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Re: 12-22-08
RON RAYMOND’S 5* PACKERS VS. BEARS WINNER!
Pick # 1 Green Bay Packers (4.0)
RON RAYMOND’S BOISE ST. VS. SAN DIEGO STATE WINNER!
Pick # 1 Boise State (9.5)
RON RAYMOND’S CREIGHTON VS. FRESNO STATE WINNER!
Pick # 1 Fresno State (12.5 )
RON RAYMOND’S 5* PORTLAND VS. DENVER WINNER!
Pick # 1 Denver Nuggets (-3.5)
RON RAYMOND’S 5* NBA O/U GAME OF THE NIGHT
Pick # 1 Sacramento Kings / San Antonio Spurs Over 198 -110
RON RAYMOND'S 3-GAME NHL PROLINE PICK PACK
Pick # 1 Atlanta Thrashers (-125)
Pick# 2 Buffalo Sabres (-115)
Pick # 3 Anaheim Ducks (125)Comment
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Re: 12-22-08
Robert Ferringo NCAA hoops. Been pretty miserable lately. Enjoy:
2-Unit Play. Take #715 Marquette (-2) over N.C. State (7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)
1.5-Unit Play. Take #733 Florida Atlantic (+17) over UAB (8 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)
2-Unit Play. Take #741 Utah (+4.5) over Utah State (9 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)
1.5-Unit Play. Take #754 USC (-7) over Georgia Tech (10:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)
1.5-Unit Play. Take #771 Chattanooga (+12.5) over Alabama (7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)
1.5-Unit Play. Take #749 Boise State (+10.5) over San Diego (10 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)
1.5-Unit Play. Take #763 DePaul (Pk) over St. Louis (8 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22)Comment
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Re: 12-22-08
Jeff Benton
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10 Dime: PACKERS (plus the points vs. Bears)
5 Dime: GRIZZLIES (plus the points vs. Lakers)
Packers
Here’s what this play comes down to: After what you’ve seen the last two days in the NFL, are you willing to lay points with a team that needs to win to either enhance its playoff chances or save its season? Well, I’m not. Let’s review what happened on Saturday and Sunday:
The Cowboys were a 4½-point home favorite against the Ravens, with Dallas controlling its playoff destiny. Result: Cowboys lose 33-24.
The Steelers were a three-point road favorite at Tennessee, needing a win to basically wrap up home-field advantage in the AFC. Result: Steelers lose 31-14.
The Eagles were a 5½-point road favorite at Washington, with Philly controlling its playoff destiny. Result: Eagles lose 10-3.
The Vikings were a three-point home favorite against the Falcons, needing a win to clinch the NFC North title. Result: Vikings lose 24-17.
The Jets were a four-point road favorite at the lowly Seahawks, needing a win to maintain control of their destiny in the AFC East. Result: Jets lose 13-3.
The Broncos were a 6½-point home favorite against the slumping Bills, needing a win to wrap up the AFC West title. Result: Broncos lose 30-23.
Finally, the Buccaneers were a four-point home favorite against the Chargers, needing a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. Result: Bucs lose 41-24.
That’s right: An astounding seven teams with everything in the world for which to play suffered outright losses as a favorite! And while the Ravens, Titans, Falcons and Chargers also had a lot on the line in their respective games against the Cowboys, Steelers, Vikings and Bucs, the fact is the favorites failed to get the job done in each contest. In fact, favorites went 5-8 SU and 4-9 ATS on Sunday, and the only favorites that came through this week were the Colts (barely won at 5-9 Jacksonville on Thursday), Dolphins (barely won at 2-11 Kansas City), Patriots (routed Arizona in the snow) and Giants (needed a big rally and overtime to knock off Carolina at home).
All of which brings us back to tonight’s game. With the Vikings losing yesterday, the door was left open for the Bears to snatch away the NFC North championship if they can beat the Packers tonight and win at Houston next week and if Minnesota falls at the Giants. And frankly, I’m not convinced Chicago, which has been inconsistent all season, is ready to deal with that pressure. Don’t forget that the Bears, with their backs to the wall in terms of the playoffs, nearly blew that home game to the Saints 10 days ago.
Now, one thing I am convinced of: Green Bay absolutely WILL show up for this game. Yes, the Packers are 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four games, a nosedive that eliminated them from playoff contention. However, the last three losses were by margins of 4, 3 and 4 points, as Green Bay simply failed to hold leads against the Panthers, Texans and Jaguars. And prior to this drought, the Packers had covered in five straight games. Four of those spread-covers were as an underdog. The fifth? A 37-3 demolition of the Bears as a 3½-point home favorite back on Nov. 16. In that game – which also happens to be Green Bay’s only victory in the last seven weeks – the Packers had 427 total yards, Chicago had 234; the Packers had 200 rushing yards, Chicago had 83; the Packers had 24 first downs, Chicago had nine; and the Packers held the ball for 37½ minutes, Chicago had it for 22½ minutes.
Also, despite their recent struggles to cover pointspreads, the Packers are still 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games on the road, 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 as a road underdog, and they’ve cashed in all five of their NFC North games this season! As for the Bears, with last week’s lucky push against the Saints, they’re now just 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games as a home favorite and 2-3 ATS against division rivals this year. Oh, and one more thing: Green Bay is 7-2 ATS in its last nine trips to Soldier Field!
Simply put, I believe the Packers are far better than their 5-9 record, but just haven’t had any kind of fourth-quarter luck whatsoever, as six of their last seven defeats have come by four points or less. They also have not been able to stop the run on defense, allowing 138.2 rushing ypg. However, as noted above, they were able to stop Chicago in the first meeting. Also, tonight they catch a break in that Bears rookie RB Matt Forte (64 rushing yards in the loss at Green Bay) is questionable with an injury.
Bottom line: If I thought for a second that the Packers were going to lay down in this game, I wouldn’t touch ‘em with a 10-foot pole. But there’s no doubt in my mind that Green Bay will come to play and would love nothing more than to put a nail in their archrival’s season. And with the way the Packers thumped the Bears five weeks ago, and with the way NFL favorites have fared this week, I have to take the points.
Was hot last week, very poor this last weekend.Comment
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Re: 12-22-08
Bob Balfe
NFL Football
Packers/Bears Under 40
Tonight's game is going to be bitter cold. Kickoff temperature is going to be around 3 degrees. Not fun! Chicago has injuries in their running game and I do not see them generating much offense tonight. The Packers are out of the playoffs and would love to spoil hopes for the Bears, but the Chicago defense is awesome and in these conditions I just do not see much offense from either team. This game will be won by who comes up with the big turnover. Look for a low scoring game. Take the Under.
College Football
No plays today.
NBA Basketball
Nets +5.5 over Rockets
NCAA Basketball
Western Michigan +8.5 over Southern IllinoisComment
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Re: 12-22-08
DOC
3-Unit Play #712 Take LA Clippers Over Toronto (10:30 p.m. EST, Monday) The best think to happen for Clippers backers was their shellacking at the hands of the Bucks on Saturday. If they had been competitive or even won we think this line would be larger. We think that the main reason they struggled was that they were road weary and had played a physically and emotionally draining Double OT game against the Pacers the night before. Saturday’s game aside, this Clippers team is improving rapidly and the addition of Zach Randolph has been key to the resurgence. LA has won and covered in four of their last six overall. Toronto comes to LA having dropped five straight games and they have had lots of trouble scoring points, averaging only 89 PPG during that span
DOC
3 Unit Play. #42 Take Chicago Bears over Green Bay Packers (Monday 8:30 pm ESPN) The Packers are done and continue to get to much respect for this disappointing year. They have a terrible defense and an offense that does not make many big plays. The Bears still have a punchers chance of making the playoffs and cannot afford a slip-up in this contest @ Soldier Field. The Bears have had success against the Packers recently winning five of the last seven meetings. The Bears defense will shutdown Rogers and company as we collect in the process with both the side and the total. Chicago 20, Green Bay 13.
3 Unit Play. #42 Take Under in Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (Monday 8:30 pm ESPN)Comment
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Re: 12-22-08
KELSO
Monday, December 22, 2008
10 units Bears (-4) over Packers
8:30 PM -- Soldier Field
Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from the West at 5-15 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 10.
10 Units Packers/Bears UNDER 40 Points
8:30 PM -- Soldier Field
Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from the West at 5-15 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 10.
5 Units Monday Night Side Total Parlay
Play a 5-Unit Parlay of the Bears and the Under
Bears (-4) over Packers
Packers/Bears UNDER 40 PointsComment
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Re: 12-22-08
EXPERT: Ted Sevransky / TEDDY COVERS
TITLE: Red Hot NBA Run Rolls On
REASON FOR PICK: We cashed an easy winner on Friday Night betting the Nets and Mavs Over the total as the Nets hung 121 on Dallas, and the game flew Over by 20 points. There’s absolutely no reason to expect anything different here. Here’s what I wrote about New Jersey on Friday:
“The Nets have been struggling of late, because opposing teams have been able to slow them down. When the Nets were pulling off one upset after the next prior to this recent skid, point guard Devin Harris was pushing the pace at every opportunity, and the Nets ranked among the NBA leaders in fast break points. The numbers don’t lie. In eight of the Nets last ten wins, they’ve scored at least 105 points. In seven of the ten, they scored 112 or more. The teams that have been beating New Jersey have successfully slowed them down. The Nets have been held to 94 or less in nine of their twelve defeats.
“Clearly, we can see the impact of pace on the Nets results, a team that simply cannot get bogged down in a half court game if they expect to emerge victorious. And, after struggling for the last ten days or so, we can expect head coach Lawrence Frank to instruct his team to get up and down the floor tonight, taking advantage of the quickness edge that Devin Harris enjoys.”
Houston has a reputation as a sluggish offensive ballclub, but that reputation is based on past results, with virtually no validity here in 2008. Again, the numbers don’t lie. Houston ran with Minnesota on Saturday in a game that went Over the total by 19 points. They ran with Sacramento prior to that, as well as Denver. In two recent games against the ultra-fast paced Warriors, the Rockets hung 119 and 131 on Golden State in a pair of games that went Over the total by at least 15 points apiece. And with Aaron Brooks taking over at the point guard position for the injured Rafer Alston, the Rockets offense is actually more efficient in recent ballgames – Brooks wants to run every bit as much as Harris does. 4* Take the Over.Comment
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