Knicks 2H -2 (+103) - 1x
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12/10
Pistons +6 (-107) - 1x
Pistons ml (+220) - 0.5x
Pound for pound I don't think there is much separating these two teams. Pistons got off to bad start because of a brutal schedule and have been playing better team ball of late. Sixers have no depth and no interior defense.Comment -
Raptors +3.5 (-105) - 1x
Kings +6 (-105) - 1x
The Blazers already have no depth and now Batum is out and Matthews will be hobbled. The Raps need a win bad and I think they get it here.
I think the Mavs come back to earth a bit here. Terrible spot with one home game in between two road trips. Kings been playing slightly better as they seem to be getting a rotation going with all their random parts. Six points is too much in this spot for the Mavs to lay.Last edited by celtics3388; 12-10-12, 03:51 PM.Comment -
12/12
Grizzlies/Suns u195 (-103) - 1.5x
Phoenix plays much tougher defense when they are at home... they have allowed more than 100 points in regulation in only 2 of their 10 home games this year. Memphis is getting back to their grind-it-out style after playing a more wide open style over the first 10 or so games of the year. The Suns are also struggling to score of late as they can't seem to find a consistent rotationComment -
Cavs +8 (-107) - 1x
Really don't think the Pacers deserve to be laying 8 right now. The Cavs have Kyrie back who I think is worth a significant amount of points given that he always has the ball in his hands and the Cavs don't have anyone that can at least somewhat replace what he does for this team. His presence affects a line as much as any one player in the NBA at this point. It's seemingly a good spot for Indy coming off 2 losses and rest but I think this line has already accounted for that factor. I'm hoping Cleveland can carry their emotion through to tonight's game similar to Orlando when they beat LAL and then went into GSW the next night and won again. Indy struggles to score. Tough to cover spreads when you can't consistently put the ball in the bucket. They need a real PG bad cause they have scorers but just no one to set them up.Last edited by celtics3388; 12-12-12, 01:44 PM.Comment -
May also take HOU tonight but waiting for 10. Any decently explosive team can blow out the Wiz if they feel like it. This seems like spot for that to happen with Houston coming off 3 losses and possibly questioning themselves. Wiz also off a back-to-back and it looks like Harden is a go for Houston.Comment -
Doesn't look like its going to 10
Rockets-10.5 (-108) - 1xComment -
Nets 2H -8 (+135) - 0.5xComment -
12/14
Lakers/Wiz u199.5 (-102) - 1xComment -
Pistons/Nets u191 (-107) - 1xComment -
Jazz/Suns u201 (-108) - 1xComment -
Jazz -1.5 (-108) - 1x
Nuggets -1 (+102) - 1.5xComment -
The Wizards are a very bad offensive basketball team. They are last by a wide margin in Offensive Efficiency, per Hollinger's ratings. Teams don't even guard them and they still can't manage to shoot a decent percentage. I watched the entire Rockets game the other night and the Rockets wouldn't even bother contesting wide open jumpers of 18+ feet. The Lakers have obviously been a terrible defensive team this season but with all this heat on them I expect them to bring a better defensive effort tonight and there is no better matchup than the Wiz. It's not like they don't have any guys who can play D, it's just a matter of effort with this team. I think they buckle down and shut down the Wiz at least in the second half when they have to. Offensively I really don't see why the Lakers have been putting up so many points. Outside of Kobe, they really don't have too many guys who can consistently score - and with the type of scorer Kobe is, other people end up standing around and aren't involved which makes it tough to get into a rhythm. I'm thinking the Lakers come away with a W tonight in a pretty ugly game.
These teams rank 22nd (DET) and 29th (BK) in Pace this season, per Hollinger's ratings. Detroit has put up some poor offensive performances on the road this year and Brooklyn plays some solid D at home. Looks like Lopez is back for this one which to be honest I'm not thrilled about. He's not much of a defensive player even at full stength and he'll probably be a bit slower tonight battling his foot injury. Offensively, I think he helps them a lot giving them a 3rd scoring option. But in general, the Nets are a one-on-one team that takes their time getting into their offensive sets which often end up in contested 3's and rushed shots at the end of the shot clock which plays well for the under. Not like Detroit is a juggeraut offensively either.
Somewhat similar cap here as the MEM/PHX game the other night where I also took the under. The Suns play much better defense at home (only 2 games allowing over 100pts in regulation out of 11 this year) and are also struggling to find an offensive identity. As everyone knows the Jazz are much better team at home (both offensively and defensively to be fair) so I don't expect their hot shooting to continue like it has the past couple games. I'm thinking this one is a fairly ugly affair with a lot of missed 3's but mostly I am making this play because I don't agree with the public perception that the Suns play high-scoring games at home.
Jazz -1.5 - The Suns are a poor basketball team. A bunch of random parts put together that just really don't fit. Kind of like a less athletic version the Kings. The Jazz on the other hand are playing good ball. They are starting to get healthy with Favors coming back and Mo Williams looking better. I understand it's not a great spot for them coming off the Spurs win with Memphis the next night but I don't think it will take their best effort to come a way with a victory here tonight.
Nugs -1 - I think Memphis is a bit overrated after their fast start. If you look at their body of work over the past 10 games or so they have been a pretty average to slightly above average team yet they are still getting the respect of a top team by the oddsmakers. On the other hand the Nugs have played a brutal schedule - been on the road basically the whole season. When they have been home they are undefeated with the exception of a loss to the Heat. Memphis has been scuffling somewhat offensively after their hot shooting start to the year and I don't think playing in the altitude will help them find their stroke.Comment -
Sixers/Pacers u181.5 (-103) - 0.5xComment -
T'Wolves/Hornets 2H u92 (-110) - 0.5xComment -
OT again on an under..Comment -
Updated Record:
71-71-1, +5.14 unitsComment -
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I'm rolling with the under in a game involving the Wizards again. They are the least efficient offense in the league by a wide margin, per Hollinger's stats. They are also middle of the pack in defensively efficiency. Miami has been playing lower scoring games of late, and I expect a much better defensive effort from Miami this time around after giving up 105 points in their last meeting in Washington.
The Jazz have the worst interior defense in the league. Big Al is an awful defender when healthy and even worse with this back problem he is playing with. And Memphis is a team that can exploit that deficiency with their interior scoring of Randolph, Gasol, and Gay. Memphis struggled last night with the defensive activity of Faried and McGee but should find things much easier tonight. Both teams are off losses and are on a b2b so no edge there either way. Utah obviously with the advantage of being at home but I think Memphis is the mentally tougher team and will gut this one out on the road.Comment -
12/16
Raptors +4 (-102) - 1xComment -
Blazers -4.5 (-108) - 1xComment -
You did good with craptors... I'll take blazers
BOL!Comment -
The Blazers looked terrible by the end of that long road trip and it carried over to their first game back at home but they are starting to play better ball now that are comfortably back home. Batum looks healthier as well. I think it is a tall task for New Orleans to travel to Portland and make it a game tonight. They are a bad shooting team and even when they shot 53% at home the other night, they still fell to Minnesota by 11 points. New Orleans is ranked 29th in defensive efficiency, per Hollinger's ratings - which should help Portland (a jumpshooting team) get some much needed easy buckets.Comment -
12/17
Twolves -3.5 (-107) - 1xComment -
Thunder -5 (-108) - 1xComment -
I like the improvement I see from the Wolves this year. I was very impressed with what they were able to accomplish early in the year by hovering around .500 with Love, Rubio, Budinger all out and Pekovic a little banged up. That makes me think this team has depth and can pick each other up if one or two guys are having off nights. More importantly, they are playing better defense. Now that Love has been back for awhile and they are slowly implementing Rubio back into the mix, I expect them to be a playoff team out of the West. On the other side, I'm not a big believer in the Magic. I think they have overachieved a bit. I don't really see anyone on that team that can consistently score 1-on-1 or anyone who can get to the cup on a regular basis. They are a jumpshooting team with decent perimeter defense but no one who can really defend the rim. Also, I rate their home-court edge as lower than most teams as they don't seem to get much of a lift from their crowd.
The Spurs seem a little tired to me. They have played a ton of road games and this is their 4th game in 6 days. OKC has only played 3 times in the past 8 days. I think both teams will be motivated and we'll see both teams' best efforts so motivation is not a factor. But OKC is much better at home as they involve more players offensively (on the road KD and Westbrook tend to try and do it themselves). I also think the Spurs will wear down a bit at the end of the game (similar to what happened at Portland when we all thought they would pull off the comeback). It's tough to lay 5 with anyone versus San Antonio but I think OKC makes a statement tonight.Comment -
Kings +7 (-109) - 1x
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12/18
Celtics +1.5 (-105) - 1xComment -
Raptors/Cavs u189.5 (-107) - 2xComment -
I'm not a huge fan of this Bulls team in normal circumstances. Tonight they are playing their 3rd game in 4 days including playing a slugfest in Memphis last night. This team lacks depth, and even if they had depth Thibodeau insists on running his starters into the ground during the regular season. No one tries harder than the Bulls in the regular season, yet they are still a mediocre team. The Celtics do have deficiencies of their own. They are by far the worst rebounding team in the league and they lack the interior defense that they've had in the past. But they are coming off of two losses and two days of rest, which is typically a spot where we see the Celtics bounce back. I'm 0-2 betting my Celtics this year, but this is a great spot for them and although it sounds weird to say with the defensive-minded Celtics teams over the past few years, I think they are able to outscore the tired Bulls tonight.
The Raptors are different defensive team without Bargnani out there standing around. They are getting back to the way they played last year when he was out for most of the year. Also, the Cavs don't have a lot going for them outside of Irving. CJ Miles has been hot of late but is a wildy inconsistent player and their second leading scoring is Varejao - a guy known for his defense. They are capable of going cold for long stretches of time - particularly in the second half of games. The Raptors aren't known for their offense and are missing 2 of their top 3 scoring options. I'm a conservative bettor so 2x is a big play for me, I think all signs point to the under.Comment -
Celtics 2H -1 (-110) - 1xComment -
Hornets +7.5 (-106) - 1xComment -
12/18
Hornets +13.5 (-107) - 1x
Hornets ml (+1225) - 0.25xComment
