COVERS - PICK 'N' ROLL
(Tracking Started On 2/22/2011)
9-11-0 (NBA)
8-8-0 (NCAA HOOPS)
SATURDAY 3/12/2011
NBA
Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets (-9)
No one could have predicted the Nuggets would be this successful following the Carmelo Anthony trade.
The squad is 6-2 SU and 7-1 ATS since dealing Anthony last month and is playing some of its best defense of the year. Known for their up-tempo style, the Nuggets have held five opponents to 100 or fewer points over that span, an impressive feat for a team known to be indifferent when defending its own goal.
“We pressured them and we played really good,” Denver guard Ty Lawson said after a 116-97 win in Phoenix this week. “We play 'D,' We play really good 'D.' We’ve got a lot of different styles we can play.”
Maybe most impressive during the team’s winning streak is that it has excelled as a favorite – since the Melo trade, Denver is 3-0 SU and ATS in games where it lays points.
On the other bench, the Pistons have struggled to play any kind of defense. Detroit has coughed up 100 or more points in eight of its past nine games. Not surprisingly, the Pistons are a mere 3-6 SU over the span.
"We're looking to mix and match all the time," Detroit coach John Kuester said. "We're always searching to see who's going to give us the most in certain spots and situations.”
Pick: Denver
NBA
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks (-1)
The Mavericks may finally have shed their label as being soft. After coach Rick Carlisle called his team out following a disappointing loss to the Hornets, the Mavericks responded with a 127-109 thrashing of the visiting Knicks.
"I keep saying it, but there's nothing soft about this team," Mavericks guard Jason Terry said. "You look at our record, and you've got to be a tough team to accomplish what we have to this point and to go where we're going. And I'll leave it at that."
The “hard” Mavericks are 8-2 SU in their past 10 while just 5-5 ATS over that span. But the team always seem to play its best in tight contests. Dallas is 3-1-1 ATS as a three-point or fewer favorite this season.
And the Lakers have not enjoyed facing the Mavericks this year. Los Angeles is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS over its past 10, but has struggled against Dallas. The Mavericks won the only meeting this season, 109-100 in Texas, and have claimed the past two meetings overall.
"We were making mistakes all night on defense, because offensively things were going well for us," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. "It was one of those games that was fool's gold. We were playing well offensively and got a lead, but we were making mistakes defensively."
Expect the Lakers to again look like fools after this one.
Pick: Dallas
http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=226429
