Sports Advisors
NBA
Denver (45-28, 40-33 ATS) at Phoenix (49-24, 34-36-3 ATS)
The red-hot Nuggets take a five-game winning streak to the desert when they visit the Suns in the first of a two-games-in-two-nights home-and-home series with the Suns.
Denver won a hard-fought battle with the Warriors on Saturday night, scoring a 119-112 home victory. However, the Nuggets came up just short as an eight-point chalk, ending a 5-0 ATS run. Despite that non-cover, George Karl?s team has been a solid bet the last few weeks, going 11-3 ATS in its last 14 contests.
Phoenix returns home after splitting a four-game East Coast road trip. The Suns lost the first two at Detroit and Boston, but rebounded to win at Philadelphia 107-93 on Friday and at New Jersey 110-104 on Saturday. However, they went just 1-3 ATS on the trip, including failing to cover as a 6?-point chalk at the Nets on Sunday.
The home team is on an 8-2 SU and ATS run in this rivalry, with the host taking the first two meetings this season. Phoenix rolled 137-115 as a 7?-point home chalk on Jan. 7, with Denver getting revenge with a 126-113 win as a seven-point favorite on March 5. The last four head-to head clashes have been decided by margins of 24, 17, 22 and 13 points, with the home club going 4-0 SU and ATS. In fact, the host has cashed in each of the last six battles.
These teams meet again on Tuesday night in Denver.
Denver has followed up a five-game road losing skid (2-3 ATS) by winning three straight on the highway (3-0 ATS), prevailing by margins of 11, 9 and 14 points. The Nuggets are also 5-1 ATS in their last six against the Western Conference. However, they?re just 1-5 ATS in their last six against the Pacific Division and 1-4 ATS as an underdog of 5 to 10? points.
The Suns are on a 9-2 SU run overall (7-3-1 ATS), including five consecutive wins and spread-covers at home. They?re also 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven against the West, but 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 against the Northwest Division.
The over is 9-3 in the Suns? last 12 home games and 4-0 in their last four meetings with Denver.
Meanwhile, going back to the beginning of February, the Nuggets are on a 20-8 ?over? streak, though they have stayed low in three of their last four, including two straight road contests.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHOENIX and OVER
COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
Bradley (20-15, 18-14-1 ATS) at Tulsa (23-13, 19-11 ATS)
The inaugural College Basketball Invitational championship series tips off at the Reynolds Center Tulsa, as the Golden Hurricane host Bradley in the first of a best-of-three set.
Tulsa enters this series on a 13-3 SU run (13-2 ATS in lined games). The Golden Hurricane won three home games to get to this point, besting Miami (Ohio) 61-45 as a 4?-point favorite, topping Utah 69-60 as a 2?-point chalk, then knocking out Houston 73-69 as a 3?-point choice on Wednesday. The straight-up winner has cashed in each of Tulsa?s last 10 contests and 15 of the last 16.
Bradley lost three straight games entering the CBI, but has since caught fire in posting wins over Cincinnati (70-67), Ohio (79-73) and Virginia (96-85) to reach this series. The Braves cashed in two of the three contests, and they?re on a 6-3 ATS roll coming into tonight?s contest (3-1 ATS on the highway). The winner is 13-3 ATS in Bradley?s past 16 contests.
Tulsa is 16-2 at home (11-3 ATS in lined contests), and going back to last year, the Golden Hurricane are on a 14-3 ATS roll on their home floor. Furthermore, Tulsa is on ATS hot streaks of 17-4 as a favorite, 8-0 as a chalk of less than seven points and 5-0 in non-conference contests.
Bradley is on positive pointspread runs of 12-4 overall, 7-2 on the road, 10-2 as a road underdog of less than seven points and 37-16-2 after a SU win.
Bradley has been all about offense of late, averaging 85 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting in its last five, while allowing 82 ppg on 47.1 percent shooting. On the other hand, the Golden Hurricane have been very defensive-oriented of late, putting up 63.6 ppg on 40.4 percent shooting while surrendering 62.6 ppg on 40.4 percent shooting.
For the Braves, the over is on runs of 17-5 overall, 6-0 on the road, 18-8-1 in non-league play, 11-1 as a road underdog and 5-0 on Mondays. Conversely, Tulsa is on under streaks of 5-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 at home and 4-1-1 as a favorite.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Houston (0-0) at San Diego (0-0)
Reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy (19-6, 2.54 ERA in 2007) leads the Padres against the Astros and ace Roy Oswalt (14-7, 3.18) as the two squads begin the 2008 season at Petco Park.
San Diego is coming off a heartbreaking 2007 season in which it lost a one-game playoff to Colorado for the N.L. wild-card berth. The Padres finished 89-74, 1? games behind division champion Arizona and a game back of the Rockies. On the bright side, Bud Black?s club won 13 of its final 18 home games last year.
Houston experienced a rare losing season last year, going 73-89, good for fourth place in the six-team N.L. Central. The Astros did close the year on a 5-1 run, and also won of their last seven on the road.
The Astros won the season series last year, 4-3. The visiting team is 8-5 in the last 13 meetings.
Peavy, who is making his third Opening Day start, hit the pitching equivalent of the Triple Crown last year, leading the N.L. in wins, ERA and strikeouts (240). The veteran righthander was 9-5 with a 2.51 ERA in 19 starts at Petco Park in 2007. He?s 6-4 with a 2.23 ERA in 12 career starts against the Astros, going 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two outings last season.
Oswalt had a drastic home-road split last year, going 9-1 with a 1.91 ERA in Houston, but just 5-6 with a 4.77 ERA on the highway. The righthander, who is starting on Opening Day for the sixth time, made one start at Petco Park last year, giving up two runs in just 4 2/3 innings, failing to get a decision in a 3-2 Houston win. For his career, Oswalt is 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA against the Padres (2-0, 2.50 ERA at Petco).
The Padres are 7-2 in their last nine against the N.L. Central.
The under is 9-2-2 in the last 13 Padres-Astros clashes, including 5-0-1 in the last six battles at Petco. The under also went 4-0 in Houston?s last four overall last year, 6-1 in Oswalt?s last six starts and 12-6-1 in Peavy?s 17 home outings. However, the Padres closed 2007 on a 7-1-1 ?over? streak.
ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN DIEGO and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
L.A. Angels (0-0) at Minnesota (0-0)
Jered Weaver (13-7, 3.91 in 2007) makes the first opening-day start of his career when he leads the Angels against the Twins and veteran righthander Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4.93 in 2007).
The Angels went 94-68 and cruised to the A.L. West title last year, their third division crown in the last four seasons, winning it by six games over the Mariners. However, Los Angeles got swept by eventual the World Series champion Red Sox in a best-of-3 opening round playoff series.
After winning the A.L. Central four times in five years, the Twins took a major step back in 2007, finishing in third place in the division with a 79-83 record.
The Angels won the season series last year 6-3, capturing the final four meetings. Going back to 2005, Los Angeles is 12-6 in this rivalry.
Hernandez, who pitched for Arizona last year, was shaky in his first spring in Minnesota, posting a 6.38 ERA. Despite that, with former Twins ace Johan Santana traded to the Mets in the offseason, Hernandez was awarded with the eighth opening-day start in his 10-year career, but his first as a pitcher in the American League. He has never pitched inside the Metrodome.
Hernandez has made two career regular-season starts against the Angles, failing to register a decision in either contest while posting a 3.55 ERA. However, he did face the Halos twice in the 2002 World Series when with the Giants, going 0-2 with a 14.31 ERA.
Weaver started last year on the disabled list and struggled at the start of his first full big-league season. But he came on strong after the All-Star break, going 7-2 with a 4.13 ERA in 14 starts. He was also outstanding in spring training this year, going 5-0 with a 1.67 ERA in six starts.
Weaver was 6-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 14 starts on the road, including getting a no-decision on July 21 in Minnesota, as he gave up just two runs on five hits over seven innings, with L.A. eventually losing 5-2. For his career, the righthander is 2-0 with a 2.11 ERA in three starts against the Twins.
Los Angeles went 2-7 in its final nine road games last year and 1-4 in its final five against the A.L. Central. As for the Twins, they lost nine of their last 13 home games in 2007, but are on a 4-0 roll against the A.L. West.
The under is 23-11-3 in the last 37 games in the Metrodome, but the over is 4-1-1 in the last six Twins-Angels battles in the dome.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. ANGELS
