3-4-13

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Bank Shots: NBA Betting News & Notes

Each week, we look back on the NBA betting scene and give you the best –and worst – basketball bets, as well as some spots to keep an eye on with the upcoming schedule.

For the week of February 24-March 2.

HOTTEST ATS

Los Angeles Clippers (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS)

After a mid-season slump, the Clippers appear to be gaining momentum for the stretch run. Los Angeles has picked up wins in four straight games and eight of its last nine. The Clippers have also covered in four consecutive games heading into Sunday’s home tilt with the Thunder.

COLDEST ATS

Toronto Raptors (0-4 SU, 0-4 ATS)

The Raptors have dropped four straight (0-4 ATS) after winning six of their previous seven contests. Rudy Gay, who is averaging over 21 points per game since being acquired by the Raptors, is dealing with back spasms and now Toronto plays three tough road games against the Warriors, Suns and Lakers.

BEST OVER PLAY

Sacramento Kings (1-3 SU, 4-0 over/under)

The Kings played over the total in every contest of their recent five-game road trip. Sacramento’s defense was a disgrace on the trip, allowing opponents to score an average of 120.8 points per game. The Kings return home for games with the Bobcats and over-friendly Nuggets this week.

BEST UNDER PLAY

Dallas Mavericks (1-3 SU, 0-4 over/under)

The Mavericks have gone low in four straight games after posting an 11-3 O/U mark in their previous 14 contests. Dallas is averaging 101 points per game this season, but is scoring 92.75 per contest during its current under run. The Mavericks play the first half of a home-and-home with the Rockets in Houston on Sunday.

Scouting the schedule:

-The Chicago Bulls are entering a very tough portion of their schedule. Chicago visits Indiana and San Antonio this week before heading home for a clash with Utah. The Bulls then travel west for three games against the Lakers, Kings and Warriors. Chicago has been a pretty good bet on the road (17-11 ATS) and a horrible bet at home (9-22 ATS).

-The Utah Jazz head east for a four-game road trip beginning Monday in Milwaukee. The Jazz have been fade material on the road (10-18-1 ATS) but a great play at home (18-12 ATS) this season. Utah will also visit Cleveland, Chicago and New York this week.

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Pucking the Trends: This Week's Best NHL Bets

Every week, we update you on who's hot, who's not and situational betting spots in the National Hockey League.

For the week of Feb. 24-Mar. 2.

HOT TEAM

Chicago Blackhawks (4-0 SU)

The Blackhawks extended their winning streak to eight games with recent victories over St. Louis and Columbus. Chicago has secured at least a point in all 21 contests this season and 27 straight dating back to March 25, 2012. The Blackhawks are in Detroit Sunday and then head home for clashes with the Wild and Avalanche later in the week.

COLD TEAM

Tampa Bay Lightning (0-4 SU)

After opening the season with six wins in seven games, the Lightning have just three in their last 14 contests. Tampa Bay boasts the league’s top offense (3.5 goals per game) but can’t keep pucks out of its own net. The Bolts open this week with a tough back-to-back set in Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

BEST OVER PLAY

Phoenix Coyotes (4-0 over/under)

The Coyotes have played over the total in four straight games to push their season O/U mark to 12-8-1. Mike Smith has seen an extremely heavy workload of late and his performance has suffered as a result. Smith has started 14 consecutive games and has yielded 15 goals over his last four. Phoenix squares off with Anaheim twice this week before enjoying a three-game homestand.

BEST UNDER PLAY

San Jose Sharks (0-3 over/under)

Under bettors are loving the stingy Sharks. San Jose has gone low in eight consecutive games and 15 of 20 this season. Goaltender Antti Niemi boasts an impressive 1.83 GAA and the Sharks are yielding an average of only two goals per game. San Jose plays back-to-back road games in Vancouver and Calgary next.

Surveying the schedule:

-The Edmonton Oilers continue their season-long nine-game road trip this week. The Oilers are 1-1-1 on the current trip and play five games in the next seven days. Edmonton is 3-7 O/U on the road.

-The Montreal Canadiens have earned points in 10 straight games but have a busy week ahead. The Habs hit the road for five games in seven days, beginning Sunday in Boston. Montreal boasts an impressive 5-1-0-2 record away from the Bell Centre.

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Mighty Quinn

Mighty had no play Sunday and likes Kansas Monday.

The surplus is 85 sirignanos.

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Three Teams off to Hot Starts in Spring Training

If you can’t wait until Opening Day to throw down your first MLB wager, sportsbooks are offering daily game lines for Spring Training games.

Here are three teams that are off to hot spring starts:

Kansas City Royals (8-0)

The Royals have reeled off eight straight wins to open up the spring campaign, but what’s more impressive is their Cactus League-best +26 run differential. The Royals have four players batting over .500 and first baseman Eric Hosmer has already driven in seven runs in only 17 at-bats. Projections indicate the Royals will open the season with a franchise-record $79 million payroll.

Seattle Mariners (8-1)

Seattle has won eight straight exhibition games, bashing 20 homers in the process. “We have a lot of options, and a lot of talent we can mix and match into a lineup," manager Eric Wedge said after Seattle’s most recent 9-5 victory over the Dodgers. "If there was ever a year to play a lot of spring games and let guys show us all of what they can do, this is it." Staff ace Felix Hernandez will throw a bullpen session Sunday and is projected to make his 2013 debut on Thursday against the Royals.

Houston Astros (5-2)

The Houston Astros are expected to be a historically bad baseball team this year, but they sure have looked good so far. The Astros lead all American League teams in the Grapefruit League with 15 home runs. Houston’s defense, however, has been a different story. The Astros gave up six unearned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, and added four more blunders against the Braves on Saturday.

All stats prior to action Sunday.

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Cincinnati at Louisville: What Bettors Need to Know

Cincinnati Bearcats at Louisville Cardinals (-10, 121)

Louisville may be one game out of first place, but has to like where it stands entering the final week of the regular season. The Cardinals will play the first of two straight home games to close out their schedule on Monday against Cincinnati. Louisville, winners of five in a row and eight of its last nine, hasn’t lost since its five-overtime setback against Notre Dame on Feb. 9, defeating four of its opponents over that span by at least 14 points.

The Cardinals – 13-1 at home this season – are coming off a 58-53 road victory over Syracuse on Saturday, but will be playing for the third game in six days when they host the Bearcats. Cincinnati halted a three-game skid with a 61-56 win over Connecticut, but finds itself in a three-way tie for ninth place with Providence and St. John’s. The Bearcats could strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume with a win, but a loss could damage their hopes of securing a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT CINCINNATI (19-9, 7-8 Big East): Sean Kilpatrick – the fourth-leading scorer in the conference – has led the team in scoring in nine of the last 11 contests. The junior guard has made a team-high 34 3-pointers and shooting 80.4 percent from the foul line during the stretch. Taking advantage of a Connecticut team without Shabazz Napier, the Bearcats outscored the Huskies 21-1 in points off turnovers Saturday. Since Cashmere Wright missed his only game of the season on Jan. 19 with a knee sprain, he is shooting 22.9 percent - including 19.7 percent beyond the arc. Over that 10-game stretch, Wright has shot over 30 percent from the field three times.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (24-5, 12-4): During their winning streak, the Cardinals have limited their opponents to 35.5 percent shooting from the field and 54.2 points. For the season, Louisville has held 18 teams to less than 40 percent shooting and 18 to fewer than 60 points. The Cardinals are third nationally in turnover margin (plus-6.0) and have forced an average of 18.7 turnovers, scoring 661 of their 2140 points off opponents’ miscues. Gorgui Dieng posted his tenth double-digit rebounding performance with 14 boards against the Orange, surpassing 700 career rebounds in the process. Peyton Siva needs seven steals to match Darrell Griffith’s school record of 230.

TRENDS:

* Bearcats are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
* Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.
* Under is 6-1 in Bearcats’ last seven road games.
* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings.

TIP-INS:

1. This is the first meeting between the schools since last season’s Big East Championship title game.

2. Cardinals coach Rick Pitino needs one more win to notch his 300th victory at Louisville.

3. Cincinnati opponents are scoring 11.2 points below their season average this season when playing the Bearcats.

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NBA

Hot Teams
-- Knicks won three of last four games (4-8-1 last 13 AF). Cleveland won four of its last six games (6-9 last 15 HU).
-- Miami won its last 14 games (7-1 last eight AF).
-- Bucks won last three games, all by 5 or less points or in OT (1-7 last eight HF).
-- Hawks covered seven of last nine games (6-3 SU, 5-1 last six AU). Denver won its last four games, last two by hoop each (5-1 last six HF).

Cold Teams
-- Magic lost eight of its last nine games (3-7 last 10 AU). Hornets lost five of their last seven games (5-2 last seven HF).
-- Minnesota lost its last five games, last two by 15-22 points (3-6-1 last 10 HU).
-- Jazz lost three of its last four games (2-6 last eight AU).
-- Portland lost eight of its last ten games (3-6 last nine HF). Bobcats lost last six games, four of last five by 22+ (12-17 AU).
-- Toronto lost five of its last six games (5-1 last six AU). Warriors lost their last four games (10-6 HF, 2-4 last six).

Totals
-- Five of last six Cleveland home games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Orlando games went over the total.
-- Seven of last ten Miami games went over the total.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Milwaukee games.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Atlanta games.
-- Eight of last ten Charlotte games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight Toronto games stayed under the total.

Back-to-backs
-- Knicks are 2-4 vs spread on road if they played night before.
-- Orlando is 4-2 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Miami is 4-2 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Atlanta is 4-2 vs spread on road if it played night before.
-- Charlotte is 5-10 vs spread if it played night before.

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CBB

-- Kansas (-17) won 60-46 at Texas Tech Jan 12, outscoring Tech 19-8 on foul line with +7 turnover ratio, but they led by only a hoop at half. Senior Night in Lawrence; Jayhawks are 6-2 as home favorites this year, covering last four tries- they've won/covered six games in row since the 3-game losing streak. Tech covered once in its last seven road games. Big X double digit home favorites are 6-9 vs spread.
-- Fading Cincinnati lost five of last seven games, after 6-3 start in league play; Bearcats lost last three road games by 4-7-21 points, scoring 52.3 ppg. UC is 2-1 as a road dog. Louisville won last five games, going 3-1 vs spread in last four, but they've covered only once in last five games at home, winning by 18-26-3-19-14-18 points. Big East double digit home favorites are 9-13. Cardinals had big win at Syracuse Saturday.
-- Baylor's buzzer-beater home loss Saturday was brutal for bubble team that is now 1-4 in last five games; Bears (-11) beat Texas 86-79 in OT in conference opener Jan 5, outscoring Longhorns 36-9 on foul line. Bears lost four of last five road games. Texas is 3-3 since Kabongo got eligible, with two of its three wins in OT. Big X underdogs are 17-9 when spread is 3 or less points. Baylor has to be fragile mentally right now.
-- Two of Montana's three best players (Cherry/Ward) are out with foot injuries; Griz played only seven guys in 71-68 win at Montana State on Saturday. Montana (-13) beat Southern Utah 73-67 Jan 17, outscoring T-birds 31-5 on foul line (Griz was 31-47). Big Sky home underdogs are 8-10 vs spread, 3-1 if number was 4 or less points. SUU lost four of its last five overall, but has won five of its last six home games.
-- Savannah State beat North Carolina A&T 56-49 at home two weeks ago, despite turning ball over 27 times (-6); Tigers turn ball over 28% of time, more than any team in country. A&T won its last four home games allowing 52 ppg; Savannah lost its last two games, scoring 58-47 points, after winning 12 of its previous 14 games. Senior Night for A&T team that is #7 in country in terms of experience.

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NHL

Hot teams
-- Toronto won three of its last four home games.
-- Penguins won three of their last four home games.
-- Ducks won 12 of their last 15 games. Phoenix won five of last seven at home.
-- Kings won seven of their last nine games.

Cold teams
-- Devils lost their last four games, scoring seven goals.
-- Lightning lost their last four games, scoring seven goals.
-- Predators lost six of their last eight games.

Totals
-- Four of last five New Jersey-Toronto games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Pittsburgh-Tampa Bay games went over the total.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Anaheim games.
-- Six of last nine Nashville-LA games went over (0-2 this year).

Series records
-- Devils won three of last four visits to Toronto.
-- Penguins won four of last five games with Tampa Bay.
-- Ducks lost three of last four games in Phoenix.
-- Nashville beat the Kings twice this year, 2-1ot/3-0.

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DCI College Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

03/04/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 3507-1191 (.746)
ATS: 1618-1657 (.494)
ATS Vary Units: 4604-4930 (.483)
Over/Under: 455-424 (.518)
Over/Under Vary Units: 472-495 (.488)

Big 12 Conference
Baylor vs. TEXAS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
KANSAS 84, Texas Tech 54

Big East Conference
LOUISVILLE 67, Cincinnati 52

Big Sky Conference
Montana 76, SOUTHERN UTAH 66

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
COPPIN STATE 66, Umes 56
HAMPTON 65, Bethune-Cookman 60
MORGAN STATE 63, Delaware State 53
NORFOLK STATE 75, Florida A&M 56
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 71, South Carolina State 47
Savannah State 50, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 49

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DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

03/04/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 570-284 (.667)
ATS: 455-420 (.520)
ATS Vary Units: 1188-1058 (.529)
Over/Under: 448-427 (.512)
Over/Under Vary Units: 629-566 (.526)

New York 101, CLEVELAND 100
MILWAUKEE 103, Utah 100
NEW ORLEANS 101, Orlando 91
Miami 105, MINNESOTA 95
DENVER 108, Atlanta 101
PORTLAND 105, Charlotte 91
GOLDEN STATE 105, Toronto 98

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DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

03/04/13 Predictions

Season: 111-83 (.572)

New Jersey vs. TORONTO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
PITTSBURGH 5, Tampa Bay 3
Anaheim vs. PHOENIX: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
LOS ANGELES 3, Nashville 2

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Gamblers Data

Free Play Monday

New Orleans -9.5

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Hockey Crusher
Anaheim Ducks +104 over Phoenix Coyotes
(System Record: 25-1, won last 3 games)
Overall Record: 25-16

Basketball Crusher
Texas +2 over Baylor
(System Record: 68-4, lost last game and a push)
Overall Record: 68-50-2

Soccer Crusher
Velez Sarsfield + San Martin UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 366-14, won last 2 games)
Overall Record: 366-316-43

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NCAA Basketball Picks

Baylor at Texas

The Bears look to build on their 4-0 ATS record in their last 4 games at Texas. Baylor is the pick (-1 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bears favored by 3. Dunkel Pick: Baylor (-1 1/2). Here are all of today's games.

MONDAY, MARCH 4 Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. EST

Game 715-716: Texas Tech at Kansas (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Texas Tech 51.275; Kansas 73.879 Dunkel Line: Kansas by 22 1/2; 138 Vegas Line: Kansas by 24 1/2; 142 Dunkel Pick: Texas Tech (+24 1/2); Under

Game 717-718: Cincinnati at Louisville (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati 63.419; Louisville 77.469 Dunkel Line: Louisville by 14; 126 Vegas Line: Louisville by 10; 120 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Louisville (-10); Over

Game 719-720: Baylor at Texas (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Baylor 64.182; Texas 60.973 Dunkel Line: Baylor by 3; 144 Vegas Line: Baylor by 1 1/2; 138 Dunkel Pick: Baylor (-1 1/2); Over

Game 721-722: Montana at Southern Utah (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Montana 53.257; Southern Utah 45.835 Dunkel Line: Montana by 7 1/2 Vegas Line: Montana by 2 Dunkel Pick: Montana (-2)

Game 731-732: Savannah State at North Carolina A&T (9:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Savannah State 49.311; North Carolina A&T 48.539 Dunkel Line: Savannah State by 1; 104 Vegas Line: North Carolina A&T by 2 1/2; 108 Dunkel Pick: Savannah State (+2 1/2); Under