INSIDER ANGLES
TUESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2009 NBA PICK
Now, we generally hate giving this many points on the road, but we simply do not see a lazy Chicago Bulls team being competitive here vs. an angry Los Angeles Lakers squad.
The coaching days for Vinny Del Negro may be numbered in Chicago, as the Bulls continue to be one of the most underachieving teams in the NBA and their lack of effort lately has been frustrating.
Chicago is now 8-14 straight up overall after going 1-5 in their last six games, and they are a woeful 5-15-2 against the spread including their current 0-5-2 ATS run. What is even worse though has been there non-competitiveness during this run.
Their only win in the last six games came in overtime at home vs. a poor Golden State Warriors team, one of the losses also came at home vs. a two-win New Jersey Nets club and the other four losses were by an alarming average of -26.8 points!
The last thing the Bulls need right now is facing the 18-4 Lakers in a bad mood, which should be precisely the case here after Los Angeles saw their 11-game winning streak come to a screeching halt in Utah on Saturday. The Lakers are anxious to resume their league dominance here and they are 7-1 ATS in their last eight meetings with the Bulls including a 15-point win in LA last month.
This game may get out of hand early, and Chicago seems to lack the intestinal fortitude right now to mount a comeback once faced with a large deficit.
NBA Free Pick: Lakers -9 (-110)
TUESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2009 NBA PICK
Now, we generally hate giving this many points on the road, but we simply do not see a lazy Chicago Bulls team being competitive here vs. an angry Los Angeles Lakers squad.
The coaching days for Vinny Del Negro may be numbered in Chicago, as the Bulls continue to be one of the most underachieving teams in the NBA and their lack of effort lately has been frustrating.
Chicago is now 8-14 straight up overall after going 1-5 in their last six games, and they are a woeful 5-15-2 against the spread including their current 0-5-2 ATS run. What is even worse though has been there non-competitiveness during this run.
Their only win in the last six games came in overtime at home vs. a poor Golden State Warriors team, one of the losses also came at home vs. a two-win New Jersey Nets club and the other four losses were by an alarming average of -26.8 points!
The last thing the Bulls need right now is facing the 18-4 Lakers in a bad mood, which should be precisely the case here after Los Angeles saw their 11-game winning streak come to a screeching halt in Utah on Saturday. The Lakers are anxious to resume their league dominance here and they are 7-1 ATS in their last eight meetings with the Bulls including a 15-point win in LA last month.
This game may get out of hand early, and Chicago seems to lack the intestinal fortitude right now to mount a comeback once faced with a large deficit.
NBA Free Pick: Lakers -9 (-110)
SPORTS WAGERS
New York +5 over CHARLOTTE
The Knicks are on a four-game winning streak and it’s no fluke. They’re getting better and more confident with each passing week and for the first time since Isiah Thomas ruined them they have some direction. In the Knicks last game in New Orleans they trailed by nine points and came back and once they got the lead down the stretch they buried the Hornets in very impressive fashion. That is a great sign of a team coming together and what’s most impressive about the Knicks is that they battle hard for 48 minutes every game. They started off the win streak by going into Atlanta and beating a highly quality team and followed that up with wins over New Jersey and Portland. The Knicks also have a recent win over the Suns by 27 points. The Bobcats are really not capable of blowing out anyone and they’re just so much more appealing taking back points than they are laying them. Every game you can count on the Bobcats going on a prolonged scoring drought and that’s one of the reasons they’re a very risky favorite. Hell, they were the first team to lose to the Nets and that’s significant. Fact is, they can lose to anyone and a well-rested Knicks team playing with a ton of confidence can absolutely come in here and leave with a win. Play: NY Knicks +5 (Risking 2.06 units to win 2).
PHOENIX –2 over San Antonio
The Suns remain undefeated at home and that alone makes them worthy of a look here. We get a decent lay on them here because they’re laboring a bit with just two wins in its last seven games. However, five of those games were on the road and the two home games were both wins including one over Denver. They had a tough road schedule, losing in New York, Cleveland, Lakers, Dallas and Denver. The latter four are four of the leagues best. Steve Nash is so good it’s sick and when you have him on your side you always have a great chance to win. Anyway, the Spurs are warming up a bit with three straight wins. However, the three wins came against the Clip Joint, Charlotte and Sacramento and all I can say to that is big deal. They lost its previous three games to Utah, Denver and Boston and it looks like the Spurs can beat up on weaklings but can’t so much against the stronger clubs. The Spurs have just two road wins in seven tries, one over the aforementioned Clippers and one in Houston. Its five road losses were to Chicago, Utah twice, Portland and Dallas. In fact, of the Spurs 12 total wins, just two of them have come against teams over .500 and one of those teams, the Rockets, is barely above .500. The other one was over Dallas over a month ago. So, yeah, the Spurs have won three in a row and they’re 12-9 on the year. However, they have perhaps one good win on the year and after this one, they’ll likely still have one good win on the year. Spurs getting way too much credit in this one. Play: Phoenix –2 (Risking 2.06 units to win 2).
Tony George
San Antonio +3
The Spurs won both contests in here last year and despite their overall record, they managed to lose only 3 games in their last 11, and I always go on recent performance. The Spurs are healthy and that is KEY and I see them scoring more across the roster now, and having that team unity, which also translates into better defense for them. If the Suns are favored by only 3 as an undefeated home host, that tells you something, oddsmakers think the Spurs will win and they want action on the home team with a short number in my opinion. Take the points as I you have a live road dog here. This is a trap line, we expose it.
Play 1 Unit on the Spurs.
San Antonio +3
The Spurs won both contests in here last year and despite their overall record, they managed to lose only 3 games in their last 11, and I always go on recent performance. The Spurs are healthy and that is KEY and I see them scoring more across the roster now, and having that team unity, which also translates into better defense for them. If the Suns are favored by only 3 as an undefeated home host, that tells you something, oddsmakers think the Spurs will win and they want action on the home team with a short number in my opinion. Take the points as I you have a live road dog here. This is a trap line, we expose it.
Play 1 Unit on the Spurs.
Rocketman
LouiSIAna Lafayette +9.5
Ragin' Cajuns are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5. Ragin' Cajuns are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5. Ragin' Cajuns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600. Ragin' Cajuns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss. Ragin' Cajuns are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 games as an underdog. Ragin' Cajuns are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. Ragin' Cajuns are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Golden Eagles are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. Golden Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400. Golden Eagles are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games. Golden Eagles are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Golden Eagles are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing SU record. We'll play LouiSIAna Lafayette for 3 units tonight!
LouiSIAna Lafayette +9.5
Ragin' Cajuns are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5. Ragin' Cajuns are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5. Ragin' Cajuns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600. Ragin' Cajuns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss. Ragin' Cajuns are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 games as an underdog. Ragin' Cajuns are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. Ragin' Cajuns are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Golden Eagles are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. Golden Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400. Golden Eagles are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games. Golden Eagles are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Golden Eagles are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing SU record. We'll play LouiSIAna Lafayette for 3 units tonight!
Ron Raymond
Calgary -110
2 Keys to selection
1. When CALGARY played as any home/road team - During Current Season - With SU Record of 1 Win 2 Lost in L3G; the Flames are 8-4 SU in this cycle this year.
2. When ST LOUIS team played as a home team - Coming off vs Western Conference opponent - Total is 5.0 - Coming off vs Northwest division opponent - Coming off a 1 game loss; the Blues are 3-7 SU in this role since ’97.
Calgary -110
2 Keys to selection
1. When CALGARY played as any home/road team - During Current Season - With SU Record of 1 Win 2 Lost in L3G; the Flames are 8-4 SU in this cycle this year.
2. When ST LOUIS team played as a home team - Coming off vs Western Conference opponent - Total is 5.0 - Coming off vs Northwest division opponent - Coming off a 1 game loss; the Blues are 3-7 SU in this role since ’97.
Jason Johnson
Spurs at Suns
Pick: Suns -3
The Suns will be happy to return home from their recent road woes. While they have lost five straight away from home, Phoenix is a perfect 8-0 in the friendly confines. Shooting 51.7% from the field and 47.6% from the arc in the desert heat is the reason for the hot home start.
Look for this trend to continue tonight against a Spurs defense that doesn't seem to hit the glass very hard on the road. Despite their inside advantage, San Antonio is consistantly out-rebounded in road games.
Suns get the check mark at home.
Spurs at Suns
Pick: Suns -3
The Suns will be happy to return home from their recent road woes. While they have lost five straight away from home, Phoenix is a perfect 8-0 in the friendly confines. Shooting 51.7% from the field and 47.6% from the arc in the desert heat is the reason for the hot home start.
Look for this trend to continue tonight against a Spurs defense that doesn't seem to hit the glass very hard on the road. Despite their inside advantage, San Antonio is consistantly out-rebounded in road games.
Suns get the check mark at home.
The Duke's Sports
Toronto (+7) for 2 Units
The Raptors have done well in this series at 12-3 ATS, including 4-0 ATS at Miami. Toronto's Bosh and Turkoglu are a dangerous offensive combination, and throw Jarrett Jack in the mix, the Raptors have a fighting chance on the road. Moreover,the Raptors have a decent bench and are a good rebounding team. The Heat are not playing good basketball now; they're allowing nearly 107 ppg in December and erratic offensively. Toronto is 11-5 ATS when their opponent allows 100+ in the previous game. And with Miami at 0-8 ATS in their last 8 home games and 2-8 ATS on 1 day of rest, we'll look for Toronto to be competitive here.
Toronto (+7) for 2 Units
The Raptors have done well in this series at 12-3 ATS, including 4-0 ATS at Miami. Toronto's Bosh and Turkoglu are a dangerous offensive combination, and throw Jarrett Jack in the mix, the Raptors have a fighting chance on the road. Moreover,the Raptors have a decent bench and are a good rebounding team. The Heat are not playing good basketball now; they're allowing nearly 107 ppg in December and erratic offensively. Toronto is 11-5 ATS when their opponent allows 100+ in the previous game. And with Miami at 0-8 ATS in their last 8 home games and 2-8 ATS on 1 day of rest, we'll look for Toronto to be competitive here.
Scott Delaney
Tuesday ... 40-Dime RIDER ... The battle of New Jersey, and it ain't as easy as it might seem for Rutgers.
While a victory over Rider might give the Scarlet Knights (7-2) their best nine-game start under fourth-year head coach Fred Hill, I'm looking at how big a win it would be for the Broncs tonight.
I'm counting on 7-4 Rider to give the Knights a tough battle. Hey, it's not impossible to think about an outright win. The last time the two New Jersey schools met at the Rutgers Athletic Center two years ago, the Broncs posted their only win in the series, which Rutgers leads 13-1.
The Scarlet Knights won last season's meeting, 66-62 at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, but the Broncs are conceivably a better basketball team this season.
Four Rider players score in double figures, led by senior guard Ryan Thompson's 15.1 points per game. Sophomore guard Mike Rosario leads Rutgers with a 16.8 average.
Trust me, the Broncs like playing inside the RAC. There are a lot of Jersey kids on this roster, so this is a game that is always circled on the schedule. For the coaches, players and fans.
Get as much as you can with the underdog in this one.
BOUGHT,PAID AND CONFIRMED--------GL GUYS
Tuesday ... 40-Dime RIDER ... The battle of New Jersey, and it ain't as easy as it might seem for Rutgers.
While a victory over Rider might give the Scarlet Knights (7-2) their best nine-game start under fourth-year head coach Fred Hill, I'm looking at how big a win it would be for the Broncs tonight.
I'm counting on 7-4 Rider to give the Knights a tough battle. Hey, it's not impossible to think about an outright win. The last time the two New Jersey schools met at the Rutgers Athletic Center two years ago, the Broncs posted their only win in the series, which Rutgers leads 13-1.
The Scarlet Knights won last season's meeting, 66-62 at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, but the Broncs are conceivably a better basketball team this season.
Four Rider players score in double figures, led by senior guard Ryan Thompson's 15.1 points per game. Sophomore guard Mike Rosario leads Rutgers with a 16.8 average.
Trust me, the Broncs like playing inside the RAC. There are a lot of Jersey kids on this roster, so this is a game that is always circled on the schedule. For the coaches, players and fans.
Get as much as you can with the underdog in this one.
BOUGHT,PAID AND CONFIRMED--------GL GUYS
