Drew Gordon
Today's Games...
1. 200,000♦ Tulsa
2. 50,000♦ Jazz
3. 50,000♦ Braves
1. Tulsa- After the home team took the first two games of this Best of 3 Series, there's little reason not to expect more of the same tonight, as the Golden Hurricane clearly play their best ball in Tulsa, where they're 17-2 SU and 11-4 ATS (9-1 L10 ATS) at home this season!
Just pop in the tape, and you'll immediately see a more confident, defensively sound Golden Hurricane team in the first game of this series at Tulsa. Bradley shot 44% and committed 12 turnovers on the road, while back in Peoria for Game 2, they shot a blistering 52% (47% from 3-point) and committed only 7 turnovers all game... The numbers don't lie, plain and simple.
Another aspect of the game is the inside play of 6'11 Jerome Jordan, who looked much more comfortable at home, scoring 18 points, grabbing 13 boards, and swatting 4 shots. No surprise that as an underclassmen he plays better at home, remember he's just a kid, and kid's play better on friendly rims. Also, the Braves decided to use 7-foot freshman C Dave Collins against Jordan in the 2nd game, but don't expect the freshy to do nearly as well in very hostile territory tonight.
Finally, the reason the Golden Hurricane give the Braves so much trouble is they have the guards to match up with Bradley's talented backcourt. Ben Uzoh and McDade are both solid, while Glen Andrews has the talent, but is still only a freshman, and plays limited minutes in key situations.
Long story short, with Tulsa's dominance down-low behind Jordan, and their ability to match up along the perimeter with Bradley's guards (especially at home), look for the Golden Hurricane to win and cover this contest. Remember guys, Golden Hurricanes have won 9 of their last 10 ATS in Tulsa... Make it 10 of 11 after tonight!
Take Tulsa over Bradley as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Jazz- While I admit San Antonio has clearly regrouped and is back to playing winning basketball, the Jazz are simply too good at home to ignore in this spot. Utah is an outstanding 26-12 ATS in Salt Lake this season, while the Spurs have been anything but profitable on the road, leading their backers down a dark path, going 15-22 ATS away this season. But its more than just the trends...
There's little arguing with the Spurs defense, which is one of the best in the NBA year in and year out, problem for them is the Jazz actually play defense at home, allowing just 95 ppg there this season. Herein lies the problem, because when you take away the Spurs edge on defense, they become exceedingly vulnerable, especially when you consider the Jazz red-hot offense.
Speaking of offense, few teams are as consistently dominant at home as the Jazz, averaging a ridiculous 119 ppg on 56% shooting over their last 5 games in Salt Lake! That's up 10 points from their laready impressive season average of 109 ppg, and trust me, of you've seen this Jazz team play of late, they're absolutely rolling!
Finally, let's talk about the one trend that stand above all the rest - The fact the home team is 11-1 ATS over their last 12 meetings! Their last match up is a prefect example, as the Jazz won 97-91 in Utah back on January 28th... Jazz shot 50% from the field and turned the ball over only 9 times against an excellent Spurs defense.
Bottom line, in a clash between two Western Conference titans, clearly the home court has been the deciding factor. Look for that to be the difference here tonight, along with the scorching Jazz offense. In the end, its a close contest, but the Jazz protect their house, grabbing the cash along the way!
Take the Jazz over the Spurs in this NBA match up.
3. Braves- Let me get this straight? So the Braves lose 2 of their first 3 games of the season, and now everyone is jumping all over the Mets in this contest? Let me remind those people, that its a long season, and underestimating the Braves at Turner behind Tim Hudson is huge mistake and here's why:
First, did you guys see Hudson's first start of the season? If you did, its tough to go against him when he pitches a gem like he did at the Nationals in the Braves opener, allowing 2 runs on just 3 hits over 7 innings. Those two runs came in the 1st inning, and after he settled down he was great, retiring the last 19 batters he saw!
I can understand after watching the Mets pound the Marlins Wednesday, that some would expect another offensive explosion tonight, but not so fast. Its a lot easier when your facing the likes of Andrew Miller, but in this case, look for Hudson to throw a wet blanket on the Mets hitting parade tonight. Note he was 2-2 with a solid 3.33 ERA in 4 starts against the Mets last season!
Mets counter with John Maine, who many believe will anchor their pitching staff this season. While I don't disagree, I'm not ready to forget his inconsistencies last season, starting hot, cooling off considerably, and then ending the season on fire. Also, we all know he did extremely well in the Spring, but that doesn't always translate into guarateed early season success, despite what Mets fans will tell you!
Finally, everyone was surprised to see the Braves offense struggle in their loss to the Pirates yesterday, but if anything that loss will motivate them to come out swinging tonight. Southpaw Zach Duke pitched a good game, but look for the Braves to get back on track tonight against the righty Maine in this one. In the end, this one should be competitive, but there's no way the Braves let another team come in a push them around on their home field tonight.
Take the Braves behind Hudson over the NY Mets and Maine in this MLB match up.
