Tuesday 2/10/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

When East meets West: The smartest bet in the NBA you're overlooking
By JASON LOGAN

The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is almost here, headlined by the annual showcase of East versus West which takes place in Brooklyn this Sunday.

The West has long been considered the dominant conference, and the records show that. The Western Conference is a much deeper pool of teams while in the Eastern Conference, clubs can scrap into the playoffs with a winning percentage well below .500.

For the most part, the West has beaten up on Eastern opponents this season. Heading into Monday’s action, the East is just 128-178 SU in non-conference games – a .418 winning clip – this season. However, due to the general consensus that the West is a much better conference, there’s a slight overreaction to the East-v-West spreads with the East showing value at 155-144-7 ATS – a near 52 percent ATS win rate.

That especially held true this weekend, which featured 12 non-conference games between Friday and Sunday. Eastern Conference teams more than held their own, going 7-5 SU and 8-4 ATS.

Eight of those games featured the Eastern Conference representative as the home team, with those host posting a 6-2 SU and 7-1 ATS mark versus Western visitors. Eastern teams on the road at Western venues were just 1-3 SU and ATS. On the season, Eastern Conference teams are 52-101 SU and 75-71-7 ATS in non-conference road games and 76-77 SU and 80-73 ATS at home to Western rivals.

While a 52 percent ATS rate isn’t exactly the Midas Touch of NBA betting, the 58 percent Under rate in those non-conference clashes is a lot more appealing to basketball bettors. East-versus-West games have gone 126-174-6 Over/Under this season heading into Monday, including a 4-8 O/U record in non-conference games the last three days.

The rate of Unders increases when Eastern Conference teams go West, with a 58-91-4 Over/Under mark – a 61 percent winning percentage for the Under. In the four East-at-West games this weekend, three stayed below the total.

Here are some teams providing solid ATS or O/U value in conference games:

Best non-conference bets

Atlanta Hawks (13-5 ATS)
Boston Celtics (12-8 ATS)
Milwaukee Bucks (12-8 ATS)
Orlando Magic (12-9 ATS)
Phoenix Suns (14-7 ATS)

Best home non-conference bets

Philadelphia 76ers (9-1 ATS)
Cleveland Cavaliers (9-4 ATS)
Indiana Pacers (7-3 ATS)
Atlanta Hawks (7-3 ATS)
New Orleans Pelicans (6-2 ATS)
Los Angeles Lakers (5-2 ATS)

Best road non-conference bets

Dallas Mavericks (11-2 ATS)
Phoenix Suns (8-1 ATS)
Utah Jazz (8-4 ATS)
Orlando Magic 9-3 (ATS)
Indiana Pacers (7-3 ATS)
Miami Heat (7-5-1 ATS)
Atlanta Hawks (6-2 ATS)

Best non-conference Over bets

Minnesota Timberwolves (12-8 O/U)

Best non-conference Under bets

Cleveland Cavaliers (7-16-1 O/U)
Detroit Pistons (6-13 O/U)
Miami Heat (6-15 O/U)
Denver Nuggets (7-13-2 O/U)
Oklahoma City Thunder (6-14 O/U)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Finding the best betting value before the NBA All-Star Break
By JASON LOGAN

The NBA All-Star Break is the unofficial midway mark of the basketball season, and it’s just around the bend.

After a grueling three and a half months, this halfway hiatus can often catch teams looking ahead to some time away from the court, especially those teams dealing with injuries, locker room drama, or just plain crappy play.

The All-Star Break can also serve as a motivator – a reward for working so hard. Teams can use the stretch before the break as an excuse to finish strong and earn a few days off, giving them some added value when betting against the spread.

Here are three teams trying to take some momentum into the All-Star Break and three teams counting down the days until they can get away from their poisonous situations:

STRONG FINISHERS

Minnesota Timberwolves (9-40 SU, 20-28-1 ATS)

The Timberwolves are getting their pieces back in place just in time. Minnesota has already seen the benefit of returning point guard Ricky Rubio and are expected to get underrated forward Shabazz Muhammad back this weekend.

The T-Wolves had covered in four of their last six games before Thursday night, despite winning on the scoreboard only one time in that span. Minnesota actually won but didn’t cover against Miami – set as a rare favorite Thursday – but will be getting plenty of points in its final slate of games before the break. The Timberwolves go head-to-head with the top three teams in the NBA - Memphis, Atlanta and Golden State – in their next four games, with a lone softy coming at Detroit.

Charlotte Hornets (22-27 SU, 24-23-2 ATS)

The Hornets have won three in a row SU and ATS – all as underdogs – and are a profitable 6-3 ATS in their last nine games heading into the weekend. The former Bobcats are showing some tenacity on defense, limiting opponents to 39.3 percent shooting and an average of only 87 points in that three-game run (two of which came versus Washington). Charlotte shut down the Wizards for 33 second-half points Thursday.

The Hornets have played a road-heavy schedule recently, with four of their last six away from home. They have three games before the break, and two of those will be inside Time Warner Cable Arena. Charlotte visits Philadelphia Saturday, then comes back to North Carolina for stands against Indiana and Detroit before the break.

Brooklyn Nets (20-28 SU, 23-25 ATS)

The hosts of NBA All-Star Weekend have plenty going on behind the scenes. Team owner Mikhail Prokhorov is reportedly shopping the franchise and trade rumors are swirling around the roster involving some big-name players. But the Nets are doing their best to boost the sale price, playing some solid basketball.

They’ve won back-to-back games over quality opponents in the Clipper and Raptors, and have covered the spread in four straight heading into Friday’s Battle for the Big Apple with the Knicks. Brooklyn hits the highway for the final three games before the break, a chance to get away from the relentless New York media and a challenge that could bring this team closer together. Deron Williams’ return and the play of Brook Lopez is providing some serious pop off the bench for Brooklyn.

WEAK FINISHERS

Washington Wizards (31-20 SU, 20-30-1 ATS)

The Wizards could be feeling a little burned out after trying to keep pace with the Atlanta Hawks in the Southeast standings. Washington, which jumped out to a strong start to the season, is hitting the wall with five straight losses heading into Saturday’s game versus Brooklyn. The Wizards recently dropped two against the Hornets, with a loss to Atlanta sandwiched in between. They mustered an average of only 40 points in the second half during that three-game span.

Washington could be counting down the days until some time off – and so could its bettors after suffering through a nine-game ATS losing skid. And to add to that anxiousness, guard Bradley Beal left Thursday’s loss with a toe injury and is questionable for the weekend. After the home game versus the Nets, the Wizards host Orlando and then travel north of the border to play Toronto.

Miami Heat (21-28 SU, 22-25-2 ATS)

Staying in the Southeast Division, the Heat are another team just trying to survive until the All-Star Break. Miami has been lost on offense with guard Dwyane Wade down with a hamstring injury, averaging less than 87 points in the four games without him. Wade isn’t the only member of the Heat nursing an ailment. Luol Deng is battling through a sore calf and Mario Chalmers has a leg injury. Some time off on the sands of South Beach is just what the doctor ordered for Miami.

The Heat close of the first half of the schedule with two tough road games sandwiching a home stand against the Knicks. Miami is at San Antonio for a Finals rematch Friday, plays New York next Monday, before heading to Cleveland in a massive meeting with former star LeBron James and the Cavaliers. It doesn’t help Miami’s cause that five of their last six games before the break come on the road.

Atlanta Hawks (41-9 SU, 35-15 ATS)

Yeah, that’s right. The NBA’s top team finds its way to this list. Atlanta has been living under the microscope for a good part of the season, ever since it went on an insane 19-game winning streak. That included a 16-3 ATS record. The Hawks rebounded from their first loss since nearly Xmas with a win over Washington but run a gauntlet of tough games before the break.

The Hawks have a rather large target on their backs with Golden State coming to town Friday, then head off for road stops in Minnesota and Boston. It’s a stretch of four games in six nights with travel in between. A run like Atlanta went on is exhausting on and off the court and expectations could be way too high for this team looking forward to some time away from the pressures of staying on top.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golf: The End of Tiger Woods
By Dan Daly

The New England Patriots may have won the Super Bowl as a team but Gronk won the parade by himself. He is bordering on GOAT status. Classic!

Warning: Before reading any further please make sure and activate your glutes. Not doing so may result in injury not allowing you to finish this article.

My dad once shot a 64 at Spyglass Hill…on the front nine. He also declared earlier that weekend that he preferred the Spanish Bay golf course to Pebble Beach because “I lost less golf balls there.” I tell you this not to make fun of my dad; he is a proud 30 handicap, god bless him. I tell you this because if you put a $100 bill on the table and dropped 5 golf balls just off a green I would seriously have to think about who I would bet on in a short game contest between my dad and Tiger.

I’ve seen some amazing things in my lifetime as a sports fan. Some good, some bad and some that are just out and out unexplainable. What has happened to Tiger Woods the last 18 months (plus or minus) may be the most shocking thing I will see in my lifetime though. Outside of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods was arguably the greatest or at least most dominate athlete of this generation. Yet in the last 500+ days, Tiger has finished a final round in an official PGA Tour event…twice. His last nine starts ended; MDF, WD, T25, MC, 69th, WD, MC, MC, WD. That is amazing in and of itself until you consider that he has only had nine starts in that span. This is a guy that once won 7 starts in a row in a six-month span from August 2006-January 2007.

With all of the injuries and stops and starts he has had along the way, I can overlook the missed fairways, loose wedge shots and overall rust that he has had dating back to the beginning of the 2014 season. But I can’t even begin to wrap my brain around his overall short game meltdown in that same span. Outside of maybe Seve (Ballesteros), Tiger was the greatest short game player that has ever played the game of golf and now I would legitimately consider betting on my dad, a 30 handicap almost twice his age, in a short game competition. Now maybe his short game debacle would be less apparent if Tiger was hitting more greens (just 2 of 11 Thursday and 18 of 36 last week) but some of his chip shots recently would be embarrassing in a Friday Country Club game among double digit handicappers, much less a 14-time Major Champion.

It’s gotten so bad that even the folks in the desert have lost full faith in Tiger. A guy that once teed off at the Masters a +125 favorite (Bet $100 to win $125) went off at Torrey Pines this past week, a place he has won EIGHT tournaments (one with a broken leg) at 50/1 odds (Bet $100 to win $5,000). He was -140 just to make the cut. That is so unfathomable to me I don’t know where to begin. This is the same guy that won five tournaments in 2013 and nine tournaments between January 2012 and August 2013, and was No. 1 in the world just eight months ago. To drop this far, this fast is simply unimaginable to me.

I received no less than 25 text messages on Thursday in some way or another referencing steroids and Tiger’s WD/recent injury string. I don’t know if it’s true or not, or if one has to do with the other. I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but I do know that athletes, in any sport, eventually wear down both in ability and physically. Tiger is no exception. But to this degree? This quickly?

I don’t know if this is the end of the line for Tiger, most would argue that it is, and quite frankly it would be hard to argue against them at this point. But if it is, what a horrible way to go out and a major loss for the sport whether you love or hate him.

While I wasn’t old enough to remember the end of Jack’s career, I do know that after winning nine times between 1978-1980 he only went on to win three more times the rest of his career, but I can’t imagine that it ended quite like this. Maybe I’m naïve or it was just more of wishful thinking, but I always imagined Tiger slowly fading out of contention over time, winning once a year, then once every other year with one last 1986 Masters type run in him as a final curtain call. Never in my wildest imagination did I, or anyone else see this coming. Unable to even finish 18 holes more times than not, sculling and chunking routine wedge shots, a complete head case (which may be the most shocking of all) and simply put, sucking at golf.

And maybe this isn’t the end of Tiger Woods, he did go two and half years between wins from September 2009 – March 2012, but ask yourself this question, if the 11-year-old girl that qualified for the women’s US Open last year played Tiger straight up from the women’s tee’s tomorrow and you had to bet your life on who would win, who would you take? Sure, you would take Tiger, but the fact that a) you would actually have to even stop for one second and think about it; b) the fact that I can even write that sentence with 100% seriousness; and c) it would actually be a close match is all you need to know about Tiger Woods golf game right now.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB Teams to Watch - Big Ten
By Jim Feist

A Big 10 representative hasn't won college basketball 's national championship since 2000 (Michigan State), but Indiana got to the title game in 2002, as did Illinois (2005), Ohio State (2007), Michigan State (2009) and Michigan (2013), so they've been knocking on the door.

Will 2015 be the year that the conference breaks through?

Here's a look at some of the best of the Big 10 with the March tournaments on the horizon.

(Straight Up-Against the Spread Records through 2/8/15)

Wisconsin (21-2, 12-10): Bo Ryan's club is often about slowing the pace down, but not this season. The Badgers are Top 50 in the country in scoring and Top 20 in field goal shooting because of a powerful frontcourt. Wisconsin has 7-foot junior Frank Kaminsky (17 ppg, 8 rpg), 6-8 junior Sam Dekker (12.5 ppg) and 6-7 soph Nigel Hayes up front.

The backcourt lost talented senior guard Traevon Jackson. You have to wonder if this team has really been tested, facing only one Top 10 team….and losing at home 80-70 to Duke. They have tough road games remaining at Maryland and Ohio State.

Maryland (19-5, 7-12): The Terrapins have been a force all season, which included an impressive double overtime win at Michigan State. The Maryland offense revolves around a one-two punch of 6-2 freshman G Melo Trimble (16 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg) and 6-8 junior Jake Layman (14.7 ppg, 7 rpg). Maryland had only allowed one opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field through the first 18 games in a 76-65 loss to then-No. 7 Virginia on Dec. 3.

However, the last few weeks they’ve struggled, allowing Northwestern to shoot 54% and Indiana 60%, the latter an 89-70 defeat. They squeaked by Northwestern, 68-67, as -11.5 chalk. Maryland is on a 9-2-1 run 'under' the total on the road.

Ohio State (18-6, 7-11): The Buckeyes have enjoyed a great season with an offense ranked in the Top 20 in scoring and assists, plus one of the best in the nation in shooting over 50%. The offense pours in 80 ppg behind 6-5 freshman D'Angelo Russell (19.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), 6-7 soph Marc Loving (11.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and 6-7 senior Sam Thompson (10 ppg).

Ohio State struggled early in key non-conference games, losing to Louisville (64-55) and to North Carolina (82-74). But they have looked better in Big 10 play, stuffing Indiana (82-70) and Maryland (80-56) in back-to-back showdown contests. The victory over the Hoosiers was a revenge game, losing 69-66 at Indiana last month. They allowed Indiana 52% shooting, including 12-25 from long range (48%), but OSU shot 62%. Ohio State finished with 26 points off of Indiana turnovers running their attacking, pressing defense. The Buckeyes are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.

Michigan State (15-8, 11-12): You need frontcourt muscle in the Big 10 and the Spartans have it with 6-6 senior Branden Dawson (12 ppg, 10 rpg) and 6-9 Matt Costello. They were expected to take a step back this season after losing their best backcourt players, but 6-5 junior Denzel Valentine (14 ppg, 6 rpg) has stepped up. They play tough defense for head coach Tom Izzo, losing 61-56 to Kansas allowing 37% shooting and 3-of-14 from long range. Michigan State took No. 12 Maryland to double overtime before losing 68-66 by a basket and lost in OT at Notre Dame by a point (79-78). They are the type of well coached, physical defense you don’t want to face in March.

Indiana (17-7, 11-12): Tom Crean’s team is running-and-gunning again, Top 20 in points scored while shooting 48% as a group led by 6-4 freshman James Blackmon Jr. (16.5 ppg, 5 rpg). Indiana is not a big group up front with 6-7 sophomore Troy Williams (13 ppg) and you have to wonder if the lack of rebounding and defense is taking a toll.

They recently lost three of four, all by double digits, including a 92-78 loss at Wisconsin last Tuesday while allowing 60% shooting. The Hoosiers hit 5 of 6 on late 3-pointers to make the score more respectable. The Badgers continually took advantage of Indiana defenders overplaying entry passes, allowing clear paths to the bucket. Can you rely so much on offense when tourney play commences?

Purdue (15-9, 14-6): The Boilermakers have been winning and covering, on a recent 8-2 against the spread run in Big 10 play. Purdue is doing it with defense behind 7-foot junior A.J. Hammons (11 ppg), 6-5 junior Rapheal Davis (11 ppg) and 6-7 freshman Vince Edwards. They held Indiana to 67 points and Iowa to 67 in back to back big wins, then showed no let-down by winning at Northwestern allowing 60 points. That was part of a stretch going 8-2 'under' the total against Big 10 foes.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Cali's Cats struggle ATS'

Top-ranked Wildcats (23-0, 11-12 ATS) kept the flawless run intact Saturday defeating nemesis Florida 68-61 a team that swept all three meetings last season, winning in Lexington, Gainesville and in the SEC tournament. Wildcats are an effective offensive team netting 73.6 points/game but their strength comes at the defensive end with it's second-ranked scoring defense (51.5 PPG) and top ranked field-goal defense (33.5%). Not difficult to make a SU case for Kentucky when they visit LSU Tigers (17-6, 11-9-2 ATS) as Wildcats have won seven of eight encounters in the John Calipari era. But, you bet Kentucky at some risk. Coach Cal's Cats were a vig-losing 4-4 ATS in those eight tussle's with Tigers and the Wildcats have a tendency to falter against the betting line when running the hardwood against a conference opponent. The non cover vs Gators this past weekend moved Wildcats mark to 3-12 ATS last fifteen against the SEC. Wildcats 10.0 to 10.5 point road chalk depending on locale the lean is LSU entering 4-1 ATS as double digit underdog, 4-1 ATS last five in the series including 3-0 ATS taking double digits.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB

Akron-Kent split last four meetings; last seven series games were decided by 6 or less points, with Flashes losing four of last five visits here, by 4-14-3-9 points. Akron is 4-0-1 as home favorite, winning MAC home tilts by 20-17-6-12-3 points- they've won four of last five overall. Kent won seven of last nine games, is 1-1 as road dog- they lost two away games by 25-1- their last two games (1-1) were both decided by point. MAC home favorites of 6+ points are 10-11-2 vs spread.

Toledo nipped Buffalo 67-65 at home LY, snapping 6-game series skid; Rockets lost last three visits here, by 13-23-15 points. Buffalo won three of last four games overall, is 2-2 as home favorite, with home wins by 19-9-6-25 points. Toledo won its last five games, is 3-1 on MAC road with only loss by 7 at Kent. Rockets get to foul line more than anyone in the league and make 74% once they get there, also #1 in league. MAC home favorites of less than 5 points are 11-8-1 vs spread.

Kentucky won seven of last eight games with LSU, losing 87-82 here LY, then losing in OT at Rupp. Unbeaten Wildcats survived a lesser Florida team by 7 Saturday; they're 2-3 as SEC road favorites, winning games on foreign soil by 6-22-15-16-7 points. LSU lost two of last three games; all four of its SEC losses are by 7 or less points. Tigers are 3-2 at home, 3-0 vs spread as an underdog. SEC double digit favorites are 7-11 vs spread.

Seton Hall won last three of last four games with Georgetown by 10-15 points, winning last two here by 18-15 points. Hoyas had won four in a row on road before getting waxed at Villanova Saturday; they're 1-3 as a road underdog. Big East home teams are 8-5 in games with spread of 3 or less points. Seton Hall lost five of last seven games; underdogs covered all six of their Big East home games; Pirates are 0-3 as home favorites, 4-2 in conference games with spread of 4 or less. .

Notre Dame was down 43-13 at Duke Saturday after leading 6-0; they're 4-2 on ACC road, losing last two at Pitt/Duke- they beat Clemson LY in double OT, in brickfest where teams were 12-50 from arc. Four of last six Irish wins overall were by 5 or less points. Clemson had its 4-game win streak snapped Sunday at Miami; Tigers won three of last four at home- they allowed less than 60 points in their last seven games. ACC home underdogs of 4 or less points are 6-4 vs spread.

Michigan State won five in row, 20 of last 22 with Northwestern, taking seven of last eight played here; State beat Wildcats 84-77 in OT back on Jan 11, despite Wildcats making 12-25 from and leading by hoop in last 0:30 of regulation. Spartans covered once in last six games when favored; they're 2-2 on Big 14 road, winning at Iowa/Rutgers. Northwestern lost its last nine games; they're 1-2 as home underdogs. Big 14 home dogs of 7 or less points are 9-2 vs spread.

Cincinnati is 3-0 vs Temple in AAC play, blasting Owls 84-53 Jan 17 at home; Bearcats made 9-14 from arc that night, have won six of last seven games overall, with only loss strange one at ECU. Temple won/covered last five games, with three of those five on road; Owls won last two home games, are 2-2 as AAC home favorites, 1-3 vs top 50 teams, with win by 25 over Kansas back in December. AAC home faves of 5 or less points are 7-3 vs spread.

Bruce Pearl will win at Auburn but is talent-short this year- Auburn lost five of last six games, including last three at home by 7-10-7 points; they lost last seven games with Arkansas, losing by 2-6-8 points in last three played here. Hogs won five of last six games, losing by point at Florida; they're 2-2 on SEC road with all four games decided by 5 or less points. Road team covered last six Auburn games. SEC home underdogs are 10-9.

Alabama lost six of its last eight games, beating Auburn/Missouri, two of worst teams in SEC; Crimson Tide lost last four road games, last two by 15-11 points. Tide has won last four games with Mississippi State, all by 8+ points; Tide lost five of last seven visits to Starkville, but won here by 32 LY. Bulldogs won two of last three games, covered six of its last eight; they're 6-4 as SEC dogs, 2-2 at home. SEC home teams are 8-10-1 in games where spread was 3 or less points.

Wisconsin is 5-1 vs Nebraska in Big 14 play, beat Cornhuskers 70-55 in first meeting Jan 15, making 11-21 from arc in game they led by 10 at the half. Badgers lost here LY, won by 24-6 in previous two visits. Huskers lost three of last four games, scoring 44 or less points in all three losses; they're 0-3-2 as road underdogs- home side is 7-1-3 vs spread in their Big 14 games. Badgers are 2-2 as road favorites, winning by 23-5-11 points. Big 14 home underdogs are 11-4 against spread.

Xavier (-10) edged Marquette 62-58 Jan 17, after trailing by 11 early in second half; Musketeers are 1-5 on Big East road, with only win by 13 at Georgetown- home teams covered nine of their 12 league games. These teams split last four series games, with home side winning three regular season meetings. Marquette lost six of last seven games, including three in row at home by 10-10-4, with two of those three in OT. Big East home underdogs are 10-4 vs spread.

UNLV won three of last four games, losing by point at Colorado State on Saturday after leading by 18 in first half; Rebels are 2-3 as home favorite in MW, covering vs San Jose/Air Force. Fresno lost three of last four, is 2-2 as road underdog, losing away games by 12-11-23 points, with wins at Nevada/San Jose. Bulldogs lost here in OT LY, after winning the year before. Mountain West home favorites of 9+ points are 12-6-1 vs spread.

Colorado State was 14-0 when they lost 66-53 at New Mexico Jan 3, its fifth straight loss to Lobos, who won last two visits here by 9-2 points. Rams won six of last seven games but were down 18 in first half in last game before winning by point; they're 3-3 as home favorites, winning by 6-56-6-23-1. Mountain West home favorites of 7 or less points are 6-7 vs spread. Lobos lost two of last three games, with losses by total of four points- they're 2-1 as Mountain West road underdogs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

ART ARONSON

1* Bonus Play Bruins.

For a number of different reasons I expect the home side to find a way to get the job done at the end of the night and definitely feel its worth the price of admission in this situation. This sets up as a classic letdown spot for the Stars who are coming off a 3-2 OT win over the Rangers on Sunday and who are playing the finale of a three game road trip. Dallas has no issues scoring goals, but has been downright atrocious defensively, it hasn’t allowed fewer than two goals in any game since the start of the New Year. And that’s music to the Bruins’ ears, they’ve had some problems scoring goals of late, most recently coming off a 3-1 loss to Montreal on Sunday. Remember though, the defensive minded Bruins already handed the Stars a 3-1 loss in Dallas three weeks ago. And note that Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask has been superb of late, he’s 8-3-2 with a .951 save percentage since January 4th; also note that the Bruins’ penalty kill has been awesome, it sports a league-best 94.2 percent efficiency in 2015. Consider a second look at BOSTON in this one.

AAA Sports

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JIM FEIST

(505) HOUSTON ROCKETS VS (506) PHOENIX SUNS
Take: over the total.

Reason: Your Bonus Play for Tuesday, February 10, 2015 is in the NBA Scheduled contest between the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns. The Houston Rockets started the season looking like they were going to be a very good defensive team with just two overs in their first 16 games. However, since then they have really turned up the scoring. Houston has since gone on to become the 7th highest scoring team (102.8 ppg). They are also 16-9 O/U on the road and 10-4 O/U their last 14 overall. The Suns are the 5th highest scoring team (105.7 ppg) and allow 104.3 ppg (28th in the league). The offense has sputtered of late though, scoring in the 80's in three of their last six games. Still, I look for Houston to push the pace tonight as they have a pace number in the mid 90's, well above the league average. Likely will have to fade a big total here, but your Bonus Play is to go OVER.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Tuesday's Free Selection: Xavier Musketeers/Marquette Golden Eagles over 138

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Tuesday's free selection: Dayton Flyers - 9

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

High Stakes Syndicate

Free Selection for Tuesday: James Madison Dukes + 1 1/2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR TUESDAY:Take DAYTON -8½ over St Louis

 

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Atlantic Sports

Tuesday's Free Selection from Atlantic Sports: UNLV - 8 1/2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golden Dragon Sports

Bonus Plays:
St Louis +9
Denver/LA Lakers over 199

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Huddle Up Sports

Free Winner: W Michigan +5

 

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The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Tuesday: Take FRESNO ST +8½ over UNLV

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JOE WIZ

Tuesday... Fairfield +10 over Iona

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jeff Saad of Las Vegas Sports Services

2/10/2015: Tuesday CBB Free Pick: Nevada at Utah State.

Nevada is not keen on playing defense and the over is 23-8 in Wolf Pack last 31 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Utah State is 34-16-1 over the total at home.

Play Nevada/Utah State over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mr. Vegas

NBA Bonus Play for Tuesday, Feb 10, 2015: 8:05 PM

(503) BROOKLYN NETS VS (504) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Take: (504) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Reason: Mr Vegas Free: Brooklyn playing in the 2nd of a back-to-back spot here after losing at Milwaukee on Monday, 103-97. The Grizzlies have played pretty well at home in recent times, going 7-2-2 ATS in their last 11 games. After Monday's contest the Nets have failed to cover in three straight. The Grizzlies have lost just one time in their last 11 games and are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games. Brooklyn will have a tough time playing at Memphis tonight, especially after playing last night. Take the Grizzlies.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Tuesday

(515) MIAMI OHIO at (516) EASTERN MICHIGAN 7:00PM

Take: (516) EASTERN MICHIGAN -9

I know I’ve mentioned this several times, but it’s worth repeating. Revenge on its own is not a good enough reason to make a play. But meaningful revenge is an entirely different story, and there’s one that fits on that count tonight as Miami visits Eastern Michigan.

The Eagles will surely remember the first meeting with the RedHawks. EMU sprinted out of the gate in that hookup, apparently building an insurmountable 39-14 lead. But they stopped playing at about that time, and paid the price. Miami came all the way back to force overtime and then pulled out the highly improbable 82-81 win.

I don’t see Eastern Michigan jumping out to another massive lead tonight, hut I do see the Eagles winning pretty comfortably. Miami could be a bit discouraged here. The RrdHawks are off back to back late game collapses and this can really sap the spirit of a team going nowhere.

Miami led Northern Illinois 67-61 before an 8-0 end game melt that cost them a win. They also led Kent State 56-48, but got on the wrong side of a 13-4 Golden Flashes run that turned that result from a Miami win to another tough loss.

Thus there’s a scenario here where Miami could be coming in a little down in the dumps mentally. Combine that with what should be a very intense host wanting to avenge that horrific collapse in the first meeting and it’s the type of setup I like to play, even with a somewhat stiff impost to overcome. I’ll be on favored Eastern Michigan tonight.