Drew Gordon Writeups
Drew Gordon Writeups
Drew Gordon Writeups
Today's Games...
1. 200,000♦ Magic
2. 50,000♦ Fairfield
3. 50,000♦ Kings
1. Magic- Several things I love about this match up for the Magic, but let's start with the reemergence of point guard Jameer Nelson. Coach Van Gundy has made some difficult, but intelligent moves lately, and they've paid off.
First, he decided to sit or limit Nelson's minutes until he showed he really wanted to play. He responded by playing some of the most aggressive basketball I've seen all season, winning his match up with Jason Kidd on Wednesday, despite coming off the bench. He dropped in 11 points, dished out 8 assists, and was on the attack for all 25 minutes he played... A great sign for this Magic offense.
Another excellent move coach Van Gundy made also came against the Nets, as the Magic have been known to start slow. So what did he do? After another lackadaisical start, he pulled 3 of his starters, sending the message that you play the game for a full 48 minutes... A great tactic, that will surely pay off in tonight's match up against the Lakers.
The biggest issue I have with the Lakers is fatigue. They're in the midst of grueling road trip, and are now playing their 6th road game in 9 nights. Say what you will about the "new-look" Lakers, but there's no question they'll have tired legs in this one. Also, the fact Kobe Bryant is dealing with a dislocated pinkie on his shooting hand is seriously effecting his offense. He scored 6 points at New Jersey, and then 11 points at Atlanta... The Lakers cannot win against a team of Orlando's caliber without Kobe being 100%.
Finally, do you really think the Pau Gasol is the answer against Dwight Howard?! One player is a finesse euro-style small forward in a centers body, while the other is arguably the best pure center is the NBA... No question Howard dominates this match up, most likely getting Gasol in foul trouble early. Andrew Bynum would've been the much better match up for the Lakers, but that's obviously not possible.
Bottom line, look for the Magic to come out firing tonight, as their offense is most dangerous with a resurgent Jameer Nelson leading the charge. The match ups strongly favor the home team, especially considering the fatigue factor and Kobe's injury. Magic roll!
Take the Magic at home over the L.A. Lakers as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Fairfield- For those of you that don't follow the MAAC closely, this game may seem like a dangerous spot to take an 8-14 Fairfield team on the road against an 8-14 Manhattan team, but that's simply not the case.
You can throw out Manhattan's 8-14 record, because their strength of schedule is a ridiculous 313th, as compared to a more respectable 173rd for the Stags. Seriously guys, this Jaspers team is a fraud, going just 3-15 ATS overall this season, including 1-7 ATS at home. They've lost 7 straight, and are playing absolutely no defense whatsoever, allowing 79 ppg on a mind-boggling 56% shooting over their last 5 games.
Fairfield meanwhile, is coming off a huge confidence-building outright upset at Niagara, beating a solid Purple Eagles team 76-72 as 11-point underdogs! You couldn't ask for a better win coming into this game, as Fairfield's backcourt stepped up bigtime on the road, and they'll do it again tonight. Its surprsing, because usually the Stags get their production from the frontcourt, but it appears this Fairfield team is starting to find a balance on offense.
Speaking of the frontcourt, the Stags have a huge edge down-low tonight, as a smallish Jaspers frontline poses little threat to forwards Johnson, Nero, and Evanovich. Look for the Stags frontcourt to control the paint, much like they did against Niagara.
Bottom line, I couldn't disagree more with oddsmaker on this one, as I can easily see the Stags winning this game outright. Granted, let's not get greedy, as any points are an added bonus, however, the play here is squarely on Fairfield to expose a bad Manhattan team in their own house Friday night.
Take Fairfield plus the points over Manhattan in this MAAC match up.
3. Kings- For as good as the Jazz are playing, it should tell you something they're only slight favorites at Sacramento tonight. Look guys, the fact of the matter is both of these teams are playing great basketball right now, but there's no question that the Jazz (despite all their recent success) are still vulnerable on the road, where they're just 11-15 SUATS away this season.
True, Utah has won and covered 5 straight on the road, but let's not overlook the Kings recent play either. They've won 7 of their last 10 games, including a nice home win and cover against a great New Orleans team 112-103 February 1st.
Granted, critics will say they just lost to Seattle 105-92 at Arco Wednesday, but that's exactly the kind of motivation this Kings team needs in this match up. If you think Sacramento isn't looking to bounce back hard tonight against the Jazz, then you don't know basketball.
What's been most impressive about this Kings team is their offense, which has blossomed since they got healthy. Led by Kevin Martin, this Kings offense is averaging 103 ppg over their last 5 games, going 4-1 SU over that span. We all know to run with the Jazz you have to be able to score points, and that's precisely what the Kings have been doing. Don't let one bad game against the Sonics deter you from taking the Kings in this spot, remember they're 15-10 SU & 14-11 ATS at Arco this season.
Finally, let's not forget the last time these two met at Arco, where the Kings got a solid 117-107 win and cover back in December, and that was without Mike Bibby in the lineup. Look for another strong effort tonight, as the Kings definitely will be looking to make up for their loss to the sorry Sonics with a resounding home win in this spot. We'll take the points as an added bonus, but don't be surprised if the Kings win outright here.
Take the Kings at home plus the points over the Jazz in late NBA action.