ALL COMPS !!!!!
Jorge Gonzalez
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Play: Under 205
The Oklahoma City Thunder (20-50) has suffered a tough first season after moving from Seattle and are not looking forward to facing the high scoring Los Angeles Lakers (55-14). This young team has problems scoring and looking tired as of late. Offensively the Thunder have really struggled failing to score a 100 points in their last 12 straight games for am average of 93.3 points per game.. The under has prevailed in 10 of those games. More specifically the Thunder have seen their last eight games go under the number when they have a day off between games. The last seven games at home have gone under the number as well. The Lakers will be looking to improve their defense with the playoffs just a few weeks away. Eight of the last 11 games for Los Angeles have gone under. Don't expect this to be a high scoring game.
Sports Gambling Hotline
Houston +5 at UTAH
Last night we gave you a college underdog winner on the College of Charleston, and tonight we go with another dog, this one out of the NBA, as Houston covers at Utah.
Most definite road, and underdog-oriented series numbers when these two rivals hook up, as the road team is 9-4 against the spread the last 13 meetings, and the underdog is also on a 9-4 spread run the last 13 tilts.
Houston comes to town having won their last 4 games straight up, and they are 19-16 overall this year on the highway.
Utah is just 1-3 against the spread their last 4 games, and just 3-6 against the spread their last 9 games overall.
Based on those numbers, we will play the underdog Rockets to come up with the cover at Utah thisTuesday evening.
Play on Houston.
3? HOUSTON
Bobby Maxwell
Baylor at AUBURN -5'
Tonight's winner comes from the college hardwood as we play Auburn to get the job done at home over Baylor.
Baylor may have looked good in the first two rounds of the NIT, but now they have to go on the road in a tough environment and that just hasn't been a good thing for the Bears. We'll lay the chalk with Auburn in this one.
Auburn is at home for the third straight NIT game, edgeing Tennessee-Martin 87-82 as a 12-point home favorite on Wednesday and they coming back Friday and destroying Tulsa 74-55 as a 5 1/2-point home chalk. The Tigers are 11-2 SU and ATS in its last 13 outings.
The Bears lost their final six regular-season road games in Big 12 play, both SU and ATS. They ended the season on a 2-10 SU and 1-11 ATS freefall.
On the opposite side, Auburn has won seven straight at home and gone 6-1 ATS in the process. The Tigers are on ATS runs of 21-7 ATS, 6-1 as a favorite, 5-0 when laying less than seven points, 10-2 as a home chalk, 11-1 after a spread-cover and 20-7 after a straight-up victory.
We like the Tigers today and they'll get this one by 10.
3? AUBURN
VEGAS EXPERTS
Baylor at Auburn
Baylor already owns one outright dog win in this tournament, but will find the going much tougher in Auburn against a Tigers team that is 10-2 ATS when favored on their home floor this season and 8-2 ATS in out of conference play. They dominated first round opponent Tulsa by a score of 74-55 which sets them up here as we note that they are 10-1 ATS this season when coming off a double-digit win. Prior to Round 1 win, Baylor has lost four straight true road games by 7+ pts.
Play on: Auburn
Tom Freese
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Play: Los Angeles Lakers -8
The Lakers are 11-5 ATS their last 16 road games and they are 6-2 ATS when playing with two days of rest. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS as road favorites of 5.0 to 10.5 points and they are 4-1 ATS their last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. Oklahoma City has lost 6 straight games vs. the Lakers by an average of 12.5 points a game. The Thunder are 2-8 ATS their last 10 games vs. Kobe and company. PLAY ON LA LAKERS -
LT Profits
Utah Jazz -5.5
The Utah Jazz are one of the best home teams in the NBA, and we look for them to show off that fact in front of a national television audience when they host the Houston Rockets on TNT tonight.
The Jazz have now won 12 straight games at home straight up, which improves them to 29-6 SU at home for the season with an impressive average winning margin of +10.1 points here. Now granted, they have actually lost their last four home contests against the spread, but this in only because of inflated spreads as their smallest winning margin during this skid is six points, which would still be good enough to cover this game.
The Rockets have to guard against a letdown after an exhilarating, last-second 87-85 road win Sunday vs. their biggest rival, the San Antonio Spurs. Houston has also lost their last three visits to Utah by an average of 11.0 points. They did cover the number here in a 101-94 defeat as eight-point underdogs on their last visit in January, but an identical losing margin would not be good enough to cover this deflated spread.
All things considered, this seems like excellent line value for the Jazz at home.
Pick: Jazz -5.5
EZWINNERS'S FREE SELECTION
Game: Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz
(648) Utah Jazz (-5)
The Rockets are coming off of a nice win on Sunday at San Antonio,
but they are going against a Jazz team that has defeated them by an
average of 15 points in the last two meetings in Salt Lake City. Utah
is also 9-2 against the spread when playing with three or more days
rest. Lay the points.
2009 Free Selections Record 43-39 (52.4%)
Ben Burns
Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder
Prediction: Over
These teams met twice in February with both those games finishing below the total. However, a closer look shows that those games had over/under lines of 219 and 221.5. While those lines proved to be too high, I feel that tonight's number, which is significantly lower, will likely prove to be too high.
Yes, the Thunder have been playing better defense of late and that's led to several consecutive low-scoring contests. However, the Lakers have been involved in largely high-scoring ones, all year long. Their last game produced 226 combined points and their previous game saw 220 points scored. They've seen 31 of 39 games in 2009 finish with 200 or more points, the vast majority of them finishing well above that mark. Overall, their road games have averaged greater than 210 combined points for the season.
While the Lakers first game here at Oklahoma City did finish below the total, it's worth noting that they'd seen the OVER go 11-4 in their final 15 trips to Seattle. Look for them to resume that high-scoring trend this evening as the final combined score finishes above the low number. Consider the Over.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Rockets/Jazz UNDER 195
Houston's big upset win at San Antonio 2 days ago sets up a nice system play tonight. Plays on the under on road teams where the total is between 190 and 199.5 points (HOUSTON) off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team are 26-6 since 1996. We'll make a small wager on this 81.2% system.
Scott Rickenbach
Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls
PICK: Detroit Pistons
Tuesday’s pick looks like a particularly strong situation! It doesn't get much better than this set-up. Yes, there are injury issues for Detroit but we see a lot of value here.
There is a saying that has been proven true time and time again through the years. That saying is that "it's the wounded dog that bites the hardest". In other words, even with injury issues making them shorthanded, the Pistons are absolutely going to give the Bulls all they can handle here! That means there is fantastic line value available here with the points. The Bulls have proven very susceptible to blown leads recently and that is something that really hurts a team's confidence. They blew a big lead and lost to the Lakers on Saturday. Then, last night, the Bulls barely hung on to defeat the Wizards as Washington came up with a huge rally against what is fast becoming a "shaky" Chicago team when it comes to protecting leads. The value is with the road team here. Consider a small play on Detroit plus the points on Tuesday night.
Will Windham
Auburn (-3) v. Baylor
I feel as though Auburn and coach Jeff Lebo have had something to prove to the NCAA since getting "snubbed" from the tourney. They have marched through their first two games of the NIT. The Baylor Bears were the Cinderella Story of the Big 12 Tourney. I see their run ending down on the Plains of Auburn. I live in the south, and I watched Auburn do some magical things on their home court. Look for the Tigers to play their way into the semis of the NIT tonight.
Scott Rickenbach
Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls
PICK: Detroit Pistons
Tuesday’s pick looks like a particularly strong situation! It doesn't get much better than this set-up. Yes, there are injury issues for Detroit but we see a lot of value here.
There is a saying that has been proven true time and time again through the years. That saying is that "it's the wounded dog that bites the hardest". In other words, even with injury issues making them shorthanded, the Pistons are absolutely going to give the Bulls all they can handle here! That means there is fantastic line value available here with the points. The Bulls have proven very susceptible to blown leads recently and that is something that really hurts a team's confidence. They blew a big lead and lost to the Lakers on Saturday. Then, last night, the Bulls barely hung on to defeat the Wizards as Washington came up with a huge rally against what is fast becoming a "shaky" Chicago team when it comes to protecting leads. The value is with the road team here. Consider a small play on Detroit plus the points on Tuesday night.
Wunderdog
Houston at Utah
Pick: Houston +5.5
Houston had spent most of the season trying to get over the hump on the road, and they finally have. They have moved over .500 and now stand at 18-17 on the strength of winning five of their last six road contests. This is a red-hot team that has now gone 16-4 over their last 20 games. They have been a solid choice as an underdog as well, as they are now 8-3 ATS in their last 11 as a dog. Utah is winning at home again, having taken their last 12. They are not covering the games as the oddsmakers have given them bigger numbers because of their home-court prowess. The result has been four wins in their last four, but four pointspread losses! The Rockets' resurgence on the road has them at a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last six, while the Jazz are an imperfect 0-5 ATS in their last five against winning teams. I'm on Houston and the points here
Craig Trapp
Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz
Play: Over 193
Utah has been playing very well at home all year and now are fully healthy. They are making a push to win their division and only 2 games behind Denver! Also recently UTAH has been scoring a ton with over 100 pts 3 out of last 4 games. Houston is averaging over 98 pts a game the last 4 games. Think tonight Houston will be pushing the ball up and down to score a ton of points to keep this one close. Utah will also do the same, at home they score a ton more. SCORE UTAH 103 - HOU 101
Lenny Del Genio
Baylor at Auburn
Play: Auburn
Going with the superior team at home tonight at a short price. Auburn has gone 11-3 ATS on this floor so far this season, including 10-2 when favored. They are 10-1 ATS off a double-digit win. They are a perfect 7-0 ATS coming off consecutive home games. They are 16-4 ATS off a game where they covered the spread. Baylor is not a good road team, remember their Big 12 Tourney run came on a neutral floor. Before a 2nd round NIT win, they had lost four straight ?true? road games. The Bears are 2-9 ATS if they were an underdog in their last game. Take Auburn.
GoodFella
OKL +8 vs LAL
Oklahoma City is coming off a 7 pt road win over Minnesota on Sunday & now return home, to where they have lost their last 2 home games (Bulls & Jazz) & I look for a HUGE effort & a crazed home crowd for this game tonight. LA beat Ok City at Ok City 107-93 back on Feb. 24th & the Thunder will be seriously up for this game tonight. The Lakers are just 1-4 ATS their L/5 games as a favorite & they have 1st place all but locked up in the Western Conference seeding race. Oklahoma City has all their players back & playing again & I really like how this team competes at home & against the top tier NBA teams as well. Oklahoma City is 9-1 ATS L/10 game as a home underdog of 5 to 10.5 pts & they are 12-4 ATS L/16 games vs a team with a win% of .600 or higher. I really expect a fierce effort out of the Thunder tonight & I think this game will be closer than most people think & I will grab the +8 pts & look for a very tight game.
Jack Jones
Chicago Bulls -5.5 over Detroit Pistons
The Bulls are coming off a close win last night in Washington but they are 4-0 ATS in their last four games playing back-to-back, plus Chicago is 7-1 ATS in their last eight games at home. The Pistons are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games against the Eastern Conference and 8-20 ATS when their opponents put up more than 100 in their last game. The Bulls have been a different team at home, going 21-12 while Detroit is 16-17 on the road. The Bulls have beaten Detroit three straight times in Chicago and they should make it four after tonight.
Jeff Benton
Houston +5' at UTAH
For Tuesday we’ll back the red-hot Rockets plus the points over the Jazz in NBA action.
Houston has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, going 16-4 SU in its last 20 games, including Sunday’s impressive last-second 87-85 upset at San Antonio. That victory allowed the Rockets to overtake the Spurs for first place in the Southwest Division and claim the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference standings.
One of the reasons for the Rockets’ resurgence – which has come without the services of Tracy McGrady, who is out for the season with yet another injury – has been defense. Houston has surrendered less than 90 points 11 times during its 16-4 run, including in five of the last six games (the only team in the last six to get over 88 against the Rockets was the Pistons, but that game went to overtime).
Also, Houston has been playing very well on the road, winning five of its last six as a visitor, including victories at playoff-contenders San Antonio, New Orleans, Denver and Charlotte. True, the one loss came at Utah early this month, but the Rockets covered that night as an underdog. In fact, they’ve cashed in six straight road games and five of the last seven against Utah, going 3-1 ATS in the last four in Salt Lake. Meanwhile, the Jazz have won 12 consecutive home games, but haven’t cashed in the last four as a host and are 1-4 ATS in their last five overall. Take the points.
2? HOUSTON
Michael Cannon
Houston +5' at UTAH
Take the points with the Rockets tonight on the road over the Jazz.
Houston is on a roll right now, having won four straight and 16 of its last 20. The Rockets have also won four straight on the road and are 6-0 ATS in their last six away contests.
Utah is coming off a three-day layoff, and having played six of its last seven on the road may not be completely in sync for tonight’s game.
The Jazz are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.
The Rockets are on ATS runs of 4-0 as an underdog, 4-0 against the Northwest Division and 4-1 when playing on one day of rest.
Take the points with the Rockets as they stay within the number.
3? HOUSTON
Drew Gordon
Penn State at FLORIDA -10'
Let me be the one to tell you: Lay the points, as the Gators have been nasty in Gainesville, going 19-1 SU & 7-7 ATS, including Friday's dominant win over a very good Hurricanes team 74-60! More of the same tonight, and here's why:
The Lions on the other hand, have been nothing but average on the road this season, with blowout road losses like Minnesota (20-point loss), Michigan (20-point loss), and Ohio State (14-point loss) making it very difficult to side with them in this one. Problem stems from their offense, which while efficient at home, has had tremendous issues in hostile territory, and it won't get any easier tonight with Florida allowing 58 ppg on 41% shooting over their last 5 games!
Also, speaking of the Lions offense, they're in big trouble if their two injured stars are less than 100% tonight. Of the two, Battle & Cornley, it look like Battle is most likely to play, but a hip pointer is never an easy injury to play with. Cornley meanwhile is listed as questionable, and his possible absence (even if he plays, it remains to be seen how effective he can be) will severly hurt the Lions chances tonight. Florida has a couple solid big bodies, and without Cornley, they will own the paint.
Finally, the biggest mismatch is the Florida offense, led by Calathes, against a good, but not great Lions defense. Penn State has seemingly lost its focus on the defensive end of late, allowing 70 ppg on 45% shooting over their last five, and a trip to Gainesville is the LAST thing they need! Nick Calathes has been amazing, and with Tyus and Werner playing well, the Gators are fully equipped to expose a road-weary Nittany Lions squad in this one. Gators roll!
Take Florida over Penn State in this college hoops match up.
3? FLORIDA
Matt Rivers
11-4 comp play run after the loser on Davidson.
For Tuesday take the points with the Rockets.
This is a bottom of the barrell play for sure as the slate is small and not very good but gun to my head I'll back the red hot Rockets here.
Utah at home is as good as they come. For years and years the Jazz always won game after game after game on their home court. Nothing has slowed down even with the retirements of John Stockton and Karl Malone but the way Houston has been playing I'll take any points I can get with the them right now.
Yao Ming is an unstoppable force and Ron Artest has been playing extremely spirited ball of late. Losing Tracy McGrady did anything but end the team's season as these guys have really gelled and played total winning hoops of late just capped off by the great win in San Antonio against what is still a borderline great Spurs team.
For Rick Adelman to have guided his team to a 47-25 mark is unreal. Guys like Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks have really stepped it up and to be in first place this late in the season without their big gun is a tribute to all.
Houston has won four in a row and a whopping 16 of 20. No doubt Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and the rest of the Jazz could come out with a win and cover tonight but the way today's visitors have been I can't help but scoop up the decent enough number.
Jake Timlin
First off I must tip my cap to Baylor as while they have been playing great over the past few weeks I see their season coming to an end tonight as Auburn takes care of business at home. Not when the Tigers are great at home at 18-3 straight up and 11-3 against the spread. In fact thanks to Auburn sitting at 21-7 ATS on the year it’s tough to imagine Baylor traveling for the second time this tournament and winning due to the Bears being just 1-6 straight up on the highway over their last 7 games. Meanwhile, back to Auburn they have won their seven games at home and with the straight up winning 20-3 ATS in the Tigers last 23 games all the signs point toward a home win and cover tonight for Auburn. With that take the Tigers minus the points as they advance to the semifinals.
PICK: Auburn Tigers
Craig Davis
Well, it wasn't a thing of beauty last night as I had something happen to me that's never happened before... two pushes and a win. My top play on Vermont was in the bag until the final seconds of overtime. The T'Wolves suffered the same fate, failing to score in the final seconds for a cover. Even as ugly as those two finishes were, we still profited for our clients going 1-0-2 with our dime plays and 1-0 with our Bonus Play on St. Mary's.
Tonight we go to the NBA hardwood for an easy Bonus Play winner on OKC at home. The last time the Thunder hosted the Lakers, they fell apart in the fourth quarter and failed to cover by a few points. That's not going to be the case tonight as OKC is at full strength, with Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the crew playing better basketball. The Ford Center will be sold out because the Lakers are in town, and you can be the crowd will be lively from the opening tip.
The Thunder have covered nine of their last ten when grabbing between five and 10 points at home and they've covered 13 of their last 17 (including one push) at home vs. a team with a winning record. Vegas tends to over-estimate the Lakers because they know people will bet on them, pretty much no matter what the number is. We're glad to take the eight points as OKC pushes the Lakers for the SU win tonight.
2? OKLAHOMA CITY
