Steve Merril
Thursday, Feb. 25
NBA
(3% play) ORLANDO +8.5 (vs. Golden State) - 7:05 pm ET #702
Golden State’s incredible season has continued since the All-Star break; the Warriors are 3-1 SU with all of those games coming on the road. Golden State won 118-112 last night in Miami after coming back from a 12-point deficit. The Warriors out-scored the Heat 38-29 in the fourth quarter to steal that win. However, last night’s win sets the Warriors up in a flat spot for tonight’s game against Orlando, especially since Golden State has Oklahoma City on deck. The Warriors had three guys play 33 minutes or more with six guys playing 27 minutes or more last night. Those extended minutes will have an impact on tonight’s game, especially since Golden State will now be playing their fifth game in seven nights with all of those games coming on the road.
Orlando has played extremely well since the All-Star break. The Magic have gone 2-1 SU in their three games with their lone loss coming by 3 points. Orlando lost their last home game, and since they are 15-13 SU at home this season, the Magic qualify in a good bounce-back situation and are now setup to play a competitive game tonight. Orlando acquired Ersan Ilyasova during the All-Star break, and his defense has really bolstered Orlando in recent games. Brandon Jennings was also acquired at the trade deadline, and he provides instant offense off the bench. Orlando is a different team now, and they are an undervalued commodity. Victor Oladipo is questionable tonight, but the Magic have actually been a better defensive team without him on the court this season. Orlando is catching Golden State at the right time, so we’ll take the Magic plus the points in this game on Thursday night.
Play MAGIC (+) as a 3% play.
-------------------
NCAA Basketball
(3% play) NORTHEASTERN -4 (vs. College of Charleston) - 7:00 pm ET #720
College of Charleston comes into tonight’s game with a 16-11 SU record. That record is quite surprising considering the lack of talent the Cougars have. Head coach Earl Grant was forced to install an extremely slow-paced style of play because of his roster, and that has worked for the team. Grant starts one player, Payton Hulsey, strictly as a defensive stopper; Hulsey rarely shoots the ball on offense. College of Charleston beat Northeastern 68-61 at home earlier this season, but the Cougars needed overtime to win that game after rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit. Charleston is also in a poor scheduling spot for this game after losing their last home game in overtime to conference leader NC-Wilmington. The Cougars will play with a hangover off that loss, and a lack of focus usually comes on the defensive end in this type of situation.
Northeastern returns home off back-to-back road games with their last being a 65-60 loss at Hofstra. The Huskies have played three of their last four games on the road, and with tonight’s game being the last home game for four starting seniors, we expect a peak performance. Northeastern’s four seniors have combined for 83 wins, two CAA regular season titles, a CAA tournament title, and an NCAA tournament appearance last season for the first time in 24 years. The Huskies are a veteran group that is used to winning, so tonight’s final home game will bring out their best effort. The Huskies are averaging 74.3 points per game at home, so look for a strong offensive performance by Northeastern this evening. We’ll lay the points with the Huskies in this home game on Thursday night.
Play NORTHEASTERN (-) as a 3% play.
Thursday, Feb. 25
NBA
(3% play) ORLANDO +8.5 (vs. Golden State) - 7:05 pm ET #702
Golden State’s incredible season has continued since the All-Star break; the Warriors are 3-1 SU with all of those games coming on the road. Golden State won 118-112 last night in Miami after coming back from a 12-point deficit. The Warriors out-scored the Heat 38-29 in the fourth quarter to steal that win. However, last night’s win sets the Warriors up in a flat spot for tonight’s game against Orlando, especially since Golden State has Oklahoma City on deck. The Warriors had three guys play 33 minutes or more with six guys playing 27 minutes or more last night. Those extended minutes will have an impact on tonight’s game, especially since Golden State will now be playing their fifth game in seven nights with all of those games coming on the road.
Orlando has played extremely well since the All-Star break. The Magic have gone 2-1 SU in their three games with their lone loss coming by 3 points. Orlando lost their last home game, and since they are 15-13 SU at home this season, the Magic qualify in a good bounce-back situation and are now setup to play a competitive game tonight. Orlando acquired Ersan Ilyasova during the All-Star break, and his defense has really bolstered Orlando in recent games. Brandon Jennings was also acquired at the trade deadline, and he provides instant offense off the bench. Orlando is a different team now, and they are an undervalued commodity. Victor Oladipo is questionable tonight, but the Magic have actually been a better defensive team without him on the court this season. Orlando is catching Golden State at the right time, so we’ll take the Magic plus the points in this game on Thursday night.
Play MAGIC (+) as a 3% play.
-------------------
NCAA Basketball
(3% play) NORTHEASTERN -4 (vs. College of Charleston) - 7:00 pm ET #720
College of Charleston comes into tonight’s game with a 16-11 SU record. That record is quite surprising considering the lack of talent the Cougars have. Head coach Earl Grant was forced to install an extremely slow-paced style of play because of his roster, and that has worked for the team. Grant starts one player, Payton Hulsey, strictly as a defensive stopper; Hulsey rarely shoots the ball on offense. College of Charleston beat Northeastern 68-61 at home earlier this season, but the Cougars needed overtime to win that game after rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit. Charleston is also in a poor scheduling spot for this game after losing their last home game in overtime to conference leader NC-Wilmington. The Cougars will play with a hangover off that loss, and a lack of focus usually comes on the defensive end in this type of situation.
Northeastern returns home off back-to-back road games with their last being a 65-60 loss at Hofstra. The Huskies have played three of their last four games on the road, and with tonight’s game being the last home game for four starting seniors, we expect a peak performance. Northeastern’s four seniors have combined for 83 wins, two CAA regular season titles, a CAA tournament title, and an NCAA tournament appearance last season for the first time in 24 years. The Huskies are a veteran group that is used to winning, so tonight’s final home game will bring out their best effort. The Huskies are averaging 74.3 points per game at home, so look for a strong offensive performance by Northeastern this evening. We’ll lay the points with the Huskies in this home game on Thursday night.
Play NORTHEASTERN (-) as a 3% play.
