Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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01-31-21 | Stars v. Hurricanes -133 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 30 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Dallas Stars have to improve in every area of the game when they get another shot at the Carolina Hurricanes today. The Stars were outscored 4-1 by their hosts on Saturday and outshot 26-11 in their first loss of the NHL season. The Stars, playing their first road game, went almost 14 minutes of the second period before registering a single shot on goal. By then, Bowness had pulled goalie Anton Khudobin -- after he allowed four goals on 16 shots -- in favor of Jake Oettinger, who stopped all 10 shots he faced. Consider that Dallas is 22-49 in their last 71 in the third game of a 3-in-4 situation while Carolina is 37-18 in their last 55 games as a home favorite. |
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01-31-21 | Bradley v. Indiana State | Top | 57-60 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 33 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit MVC Play of the Day The Braves of Bradley enter off four straight losses. The Sycamores of Indiana State have won four straight. ‘Oh! Ohhh! It’s two teams headed in opposite directions!’ Ah, not so fast, my friend. Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing gives us the scout: “They’re going to be like a rabid dog in a cage and will be healthy as they weren’t in some of these losses. They’re two-time defending [MVC Tournament] champions for a reason. Elijah Childs is a handful, you can’t guard him with one guy and they’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, mostly man, but some zone. We’re going to have to play our best game of the year.” This, immediately after he suspended senior guard Tobias Howard (20.5 minutes per game) the other day. Therefore, we’ll figure it’s actually two teams about to be headed in directions opposite of their most recent. Consider that Indiana State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog. |
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01-31-21 | Valparaiso -1.5 v. Evansville | 52-70 | Loss | -108 | 5 h 29 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units First game off a pause for Evansville, not the kind of team you’d expect to come out dishing and swishing efficiently off lack of practice time and no games. Consider that Valparaiso is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games as a favorite and 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games as a road favorite. |
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01-31-21 | Jazz +1 v. Nuggets | Top | 117-128 | Loss | -115 | 6 h 36 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Utah has reeled off 11 straight wins, the past two without Donovan Mitchell and Derrick Favors, and at 15-4 own the best record in the NBA. The Jazz will put that streak on the line when they visit the Nuggets for an early afternoon matchup today. Mitchell (concussion protocol) and Favors (lower back soreness) haven't played since last Tuesday but traveled to Denver on Friday while their teammates were completing a two-game home sweep of the Dallas Mavericks. Their status for Sunday is unknown. If one or both can't play, it will be tougher to beat a Nuggets team that has found some footing over the past few weeks, but Utah has played well without them, too. Different players have stepped up in their absence, giving the Jazz a boost against the Mavericks. Consider that Utah is 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win. |
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01-31-21 | Drexel +2.5 v. James Madison | 64-73 | Loss | -109 | 3 h 25 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Drexel is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall. While James Madison is 4-10 ATS in their last 14 home games and 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. |
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01-31-21 | Devils v. Sabres -156 | 5-3 | Loss | -156 | 4 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units While the Buffalo Sabres keep finding ways to earn points, the New Jersey Devils have to return to their early success. The Sabres will try to extend their point streak to six games on Sunday while handing the visiting Devils a fourth consecutive defeat. Buffalo went 1-3-0 in its first four games on this abbreviated season but is 3-0-2 since. After falling 3-2 to the New York Rangers in overtime on Thursday, the Sabres rebounded with a 4-3 shootout win over New Jersey on Saturday. Consider that New Jersey is 25-52 in their last 77 games as a road underdog. In addition the home team is a perfect 6-0 in the last 6 meetings. |
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01-31-21 | Tulane v. Temple -7 | 81-64 | Loss | -110 | 2 h 38 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Oh, the Owls are not gonna lose the first home game they play since the death of the program’s long-time head coach John Chaney the other day. No way, Jose. Head coach Aaron McKie played for Chaney. The fact that Tulane is the opponent, and that Tulane has problems putting the ball in the basket, almost guarantees the straight-up victory against a Green Wave team that got on a plane after missing 24 of their first 26 shots at home vs. Houston |
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01-30-21 | Pistons v. Warriors -4.5 | 91-118 | Win | 100 | 11 h 22 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Off a home win against the no-care Lakers, Detroit embarks on a five-game Western trip from which nothing good can possibly come, including two back-to-backs in four different cities that conclude with Utah and the Lakers again (trying, this time, perhaps). This would be the Pistons’ best chance to win one of the five, but the Warriors have been Jekyll-and-Hyde home and road this season so far, with a +5.8 differential here. (Pistons road differential is -6.5.) |
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01-30-21 | Kings +5.5 v. Heat | 104-105 | Win | 100 | 9 h 18 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Heat have done nothing good all week with a handful of key missing persons still out. But remember the ol’ Texas Triangle of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, a hellish trio for visitors to negotiate in the space of four night? The Kings complete a Tarpon Trio here after winning in Orlando and Tampa (Toronto) Wednesday and Friday. Of course, it’s only Orlando, Toronto and Miami, three struggling Eastern Conference teams. Miami has the league’s longest active losing streak (five). Goran Dragic is out, as are Meyers Leonard, Moe Harkless, Chris Silva. Andre Iguadola and Avery Bradley are questionable, as is Jimmy Butler, who has missed nine games and shouldn’t be expected to put a handicapped squad on his back first time out, if he plays at all. |
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01-30-21 | Blazers v. Bulls -2 | Top | 123-122 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 10 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Very disappointed about how the Rockets lost the first and fourth quarters badly vs. Portland the other night, but killed them in the second and third, only to have it all add up to a 3-point Houston win with the Rockets laying -4, Portland losing the game but unfortunately covering the spread. We don’t see good things ahead for the Blazers. Thursday’s result – as far as they were and are concerned, unless they’re betting – dropped them from #5 to #8 in the West, exactly the direction we see them headed, especially if they get to the free-throw line only 8 times, as was the case in Houston. The Bulls already beat them in Portland 111-108 without a few players who didn’t make that trip, when now-absent Nurkic and McCollum combined for 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for the Blazers |
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01-30-21 | Predators v. Lightning -170 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Dallas blasted the Predators 7-0 in its first hockey game this season last Friday after a delayed start due to COVID-19 protocol. The score was more competitive two days later -- a 3-2 loss in regulation to the Stars -- but the damage had been done. Nashville returned home with little to show for the effort and struggling with a penalty-kill unit that allowed five power-play goals in the blowout loss and three more in the one-goal defeat. In the two games, the Stars tied an NHL record for most power-play goals over a two-game span, succeeding on 8 of 12 chances. Consider that Tampa Bay is 41-18 in their last 59 games as a favorite. |
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01-30-21 | Panthers -170 v. Red Wings | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 2 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Detroit Red Wings see signs of history repeating itself. That's not a good thing. The Red Wings had by far the worst record in the NHL last season. After eight games this season, they're in last place in the makeshift Central Division and have gone 0-3-1 in their last four outings. They'll try to set a new course with back-to-back home games against the Florida Panthers on Saturday and Sunday. This week, the Red Wings lost at Dallas in overtime 2-1 on Tuesday, then gave up four third-period goals in a 7-3 loss to the Stars on Thursday. Consider that Detroit is 12-46 in their last 58 games as an underdog. |
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01-30-21 | Stars +115 v. Hurricanes | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 60 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Dallas Stars are making up for lost time after coronavirus complications delayed the start of their season. The Stars aim to improve to 5-0-0 for just the third time in franchise history on Saturday when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. If victorious, Dallas would match the mark of the 2006-07 club and reside one win shy of the 1996-97 team. A potent power play is one of the primary reasons that coach Rick Bowness' club is without a loss this season. Dallas leads the league with a 52.6 percent power-play efficiency, and their 10 goals with the man advantage represent a franchise record through the first four games of the season. Consider that Carolina is 9-19 in their last 28 vs. a team with a winning % above .600. |
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01-30-21 | Bruins v. Capitals OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 30 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NHL Total of the Day The over is 4-1 in Capitals last 5 games playing on 1 days rest, 32-13-1 in Capitals last 46 games following a win, 20-9-2 in Capitals last 31 games as a home underdog, and 39-19 in Capitals last 58 home games. |
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01-30-21 | Virginia -5 v. Virginia Tech | 51-65 | Loss | -103 | 7 h 20 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Who hesitated with Va. Tech vs. Notre Dame when it was announced that Va. Tech would be missing a starter? Don’t do that! At least, not when they’re playing a nobody like Notre Dame. Against highly ranked Virginia, you can worry about how the Hokies can generate enough offense against good defense. This could get ugly for Virginia Tech considering how well UVa is playing, arriving in town having won seven straight contests. Six of those victories have come by nine or more points. |
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01-30-21 | Tennessee State v. Austin Peay -9.5 | Top | 56-71 | Win | 100 | 7 h 31 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit Mismatch of the Day The Governors of AP have three games under their belt since a pause ended. They’re just 1-2 in those games but got a few players back on the floor in the third Thursday night, in which they were a tad unlucky when Belmont – now 11-0 in the OVC – shot 62.7% for the game against them to beat ’em by 5 points. Off two straight home losses and looking at four straight on the road after this, ya’ think maybe they can carry over the effort against the conference’s best team (against whom they put four players in double figures) and bury the last-place team they’ve already beaten on the road by 11 points? Consider that Austin Peay is 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. |
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01-30-21 | Central Michigan v. Kent State -13 | Top | 76-83 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 42 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MAC Game of the Week The Golden Flashes of Kent State are one of three MAC teams averaging greater than 80 points per game in league play. The Chippewas of CMU are not one of the three. But they are one of two teams giving up greater than 80 points per game in league play. Two-and-a-half weeks ago, Kent State scored 94 vs. CMU on the road despite a pair of foul-outs by starting forwards Tervell Beck and Justin Hamilton, who were limited to less than they average minutes. CMU allegedly couldn’t put enough guys in uniform to go to Buffalo on Wednesday. This game may or may not be played but the match-up favors the home side when CMU is at full strength, so… |
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01-30-21 | Utah v. Colorado -8.5 | 77-74 | Loss | -105 | 4 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units In Salt Lake City earlier this month, Utah led 37-27 at halftime. They came out of the locker room to watch the Buffs go 15-0 until Utah made its first field goal with 14:11 remaining. “This is a big, physical team,” Utah head coach Larry Krystowiak said afterwards. “They pounded us. We missed block outs.” They’d lost 91-52 here last year, after which he’d said, “It’s a veteran team that’s physical and we got exposed on the level of physicality.” In other words, nothing changed. |
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01-30-21 | Morehead State v. Tennessee Tech +6.5 | 74-55 | Loss | -106 | 3 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Many folks will crave Morehead because the Eagles are 12-4 ATS, have won eight straight outright, covered the last six in a row and are the top defensive squad in the Ohio Valley. But be careful. Laying as much as they are on the road is uncharted waters for this program, which beat Tennessee Tech by only 57-54 at home three weeks ago and lost by 12 points on this floor last season. Tech returns home off 3- and 9-point losses at Austin Peay and Murray State, programs whose class has been extended through the conference for a much longer duration than semi-upstart Morehead’s. They’ve been home all week awaiting this, while Morehead made a 9-hour trek to get here after Thursday night’s game in Jacksonville, FL, where they shot 59% in the second half. |
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01-30-21 | Devils v. Sabres -154 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 3 h 9 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The New Jersey Devils have hit a bit of a rough patch following a solid start to the season. The Buffalo Sabres, meanwhile, are starting to consistently give themselves an opportunity to win games. Looking to avoid a third straight defeat, the visiting Devils will try to keep the Sabres from extending their point streak to five games on Saturday afternoon. New Jersey opened the season with a 3-1-1 record before sustaining back-to-back home losses to the Philadelphia Flyers this week. After falling 5-3 on Tuesday, the Devils went 0-for-4 on the power play during Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers. It marked the fifth time already this season that New Jersey was held to two or fewer goals. The Devils also are a paltry 2-for-18 on the power play through their first seven games. Consider that New Jersey is 25-51 in their last 76 games as a road underdog. |
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01-30-21 | William & Mary v. Towson -4.5 | Top | 84-74 | Loss | -112 | 3 h 39 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit CAA Play of the Day Seventh game off a long pause, 2-4 and off three straight road losses, Towson returns home determined for a much better beginning than the 43-25 deficit they faced at halftime at James Madison on Wednesday night. It was actually the second bad deficit vs. JMU they’ve had at the half, and JMU happens to be leading the CAA in scoring, and in three-point FG% (42.3%). The visiting Tribe hasn’t topped 67 points in any of its last four games, didn’t win any of the four before them scoring between 40 and 73 points. They’re shooting 38.9% overall in CAA play, just 27.1% on three pointers. A far cry from last year’s 46.8% and 33.4% numbers. |
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01-29-21 | Robert Morris v. Wright State -14 | Top | 70-79 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NCAAB Game of the Week The home side averages 81.7 points per game. RMU’s leading scorer, 6’7”, 210 AJ Bramah, averages 21.5 points per game without making a three-pointer all season. (Nobody else averages more than 9.3.) Wright’s sticky-fingered zone would figure to deny Bramah the ball inside and even if he gets it in there, he’d still be up against a wide body in the home side’s 6’8”, 260 Loudon Love, no slouch on the offensive end himself with a 14.6 points per game average (and 10.3 rebounds). Tanner Holden leads Wright State with 16.9 points per game and four others are averaging 8.7 to 13.7 points per game behind Love, two of them grabbing 6.9 and 6.3 boards per game and Holden, a 6’6” guard, getting 7.7 boards per game. Too much all around for the home side, it would seem. Consider that Wright State is 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game. |
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01-29-21 | Nuggets v. Spurs +4.5 | Top | 109-119 | Win | 100 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Everyone Denver has played lately has been missing key players, Miami being the latest: “That team was missing Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, a lot of their top players,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “I don’t know if we’re as good as we played tonight.” Probably not. Denver is shooting to complete a 5-0 road trip. Who does that? Few do! Heck, the Lakers, who were 10-0 on the road, just lost at Philly. The Nuggets didn’t play here last season, beating the Spurs by 7 at home, by 6 in the Bubble, with San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozen absent for the first meeting and LaMarcus Aldridge absent for the second. As the Nuggets lose the 19.5 minutes they get from injured guard P.J. Dozier per game, the Spurs welcome back point guard Derrick White, who averaged 11.3 points per game and 3.5 assists in his 24.7 minutes last season. Every little bit help |
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01-29-21 | Blue Jackets v. Blackhawks +118 | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 60 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Even without the throngs of fans in the seats, the Chicago Blackhawks are a better team in the Madhouse on Madison. With a home-heavy schedule in the next few weeks, starting with a Friday night clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first of two consecutive games between the teams, the Blackhawks have an opportunity to find a winning formula. The Blackhawks opened the season with six of eight games on the road, and they lost all of their tilts away from Chicago, going 0-3-3. Now, the squad that won its first two games on home ice -- consecutive games against the Detroit Red Wings -- has six of eight games in the United Center. Consider that Columbus is 2-10 in the last 12 meetings in Chicago |
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01-29-21 | Kings +5.5 v. Raptors | 126-124 | Win | 100 | 8 h 44 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Fade the Raptors. They’re 6-12 ATS, and playing in Tampa, FL, not Toronto, Canada. They’re all excited that Kyle Lowry just got his 10,000th NBA point, as if that means anything in the standings, where they are currently #11 in the East, (Knicks are #8, Orlando #9, Chicago #10). That’s bad company to be keeping! The Kings were 0-2 vs. Toronto last season but the Raptors were better then, and the margins were only 5 and 4 points. |
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01-29-21 | Hawks -3.5 v. Wizards | 116-100 | Win | 100 | 7 h 19 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Scott Brooks, head coach of the 3-11 SU, 6-8 ATS Wizards: “We know that we’re going to be healthy and everything’s going to be much better when we have our entire group.” Somebody should tell him that they don’t necessarily need Russell Westbrook, who sat the second of back-to-backs Wednesday and should return for this. Five other Wizards were absent Wednesday. Atlanta has no such personnel issues at the moment, could get Rajon Rondo back for this. |
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01-29-21 | Pacers -3 v. Hornets | 105-108 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 16 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Life is all about second chances, which the Hornets get tonight after dropping the first of this two-games-in-three-nights set to the Pacers, 116-106. Falling behind 36-19 after one quarter (which they did on Wednesday) is for losers, and that’s pretty much what the Hornets have been doing year in and year out for a while, so we can’t expect miracles here. Sabonis faked everyone out and played the other night for Indiana, getting a triple-double in 37 minutes. Some sprain. |
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01-29-21 | Monmouth v. Niagara +4.5 | 77-67 | Loss | -115 | 7 h 7 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The traveling Hawks of Monmouth are 7-3, third in the MAAC, and looking at eight straight road games to close their regular season, four back-to-backs. Yo-ho. It all starts with their longest possible trip, to the NY-Canadian border where they lost 77-72 last season shooting 6-for-29 on threes and 55.6% at the foul line. Long bus ride, from south central Jersey, eh? The home underdog is 3-1 SU in their wayward outpost. |
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01-28-21 | New Mexico v. Fresno State -6.5 | 62-64 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units New Mexico’s only wins have been against Rice, Our Lady of the Lake, Le Tourneau, Dixie State and San Jose State. Egads! In true MWC road games (their home games have been all over the place, not in The Pit), they are scoring a mere .84 points per possession. One of their problems – and there have been many – is handling opposing bigs. So, it could be a good night to be Fresno State’s 7’, 235 Orlando Robinson (17.5 ppg, 9.1 reb). |
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01-28-21 | Red Wings v. Stars -197 | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 11 h 50 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units For those who don't know, the Red Wings are very bad. They've played seven games so far and in five of them, they've been held to two goals or less. The most recent loss came Tuesday, to the team they'll play again here, Dallas. It was a 2-1 win in overtime for the Stars, who are 3-0 after their first four games were postponed. |
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01-28-21 | Kings v. Wild -160 | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 10 h 8 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units LA is 17-39 in their last 56 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game, 15-36 in their last 51 games as a road underdog, 15-37 in their last 52 road games, and 16-41 in their last 57 games playing on 1 days rest. While Minnesota is 6-1 in their last 7 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game, and 10-3 in their last 13 Thursday games. In addition, the home team is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings. |
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01-28-21 | Blazers v. Rockets -4.5 | Top | 101-104 | Loss | -107 | 8 h 11 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day The Blazers, a mostly lousy defensive team, hit the road after being quite unimpressive splitting their final two home games before this five-game trip. They are missing two key scorers, Jokic and McCollum. The Rockets are playing with a chip on their shoulder following the Harden trade, with three straight wins and John Wall and Danuel House back in the house for a few games each. Center Christian Wood is expected to rejoin them tonight after a multi-game absence. They are intent on proving Harden wrong about being able to contend. The Blazers are in fifth place in the West, but we feel they have ankle weights attached. The Rockets are eleventh, but only two game behind the Blazers. Time to continue rising and put more water in the Blazers’ leaky boat. |
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01-28-21 | Michigan State +3 v. Rutgers | 37-67 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 44 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Izzo wouldn’t have picked this game to come back from a pause if he didn’t think he had some kind of advantage. He’d have found a way to say, ‘Er, no, we can’t play again, yet, because, uhh, we’re not ready. Yes, that’s it.’ Rutgers has never beaten Michigan State since coming into the Big Ten. Earlier this month, Rutgers took points at Michigan St. and lost by considerably more than the spot. They are favored vs. Michigan St. despite never having beaten them. |
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01-27-21 | St. John's v. DePaul | 81-68 | Win | 100 | 10 h 56 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units St. Johns is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. While Depaul is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win. |
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01-27-21 | Ole Miss v. Arkansas -4.5 | Top | 59-74 | Win | 100 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit SEC Play of the Day With five kids averaging double figures and a 7’3” player like Connor Vanover who can step out, take and make three pointers, Arkansas has the potential to turn Kermit Davis’ Ole Miss defenders into Kermit the Frogs. Ole Miss enters off a pair of low-scoring wins (64-46, 61-50) against Mississippi State and Texas A&M, a pair of suspect-shooting grinders who can’t really spread the floor on offense. |
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01-27-21 | Lakers v. 76ers +3 | 106-107 | Win | 100 | 10 h 53 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The 14-4 SU Lakers are now 10-0 SU on the road and we were right about Lebron (46 points) planning to have a big-numbers game in Cleveland the other night, even if the SOBs decided to make it interesting and wait until the fourth quarter to win by only 7 points. They’re playing for the road streak, obviously. Philly, 12-6 SU atop the East, rested Joel Embiid the other night because they’re playing to end the road streak of the championship team in a "not in our house!" night, as well as cut the margin between themselves and the Lakers to just 1 game in the overall standings for best record. |
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01-27-21 | Bucks -6 v. Raptors | 115-108 | Win | 100 | 10 h 50 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Last year’s Raptors beat Milwaukee in the Bubble when the Bucks weren’t playing so hot, just waiting for the playoffs to start so they could continue to fail to meet expectations, there, too. This year’s Raptors aren’t playing so hot themselves, still sub-.500 SU (7-10), 6-11 ATS. This is the first time they’ll be a home dog in their fake home of Tampa, FL, where they are 3-5 SU. They just love it here! (We kid!). |
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01-27-21 | Nuggets -5 v. Heat | 109-82 | Win | 100 | 10 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Fourth road game in six nights for the Nuggets, who have won the first three, the first two in OT at Phoenix and the third in Dallas by 4. Both sides were missing key players while the Nuggets were pretty much at full strength. Miami returns home from four straight on the road in which a handful of key players like Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Avery Bradley, did not play. "End of the week" is the reported return time for at least two of them. Lucky Nuggets again? |
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01-27-21 | Pistons +3 v. Cavs | 107-122 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 17 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units This particular Cavaliers forecast comes to you with its usual warning under tonight’s circumstance: When favored, the Cavaliers are only 5-10 SU the last two-plus seasons. Sure, Andre Drummond (18-and-10) is playing in Cleveland for Cavaliers for the first time since leaving Cleveland for Detroit. But what did he usually do for Detroit, other than get big numbers in defeat? Pistons led their one prior meeting in Detroit 101-93 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, lost in overtime. Derrick Rose had a horrible game. Have a better one, will ya’? |
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01-27-21 | Virginia Tech v. Notre Dame | Top | 62-51 | Win | 100 | 9 h 47 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit ACC Play of the Day If Virginia Tech would like to remain ranked in the Top 25, then they’ll come out and forget about the 18-point loss at Syracuse in which Syracuse got 64 points of 78 in the lane or at the free-throw line. “We wanted to drive in on their center and make him play defense on Marek [Dolezaj],” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “When we got a mismatch, we got Quincy down in low. That’s what we wanted to do there.”And, they did. Which Notre Dame won’t. The Irish stay out on the perimeter and run their little ball screen for guards like Cormac Ryan, who make 1-for-5 on their threes and don’t rebound anywhere near enough of their misses. Consider that Virginia Tech is 14-2 ATS in their last 16 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. |
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01-26-21 | Blues v. Golden Knights -145 | 5-4 | Loss | -145 | 5 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units St. Louis is 3-8 in their last 11 games as a road underdog, 3-9 in their last 12 games as an underdog, 2-7 in their last 9 vs. a team with a winning record, and 1-4 in their last 5 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. While Vegas is 28-11 in their last 39 overall, 25-10 in their last 35 games as a home favorite, 19-8 in their last 27 games following a win. In addition, the home team is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. |
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01-26-21 | Missouri +3 v. Auburn | Top | 82-88 | Loss | -108 | 5 h 7 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit SEC Play of the Day Tell me can you win yet another ***BEST BET so fine? Tell me, Cuonzo, Cuonzo, Cuonzo!’ While it may be asking a lot of the Mr. Martin’s Tigers to beat Tennessee-Auburn within four days on the SEC road, they have a team laden with upperclassmen who have become versatile in terms of how they are able to play and compete well. That’s why they’ve been able to win on the road at Arkansas and Tennessee already, two very different kinds of games. Cuonzo is actually “letting them play” this season instead of having his hands on their waistbands all the time. Of course, Bruce Pearl’s Tigers present challenges to Missouri’s defense that Tennessee did not. But Auburn’s defense leaves much to be desired and they are probably a little points-drunk after hanging 109 on five-guard South Carolina on Saturday, a team that couldn’t rebound enough to slow them down. |
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01-26-21 | Dayton +9.5 v. St. Louis | 76-71 | Win | 100 | 5 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Welcome back Saint Louis, finally able to play again. Lucky for them that Dayton has one of the shortest rotations going. If the Flyers could lose to Fordham on the road (and, they did), then they can certainly lose at Saint Louis even though the Billikens spot them lots of recent action. But 10 points to take, when Dayton beat Saint Louis twice last season? That’s something which doesn’t get dangled in front of you every day when the home chalk is at a scheduling disadvantage. Dayton player, on the team’s loss against up-tempo VCU havoc: ‘As bad as it is, it’s over with.’ Yup. New day, can’t wait to get back out there against a foe who’s style is a better matchup for them. |
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01-26-21 | Wizards v. Rockets -3.5 | 88-107 | Win | 100 | 4 h 13 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units You can’t help but feel sorry for Washington players who got good news about Westbrook being out for a week, then the bad news that the games he would miss wouldn’t be played. Naturally, as we warned, he came back as soon as the team was cleared to play again at San Antonio on Sunday, where Westbrook was a team-worst -20 plus-minus in only 25 minutes of action. There’s no way the Rockets will shoot as well as they did when Dallas’ overmatched Cauley-Stein was attempting to guard DeMarcus Cousins over the weekend, right? Well, maybe wrong! Washington’s lack of D could allow Houston to at least approach that high level (54.7%). Both sides have prima donna former-player motivation as Westbrook and Wall play for pride against their former teams. |
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01-26-21 | Oilers v. Jets +100 | 4-6 | Win | 100 | 4 h 51 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Edmonton is 4-9 in their last 13 overall, 2-5 in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest, and 3-8 in their last 11 games as a favorite. While Winnipeg is 4-1 in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest, 4-1 in their last 5 vs. a team with a losing record, and 8-3 in their last 11 home games. In addition, Edmonton is 3-7 in the last 10 meetings. |
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01-25-21 | Senators v. Canucks -140 | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 12 h 24 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Ottawa's arrival provides the Canucks an opportunity to build some momentum. The Senators enter after a 6-3 loss in Winnipeg to kick off a seven-game road swing, in a game in which they held a 3-2 lead going into the third period but surrendered four unanswered goals. They dropped three straight games to the Jets and have lost four consecutive outings since upsetting the Toronto Maple Leafs in their season opener. Consider that Ottawa is 7-20 in their last 27 vs. a team with a losing record. |
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01-25-21 | Thunder v. Blazers -5.5 | 125-122 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Games like last night against the Knicks, and this second of back-to-backs vs. OKC, need to be high-priority games for the Blazers right now and moving forward. Because if they can’t beat relative bums like these while Nurkic and McCollum are out, then they will lose contact with the “body of eight” in the Western Conference, where they entered the weekend 8-6 in sixth place overall. But they are only one (1) game out of ninth, 1.5 games out of eleventh, 2.5 games out of twelfth, 3.5 games out of fourteenth and 4.5 games out of last. Asking Lillard to do too much, too soon in a season, can potentially break him down. And then, you could just hand them a ticket to ride in the clown car with Sacramento. |
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01-25-21 | Texas Tech v. West Virginia -1.5 | Top | 87-88 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 17 m | Show |
NCAAB Play of the Day When he was with VCU, Texas Tech’s 6’7” Marcus Santos-Silva wasn’t playing in the paint against many guys like West Virginia’s 6’10” Derek Culver. Away from that advantage-Mountaineers, West Virginia opponents are making only 29.1% of their three-pointers. Huggins’ fellas came off three postponements to get a good tune-up game under their belt at Kansas State on Saturday. “I thought we were a bit rusty offensively, but defensively we stepped up and played one of our best games of the year,” said guard Miles McBride. He had a big game vs. Tech last season and now the rust has been knocked off. Some of that rust may be transferred to the Red Raiders, who’ve had their last two games postponed. Rust never sleeps. |
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01-25-21 | Oklahoma State -3 v. Iowa State | 81-60 | Win | 100 | 11 h 7 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cowboys were good enough to lead Baylor by 4 points after 20 minutes without Cade Cunningham and Rondel Walker. Iowa State hasn’t played since Jan. 9, owns zero (0) wins against real teams (they have 2, vs. Ark-Pine Bluff and Jackson State). |
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01-25-21 | Utah State -5.5 v. UNLV | 56-59 | Loss | -108 | 9 h 8 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units UNLV’s only wins have been against Kansas State – who gets drilled just about every game -- and New Mexico, who’s also been getting routed as a matter of course and who lost to San Jose State on Saturday. San Jose State! Utah State, they got class at 12-4 and a pair of wins vs. San Diego State. Consider that Utah State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games, 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall, 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite, 8-1 ATS in their last 9 Monday games, and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS loss. |
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01-25-21 | Lakers -10 v. Cavs | Top | 115-108 | Loss | -115 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
NBA Play of the Day The Lakers’ road trip continues with game number three of seven, a home invasion situation for which they were in town yesterday while the Cavaliers were battling in Boston. The Lakers’ current road tally is now 9-0, following up on a strong 2019-20 road season. Cleveland was averaging only 98 points per game until the Nets hit town with the The Three Ball Hogs and the Cavs scored 113 and 125 in regulation. Was that a two-shot deal against defense-less superstars coached by Steve Nash/Mike Dantoni and obsessed with scoring points? The Lakers, despite having Lebron and Lebrow, are more interested in a well-rounded experience. After Anthony Davis snapped out of a recent funk during a 21-point win in his hometown of Chicago (we projected it by 22, sorry for being off), figure Lebron to show up large for his home-area peeps, even if nobody is in the arena. He had 32-14-12 in his re-return to Cleveland in 2018-19, for the 37-45 Lakers team (that was 23-21 at the time, before he got hurt). You see how these guys are operating, right? |
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01-25-21 | Raptors +2.5 v. Pacers | 114-129 | Loss | -109 | 10 h 32 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Indiana Pacers first-year coach Nate Bjorkgren will try to gain a split with his former boss and Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse Monday night when the teams complete a two-game set at Indianapolis. The Raptors won the opener of the back-to-back games 107-102 on Sunday afternoon. The Raptors, who have won five of their past six games, were without Kyle Lowry (infected toe) and Pascal Siakam (left knee swelling). Their status for Monday was uncertain. The Pacers have lost three of their past four games. Consider that Toronto is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog. |
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01-24-21 | Knicks v. Blazers -3.5 | 113-116 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 16 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Portland Trail Blazers received an unexpected but welcome break this week, and figure to be fresh and rejuvenated tonight when they host the New York Knicks. Portland's scheduled games on Wednesday and Friday against Memphis were postponed due to COVID-19 issues for the Grizzlies. So, Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts saw an opening to refine some things in practice and tinker with player rotations. It was certainly well-timed after recent injuries to shooting guard CJ McCollum (foot) and big man Jusuf Nurkic (wrist). Consider that New York is 2-6 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Portland. |
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01-24-21 | Sharks v. Wild -148 | 5-3 | Loss | -148 | 11 h 44 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units After a home-opening victory over San Jose that was much tougher than the score suggests, the Minnesota Wild return to home ice tonight in St. Paul, Minn., with the Sharks looking to find an elusive offense. The Wild captured Friday night's game, 4-1, yet, the outcome was very much in doubt until the Wild scored a pair of empty netters in the final 75 seconds. What's more, Minnesota's starting netminder Cam Talbot left the game with a noncontact injury. Talbot's availability is uncertain for Sunday, although Wild coach Dean Evason said after the game "all indications are it's not serious," and he has Kaapo Kahkonen ready after the 24-year-old Finn made 17 saves on 17 shots in relief, playing the entire second and third periods. Consider that San Jose is 8-18 in their last 26 vs. a team with a winning record and 5-11 in the last 16 meetings in Minnesota. |
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01-24-21 | Predators +101 v. Stars | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Predators were playing for the first time since Monday as the second game of their back-to-back series against Carolina was postponed because the Hurricanes were hit with coronavirus concerns. Now they'll get another shot at the Stars. "It's the challenge of these two-game series that we have (this season)," Predators forward Filip Forsberg said. "It doesn't matter if it's 7-0 or 2-1 at the end. We lost a game, and that's something that we'll look at. I'm sure Coach has got a lot of stuff to run by us ... and we can't get too high, can't get too low. "Obviously the scoreboard looks bad, but at the end of the day, we got zero points and that's all that matters," he continued. "We have to assess that and look at what we did good, look at what we can do better, which is obviously a lot of things, and come back ready to play on Sunday." Predators center Mikael Granlund made his season debut Friday, after a weeklong quarantine and only one practice since returning from his native Finland. He had four shots while playing nearly 18 minutes. Consider that Nashville is 39-14 in their last 53 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game. |
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01-24-21 | Hawks v. Bucks -7 | 115-129 | Win | 100 | 9 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Bucks have won 9 of the 10 meetings since Mike Budenholzer was canned by the Hawks and hired to coach the Bucks. They have all the continuity here, with Atlanta still trying to put the right pieces around Trae Young, who may not even be the right guy to be putting pieces around. Every now and then he erupts for 43 points and the Hawks beat a bad team, and everyone is like, ‘Trae Young! Superstar! Building a Hawks dynasty!’ Then they lose some games before they beat some other lousy opponent with Young scoring a lot, and the call is revived: ‘Trae Young! Awesome! Hawks on the rise!’ Yawn. The Bucks are off two losses; the Hawks are off three wins. It is time for the invisible forces to adjust the direction of their respective destinies |
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01-24-21 | Hornets +1 v. Magic | Top | 107-104 | Win | 100 | 8 h 27 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Play of the Day Quadruple-revenge for last year’s 0-4. We’re going to invent a category. It’s called, “Second Half Scoring Margin, This Year Compared to 2019-20.” The Charlotte Hornets are #1 in the NBA in this category. Last season, they were -4.0 per game in second halves. This season, they are +3.1 The +7.1 points change is the largest positive second half scoring differential change in the league. It’s early, the sample is small (eight road games), but it’s a sign that they are better able to bring it in battle. Their road differential in the second half is actually greater than it’s been on their home floor (+4.2 vs. +1.7). Orlando is a losing foe with the NBA’s worst first-half scoring margin: -6.8 per game. It’s the second game back from injury for 6’11” C Cody Zeller, who’s been with the Hornets since the last year in which they were called the Bobcats (eight years ago), so he must be at least somewhat important. |
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01-24-21 | Bills +3 v. Chiefs | 24-38 | Loss | -104 | 100 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Bills have the pieces to defeat the Chiefs – a dynamic quarterback, a smart, aggressive defense and tremendous coaching from defensive guru Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who turned Allen from an inaccurate passer to an emerging superstar. The Bills finished No. 2 in scoring and yards. Kansas City finished 16th in total defense. The Chiefs may be without veteran cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who suffered a concussion against Cleveland. The Bills have broken several franchise droughts, including winning their first AFC division title and postseason game in 25 years The Chiefs have just been getting by. That’s not going to cut it against Buffalo. |
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01-24-21 | Notre Dame +3.5 v. Miami-FL | 73-59 | Win | 100 | 8 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The down-trending of Notre Dame under Mike Brey seems to coincide with the NCAA shaving time off the shot clock and lengthening the three-point line. If you’re aware of their general style and type of players they tend to recruit, it makes sense that those factors require adjustments in overall philosophy. Why, then, is Notre Dame our side in this spot? Borrow the Syracuse blueprint, Irish. Take your short roster and play 40 minutes of zone defense, praying that the Hurricanes don’t suddenly find the range. Without the zippy Lykes kid to penetrate into the zone, Miami struggles. |
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01-24-21 | Valparaiso v. Illinois State -1 | 70-66 | Loss | -109 | 7 h 25 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Valparaiso is 4-10 ATS in their last 14 Sunday games, 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 road games, and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. While Illinois State is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss. |
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01-24-21 | Bucs +3.5 v. Packers | 31-26 | Win | 100 | 97 h 49 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Packers have proven vulnerable to the run. The Chargers and 49ers in the championship game exploited that last season and the Buccaneers and Colts did it this season. Green Bay is vulnerable, too, when Rodgers is pressured and Adams is limited. The Buccaneers and Panthers in the second half of their game against the Packers demonstrated that. Only two of Green Bay’s 13 regular-season victories were against playoff teams, New Orleans and Tennessee. Thus far the Packers have been able to overcome their weak special teams. Both their punt team and punt return team have been abysmal. Green Bay was second-from-the-bottom in punt returns with a long return of 11 yards. The Packers ranked 30th with a 38.3-yard net punt average, while also giving up a league-high 17.1 yards per punt return. The Packers are deserving of being home chalk, but they have enough vulnerabilities that make them a shaky favorite against this particular opponent. |
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01-24-21 | Fordham +17 v. Rhode Island | 42-52 | Win | 100 | 4 h 60 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units URI is 12-27 ATS in their last 39 Sunday games, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400, and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record. While Fordham is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. In addition the underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. |
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01-24-21 | Western Kentucky v. Middle Tennessee UNDER 138 | Top | 68-52 | Win | 100 | 5 h 1 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NCAAB Total of the Day The under is is 7-1 in Hilltoppers last 8 vs. a team with a losing straight up record and 6-2 in Hilltoppers last 8 road games. While the under is 11-3 in Blue Raiders last 14 overall, 7-2 in Blue Raiders last 9 home games, and 13-5 in Blue Raiders last 18 vs. a team with a winning straight up record. |
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01-24-21 | Raptors +1.5 v. Pacers | 107-102 | Win | 100 | 2 h 19 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Toronto is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog. While Indiana is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. In addition, Toronto is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings and 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Indiana. |
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01-24-21 | Red Wings v. Blackhawks -127 | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 3 h 11 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Chicago has converted 7 of 17 opportunities on the power play entering Sunday's home matinee against the Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks skated to a 4-1 win over the Red Wings on Friday night in the first leg of a back-to-back at the United Center. Kane opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period, while Andrew Shaw added a goal on the man advantage to extend Chicago's lead to 3-0 early in the third. Captain Dylan Larkin thwarted the shutout bid of goaltender Kevin Lankinen, who stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced in his second career start. Consider that Detroit is 11-40 in their last 51 games as a road underdog. |
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01-24-21 | Rutgers v. Indiana -4 | 74-70 | Loss | -110 | 2 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Indiana picked up a much-needed win at No. 4 Iowa by holding the high-scoring Hawkeyes to their lowest point total of the season. The Hoosiers will now look to carry that defensive mindset into this afternoons Big Ten matchup against reeling Rutgers in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana (9-6, 4-4 Big Ten) held Iowa, the Big Ten's top scoring offense at 92.2 points per game entering the game, to 38.1 percent from the field and 21.7 percent (5 of 23) from 3-point range to improve to 1-4 against ranked teams on the season. In beating No. 4 Iowa, Indiana picked up a win against its highest-ranked opponent since knocking off No. 3 North Carolina on Nov. 30, 2016. Consider that Indiana is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. |
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01-23-21 | Senators v. Jets -135 | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 3 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Winnipeg Jets seem to have a found a groove early in the NHL season. Despite one little hiccup -- a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday -- everything seems to be clicking as the Jets head back to Winnipeg for a seven-game homestand. The Jets took two wins from the Ottawa Senators -- 4-1 on Thursday and 4-3 in overtime Tuesday -- with balanced scoring, solid defense and a strong 1-2 punch in goaltending with Laurent Brossoit and Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck got the win Thursday, coming within two minutes, 57 seconds of a shutout. Chris Tierney spoiled his chances for a perfect night. Consider that the Senators are 11-40 in their last 51 games as a road underdog. |
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01-23-21 | Lakers -9 v. Bulls | Top | 101-90 | Win | 100 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit Inter-Conference Play of the Day When the Lakers hosted the Bulls recently, they treated it like a practice and won by 2 points. Tonight, they are in position to perform a home invasion as they were in town yesterday while the Bulls were in Charlotte last night, winning against an opponent that made only 7 of 32 three-point baskets (hey, don’t take it if you can’t make it!). For those who don’t already know: Lakers were the best road team in the NBA last season and are currently 8-0 SU on the road. Off the win at Milwaukee, if they’re looking for “something to play for,” then “continued road dominance” is available. |
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01-23-21 | Nuggets -2.5 v. Suns | 120-112 | Win | 100 | 11 h 39 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units We’ve been hit with a run of bad luck, losing with deserving winners like underdog Detroit Pistons at Atlanta, Charlotte U. at FAU failing in overtime and the Suns -1 last night also failing in overtime (after they led by 14 points at halftime, after which Devin Booker got hurt). These things happen – right side, wrong breaks -- and the ball will bounce our way again. For the Suns, definitely without Booker tonight, the ball may not bounce their way. They wasted Denver star Jamal Murray’s 0-fer from three-point range last night. |
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01-23-21 | Missouri +8 v. Tennessee | Top | 73-64 | Win | 100 | 10 h 26 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit SEC Play of the Day ‘Can you continue to win our ***BEST BETS on you so fine? Tell me, Cuonzo, Cuonzo, Cuonzo!’ After Tennessee won 73-53 at Mizzou in the SEC season opener, many will be hesitant to back the Tigers on the road in the same match-up. But something’s gone amiss with Tennessee since then, and head coach Rick Barnes is so furious lately about lack of effort, lack of little details and leadership that he promises lineup changes (they’re 10-2 but young, so…). While the Vols will no doubt come out breathing fire off the 26-point loss at Florida, Missouri has a margin for error in the line with some Cuonzo adjustments on the way – possibly getting Mr. Tillmon more involved than he was in the first meeting, after which Martin wasn’t all that disappointed with how the team played. Tennessee made a lot of the baskets Missouri asked them to make, at -2 that day. Now the Vols – with point guard Santiago Vescovi playing hurt and another ball-handler, guard Jaden Springer, still out by all accounts – have to win by much at least 9. |
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01-23-21 | Tennessee Tech v. Murray State -13 | Top | 63-72 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit Ohio Valley Conference Play of the Day It usually takes Murray State two seasons to lose five Ohio Valley Conference games but here they are at 2-5 after only seven have been played. All the losses have been close, to opponents that are among the top half of the conference. But the Racers blew away bottom-dweller UT-Martin by 22 points recently and Tennessee Tech is a fellow bottom-dweller. Off Thursday’s latest loss, it’s feeding time for the bottom feeder! Tech’s 72-69 loss at Austin Peay on Thursday night came as their host was short-handed off a program pause. They trailed 27-5 early. If they were a good team, we’d say that the 27-5 was an aberration. But they’re not a good team. Consider that the Racers are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite. |
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01-23-21 | Pelicans -8 v. Wolves | 110-120 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 22 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Stan the Man Van Gundy brings the Pelicans to the end of the line… of their six game, five-city road trip that began on Jan. 11, hasn’t had any back-to-backs, but has produced only one win in six games so far. He did it again – Zion Williamson and Steven Adams both starting, playing 34 and 30 minutes piece, and the entire starting lineup was -15 to -25 in the 11-point loss at Utah. The guy did not adjust after the loss in the first of the two-game series. He can get away with doing the wrong thing against the T’Wolves because the head coach of the 3-11 SU home team – that has scored 96, 97, 96, 98 points in four of its last five games and probably won’t have the oft-absent Towns again -- is worse than him. |
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01-23-21 | Canadiens -142 v. Canucks | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 9 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Montreal Canadiens' Tyler Toffoli was not a member of the Vancouver Canucks long last season, yet he apparently discovered plenty about their weaknesses and vulnerabilities and will try to expose more when the two teams meet Saturday for the third time in four days. Toffoli has scored five goals in two consecutive games against the Canucks on Wednesday and Thursday. His hat trick on Wednesday was wasted in a shootout loss, but his two goals on Thursday put the Canadiens on track for a 7-3 victory. If the matchup between members of the reconfigured North Division does not feel like a playoff series yet, it likely will when they take the ice Saturday, or at least by the time they play each other twice more at Montreal in a little more than a week. The Canadiens have won three of five games this season, but they secured a point in each after falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime of their season opener, as well as falling in the shootout loss this week. They sit atop the division in the early going, while the Canucks sit near the bottom. |
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01-23-21 | Mississippi State +11 v. Alabama | 73-81 | Win | 100 | 8 h 1 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Tide has been just freaking lately with eight straight wins, the last three by a combined 81 points. There will be a drought of some degree to at least slightly offset the aberrational onslaught. You don’t want to be the guy who expects it to come too soon. But on the other hand, you do want to be the guy who projects to come before everybody else. MSU has rim protection up the wazoo with 6’11” Abdul Ado, 6’10” Tolu Smith and 6’9” Javian Davis. It really shouldn’t be easy for the Tide to attack the rim and ramp up the pace |
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01-23-21 | Jacksonville State v. Austin Peay UNDER 140.5 | Top | 76-70 | Loss | -110 | 4 h 30 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit CBB Total of the Day The under is 5-1 in Gamecocks last 6 games as an underdog, 11-4 in Gamecocks last 15 Saturday games, 5-2 in Gamecocks last 7 games as a road underdog. While the under is 16-5-1 in Governors last 22 overall, 6-2-1 in Governors last 9 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, and 18-7-1 in Governors last 26 games following a ATS loss. |
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01-23-21 | Duke v. Louisville -3 | Top | 65-70 | Win | 100 | 6 h 5 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit CBB Blowout of the Day Look, things are tough all over the nation but look on the bright side. It’s late January, Duke is unranked, 1-8 ATS, Coach K is already on record as wanting to bail, and they’ve lost two in a row leading into this third straight road game against what is probably the best opponent of the trio. Without the home rout against Bellarmine, Duke would basically have a 73-73 PF/PA average. They’ve lost their one match-up with Louisville in each of the last two season, by 6 points at home last year. Louisville is angried up off two losses, most recently to a Florida State team that has had its number big-time the last few seasons – no big deal there. |
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01-23-21 | Lightning -160 v. Blue Jackets | 2-5 | Loss | -160 | 3 h 16 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning are heading in opposite directions as their two-game Central Division series prepares to end. The Lightning won for the third time in three games with a 3-2 overtime victory on Thursday. The two sides meet Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio to conclude what would be expected to be another slugfest of hard knocks, short-tempered, edgy play and strong goaltending. While the Blue Jackets -- winners just once in five games and on the losing side of consecutive overtime decisions -- could have been wondering what happened against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, most of the attention turned to one Columbus player: Pierre-Luc Dubois. The top-line center has found his way into coach John Tortorella's doghouse, so much so that the Dubois problem has become a major issue within the organization and may necessitate a trade of the third overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Both Tortorella and Dubois said Friday that his playing status for Saturday was unknown. Consider that the favorite is 20-8 in the last 28 meetings. |
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01-23-21 | Weber State v. Southern Utah +1 | 72-77 | Win | 100 | 4 h 10 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units “We just had a lid on the rim early, and I think that affected our defense and we were just flat,” explained visiting head coach Todd Simon after losing 91-67 here on Thursday. SUU trailed 28-9, then 47-27 at halftime. Their record had been 10-2 when they arrived, so you have to think that they can regroup and rebound as they switch sites 288 miles north to their home floor, right? |
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01-23-21 | Kansas v. Oklahoma +1.5 | 68-75 | Win | 100 | 2 h 13 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Kansas has lost two straight. Therefore, many in the wagering world will be all over them to avoid losing a third consecutive game. Kooky quote from Bill Self: “Saturday’s game’s important, but it’s kind of crap. You lose two in a row and the sky’s falling because there wasn’t a home game in between that you could make sure that didn’t happen.” Interesting. We didn’t know home wins were guaranteed. Anyway, despite playing without senior forward Brady Manek, who is 6’10” but can step outside and knock down three-pointers to help mess up opposing defenses, and also without freshman guard Jalen Hill (16.6 minutes per game), the Sooners held up rather well at KU on Jan. 9, losing 63-59. Manek and Hill returned for their last game and didn’t need to get involved much for the Sooners to beat TCU by 26 points. |
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01-22-21 | Nuggets v. Suns -2 | Top | 130-126 | Loss | -104 | 10 h 46 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit NBA Play of the Day Suns won in Denver on the second of back-to-back nights on the road Jan. 1, off a win in Utah the night before, when Denver had no games the prior two nights and was coming off a loss. In other words, the Suns were wearing ankle weights, playing with less air in their lungs and less gas in the tank than usual, taking the worst of the “motivational” situation, yet were still able to take care of business in this match-up. Denver continues to be overrated, 5-9 ATS. At 7-7, they really don’t have an impressive win among the seven. |
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01-22-21 | Heat v. Raptors -3 | 81-101 | Win | 100 | 7 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Toronto Raptors are not sure whether they will have All-Star Pascal Siakam in the lineup Friday night at their temporary home in Tampa, Fla., when they complete a two-game set against the Miami Heat. Siakam took an awkward fall on a dunk late in the first quarter of the 111-102 loss to the undermanned Heat on Wednesday night and left the game. He returned in the second quarter and finished with 18 points. He did not practice Thursday and his status was uncertain for Friday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Raptors, who will complete a five-game stretch of home games on Friday. Consider that Miami is 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game, and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win. |
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01-22-21 | Rangers v. Penguins -138 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units New York can shift its concerns to other areas, such as scoring. The Rangers have logged eight goals, and same number they have given up in winning one of their first three games. Fingers could point in various directions, but it stands out that center Ryan Strome has yet to record a point and registered just six shots this season. He had a career-high 59 points (18 goals, 41 assists) in 70 games in 2019-20. "(Strome) is still trying to find his game," Quinn said. "He's not happy with the way things have gone in these three games, but, obviously, we need him at the top of his game if we're going to have a chance." Alexis Lafreniere, the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has yet to notch a point and had only two short shifts over the second half of the third period Tuesday. Consider New York is 7-15 in the last 22 meetings. |
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01-22-21 | Rockets v. Pistons -3 | 103-102 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 51 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Bad luck losing Pistons plus the points at Atlanta in OT the other night. Whaddya’ gonna do? Houston’s three-point attempt rate of 35.2% in their home loss vs. Phoenix the other night (third straight "L" since celebrating Harden’s departure with a win) was their lowest of the season. John Wall and Danuel House remain out for the Rockets. Houston head coach Steven Silas: "We’re dealing with a lot of different things. But mainly without those guys it’s stagger minutes and try to figure it all out." Hopefully, they won’t figure it out until at least one day from now. "Houston off a straight-up loss" is 30-44-1 ATS the last two-plus seasons (worst in the NBA), could get worse under current conditions. |
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01-22-21 | Detroit +1 v. Oakland | 81-86 | Loss | -104 | 8 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Detroit is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games, 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a losing home record, 9-3 ATS in their last 12 Friday games, 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of less than .400, and 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog. In addition, the road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings. |
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01-22-21 | Charlotte +1.5 v. Florida Atlantic | 53-66 | Loss | -108 | 8 h 31 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Mismatch of the Day The visitor has won the last three meetings, one of them taking place as they were a 2-16 team in C-USA in 2018-19. The pack-line defense they are playing rather well in low possession games is in stark contrast to the no-defense played by the up-tempo opponent that FAU swept last weekend, Florida International. FAU is one of the best underdogs in college hoops over the last two-plus seasons. Unless our calculations are way off, they’ll be favored on their home floor. They scored 107 points in their last game. What went up must come down. |
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01-22-21 | Charlotte v. Florida Atlantic OVER 126.5 | Top | 53-66 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 25 m | Show |
CBB Play of the Day The over is 12-3 in 49ers last 15 games as a road underdog, 12-3 in 49ers last 15 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, 6-2 in 49ers last 8 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600, and 7-3 in 49ers last 10 games following a ATS win. While the over is 4-0 in Owls last 4 games as a favorite, 6-1 in Owls last 7 overall, and 5-1 in Owls last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. |
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01-22-21 | Wright State v. IUPU-Indianapolis +13 | 95-65 | Loss | -109 | 3 h 50 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units IUPUI is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. While Wright State is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games following three or more consecutive home games, 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win. |
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01-21-21 | Colorado State v. Utah State -8 | 84-76 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 19 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The host Aggies are 9-0 atop the Mountain West and beat CSU 83-64 on Wednesday night. These visiting Rams tend to fall way behind in the first half – not the worst thing when taking a lot of points, but not the best, either! Utah State has really drilled each and every foe in this situation: second game in three nights – beat San Jose State by 27, Air Force by 19, New Mexico by 36, San Diego State by 15. |
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01-21-21 | Knicks +5 v. Warriors | 119-104 | Win | 100 | 6 h 15 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Knicks won in OT here last year. They hit town yesterday before the Warriors came out to play vs. the Spurs, which makes this a second back-to-backs and third game in four nights for the home side. Nobody played more minutes than Curry, Wiseman and Oubre’s 31 apiece last night when the Warriors jumped on the Spurs early. But the Knicks, despite being the Knicks, probably won’t shoot 4-for-33 from three point range like the Spurs did… especially if Alec Burks – a Warrior last year – maintains his current 66.7% three-point shooting in the three games he’s played for New York. He returns from an injury tonight after not playing since Dec. 27. The Warriors won their only home second of back-to-backs by 31 points but that’s one heck of a short sample, is it not? Before last night, their starting lineup of Curry, Oubre, Wiggins, Green and Wiseman had a Plus-Minus of -45. |
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01-21-21 | Pacific +3.5 v. Pepperdine | 68-85 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Damon Stoudamire to Romar: ‘I… own… you.’ Six straight wins for the visiting Tigers since Romar took over Pepperdine in 2018. The Waves recently got away with shooting 6-for-25 (24.0%) on threes and turning it over 16 times beating Portland by 15 points on this floor but Pacific will defend the paint better and won’t allow the 5-for-8 and 8-for-11 two-point shooting that Pepperdine forwards Kessler Edwards and Kene Chukwuka enjoyed in that match-up. Portland played that game against Pepperdine without five players who didn’t make the trip, including leading scorer Ahmed Ali. |
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01-21-21 | Indiana v. Iowa -9.5 | 81-69 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 14 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The nation’s #1 offensive-efficiency team, with an array of pretty good three-point shooters, is on its home floor against the team allowing the highest percentage of opposing three-point field goals in Big Ten play. Could get ugly for Indiana. |
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01-21-21 | Arizona -2.5 v. Arizona State | Top | 84-82 | Loss | -107 | 5 h 7 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit PAC-12 Play of the Day ASU is 1-9 ATS. There’s a reason we call them Hurley’s girlies. One of the most expectation-laden teams, every year, which can’t even win consistently in a conference that hasn’t been what it used to be for a while. The visiting Wildcats can’t play in the post-season this year, which should put an even greater emphasis on dealing with the rivalry games. Having last Saturday’s Oregon game postponed gave Sean Miller and staff extra time to get home and get ready, while ASU was stuck up in Corvallis, OR over the weekend losing another one. Although it was excusable to lose to USC and UCLA home, and even OSU on the road, remember that ASU lost by 13 points vs. UTEP in their final game before Pac 12 season began. |
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01-21-21 | St. Mary's v. Loyola Marymount +2.5 | 65-61 | Loss | -106 | 5 h 51 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Saint Mary’s should have been struggling like they are now when they were playing with recruiting limitations via NCAA sanctions that stretched from 2014 through 2018. But, better late than never. We saw it coming during their non-conference cupcake slate in which they rolled to a fake 9-2, one of the losses 74-49 to San Diego State, the only real team they played (unless you count Memphis, who beat them 73-56 for the other loss). They’ve opened up WCC season losing 66-64 to Santa Clara, 62-52 to BYU, 73-59 to Gonzaga. They’re like Kentucky – slowing the game down to make up for lack of scoring and trying to lead with defense, but at some point ya’ gotta make baskets. |
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01-21-21 | Lakers +2 v. Bucks | 113-106 | Win | 100 | 4 h 3 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The last time the Lakers played the Bucks, it was as the fifth and final game of a road trip last December, after they’d won the first three and guaranteed themselves a winning trip. They trailed 65-46 at halftime, understandable given the situation. But they “won” the second half 58-46, not bad given the situation. The set-up for this is different: first game of a seven-game road trip, off a Martin Luther King Day loss (they always lose on Martin Luther King Day; it’s a Laker tradition). Low-man help defense was a focus in L.A. practice for this. Opponent-specific practice is a thing that NBA teams don’t get much time for during the season. The Lakers are 7-0 SU on the road so far. |
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01-21-21 | SE Missouri State v. Morehead State -5.5 | 65-76 | Win | 100 | 4 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units If you love being on a side that allows only 59.8 ppg and is facing an opponent averaging the fewest points per game in the conference (65.3), then there’s nothing wrong with desiring Morehead. |
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01-20-21 | Suns v. Rockets +6 | 109-103 | Push | 0 | 10 h 16 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Houston Rockets still are not whole, and with one dozen of their 72-game schedule in the books, it's becoming easier to wonder if they will find their footing and salvage their season. The newest member of the Rockets was preaching patience following a 125-120 loss at the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Victor Oladipo predicting fairer skies ahead following his 32-point, five-rebound, nine-assist debut in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that sent All-NBA guard James Harden to Brooklyn and landed Oladipo on a makeshift roster in Houston. Suns coach Monty Williams described the time off Phoenix had between its blowout loss at the Washington Wizards on Jan. 11 and its 108-104 setback at the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday as a delay in the process of acclimation, with multiple health and safety protocol postponements putting the Suns "in a bit of a bind." Consider that Phoenix is 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record. |
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01-20-21 | Sharks v. Blues -180 | 2-1 | Loss | -180 | 10 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Blues' scoring has been balanced, with 16 players earning at least one point through the first three games. Faulk scored twice Monday while assuming more responsibility after Alex Pietrangelo's departure via free agency in the offseason. Winger Mike Hoffman, who signed as a free agent shortly before the season, scored his first goal for St. Louis. The Blues wooed him to replace the offense of Vladimir Tarasenko, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Berube welcomed the production from Faulk and Hoffman. The Blues are expected to start Jordan Binnington (2-1, 3.38 goals-against average) in goal again. The Sharks are likely to go back to Martin Jones (1-1, 4.34) after Devan Dubnyk allowed five goals Monday. Consider that San Jose is 5-12 in their last 17 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game. |
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01-20-21 | Tulsa v. Houston OVER 124 | 59-86 | Win | 100 | 10 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units All the elements were there noting a performance worth lauding, and Houston's dismantling of visiting UCF on Sunday provided a showcase of the Cougars' excellence. However, as evidence of how high the bar has been raised for the No. 8 Cougars, there was plenty to assess regarding how they could improve upon their near-perfect first half. The Cougars carried a 45-19 lead to the break after knocking down 6 of 14 3-point attempts and grabbing seven steals. Ultimately, the Cougars rolled to their fourth consecutive win, a 75-58 decision that Houston (11-1, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) will use as a springboard for its rematch against visiting Tulsa on Wednesday. The Golden Hurricane handed the Cougars their lone loss of the season, prevailing 65-64 on Dec. 29 in Tulsa. As for the Cougars' win over UCF, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said, "Teachers are always looking for teaching moments, and we had plenty. A lot of good moments, too. If you listen to me .. you'd think we lost. But I'm pretty sure we won, right?" Individually and collectively, the Cougars provided glimpses of what makes them formidable. They forced 20 turnovers and converted those miscues into 22 points, grabbed 17 offensive rebounds that resulted in 14 second-chance points, and limited UCF to 4-of-19 3-point shooting. Houston's Quentin Grimes scored 18 points, essentially matching his team-leading average of 17.8, while Justin Gorham added 15 point and nine rebounds. |
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01-20-21 | Tulsa v. Houston -12 | 59-86 | Win | 100 | 4 h 12 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units All the elements were there noting a performance worth lauding, and Houston's dismantling of visiting UCF on Sunday provided a showcase of the Cougars' excellence. However, as evidence of how high the bar has been raised for the No. 8 Cougars, there was plenty to assess regarding how they could improve upon their near-perfect first half. The Cougars carried a 45-19 lead to the break after knocking down 6 of 14 3-point attempts and grabbing seven steals. Ultimately, the Cougars rolled to their fourth consecutive win, a 75-58 decision that Houston (11-1, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) will use as a springboard for its rematch against visiting Tulsa. Consider Houston is 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. While the favorite is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings and 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. |
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01-20-21 | Pistons +5 v. Hawks | 115-123 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 24 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Hawks had a get-well game against Minnesota on Monday, but they didn’t hit their scoring average in victory (108 vs. 111), against the team giving up the fourth-most points per game in the NBA (118.7). Atlanta has still lost more games outright as a favorite than they’ve won, the last two-plus seasons. Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose were out for the Pistons when they lost 128-120 on this floor in the third game of the season. They’re back. They’re useful veterans. |