Monday 2-26-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Info Plays

Feb 26 '18, 7:35 PM in 2h
NBA | Warriors vs Knicks
Play on: Warriors -11½ -110 at pinnacle

1* Free Play on Warriors -11½ -110

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Brandon Lee

Feb 26 '18, 8:35 PM in 3h
NBA | Pacers vs Mavs
Play on: Pacers -3 -106 at pinnacle

10* FREE NBA PICK (Pacers -3)
I'll take my chances here with Indiana laying a short number on the road against the Mavs tonight. The Pacers went into the All-Star break on a 3-game winning streak and made it 4 in a row with a 116-93 blowout win over the Hawks in their first game back.
Indiana is now 15-6 over their last 21 games and I just don't think this team is getting the respect they deserve against a bad Dallas team that has gone a mere 3-14 in their last 17. Dallas returned from the break with a 22-point loss at the Lakers and then lost at Utah the very next night.
I know they just had a bunch of days off, but this is the Mavs 3rd game in 4 nights, plus I think they have had quite the emotional last few days with all the news around Cuban. Indiana on the other hand is as fresh as it gets having played just once since the break and off a full 2 days of rest.

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Jesse Schule

Feb 26 '18, 7:00 PM in 1h
NCAA-B | James Madison vs Elon
Play on: Elon -160 at 5Dimes

This is a Free #NCAAB play on the Elon Phoenix.

Elon has been playing terrible down the stretch, and they come into their final home game as losers of five straight. They only averaged 57 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting during that span, but three of those games were against the top three teams in the CAA (Northeastern, Charleston and Hofstra). They were also without senior forward Brian Dawkins for three of those five games, and Dawkins was second on the team in scoring prior to the injury. He's since returned, scoring 25 points in 56 minutes in the last two games. James Madison is the last place team in this conference, and the Dukes are just 2-11 on the road. The Phoenix have been a good bet when playing at home against inferior teams, covering in five of their last six versus teams with a losing road record. Elon was a 7-point favorite at home versus James Madison last year, but failed to cover in a 67-61 victory. They are asked to cover less than half as many points here tonight, and I think their losing skid ends here.

Take ELON.

GL,

Jesse Schule

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Dennis Macklin

Feb 26 '18, 8:00 PM in 2h
NCAA-B | Stetson vs Lipscomb
Play on: Stetson +11½ -106 at pinnacle

DMack's Free Play for Monday, February 26, 2018 is on the Stetson Hatters
The Atlantic Sun kicks off conference tournament action this year with games being played on the higher seeds home court. Tonight, the 12-17 Stetson Hatters faces the 20-9 Lipscomb Bison. Stetson is the No.7 seed while Lipscomb in No.2 behind Florida Gulf Coast. We're going to grab the Hatters with the points here. Stetson played the Bison tough in two losses this year including an 86-83 decision on this floor. The Hatters went on a run on last year's tournament, advancing to the finals before losing to FGCU. The Hatters were 4-2 as dogs in their lined games this year and can stay inside the number.

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Mike Lundin

Feb 26 '18, 8:35 PM in 3h
NBA | Pacers vs Mavs
Play on: Pacers -3 -102 at 5Dimes

#NBA FREE PICK FROM MIKE LUNDIN
The Indiana Pacers have covered the spread in seven of their last nine visits to American Airlines Center. I think they'll make light work of the Dallas Mavericks Monday night.
Indiana came out of the All Star break on fire as they downed the Hawks 116-93 on Friday. The Pacers are just 13-14 SU on the road, but they've been doing pretty well against the spread and they're 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
The Mavs fit the bill, entering this contest with a poor 11-19 SU record at home. We can also note that this is a pretty tough spot for Dallas, coming off back-to-back losses at Lakers and Jazz Friday/Saturday, so this will be its third game in four nights.
The Pacers are only one game behind the Cavaliers for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference, and they must smell blood now after Cleveland's loss to the Spurs on Sunday. To top it off; this is a revenge spot for the Pacers as Dallas pulled off a 98-94 upset at Indiana on Dec. 27.
My free pick is on Indiana Pacers ATS.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NHL

Monday, February 26

NHL Game of the Day: Maple Leafs at Lightning betting preview and odds

Frederik Andersen had lost five of his first six career decisions against Tampa Bay before recording a 4-3 home victory on Feb. 12 to even the season series.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning (A: +155, H: -170, T: 6)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made it a three-team battle for the Atlantic Division title with an impressive run and can move closer to the top when they visit the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. The Maple Leafs are 13-2-0 in their last 15 games and have won four in a row after edging Boston 4-3 on Saturday to move one point ahead of the Bruins and climb within four of the Lightning.

“We like our team, we think we’re getting better, and we think we’ve been getting better for a while,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock told reporters. “We think we’re learning to play the right way. If we play hard, we have a chance to play with anybody.” The trade deadline arrives Monday afternoon, and the Maple Leafs got a jump on things a day earlier by acquiring veteran center Tomas Plekanec from Montreal for a pair of prospects and a 2018 second-round draft pick. Tampa Bay is rumored to be involved in trade talk, with its focus on improving a defense that has allowed 39 goals in 12 games this month despite posting an 8-4-0 record after a perfect three-game road trip that ended with Saturday's 4-3 shootout win at Montreal. “It’s a hard league and they’re finding ways to win,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “But you can’t wait until the third (period), be down and expect every time you’re going to come back.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Ontario, TVA (Toronto), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)

LINE HISTORY: The Lightning opened as -180 favorites and as of Monday morning that number was down slightly to -170 at most books. The total hit betting boards at 6 goals and has yet to move.

GOALIE SHOWDOWN:

Frederik Andersen (TOR) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)
GP W L OTL GAA SAVE % SO

Frederik Andersen
53 32 16 4 2.67 .922 5

Andrei Vasilevskiy
51 36 12 2 2.34 .927 7


INJURY REPORT:

Maple Leafs - C Tomas Plekanec (Questionable, Trade Acquisition), C Auston Matthews (Early March, Shoulder), LW Joffrey Lupul (I-R, Conditioning).

Lightning - G Peter Budaj (Early March, Leg), LW Ondrej Palat (Mid March, Lower Body).

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (39-20-5, 29-30-5 O/U): Auston Matthews (team-best 28 goals) is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, but Mitch Marner has taken over the scoring lead by registering 20 of his 51 points in the last 17 games. “That confidence is there for Mitch,” center Nazem Kadri told reporters. “As an offensive player, once you get in the rhythm with scoring and putting points on the board, you just catch a streak.” Frederik Andersen had lost five of his first six career decisions against Tampa Bay before recording a 4-3 home victory on Feb. 12 to even the season series.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (42-17-3, 39-22-1 O/U): The wins keep coming despite some shakiness on the blue line thanks to some outstanding goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy (league-best 36 wins, .927 save percentage) and several lethal offensive players. Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 82 points and has notched at least one in nine straight games while Brayden Point has scored in four consecutive contests (five goals overall) and recorded a point in seven in a row. Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman has collected seven points in his last six games and leads all NHL defensemen with a plus-27 rating.

TRENDS:

* Maple Leafs are 14-3 in their last 17 overall.
* Lightning are 22-7 in their last 29 home games.
* Over is 6-1 in Maple Leafs last 7 games following a win.
* Over is 11-1 in Lightning last 12 games following a win.
* Road team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

CONSENSUS: Early return from contest users showed 75 percent of the moneyline picks on the home favorite Tampa Bay Lightning and 51 percent of the totals wagers thus far have been on the Over.

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Flyers have won their last 6 road games & 7 of their last 9 games vs Atlantic division teams. Habs are 8-24 in their last 32 vs. a team with a winning record.
PHI -125 MON +113
Total: 6