Drew Gordon
Today's Games...
1. 200,000♦ Nets
2. 50,000♦ Bobcats
3. 50,000♦ Harvard
1. Nets- The Nets went into the All-Star Break playing well, and we saw them play well again at Chicago two days ago, getting the outright win 110-102 in OT. While we all know Jason Kidd's absence will be felt, let's not get carried away, as the Nets have some solid talent at the point guard position. Devin Harris isn't ready yet, but ex-Huskie PG Marcus Williams, who was being groomed to take over for Kidd, is playing extremely well, coming off a 25-point effort against the Bulls.
But enough about the Nets for now, as its the Pacers pathetic play of late which dooms them in this match up. They've lost 10 of their last 12 SU, going 4-8 ATS over that span. The injuries to O'Neal and Tinsley have left this Indiana team with little but Danny Granger chucking up shot after shot, and it shows, averaging 95 ppg on just 40% shooting over their last 5 games. Won't get any easier against a hard-nosed Nets defense, allowing 94 ppg on 40% shooting over that same span!
Its also hard to ignore the fact the Nets have absolutely owned this series, winning 7 straight against the Pacers, covering 6 of those 7! New Jersey has no fear of going into Conseco Fieldhouse whatsoever, and they'll play like it tonight. Make no mistake, the Nets are out to prove they can play without Kidd, and that's as much motivation as they'll need to keep this game competitive against the struggling Pacers.
Bottom line, now is the time to find value with this Nets team, as oddsmakers scramble to adjust to the Kidd trade. I say the Nets are almost as good without him, plus the added motivation of proving their doubters wrong, and the fact they've dominated the Pacers in the past, there's only one choice here and its the Nets plus the points.
Take the Nets plus the points over the Pacers as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Bobcats- Here's an example of a bad team getting highly motivated coming off one of their worst losses of the season. Charlotte is coming off an 85-65 blowout loss at the Spurs, and will be looking to bounce back strong tonight in front of their home fans. Bobcats may be terrible on the road (4-19), but understimate them at your own risk in Charlotte, where they're 15-16 SUATS this season.
Several match up issues for the Kings, including Brad Miller, who'll be matched up against one of the better defensive centers in the league in Emeka Okafor. What's worse is Okafor had a terrible game against the Spurs and Tim Duncan, so you can expect he'll be extremely active tonight. Not only that, but Gerald Wallace still isn't himself coming off that foot injury, but he did play 32 minutes against the Spurs despite only scoring 4 points (16 below his average)... Expect a much better effort in this one.
Another issue I have with the Kings is their road play. There's no question they're playing much better basketball overall, but they're vulnerable on the road, going 8-18 SU and 14-12 ATS away this season. We already know they're defense is average at best, but when they get on the road, the Kings offense also sputters, averaging 96 ppg on 45% shooting. They'll be hard-pressed to reverse that trend against a solid Bobcats defense tonight.
Bottom line, Bobcats bounce back from one of their worst losses of the season with a resounding effort against the road-weary Kings Friday night. Not only do the Kings have a tough time on the road in general, but they've lost their last 3 in Charlotte SUATS. Bobcats roll!
Take the Bobcats plus the points over the Kings in this NBA match up.
3. Harvard- How do you separate two losing Ivy League teams? Well, first you start with the home court, where the Crimson have been solid this season, going 6-4 SU & 4-2 ATS. Princeton meanwhile, has been atrocious on the highway, going winless 0-9 SU & 5-4 ATS... Needless to say, the Tigers are toothless when they travel, and they'll be toothless here again tonight.
So what happens to the Tigers when they travel? They're already slow-as-molasses offense gets even slower, averaging 50 ppg on 40% shooting on the road. That's bad news because the Crimson, like most Ivy League teams, are much better offensively at home, scoring 75 ppg on 46% shooting there this season. You tell me how Princeton keeps pace with this Harvard offense in this one? The answer: They won't, plain and simple.
Next, we'll look at the match ups, as the Crimson clearly have more balance and depth, despite the fact they have only one more win to show for it. Princeton's F Savage is coming off a huge 35-point effort, but he'll be much closer to his 9 ppg average tonight against a bigger Harvard frontline on the road tonight. Other than that, the Crimson have solid edges across the board, from the backcourt to the frontcourt.
Bottom line, while we've got two losing Ivy League programs matching up tonight, clearly only one is coming to play, and that's the Crimson. In case you wanted the numbers to back my assertion about the home court advantage: The home team is 6-2 ATS over their last 8 meetings in this series... Make it 7-2 ATS after tonight!
Take Harvard over Princeton in this Ivy League match up
Today's Games...
1. 200,000♦ Nets
2. 50,000♦ Bobcats
3. 50,000♦ Harvard
1. Nets- The Nets went into the All-Star Break playing well, and we saw them play well again at Chicago two days ago, getting the outright win 110-102 in OT. While we all know Jason Kidd's absence will be felt, let's not get carried away, as the Nets have some solid talent at the point guard position. Devin Harris isn't ready yet, but ex-Huskie PG Marcus Williams, who was being groomed to take over for Kidd, is playing extremely well, coming off a 25-point effort against the Bulls.
But enough about the Nets for now, as its the Pacers pathetic play of late which dooms them in this match up. They've lost 10 of their last 12 SU, going 4-8 ATS over that span. The injuries to O'Neal and Tinsley have left this Indiana team with little but Danny Granger chucking up shot after shot, and it shows, averaging 95 ppg on just 40% shooting over their last 5 games. Won't get any easier against a hard-nosed Nets defense, allowing 94 ppg on 40% shooting over that same span!
Its also hard to ignore the fact the Nets have absolutely owned this series, winning 7 straight against the Pacers, covering 6 of those 7! New Jersey has no fear of going into Conseco Fieldhouse whatsoever, and they'll play like it tonight. Make no mistake, the Nets are out to prove they can play without Kidd, and that's as much motivation as they'll need to keep this game competitive against the struggling Pacers.
Bottom line, now is the time to find value with this Nets team, as oddsmakers scramble to adjust to the Kidd trade. I say the Nets are almost as good without him, plus the added motivation of proving their doubters wrong, and the fact they've dominated the Pacers in the past, there's only one choice here and its the Nets plus the points.
Take the Nets plus the points over the Pacers as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Bobcats- Here's an example of a bad team getting highly motivated coming off one of their worst losses of the season. Charlotte is coming off an 85-65 blowout loss at the Spurs, and will be looking to bounce back strong tonight in front of their home fans. Bobcats may be terrible on the road (4-19), but understimate them at your own risk in Charlotte, where they're 15-16 SUATS this season.
Several match up issues for the Kings, including Brad Miller, who'll be matched up against one of the better defensive centers in the league in Emeka Okafor. What's worse is Okafor had a terrible game against the Spurs and Tim Duncan, so you can expect he'll be extremely active tonight. Not only that, but Gerald Wallace still isn't himself coming off that foot injury, but he did play 32 minutes against the Spurs despite only scoring 4 points (16 below his average)... Expect a much better effort in this one.
Another issue I have with the Kings is their road play. There's no question they're playing much better basketball overall, but they're vulnerable on the road, going 8-18 SU and 14-12 ATS away this season. We already know they're defense is average at best, but when they get on the road, the Kings offense also sputters, averaging 96 ppg on 45% shooting. They'll be hard-pressed to reverse that trend against a solid Bobcats defense tonight.
Bottom line, Bobcats bounce back from one of their worst losses of the season with a resounding effort against the road-weary Kings Friday night. Not only do the Kings have a tough time on the road in general, but they've lost their last 3 in Charlotte SUATS. Bobcats roll!
Take the Bobcats plus the points over the Kings in this NBA match up.
3. Harvard- How do you separate two losing Ivy League teams? Well, first you start with the home court, where the Crimson have been solid this season, going 6-4 SU & 4-2 ATS. Princeton meanwhile, has been atrocious on the highway, going winless 0-9 SU & 5-4 ATS... Needless to say, the Tigers are toothless when they travel, and they'll be toothless here again tonight.
So what happens to the Tigers when they travel? They're already slow-as-molasses offense gets even slower, averaging 50 ppg on 40% shooting on the road. That's bad news because the Crimson, like most Ivy League teams, are much better offensively at home, scoring 75 ppg on 46% shooting there this season. You tell me how Princeton keeps pace with this Harvard offense in this one? The answer: They won't, plain and simple.
Next, we'll look at the match ups, as the Crimson clearly have more balance and depth, despite the fact they have only one more win to show for it. Princeton's F Savage is coming off a huge 35-point effort, but he'll be much closer to his 9 ppg average tonight against a bigger Harvard frontline on the road tonight. Other than that, the Crimson have solid edges across the board, from the backcourt to the frontcourt.
Bottom line, while we've got two losing Ivy League programs matching up tonight, clearly only one is coming to play, and that's the Crimson. In case you wanted the numbers to back my assertion about the home court advantage: The home team is 6-2 ATS over their last 8 meetings in this series... Make it 7-2 ATS after tonight!
Take Harvard over Princeton in this Ivy League match up
