<TABLE borderColor=#cccc99 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=3 width=540 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dec 19, 2008 [/FONT]</TD><TD align=middle bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]9 days
7:20 [/FONT]</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Stan Lisowski [/FONT]</TD><TD align=left bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NBA: 5* NBA Game Of The Month: 5* Boston (-12) 7:35est 3* Denver (-1) 10:35est [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dec 19, 2008 [/FONT]</TD><TD align=middle bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]9 days
7:20 [/FONT]</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Triple Crown Sports [/FONT]</TD><TD align=left bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NBA: 5* Knicks (-3.5) over Bucks 7:35 EST 4* Cavs (+1) over Denver 9:05 EST 3* Dallas / New Jersey (Over 198.5) 7:35 EST 3* Memphis (-2.5) over Charlotte 8:05 EST CBB: 3* Marquette -17 W Carolina 8:30 EST [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
7:20 [/FONT]</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Stan Lisowski [/FONT]</TD><TD align=left bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NBA: 5* NBA Game Of The Month: 5* Boston (-12) 7:35est 3* Denver (-1) 10:35est [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dec 19, 2008 [/FONT]</TD><TD align=middle bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]9 days
7:20 [/FONT]</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Triple Crown Sports [/FONT]</TD><TD align=left bgColor=#eeeeee>[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NBA: 5* Knicks (-3.5) over Bucks 7:35 EST 4* Cavs (+1) over Denver 9:05 EST 3* Dallas / New Jersey (Over 198.5) 7:35 EST 3* Memphis (-2.5) over Charlotte 8:05 EST CBB: 3* Marquette -17 W Carolina 8:30 EST [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Info Plays
3* on New Orleans -1
Reasons why New Orleans covers the spread Friday
1.) New Orleans lost last year’s meeting in this in-state rivalry, so you can bet they will be looking for payback. LA-Monroe is down this season, so payback shouldn’t be a problem here. After posting a 10-21 record last season, LA-Monroe is off to an atrocious 2-7 start. They haven’t even been completive lately, either.
2.) LA-Monroe is 0-5 in their last 5 games, scoring just 59.4 PPG and yielding 81.4 PPG. That means they are getting outscored by 22.0 PPG and those numbers are the reason New Orleans is showing so much value tonight as the road favorite. New Orleans has won their last 2 road games and they will be hungry to get a little payback on the road this season against their rivals to cap off a third-straight road win.
3.) System Play. We’ll Play Against - A home team (LA-MONROE) - off a road loss by 10 points or more against opponent off an road win scoring 85 or more points. This is a 41-14 ATS System hitting 74.5% over the last 5 seasons. We’ll also Play On - A road team (NEW ORLEANS) - off an road win scoring 85 or more points, playing only their 3rd game in a week. This is a 45-17 ATS System hitting 72.6% over the last 5 seasons. New Orleans is playing solid basketball right now, while LA-Monroe has to be lacking confidence after getting blown out in 5 consecutive games. LA-Monroe is 1-11 ATS off a road loss over the last 2 seasons. LA-Monroe is 0-9 ATS off a road loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons. Traditionally, this team has had a hard time bouncing back after a road loss. Bet New Orleans on the road.
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3* on New Orleans -1
Reasons why New Orleans covers the spread Friday
1.) New Orleans lost last year’s meeting in this in-state rivalry, so you can bet they will be looking for payback. LA-Monroe is down this season, so payback shouldn’t be a problem here. After posting a 10-21 record last season, LA-Monroe is off to an atrocious 2-7 start. They haven’t even been completive lately, either.
2.) LA-Monroe is 0-5 in their last 5 games, scoring just 59.4 PPG and yielding 81.4 PPG. That means they are getting outscored by 22.0 PPG and those numbers are the reason New Orleans is showing so much value tonight as the road favorite. New Orleans has won their last 2 road games and they will be hungry to get a little payback on the road this season against their rivals to cap off a third-straight road win.
3.) System Play. We’ll Play Against - A home team (LA-MONROE) - off a road loss by 10 points or more against opponent off an road win scoring 85 or more points. This is a 41-14 ATS System hitting 74.5% over the last 5 seasons. We’ll also Play On - A road team (NEW ORLEANS) - off an road win scoring 85 or more points, playing only their 3rd game in a week. This is a 45-17 ATS System hitting 72.6% over the last 5 seasons. New Orleans is playing solid basketball right now, while LA-Monroe has to be lacking confidence after getting blown out in 5 consecutive games. LA-Monroe is 1-11 ATS off a road loss over the last 2 seasons. LA-Monroe is 0-9 ATS off a road loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons. Traditionally, this team has had a hard time bouncing back after a road loss. Bet New Orleans on the road.
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Mark Lawrence
Marc Lawrence NBA Fan Appreciation Play!:
Play On: Denver Nuggets
Note: What a difference Chauncey Billups makes for Denver! Since shedding the selfish moves of Allen Iverson in exchange for Billups the Nuggets have new life. That’s evidenced by their climb in the standings. Tonight they will look to avenge a 110-99 defeat suffered at the ‘Q’ in Cleveland earlier this season and we like their chances. The Cavs recent winning run keeps this game affordable. With C Zydrunas Ilgauskas in and out of the lineup with injuries and the Cavs in the 3rd of a 4-game road trip, off a 23-point win over the Timberwolves, look for Denver to improve to 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS in this series and to 14-3 SU and ATS on Fridays here tonight.
Marc Lawrence NBA Super Pick Super Play! - Friday:
Play On: Miami Heat
Note: Miami hosts the Lakers Friday night in a nice scheduling spot for the Heat. For openers they catch Los Angeles in the first game of this East Coast road swing off a 2-point home win on Tuesday with too much time on their hands in South Beach. That's never served the Lakers well as they are 5-8 SU and 4-9 ATS in Miami with rest including 1-6 ATS when the Heat is off a loss. With Miami off three double-digit losses in a row, look for the Heat to improve to 12-6 ATS in this role as a dog here tonight.
Marc Lawrence NBA Fan Appreciation Play!:
Play On: Denver Nuggets
Note: What a difference Chauncey Billups makes for Denver! Since shedding the selfish moves of Allen Iverson in exchange for Billups the Nuggets have new life. That’s evidenced by their climb in the standings. Tonight they will look to avenge a 110-99 defeat suffered at the ‘Q’ in Cleveland earlier this season and we like their chances. The Cavs recent winning run keeps this game affordable. With C Zydrunas Ilgauskas in and out of the lineup with injuries and the Cavs in the 3rd of a 4-game road trip, off a 23-point win over the Timberwolves, look for Denver to improve to 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS in this series and to 14-3 SU and ATS on Fridays here tonight.
Marc Lawrence NBA Super Pick Super Play! - Friday:
Play On: Miami Heat
Note: Miami hosts the Lakers Friday night in a nice scheduling spot for the Heat. For openers they catch Los Angeles in the first game of this East Coast road swing off a 2-point home win on Tuesday with too much time on their hands in South Beach. That's never served the Lakers well as they are 5-8 SU and 4-9 ATS in Miami with rest including 1-6 ATS when the Heat is off a loss. With Miami off three double-digit losses in a row, look for the Heat to improve to 12-6 ATS in this role as a dog here tonight.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets Dec 19 2008 10:30PM
PICK: Denver Nuggets
Your pick was graded at: Belmont
EXPERT: Stephen Nover
TITLE: Game of the Week
EVALUATION: Play Not Evaluated.
REASON FOR PICK: LeBron James is having another MVP-type season and the Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the NBA so far.
But this is Denver's spot to shine. The Nuggets have been off since Tuesday when they lost at Houston. The Nuggets are eager to atone for that defeat. Prior to that loss, Denver had been averaging more than 110 points during their past 10 games, while winning by an average victory margin of more than 16 points.
The Nuggets have become a much improved team since acquiring Chauncey Billups going 16-5. They have yet to lose back-to-back games since Billups joined the team.
Cleveland is 2-4 on the road against teams with a winning record. This is Cleveland's third consecutive road game. The Cavaliers have won only once at the Pepsi Center during the LeBron James era. They were blown out during their two previous visits.
The Cavaliers are playing short-handed missing center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and reserve guard Daniel Gibson.
Memphis at South Florida Dec 20 2008 4:30PM
PICK: Memphis
Your pick was graded at: 12 betED
EXPERT: Ted Sevransky
TITLE: Saturday's Bowl Bash
EVALUATION: Play Not Evaluated.
REASON FOR PICK: Double digit favorites have been an absolute disaster for bettors to support in early bowl games. The only reason that these teams are favored by this type of a margin to begin with is because of their pre-season expectations; expectations that they clearly did not live up to. South Florida is a classic example of one such team. The Bulls entered the season as a dark horse national title contender. At a minimum, Jim Leavitt’s team was expected to compete for the Big East crown. Instead, they disappointed their supporters all year long, finishing with a 2-5 mark in conference play. Their signature victory for the season came back in September, a three point, come-from-behind win against a Kansas squad that didn’t live up to expectations either. The Bulls won only twice all year by double digit margins – beating 3-9 Syracuse at home, and dominating NC State in a game where the Wolfpack were without their starting quarterback.
Junior quarterback Matt Grothe has not really improved since his freshman year, with a lower QB rating as both a sophomore and a junior as he had in his first year as the starter. Grothe is prone to both interceptions and fumbles – turnovers were a problem for the Bulls this year. No running back on the team gained even 400 yards – Grothe was the leading rusher as well. None of Grothe’s receivers developed into a ‘go-to’ pass catcher, with Jessie Hester’s 557 receiving yards and Taurus Johnson’s five receiving touchdowns leading the team in both categories. The Bulls ranked in the middle of the NCAA pack in both rushing and passing offense. This is not a team that consistently puts up points in bunches, and it’s very difficult to win bowl games by double digit margins without an offense that is capable of exploding.
The location and situation surrounding this bowl game does not favor South Florida one iota. They closed the season on a 1-4 SU run, watching their chances at a bigger and better bowl game slip away, week by week. Normally, a home state game is a positive factor. In this game, the prospect of sleeping in their own beds during bowl season is not a good one, particularly for a game that nobody, from the coaching staff on down, seems to be particularly excited about. Expect a lethargic effort from the ‘home’ team here.
Memphis is no juggernaut, but they are certainly capable of competing, which is all we can ask for out of our double digit underdogs. The Tigers have been running the football effectively, averaging nearly than 300 yards per game on the ground over their final four contests. QB Arkelon Hall is fully healthy after missing a few games in early November. Five different receivers caught at least 28 passes and two touchdowns. While the Tigers defense is not a particularly stout unit, their level of enthusiasm for this bowl game in comparison to South Florida’s lack of excitement makes this underdog worthy of support. 3* Take Memphis.
"ITS ALL YOUR FAULT." THE GREAT WORDS OF ALI BABA R
PICK: Denver Nuggets
Your pick was graded at: Belmont
EXPERT: Stephen Nover
TITLE: Game of the Week
EVALUATION: Play Not Evaluated.
REASON FOR PICK: LeBron James is having another MVP-type season and the Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the NBA so far.
But this is Denver's spot to shine. The Nuggets have been off since Tuesday when they lost at Houston. The Nuggets are eager to atone for that defeat. Prior to that loss, Denver had been averaging more than 110 points during their past 10 games, while winning by an average victory margin of more than 16 points.
The Nuggets have become a much improved team since acquiring Chauncey Billups going 16-5. They have yet to lose back-to-back games since Billups joined the team.
Cleveland is 2-4 on the road against teams with a winning record. This is Cleveland's third consecutive road game. The Cavaliers have won only once at the Pepsi Center during the LeBron James era. They were blown out during their two previous visits.
The Cavaliers are playing short-handed missing center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and reserve guard Daniel Gibson.
Memphis at South Florida Dec 20 2008 4:30PM
PICK: Memphis
Your pick was graded at: 12 betED
EXPERT: Ted Sevransky
TITLE: Saturday's Bowl Bash
EVALUATION: Play Not Evaluated.
REASON FOR PICK: Double digit favorites have been an absolute disaster for bettors to support in early bowl games. The only reason that these teams are favored by this type of a margin to begin with is because of their pre-season expectations; expectations that they clearly did not live up to. South Florida is a classic example of one such team. The Bulls entered the season as a dark horse national title contender. At a minimum, Jim Leavitt’s team was expected to compete for the Big East crown. Instead, they disappointed their supporters all year long, finishing with a 2-5 mark in conference play. Their signature victory for the season came back in September, a three point, come-from-behind win against a Kansas squad that didn’t live up to expectations either. The Bulls won only twice all year by double digit margins – beating 3-9 Syracuse at home, and dominating NC State in a game where the Wolfpack were without their starting quarterback.
Junior quarterback Matt Grothe has not really improved since his freshman year, with a lower QB rating as both a sophomore and a junior as he had in his first year as the starter. Grothe is prone to both interceptions and fumbles – turnovers were a problem for the Bulls this year. No running back on the team gained even 400 yards – Grothe was the leading rusher as well. None of Grothe’s receivers developed into a ‘go-to’ pass catcher, with Jessie Hester’s 557 receiving yards and Taurus Johnson’s five receiving touchdowns leading the team in both categories. The Bulls ranked in the middle of the NCAA pack in both rushing and passing offense. This is not a team that consistently puts up points in bunches, and it’s very difficult to win bowl games by double digit margins without an offense that is capable of exploding.
The location and situation surrounding this bowl game does not favor South Florida one iota. They closed the season on a 1-4 SU run, watching their chances at a bigger and better bowl game slip away, week by week. Normally, a home state game is a positive factor. In this game, the prospect of sleeping in their own beds during bowl season is not a good one, particularly for a game that nobody, from the coaching staff on down, seems to be particularly excited about. Expect a lethargic effort from the ‘home’ team here.
Memphis is no juggernaut, but they are certainly capable of competing, which is all we can ask for out of our double digit underdogs. The Tigers have been running the football effectively, averaging nearly than 300 yards per game on the ground over their final four contests. QB Arkelon Hall is fully healthy after missing a few games in early November. Five different receivers caught at least 28 passes and two touchdowns. While the Tigers defense is not a particularly stout unit, their level of enthusiasm for this bowl game in comparison to South Florida’s lack of excitement makes this underdog worthy of support. 3* Take Memphis.
"ITS ALL YOUR FAULT." THE GREAT WORDS OF ALI BABA R
Tony Weston 20 Dime Wake Forest
FRIDAY'S ACTION 20 Dime Wake Forest
Wake Forest at Richmond
WAKE FOREST - Almost quietly this season the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have jumped to a 9-0 SU start and are ranked in the Top 10 in the country.
The Demon Deacons are beating teams by 22 points a game and will get over on Richmond tonight.
Wake Forest comes into tonight’s game favored by about 8 points, depending on where you play, and battle a Richmond team that’s only 5-4 SU this season and is 2-3 SU its last five games.
While the Spiders are 3-1 ATS this season, consider that two of those covers have come on the road with the only win ATS at home coming in their last game on Dec. 13.
Also consider that in their last five games the Spiders are barely scoring more than their opponents, edging them in points per game 71.6-71. On the flip side, Wake Forest has been crushing its opponents in their last five 79.8-63.2.
And most importantly, in seven meetings this season the Demon Deacons are a perfect 7-0 SU against Richmond and are 3-2-2 ATS in that stretch, beating the Spiders by an average of 11.5 points per game. Also, in three games playing at Richmond, Wake Forest is 3-0 SU and ATS.
The Demon Deacons will get over once again at Richmond and cover easily tonight. Take Wake Forest on the road tonight.
Paid and confirmed $21.95 from Sportsadvisors
FRIDAY'S ACTION 20 Dime Wake Forest
Wake Forest at Richmond
WAKE FOREST - Almost quietly this season the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have jumped to a 9-0 SU start and are ranked in the Top 10 in the country.
The Demon Deacons are beating teams by 22 points a game and will get over on Richmond tonight.
Wake Forest comes into tonight’s game favored by about 8 points, depending on where you play, and battle a Richmond team that’s only 5-4 SU this season and is 2-3 SU its last five games.
While the Spiders are 3-1 ATS this season, consider that two of those covers have come on the road with the only win ATS at home coming in their last game on Dec. 13.
Also consider that in their last five games the Spiders are barely scoring more than their opponents, edging them in points per game 71.6-71. On the flip side, Wake Forest has been crushing its opponents in their last five 79.8-63.2.
And most importantly, in seven meetings this season the Demon Deacons are a perfect 7-0 SU against Richmond and are 3-2-2 ATS in that stretch, beating the Spiders by an average of 11.5 points per game. Also, in three games playing at Richmond, Wake Forest is 3-0 SU and ATS.
The Demon Deacons will get over once again at Richmond and cover easily tonight. Take Wake Forest on the road tonight.
Paid and confirmed $21.95 from Sportsadvisors
