Big Al
Pittsburgh vs. Florida
Pick: Florida
You would have thought that after rookie goaltender Matthew Murray led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup last Spring, winning 15 of 21 games in the process, that there would be no doubt who would carry the load in 2016-2017. But so far, the Penguins have opted to go primarily with Marc-Andre Fleury this season, with Murray playing in just 10 games so far (nine starts). That strategy seems to be working on the surface, with the Pens having won three straight games coming into tonight's contest in South Florida, but mainly because Pittsburgh's stacked offense has out-gunned the opposition. The Pens have been on a scoring tear recently, netting 36 goals in their last eight games, but they've also allowed 30 goals over that span. The Pens may be slight favorites on the road, but these two usually play very close games, with five of the last six meetings being decided by just one goal and four of those going to overtime or shoot-out. Roberto Luongo may be 37 years old now, but the Florida goalie is once again putting up very solid numbers. In fact statistically, Luongo is having his best season since 2010-2011, with a .926 saves % and 2.14 GAA. The home team is 6-1 in the last seven meetings.
Bruce Marshall
Portland at Memphis
Pick: Portland
Portland already won at Memphis on Nov. 6 when now-injured Mike Conley was in Griz starting lineup and scored 16, and Zach Randolph (also absent recently) scored 20 off bench. The Blazer bench is bad, and so is their defense, but the offense remains potent, ranking seventh best in league in recent 8-game stretch in which Terry Stotts' latest starting lineup was a plus-9 in its six games together. Current Memphis 4-game win streak built vs. lots of subpar opposition.
Buster Sports
Philadelphia at New Orleans
Play: Under 205.5
The Philadelphia 76ers have been playing competitive basketball for the most part this year and that is good for the league and the City of Philadelphia. Tonight they face a New Orleans Pelican club that has won only 3 more games than the 76ers. We will be playing the UNDER here as the line for a side in this game is right on our number. Both of these clubs are in the bottom half in the league in scoring with New Orleans ranked 22nd and the 76ers 27th. We believe if the 76ers are going to try and break their 8 game losing streak they will have to do so on defense. The Pelicans still have a bunch of injuries and rely on Anthony Davis to score which should help the 76ers especially if PG Jure Holiday and SG E'twaun Moore sit out again tonight. The 76ers were competitive in Memphis last game and we believe they will play another tight game tonight. Backing our selection is the fact that the UNDER is 10-3 in 76ers last 13 vs. Western Conference and the fact that the UNDER is 5-1 in the Pelicans last 6 games following a straight up loss.
OC Dooley
Jazz +11
You will see at the bottom of the analysis that this seemingly dangerous wager is actually a high percentage move. After last night's shocking 17 point romp against the Clippers on the highway, mighty Golden State is now on a 15-1 tear while the per-game numbers for the offense in the month of December (130 points per game) are simply mind boggling. The Warriors have also owned Utah in this "series" going 11-2 outright long term while successfully covering the spread in each of the most recent 3 clashes. But tonight the juggernaut attack of the Warriors is facing an excellent DEFENSIVE opponent as the Jazz are holding the opposition to on average just 93 points per pop in HOME setups like this. The key to this pick is the Golden State SCHEDULE as tonight marks the third time since Monday that they have taken the floor and in this particular spot are playing in a HIGH ALTITUDE/THIN AIR location where FATIGUE will become an issue in the late stages. In the past five games the Warriors defense has allowed the opposition to average s hefty 105 points per game. If that trend holds up again Utah long term is 11-2 ATS/HOME when the offense scores 105+ points. Spanning the past TWO DECADES (1996) Double-Digit road favorites (in this case Golden State) have actually FAILED to cover the spread at an 82-PERCENT clip (6-26 against the spread) when playing on BACK-TO-BACK nights (in the first half of the season)