THE SPORTS ADVISORS
New Orleans (7-6, 9-4 ATS) at Chicago (7-6, 6-6-1 ATS)
The surging Saints travel to Soldier Field for the third time in 13 months to face the Bears, with both teams trying to stay alive in the NFC playoff chase.
New Orleans topped Atlanta 29-25 as a three-point home chalk Sunday for their fourth straight spread-cover (3-1 SU). QB Drew Brees (18 of 32, 230 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) led a turnover-free offense and got some rare help from his running game, which churned out 184 yards. RBs Pierre Thomas (16 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD) and Reggie Bush (10 carries, 80 yards) led the way, and both teams put up 414 total yards.
Chicago beat Jacksonville 23-10 as a 6½-point home favorite Sunday, stemming a 1-3 SU and 1-4 ATS skid. QB Kyle Orton (20 of 34, 219 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) helped the Bears to a 20-3 halftime lead, and his INT served as Chicago’s lone turnover. Meanwhile, the Bears defense converted picked off the Jaguars’ on their first drive and the offense turned it into an Orton-to-Desmond Clark TD pass.
The SU winner is now 24-2-1 ATS in the Bears’ last 27 starts (11-1-1 ATS this season).
Chicago has defeated New Orleans three straight times (2-0-1 ATS), including a 33-25 victory as a one-point home underdog in last year’s regular-season finale and a 39-14 win as a 2½-point home in the NFC Championship Game in January 2007. The underdog is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight clashes.
New Orleans features the NFL’s top offense, averaging 405.9 ypg, and the Saints are tied for second in scoring at 366 points (28.2 ppg). Chicago is 24th in total offense (304 per game) and 16th scoring offense (23.4 ppg). Both defenses tend to give up yards and points, with New Orleans allowing 25.1 points and 344.1 yards per game, and the Bears yielding 21.4 points and 325.4 ypg.
The Saints are on ATS surges of 6-2 in non-division games and 4-1 on grass, but they also carry negative ATS trends of 0-5 as a road pup of three points or less and 2-5 following a SU win. The Bears have cashed in their last four December contests but are otherwise on ATS declines of 0-4 after a SU win, 4-9 as a home chalk, 4-9-1 after a spread-cover and 4-9-1 against winning teams.
The over for New Orleans is on several hot streaks, including 13-4-1 overall, 7-0 in December, 10-2 after a SU win, 10-2-1 after a spread-cover and 19-7-1 against NFC foes. Likewise, the over for Chicago is on stretches of 19-7 at home, 16-5 with the Bears a home favorite and 27-11-1 inside the conference. Finally, the over is 5-1 in the last six clashes overall between these rivals and 4-0 in the last four meetings at Solider Field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
NBA
Portland (15-8, 11-12 ATS) at Utah (14-9, 12-11 ATS)
The Trail Blazers, just one game removed from an Eastern Conference road trip on which they went 4-1 SU, hit the highway again to take on the Jazz in a key Northwest Division matchup at EnergySolutions Arena.
Portland was on the wrong end of a heartbreaking 109-108 decision against the Magic on Tuesday night, losing on a last-second, bank-shot 3-pointer from the Magic’s Hedo Turkoglu to fall as a five-point chalk. Guard Brandon Roy (30 points, nine rebounds, five assists) and forward LaMarcus Aldridge (25 points, 13 rebounds) paced six Blazers who scored in double figures, and Portland outrebounded Orlando 44-29, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the team’s first home loss and its fifth consecutive non-cover.
Utah edged Minnesota 99-96 Tuesday, coming up short as a six-point road favorite, with Mehmet Okur hitting the go-ahead shot in the waning seconds. The Jazz, who have now alternated SU wins and losses over the last seven games (4-3 ATS), were paced by Ronnie Brewer’s 25 points, and Okur had 21 points and 13 boards.
These two Northwest Division rivals have gone 2-2 SU and ATS in their last four clashes, with the SU winner cashing in each contest, all on the home floor. Utah is on an 11-4 ATS tear in the last 15 meetings with Portland in Salt Lake City, including a 103-96 victory as a 6½-point chalk back on Nov. 5.
The Trail Blazers are on ATS surges of 10-4 against winning teams, 7-3 after a SU loss, 5-2 as an underdog and 29-11 as a ‘dog of less than five points. But along with their current 0-5 ATS slide, they are on pointspread dips of 0-4 when playing on one day’s rest, 0-4 on the road and 1-4 on Thursdays. The Jazz are on spread-covering streaks of 46-21-2 at home, 5-0 after an ATS setback, 5-1 against the West, 5-2 on one day’s rest and 25-11-1 against winning teams.
The under for Portland is on stretches of 8-2 overall, 5-1 on the road, 8-3 against winning teams and 43-20 in Western Conference play, and the under is 5-1 in Utah’s last six overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UTAH and UNDER
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
St. Joe’s (4-4, 3-3 ATS) at (15) Villanova (8-1, 3-3 ATS)
Villanova, coming off its first loss of the season in Tuesday’s the Jimmy V Classic, aims to get back on track when it plays host to cross-town and Big 5 rival St. Joe’s.
The Wildcats came up short against No. 6 Texas on Tuesday night, falling 67-58 as a two-point pup at Madison Square Garden, ending their eight-game SU winning streak to start the season. Poor shooting and turnovers plagued ‘Nova, which hit just 38 percent of its shots from the field (22.2 percent from 3-point range) and gave the ball away 19 times. Leading score Dante Cunningham (17.4 ppg) finished with 23 points, but Villanova fell 19 points below its season average (77.2) while giving up 10 more points than its average (57.9).
The Hawks ripped Towson 85-64 Tuesday as a four-point road ‘dog, bouncing back from a 69-58 home loss to perennial mid-major power Creighton. St. Joe’s hit a sizzling 51.7 percent from the floor (31 of 60) and 84.2 percent from the foul line (16 of 19), while outrebounding the Tigers 37-20. Top scorer Ahmad Nivins (19.1 ppg) had 25 points and nine rebounds, and Darrin Govens scored 22.
The Hawks sit at .500 on the season in most part because they’re scoring almost as many points (67 ppg) as they’re giving up (63.4).
Villanova is on a 6-2-1 ATS surge in this annual rivalry, though St. Joe’s pounded the Wildcats 77-55 last February laying 3½ points at home. The favorite has gone 5-0-1 ATS in the last six clashes.
The Wildcats are on a 3-8 ATS slide following a SU loss, but they are on positive pointspread upticks of 4-1 after a non-cover and 10-3-1 against Atlantic 10 opponents. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 non-conference tilts, but they carry negative ATS trends of 1-4 in roadies, 1-4 against winning teams, 2-7 after a SU win and 2-5 after a spread-cover.
The under for Villanova is on streaks of 21-7-1 overall, 4-0 at home and 5-0 outside the Big East, and the under for St. Joe’s is on runs of 7-3 overall, 5-0 against winning teams, 6-2 against the Big East and 8-3 in non-conference contests. Finally, the total has stayed low in each of the last five meetings in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: VILLANOVA and UNDER