This Pro Gambler
Pull up the Covers – Play Raptors and Thunder
This is a big day in horse racing! And, some of you looking for basketball picks could care less, I know. I’m very focused on four of the Derby Prep races today and, while I’m not going to blog horse picks until a little further into the Derby Preps, I will be writing about the races later. Why do I explain this to you basketball junkies? In a quick review I wasn’t overly excited about anything on the college schedule; I suspect I could have found something of interest had I dug deeper, but today I’m going to the track and giving that time to horse racing. (PLEASE NOTE THE AD ON THE BLOG “Sports Betting Writers Wanted” – I want to cover more things in more detail, but need some of you with gambling and writing skills to jump on board).
So, what about the NBA? I dig through this schedule every day, no matter what. It’s the bread and butter this time of year. We were on easy street yesterday as 3 winners emerged in the same trend (have’s vs. have nots, all in games where the lines were short). We preceded that 3-0 day with a 4-0 Thursday (2 of which were college games). Since I started blogging picks, my NBA totals are 27-8 (college basketball totals are 5-1), with an overall winning percentage of almost 80%. (By the way, I have summarized the results in the Comments after each Blogging Pick so you can check the results and do the math).
Now, reality…today is a tough day in the NBA. The lines look, on the surface, pretty solid. With a frenzy of activity at the trading deadline, we can only guess what we’re getting with some teams. Three good teams that “improved” themselves all lost their debut efforts with new casts of characters – Cleveland, Dallas, and Portland. And, of course, we still have day-to-day injuries like Dewayne Wade (who reportedly won’t play tonight) and Chris Bosh (who might). OK, enough excuses. I hae found two games that I’m going to play.
Take Toronto Raptors -6 1/2 at Home vs. Washington Wizards. Both of these teams put up big wins last night, with the Wizards beating the Denver Nuggets at Home by 10 Points! It’s almost meaningless to look at season numbers for this Wizards team (like their win against the Raptors in Toronto on Dec. 1) because it bares little resemblance to the team that started the season - Caron Butler is in Dallas; Antawn Jamison is in Cleveland; and Gilbert Arenas is in Street Clothes. On the other hand, we know what to expect from the Raptors. They have won 8 of their last 10, winning Against the Spread 7 of those games (including 5 of the last 7 at home)(Raptors have won Against the Spread at Home 59% for the season). They did fine in New Jersey last night without Chris Bosh, and whether or not their All-Star is back tonight expect Toronto to Cover.
Take Oklahoma City Thunder -5 1/2 at New York Knicks. Realizing that the season is already over, the Knicks used Thursday’s trade deadline to clear more salary cap room (moving Nate Robinson to Boston) so they can make a big off-season play for one of the NBA’s stars (you’ve heard all the rumors – LeBron James, Dewayne Wayne, or at least Chris Bosh). Yes, they picked up Tracy McGrady (and his big expiring contracting) from Houston, and he’s a bit of a wild card, but McGrady hasn’t played in weeks and was adding nothing to the Rockets’ roster, a team that is making a playoff run. Oklahoma City, on the other hand, is simply playing like one of the best teams in the NBA. Kevin Durant is now leading the NBA in scoring and is the key to this team winning Against the Spread on the Road 73% of the time. The Thunder are 7-3 in their last ten, but ATS they are 8-2….but, it gets better….during their last ten games they are 5-0 ATS on the Road. Take Thunder -5 1/2.
NBA 27-8…………… CBB 5-1……………. NFL 1-0…………….. 79% Winners
I don’t sell picks…I don’t sell anything...I started This Pro Gambler’s Blog to give you my analysis for free! To give you plays that I am putting real money on, just like you.
