giving up 6.5 fewer points per game than last season, the
second-best improvement of any team. Their improved defense has allowed them to
stay in matchups even if Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are cold, which hasn't happened
too often. The Wizards have fared well against less-than-elite teams, point guard
Antonio Daniels is back from a knee injury and Andray Blatche has been a pleasant
surprise in the frontcourt. The Hawks remain thin at guard with Tyronn Lue and
Salim Stoudamire injured. WASHINGTON 100-93
***BEST BET
*New Orleans over Miami by 17
ESPN might want to back out of televising this mismatch. The Heat aren?t even paying
lip service to defense, have an abundance of injuries ? when Dwayne Wade is their
healthiest player you know you have a MASH unit ? and are playing in their fifth
straight road game and third in four nights. The Hornets had covered eight of their
past nine through Jan. 8. Chris Paul against the Heat?s defenseless point guards is a
mismatch of biblical proportions. NEW ORLEANS 108-91
***BEST BET
*Los Angeles Lakers over Milwaukee by 18
Revenge, situational edge and the Bucks? terrible road history make the Lakers worthy
of Best Bet status . Kobe Bryant rarely plays bad twice in a row vs. the same team. He
didn't look good when the Bucks knocked of the Lakers back in November as a small
home underdog. Bryant shot just seven-of-18 from the field. The Bucks have only one
day to adjust to West Coast time and atmosphere after playing on Wednesday night.
Flying from cold weather to sunny LA can hurt a team mentally. It?s Milwaukee?s
fourth game in six days. Until defeating the undermanned Heat earlier this month,
Milwaukee had won just two of its first 17 road matchups. LA LAKERS 112-94
Vegas Experts
Miami Heat at New Orleans Hornets
Heat has lost nine in a row and is 1-8 ATS in that stretch, 2-13 ATS over its last 15 games. It is 0-9 ATS after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread this season and 7-16 ATS after playing a game as an underdog this season. New Orleans is 38-22 ATS vs. sub-.500 clubs the past two seasons and looking to atone for most recent effort, a 109-80 home loss to the Lakers.
Play on: New Orleans
Vegas Experts Comp
Boston was beaten at home in the most shocking upset of the NBA season so far when it took an 83-95 dive last Wednesday against Charlotte. The Celtics haven't lost many this season (only four, to be exact) but they have bounced back well, to say the least, following their three previous losses. They followed their first loss with a 105-82 thumping of a good Golden State team, their second with a 104-59 dismemberment of the Knicks and their third with a 107-82 massacre of the Chicago Bulls. And it's not like they can't do it again. Boston has already whipped New Jersey twice this season, 112-101 and 91-69, and apparently has answers for all of the Nets' weapons. With New Jersey fat off a win over Seattle and Boston stinging from the Charlotte embarrassment, go with the Green tonight.
Play on: Boston
Comps
Joe Wiz.... Toronto -5 over the Knicks
Joe Wiz.... Memphis (+9) NBA
ARMVIN SPORTS ... MINNESOTA -122 NHL
Tony Mathews ... Take UCLA -16
Nostradamus... Fairfield (-5)
Tom Scott... BOSTON minus the points
Vernon Croy ... NBA - Cleveland (-7.5)
Robert Ross ... Toronto Raptors
Global Handicapping .... Miami/New Orleans u189.5
Dave Cokin... DAL Mavericks
VEGAS SPORTS PICS.. Niagara Purple Eagles - 4
VEGAS SPORTS PICS... Iona Gaels + 2
James Patrick ... Cleveland Cavaliers
Big AL... Harvard Crimson -4 over Dartmouth Big Green
VEGAS STEAMLINE ... Toronto & New York OVER the total of 193
Bobby Maxwell ... 3* CHARLOTTE
Jim Feist ... Play the Mavericks
THE SPORTS ADVISORS
Boston (29-4 SU, 21-11-1 ATS) at New Jersey (18-17 SU, 15-19-1 ATS)
ATS ADVANTAGE: BOSTON and UNDER
Washington (17-16 SU, 20-13 ATS) at Atlanta (16-16 SU, 17-15 ATS)
ATS ADVANTAGE: WASHINGTON
Orlando (23-14 SU, 24-13 ATS) at Denver (21-13 SU, 17-17 ATS)
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
THE SPORTS REPORTER
BEST BET *DENVER over ORLANDO by 13
DCI
NBA
PHILADELPHIA 93, Chicago 91
Boston 93, NEW JERSEY 88
Toronto 97, NEW YORK 93
ATLANTA 96, Washington 94
CLEVELAND 99, Charlotte 90
NEW ORLEANS 101, Miami 86
HOUSTON 102, Minnesota 85
DENVER 111, Orlando 106
L.A. LAKERS 110, Milwaukee 95
GOLDEN STATE 118, Memphis 105
Dallas 105, SEATTLE 96
NHL
St. Louis vs. COLUMBUS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Minnesota vs. CHICAGO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
CALGARY 3, N.Y. Islanders 2
VANCOUVER 3, Phoenix 2
CBB
FAIRFIELD 70, Loyola (Md.) 65
Manhattan 69, CANISIUS 65
MARIST 79, Saint Peter's 61
NIAGARA 84, Siena 77
Rider 77, IONA 72
Harvard 74, DARTMOUTH 71
FLORIDA GULF COAST 67, Stetson 61
BUCKNELL 69, Navy 61