1-23-12

[Mr. IWS]

Northcoast - Monday comp line

Line 9 > (Young Gun Sports) 4* Dallas -5.5 [#716] over Phoenix (NBA)

Line 4 > (Red Dog Sports) 4* William & Mary +10.5 [#746] over Drexel (college hoops)

[Mr. IWS]

WUNDERDOG
NBA 50-29 Season-to-Date +$3160
Game: Washington at Philadelphia (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Washington +13 (-110)

The Washington Wizards own just a pair of wins on their way to a 2-14 start despite playing 10 of them at home. The Wizards are just 0-6 on the road this season, but their best basketball has been played recently. The Wizards lost six games early by 14 points or more, but have now beaten Oklahoma City, played Denver to a 4-point game, and Boston to a 6-point game. Over their last six games, no one has bested them by more than 13 points. The Sixers have cooled off after a big start and have lost two of their last three, and won't bring much fire to this one, playing a team they have beaten twice already this season. Philly hasn't rebounded well off a double-digit loss, where they are 0-4 ATS in their last four. Play on Washington.

[Mr. IWS]

JIM GRIFFIN SPORTS

3.3 UNITS NBA New Jersey-Chicago Over 184

[Mr. IWS]

Turner System

NHL: Edmonton ML (3u)

NHL: Detroit -1.5 (3u)

NBA: Phoenix @ Dallas OVER 182.5 (3.3u)

NBA: Washington @ Philadelphia UNDER 193 (3.3u)

[Mr. IWS]

JIMMY BOYD

5* NBA *BEST BET* !
Golden St Warriors -1.5

4* NCAAB SMASH!
Siena +9

[Mr. IWS]

Doc's Sports NHL


4-unit Play Take #5 St. Louis Blues (+125) over Detroit Red Wings (7:35pm EST) Big matchup for first place in the Central Division tonight between the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings. As it currently stands these are the two best teams in the Western Conference record-wise, and you'd be hard-pressed to say that anyone is in their same category in the conference outside of Vancouver. The Blues come into tonight's matchup with something to prove. They want to prove that they belong with the big boys and that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with for the second half of the season. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak is playing out of his mind lately, allowing only four goals over his last four starts and stopping 85 of 89 shots on goal during that span. In their last nine games overall, the Blues are 8-0-1 and have looked as sharp as anyone. Their last loss in regulation was against these Red Wings by a score of 3-0 in Detroit - a loss that they'll be looking to avenge tonight. The Wings have seemingly been in this position forever, sitting in first place in the division and on their way to another high seed in the playoffs. They're a veteran team that manages the regular season very well and knows how to win. They come into tonight's matchup winners of six in a row, but five of those wins have been by the score of 3-2 in overtime or a shootout. So they're not exactly dominating on the ice. I think the Blues are playing much better hockey right now, have a hot goaltender and should be the more motivated team with something to prove. Take the Blues at a nice dog price.
3-unit Play Take #7 Columbus Blue Jackets (+1.5 goals, -145) over Nashville Predators (8:05pm EST) The Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Nashville Predators for the second time in five days. When these teams met last Wednesday in Columbus, the Predators came out on top 3-0 but it was a very evenly played game. The Jackets outshot the Preds 38-25 and held their own on both ends of the ice. Columbus is a much-improved team from earlier on in the season, and I still don't think that the linesmakers have taken into account. The game today should stay close, especially with Nashville's conservative style once they get a lead. In fact, four of the last five games between these two have been decided by one goal. Play the Blue Jackets on the puck line tonight, as this one should be very tight.
3-unit Play Take #12 Los Angeles Kings (-135) over Ottawa Senators (10:35pm EST) Everyone has jumped on the Ottawa bandwagon recently, and while they're an improved team from last year, I'm still not sold that they are a playoff caliber playoff club. They have quite a few holes on the defensive end and in the net, with goalie Craig Anderson. This will be Ottawa's fourth game on a six-game road trip and they'll come in a little weary while the Kings have been home for their last two games and are well-rested. The Kings will also be the more motivated team tonight as they have yet to register a win on this current homestand and have been getting a lot of pressure from management and fans. The Kings are 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings between these teams and they've also won four of their last five games against teams with winning records. Bottom line, the Kings have much more talent than the Senators and should win this game if they play to their potential.

[Mr. IWS]

docsports

4 santa clara -1

[Mr. IWS]

Vegas Sports Informer NHL


4 Unit Play. Take #2502 Carolina -120 over Winnipeg (7:05p.m., Monday January 23)
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to break their three game losing streak against the Jets when the two teams meet tonight at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The Jets have struggled on the road this season, going just 7-12-4 and will start a 6 game road trip in Carolina. The Hurricanes come into the contest earning at least a point in three straight and are looking to build off a 3-0 win over Southeast Division leader Washington on Friday. Cam Ward will get the start in goal tonight for Carolina. He got off to a slow start this season as his 17-17-8 record shows but he has been lights out over the past few weeks, posting a 4-2-2 record with a 1.61 GAA over his last 9 starts. He has also been good against Winnipeg, going 6-2-1 with a 2.31 GAA in his last 9 starts in the series. Ward will be opposed by Ondrej Pavelec, who is scheduled to get the start for Winnipeg. Pavelec has struggled through the season, posting just a 16-16-6 record with a 2.83 GAA. He was pulled in his last start against Carolina after allowing 2 goals on 5 shots. Despite having the worst record in the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes have had some success in the spot they are in here tonight. They are 6-2 in their last 8 home games and have won 5 of their last 7 games when playing with a day of rest. They are also an excellent 43-20 dating back to last season at home when their opponent has a road winning % of .400 or lower. The Jets, who sit 3rd in their division have really struggled away from home. They are just 5-15-1 in their last 21 games when listed as a road underdog of +110 to +150 and have lost 62 of 91 games away from Winnipeg over the last three seasons. Pair those numbers with the fact that the Jets are just 5-13 against teams that have a losing home record and we'll take the Hurricanes tonight in a bit of a revenge spot to pick us up some units in our NHL "key game" of the evening.

3 Unit Play. Take #2506 Detroit -140 over St. Louis (7:35p.m., Monday January 23)
The Detroit Red Wings will try and extend their home winning streak to 17 games when they take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The 16 game streak is the fourth longest in NHL history and is four wins shy of the all-time record shared by the Bruins and Flyers. The Blues come into the contest off a 4-2 win over the Sabres on Saturday but have lost both their contests in Detroit this season. They have an 8-0-1 record since the calendar turned to 2012 but have played just one of those 9 games on the road. Jimmy Howard will get the start in goal tonight for the Wings. He has been excellent for Detroit this season, posting a 29-10-1 record with a 1.98 GAA and 5 shut-outs. He has won 5 straight at home against St. Louis, allowing just 9 goals in those 5 contests. The Blues have not announced their starting goalie, but both Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have struggled with Detroit in their career with Halak posting a 2-3-1 record with a 4.38 GAA while Elliott has 2-3-0 record in his 5 career starts. In addition to their crazy home win streak, the Wings have had a ton of success in the spot they are in here tonight. They are 40-15 in their last 55 games when listed as a favorite and have won 5 straight games against teams from the Central Division. They are also an excellent 39-15 following a win dating back to last season. While the Blues have been one of the hottest teams in the league, they have had some trouble in the situation they are in here with Detroit. They are just 2-5 in their last 7 road games and have a 6-15 record in their last 21 road games when their opponent has a home win % of .600 or greater. Pair those numbers with the fact that Detroit has a 30-12-1 record at home against the Blues over the last 9 seasons and we'll take the Wings tonight to extend their home streak and bring us some a few units on the frozen pond.

2 Unit Play. Take #2507 Over 5 ½ +120 Columbus at Nashville (8:05p.m., Monday January 23)
Tonight in Nashville, we have a match-up of two teams that usually aren't associated with scoring goals. Lately. both the Predators and Blue Jackets have been lighting the lamp at will. Nashville has scored 34 times in their last 10 games while Columbus, who is last in the Centreal Division have scored 17 times over their past 6. That may not seem like much but it is over a half goal higher than their season average. Curtis Sanford is expected to get the start in goal tonight for Columbus. He has taken over the starter job from Steve Mason only because he hasn't been as bad as Mason was. Sanford has just a 8-10-4 record and has struggled with Nashville in his career, posting a 4-4-1 record with a GAA of 3.28 in 10 career starts. He will be opposed by Pekka Rinne, who is having an outstanding season for the Predators. He is 26-11-4 this year with a 2.46 GAA and has a 6-0-1 record against Columbus in his last 7 starts. The Preds have been able to score a ton against the Jackets, as Rinne's GAA in those 7 games is 2.68. Columbus has been playing to the over recently, seeing 7 of their last 10 go over the posted total when they are listed as a road underdog of +150 to +200. Nashville has also been an over team in the situation we have here tonight. They have a 4-0-2 record to the over in their last 6 at home when listed as a favorite and have gone over the total in 8 of their last 9 when playing a team with a winning % of .400 or lower on the road. These two teams have played to a 7-1-3 record to the over in the last 11 games played in Nashville and a 3-1-3 record to the over in the last 7 in the head to head series overall. We'll follow the trends tonight and play the over at a nice plus money price and look for a back an forth game with a bunch of goals tonight in Nashville.

[Mr. IWS]

GOODLYFESPORTS

76RS/Wizards UNDER 194.5
Boston/Orlando UNDER 177.5

[Mr. IWS]

Indian Cowboy NHL


4-Unit Play. #3. Take Under 5.5 Goals NY Islanders vs. Toronto (Monday @ 7pm est).

These two teams hook up in what should be a decent under for us. For starters, only 30% back the Islanders so this is a decent public fade and I expect the Islanders to be competitive which is why we are taking the Under here. The last time these two teams met, Toronto won 5-3 on the road and this is a revenge spot for New York who is playing sound defense right now. New York has gone under the last 4 games giving up 5 goals in total over their last 4 games and this includes against teams like Washington, Carolina, Philly and Nashville. Toronto has also been quietly going under the posted total as well as the last 6 for Toronto have gone under including a 1-3 loss to Montreal recently at home. The Under is 5-1 when the Islanders face teams with a winning home record (meaning, they are good active dogs that stay competitive when they face decent teams on the road as an underdog) and the Under is 5-1 when the Maple Leafs are favored by this margin.

[Mr. IWS]

Matt Fargo

1/23/2012NBASan Antonio at New Orleans 8:00 PM ETNew Orleans 4.591/23/2012NCBLoyola Marymount at Santa Clara 10:00 PM ETSanta Clara10

[Mr. IWS]

Doc's Sports NBA


2-Unit Play #701 Take Washington/Philadelphia OVER 194 (7 p.m. EST, Monday)
Six straight meetings between these teams have gone over the posted number, including two games earlier this month, In the first game, the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home in two consecutive nights, Philly steamrolled the Wizards 120-89 in a game that went well over 200. These teams met the next night and as if often the case in these situations, the total went way down to 193 since both teams made adjustments in that game. However, Philly shot well below their season average in that game (and still scored 103) and the Wizards missed a lot of shots from behind the arc and from the free throw line that could have added a couple points to that total. Since that first Philly game the Wizards have been on an over tear, going over the posted total now in six straight. Flip Saunders has told his team to push the pace and they have allowed 100 or more in all six of those games. Tonight they are on a back-to-back and we just don't see their defense having much success. We think the sky is the limit for Philly, who will want to get back on track after their first poor showing of the season in Miami. We see this team getting 110+ tonight and with the Wizards increased pace and familiarity with this team they should be able to make up the rest to put this baby over the posted number.

5-Unit NBA Totals Game of the Week #703 Take Orlando/Boston UNDER 177.5 (7:30 p.m. EST, Monday)
Boston had a rare breakout offensive game on Sunday, but that was against a Wizards team that has been pushing the pace and giving up 100+ on a nightly basis. And yesterday they even needed free throws at the end of the game to even hit the century mark. Boston's offense has looked horrible, even with Rajon Rondo in the mix, but, of course, the star point guard is listed as questionable again tonight. Tonight they are playing a real tough defense and one that will lock up in half court with them and they are also on a back-to-back, a situation in which the Celtics have really struggled this season (and last, for that matter). Orlando has been very impressive defensively, holding their last three opponents in the 80s, and one of those games was an OT game. We just don't see any way that Boston will get out of the 80s tonight. We think high-80s is a best-case scenario for this offense tonight and low-80s is more realistic and high 70s is very possible. Boston has been very tough at home defensively as they have allowed just 84.5 PPG this season and they have gone 13 straight games without allowing 100 points. The under is 13-4 in the last 17 meetings. The under is 21-7 in Boston's last 28 home games. The under is 14-4 in Orlando's last 18 games as a listed favorite
Best of Luck - Doc's Sports

[Mr. IWS]

Greg Shaker

2* ODU over 117 (7-3 LAST 10 CBB TOTALS)
2* Celtics under 179
2* Kings over 192
2* Bulls under 187

[Mr. IWS]

Indian Cowboy NBA



5-Unit Play. #720. Take Under 195 Memphis vs. Golden State (Monday @ 10:30pm est).

Golden State is not the high flying, fast paced teams as they were in the days of Don Nelson. This team is now led by a defensive minded coach in Mark Jackson and its showing. Golden State is 5-10 this year but this team has made it a focus to hone in on the defensive side of the ball. What is interesting is even though Golden State has been playing over the posted total on the road, at home, games have been dipping under if they are favorites. For example, against the Jazz, the final score was 87-88 in a total that was marked at 189.5 (in fact, we actually had the Jazz +3 that game that won Outright as a 5* Gotw as well). Memphis has also been playing to the under on the road as well as their contest against Detroit totaled at 180, their contest against New Orleans totaled at 180, the Laker game totaled at 172, the Utah game totaled at 179 and the Minnesota game totaled at 176 - again, all of these games were on the road. I look for a similar type of game today where Memphis plays their style of strong defense on the road while Golden State also plays their fair share of defense at home which they have done this season. The Under is 5-0 when the Grizzlies are a road underdog an the Under is 4-0 when the Warriors are home favorites.

[Mr. IWS]

Jason Sharpe NBA

4 Unit Play Take #720 Golden State -1.5 over Memphis (10:35pm est):

Golden State suffered a tough loss last game and they had all weekend to stew over it but most importantly to also get things back to normal as they played that game right after returning from a long four game, five night road trip. Lots of hidden factors made their game against the Pacers a little more difficult than it might first look like. Indiana was coming in off a very tough loss the game before in a contest where they blew a big fourth quarter lead. The Pacers were furious with how they let their previous game slip through their fingers and wanted a chance to redeem themselves the following contest. The Warriors knew they were going to be in for a fight against a very focused Indiana and they didn't catch many breaks either as the Pacers shot a very strong 8-16 (50%) from behind the three point line in the game. This was also the first game back for Golden State guard Stephen Curry who obviously makes the Warriors a much better team with him in their lineup but there was some expected rust for Curry in the game much like their is for any player who has missed extended time like he did. Curry was just 5-15 from the floor and only scored 12 points in the game. There is usually big improvement for a player in his second game back and that should be the case here for Curry who had all weekend to get his legs back under him and to get some extra work in with his teammates these past few days. Despite all of these things working against Golden State, they only lost by three on a last second basket and free throw by Indiana.

On the other end of things Memphis comes in flying high. In fact maybe just a little too high all things considered as the Grizzlies come in winners of six in a row but looking closer it may not be as great as some think either. The streak started with a home win over a Carmelo-less Knicks team. Memphis than beat the hapless Hornets at home and followed that up in a huge revenge spot against a Chicago Bulls team without Derrick Rose. The Grizzlies fourth straight win was again a victory over a bad New Orleans team and their fifth in a row came against a Detroit team who sits 4-13 right now. The sixth straight win was Saturday night versus a Sacramento team who looked like they didn't even show up for the game after having won two in a row. Five of these six wins have come against below .500 teams and the other was over a Bulls team without their best player in a big revenge spot for Memphis. This will be the first of a tough four game west coast swing for the Grizzlies here.

Golden State will be rested and ready to roll here. The Warriors feel they have a much better team than their 5-10 record to the start of their season shows and now it looks like they finally have their version of the "big three" healthy and on the floor at the same time. The Warriors have one of the biggest home court edges in the NBA and should be able to catch a Grizzlies team not ready to play at this level as Memphis hasn't had an opponent this fired up, this good and this ready to play in almost two weeks. Take the Warriors in this one.

3 Unit Play Take #712 Minnesota -2.5 over Houston (8:05pm est):

The Minnesota Timberwolves are for real especially since they made their big lineup change moving Ricky Rubio into their starting lineup. They come into this game winners of five of their last seven games with both losses being on the back end of a back to back spots and playing against a rested opponent. They have covered six of their last eight against Western Conference teams and are 6-2 against the number following a loss.

The Houston Rockets are just 2-6 overall this season on the road and come in off an emotional hard fought over in-state rival San Antonio last game. The Rockets have not only lost these road battles but they have struggled in them also having covered just one of those eight contests. Houston started off their season just 3-7 but have since rattled off six straight wins but much like Memphis, this streak though a good win isn't as great as it first appears. The Rockets just beat the Spurs by only three points as San Antonio were not only missing Manu Ginobili but Tim Duncan also sat this game out. Two of their other wins came in overtime and the other three games were against Washington, Detroit and Sacramento, all three of which are NBA bottom feeders.

Houston heads right back home after this game to play another set of home games making this their only road game the rest of this month, this coming after having played three straight home games before this one. You have to wonder following their big win over the Spurs and knowing they go right back home after this game, how focused Houston is to fly into town to play this one game. Combine that with a young Minnesota team that is an excited bunch who is playing with some confidence and has usually responded nicely following a defeat this year. The Timberwolves believe they are as good as a team as Houston and I do also. Take Minnesota to get the easy win and cover here. My big CBB Game of the Week starts off my week Monday. I have a hit a rock solid six of my last eight top weekly CBB plays and have been above 60% almost the entire CBB season. This is one of my favorite CBB plays I have seen in a while as I think I have found a very strong 'under the radar' team going here in this one. Get your week started off right with a winner tonight in CBB!!!