ThisProGambler
Take the NBA-Mavs and NCAA-Pitt to Cover; Expect the Suns to Slow Down
Posted on February 24, 2010 by ThisProGambler
I’m looking mostly to the NBA tonight, but there’s a college line I just can’t pass on. It’s time for the Dallas Mavericks to show whether they really still are a contender. I expect them to do just that against Kobe and the Lakers tonight. Steve Nash is still sitting at home and while they proved me wrong last night, I expect the Suns to have some offensive struggles without him. I like the Raptors, but only if Chris Bosh is on the floor. Finally, the line in the Pitt-Notre Dame game looks way off to me and I’m jumping on the Panthers bandwagon.
Take the Dallas Mavericks -2 at Home vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks have been horrible against the spread this year at home going 6-21, but this team’s been seriously shaken up since the
All-Star Break and, it appears, for the better. After loosing the opener to the surging
Oklahoma City Thunder, the
Mavs have won four straight since adding Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson to the roster. They would matchup even better if they had
Eric Dampier in the middle to help Haywood fend off
Pao Gasoi and
Andrew Bynum. You know these moves were made by
Mark Cuban in large part so that his team could play toe to toe with the Lakers. The Lakers had an emotional Road win last night in
Memphis with
Kobe returning from injury to play the role of Superman; I’m expecting a little let down from that. Dallas had the night off and will be waiting to show a national
ESPN audience that
Denver and
Utah are not the only teams in the battle for Second Best in the Western Conference.
Take the Mavs -2.
Take under 209 Total Points in 76ers/Suns Game. Without
Steve Nash, I expected the
Phoenix Suns game last night with the
Oklahoma City Thunder to stay under 204 1/2. It didn’t (Suns 104, Thunder 102). But, it was good reasoning and it still applies tonight. The Suns have been playing some tough defense, and while they did well last night, their offense simply cannot play at its normal level without the floor general Nash. And, there has to be some let down – physical and emotional – after the big win in Oklahoma City last night. The
Philadelphia 76ers are playing
back to back road games in the middle of a trip out west. In the last two games these teams played, they put up points like it was an NBA All-Star game, which has pushed this line to 209.
Tonight, take the Under 209 in the 76ers/Suns Game.
If Chris Bosh Plays, Take the Toronto Raptors -3 at Home vs. Portland Trail Blazers. As it has been for a couple of days, the big question in Canada is whether
Chris Bosh will play (OK, they’re so into the Olympics they forget they have an NBA team, but you get the point). They’ve managed to win both games that Bosh has missed, but they didn’t cover the young, newly re-organized
Wizards at Home (who did play a great game). And, these guys from Portland are not the Wizards.
Trying to hang on to the 8 spot in the Western Conference, Portland has played fairly well through injuries. Their star
Brandon Roy is back on the floor and has improved each game since his return. But, just as soon as they acquired
Marcus Canby from the
Clippers he sprained his ankle and is questionable for tonight’s game.
Portland is playing back to back road games here as they start a 5 game road trip. They beat the
Nets on the opening stopover of the trip, but, if
Chris Bosh is playing, I don’t give them much of a chance in Canada. The Raptors are 8-2 in their last 10, 6-4 Against the Spread and very focused on maintaining their No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. I’ve not given you a conditional pick before, but if Chris Bosh doesn’t play, I’ll just sit this one out.
If Bosh does Play, grab a piece of this and play the Raptors -3.
Take Pittsburgh Panthers -1 at Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Panthers have won 4 games in a row; the Irish have lost 3. On January 31, the Panther beat Notre Dame handily at Pitt. And, while the Panthers are in a position to fight for a
Big East title, the Irish are looking
NIT. The No. 12 Pittsburgh Panthers are simply the better team (even if Notre Dame’s leading scorer,
Luke Harangody, were to play – and it’s expected that he won’t). If this line stays where it is, this will be one of the most heavily bet of the day, all on Pitt. So, it probably won’t! Get on it early.
Take Pitt -1.
78% Winners – ALL FREE ALL THE TIME
