SPORTS WAGERS
ATLANTA –4½ over Phoenix
The Suns are still considered to be one of the elite teams in the Association and that perception can be taken advantage of. Its stock is going to plummet real soon. Phoenix is 24-15 and that’s because of a 15-4 home record and a good start on the road. However, they’ve lost eight of its last nine road games and that includes a loss in Indiana in which they blew a 24-point lead. No way do they get a big lead on this host. The Hawks play tremendous defense and that’s a problem for Phoenix. The Hawks also have a slew of offensive weapons in which any one of six guys can get hot and against the defense they’ll face here, all six could have big games. The Suns record masks its shortcomings but the fact is they rank 29th in the NBA defensively and after playing its last five games against Sacramento, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee and Indiana and not fairing so good, they’re about to take a huge step up in class and will get exposed by this well-balanced and very dangerous Hawks team. Atlanta is heating up again with four wins in five games and should have its way against this extremely overrated and soft visitor. Play: Atlanta –4½ (Risking 2.2 units to win 2).
CHARLOTTE +1.15 over San Antonio
The Spurs are hot, very hot in fact and last game could’ve been the coming out party for DeJuan Blair. Tim Duncan was a late scratch and Blair stepped in and didn’t look out of place for a second. Blair went off for 28 points and 21 boards and was the difference in the Spurs one-point OT win over the Thunder. It was a nice win in a place they’ve had trouble winning in the past and now they’ll face an Eastern opponent that they don’t see very often. The Spurs continue on its road trip with games against Memphis and New Orleans after this one, so don’t be surprised to see them take a night off here. We’ve seen this guest pull a whole bunch of no-shows this year already and this could certainly be one of those times. Besides, the Cats are playing decent and should be the more intense of the two. Charlotte has won six of its last seven and that includes a win in Cleveland and this would be another signature win for them. Play: Charlotte +1.15 (Risking 2 units).
Milwaukee +1.48 over GOLDEN STATE
Something really smells fishy about this one. The Warriors opened as a 4½-point favorite and they’re getting hammered by the public yet the line has dropped. The NBA is very much like the NFL in that it takes a ton of action and the books are so sharp in this sport. We saw this same scenario last night when the public was hammering the Celtics but the line dropped anyway and Chicago won outright. The Bucks are a pitiful road team while the Warriors play with a ton of energy at home and usually give even the best team’s fits. This one is all about spotting a rat and playing against it. Play: Milwaukee +1.48 (Risking 2 units).
Northern Colorado/PORTLAND ST. over 155
There aren’t too many people who know just how potent both these teams offense’s are. The beauty of betting college basketball is that lesser known schools fall through the cracks because they are never mentioned or featured on television. I’m here to tell you there probably isn’t going to be another game this season when two incredible offenses face off against each other. Firstly, let’s mention the three point shooting; Northern Colorado has six players that average over two three point shots a game and as a team they shoot 39.6%. That statistic puts them in the top 30 in College Basketball but believe it or not, Portland State does even better. Portland State shoots an incredible 42.1% from three while utilizing the shot on 35% of their possessions, a staggering success ratio that unfortunately hasn’t translated into victories. The reason for that is because of the atrocious defense played by Portland State, who allows opponents to shoot an embarrassing 42.1% on threes and 54.5% on twos. Northern Colorado allows opponents to shoot 34.1% on threes and when you add everything up it’s a classic case of two teams with great offenses and terrible defenses facing each other in what will undoubtedly be a high scoring game. It’s hard to fathom a total being set this low for two teams who clearly can shoot with any school on the planet, but this is the case tonight and I’m not going to back away. Play: Northern Colorado/Portland St. over 155 (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
ATLANTA –4½ over Phoenix
The Suns are still considered to be one of the elite teams in the Association and that perception can be taken advantage of. Its stock is going to plummet real soon. Phoenix is 24-15 and that’s because of a 15-4 home record and a good start on the road. However, they’ve lost eight of its last nine road games and that includes a loss in Indiana in which they blew a 24-point lead. No way do they get a big lead on this host. The Hawks play tremendous defense and that’s a problem for Phoenix. The Hawks also have a slew of offensive weapons in which any one of six guys can get hot and against the defense they’ll face here, all six could have big games. The Suns record masks its shortcomings but the fact is they rank 29th in the NBA defensively and after playing its last five games against Sacramento, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee and Indiana and not fairing so good, they’re about to take a huge step up in class and will get exposed by this well-balanced and very dangerous Hawks team. Atlanta is heating up again with four wins in five games and should have its way against this extremely overrated and soft visitor. Play: Atlanta –4½ (Risking 2.2 units to win 2).
CHARLOTTE +1.15 over San Antonio
The Spurs are hot, very hot in fact and last game could’ve been the coming out party for DeJuan Blair. Tim Duncan was a late scratch and Blair stepped in and didn’t look out of place for a second. Blair went off for 28 points and 21 boards and was the difference in the Spurs one-point OT win over the Thunder. It was a nice win in a place they’ve had trouble winning in the past and now they’ll face an Eastern opponent that they don’t see very often. The Spurs continue on its road trip with games against Memphis and New Orleans after this one, so don’t be surprised to see them take a night off here. We’ve seen this guest pull a whole bunch of no-shows this year already and this could certainly be one of those times. Besides, the Cats are playing decent and should be the more intense of the two. Charlotte has won six of its last seven and that includes a win in Cleveland and this would be another signature win for them. Play: Charlotte +1.15 (Risking 2 units).
Milwaukee +1.48 over GOLDEN STATE
Something really smells fishy about this one. The Warriors opened as a 4½-point favorite and they’re getting hammered by the public yet the line has dropped. The NBA is very much like the NFL in that it takes a ton of action and the books are so sharp in this sport. We saw this same scenario last night when the public was hammering the Celtics but the line dropped anyway and Chicago won outright. The Bucks are a pitiful road team while the Warriors play with a ton of energy at home and usually give even the best team’s fits. This one is all about spotting a rat and playing against it. Play: Milwaukee +1.48 (Risking 2 units).
Northern Colorado/PORTLAND ST. over 155
There aren’t too many people who know just how potent both these teams offense’s are. The beauty of betting college basketball is that lesser known schools fall through the cracks because they are never mentioned or featured on television. I’m here to tell you there probably isn’t going to be another game this season when two incredible offenses face off against each other. Firstly, let’s mention the three point shooting; Northern Colorado has six players that average over two three point shots a game and as a team they shoot 39.6%. That statistic puts them in the top 30 in College Basketball but believe it or not, Portland State does even better. Portland State shoots an incredible 42.1% from three while utilizing the shot on 35% of their possessions, a staggering success ratio that unfortunately hasn’t translated into victories. The reason for that is because of the atrocious defense played by Portland State, who allows opponents to shoot an embarrassing 42.1% on threes and 54.5% on twos. Northern Colorado allows opponents to shoot 34.1% on threes and when you add everything up it’s a classic case of two teams with great offenses and terrible defenses facing each other in what will undoubtedly be a high scoring game. It’s hard to fathom a total being set this low for two teams who clearly can shoot with any school on the planet, but this is the case tonight and I’m not going to back away. Play: Northern Colorado/Portland St. over 155 (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
