COMPS
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
Prediction: over
Reason: Montreal has played over the total in 4 of their last 5 games. Their last 4 games vs. Conference opponents have played the over. The over is 5-1-1 in Montreal's last 7 games following a win. The over is 6-2 in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The over is 4-0-1 in Buffalo's last 5 games. The Sabres last 4 home games have played over the total. The over is 4-1-1 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning home record. Play the over.
James Patrick Sports
New Orleans Voodoo vs. Los Angeles Avengers
Big Game James Patrick will be on top of all the action this season in the Arena Football League. Tonight the season kicks-off with one of the leagues most potent offenses,(Avengers), opening their home season by entertaining New Orleans. The off season acquisitions made by Los Angeles will put them in a position to challenge for the Eastern Division title this season. Head Coach Sonny Cumbie likes to light it up and look for him to do just that in this high scoring opening game. Our Friday Arena Football complimentary selection is Los Angeles ? New Orleans OVER the TOTAL
Bob Akmens
Columbia -8.0
This play is the result of a successful computer model that has allowed Bob Akmens Sports to finish in first-place in 152 different categories of documented monitored handicapping contests since 1978.
The computer models I?ve developed for each sport look at the most-predictive variables that go into the winning and losing of games.
Several interesting factors in today?s play are as follows ?
HARVARD bums you out and does NOT cover when they?re [all figures are ATS (against-the-spread)]:
A road dog of +6.5-9 points this year: 1-5 ATS last 6 games
Any kind of a road dog: 1-6 ATS last 7 games
Trying to get revenge for a home loss to the team they?re playing: 3-6 ATS last 9 games
Playing a team with any sort of winning record: 6-12 ATS last 18 games
COLUMBIA, on the other hand, makes you money and COVERS when they?re:
Playing anybody this year: 10-3 ATS last 13 games
Playing another Ivy team: 7-3 ATS last 10 games
Playing in the cold month of February: 6-2 ATS last 8 games
Playing a lousy team like Harvard with its 8-18 SU record (actually any team with a losing record): 5-1 ATS last 7 games
GO WITH COLUMBIA -8
Marc Lawrence
Game: Utah Jazz at New Orleans Hornets
Prediction: New Orleans Hornets
Note: The Stingers head back to the Hive to host the Jazz in another payback special on tap Friday night. This time it?s with nasty revenge, we might add, as New Orleans has taken it on the chops twice against Utah this season. The first loss was a 99-71 shellacking in Salt Lake City, the lowest production of the season by the Hornets. The second was a 110-88 beating, also in Utah, earlier this month. The Jazz just hosted, and beat, Detroit at the Delta Center Wednesday night, setting the table for tonight?s fray. That?s because NBA road teams are 11-22 ATS when going into revenge of more than 15 points after playing the Pistons, including 3-13 ATS as dogs. With Utah is 3-7 SU & 2-8 ATS away on Fridays off a home game, we'll stay at home with the Hornets here tonight.
Marc Lawrence
Utah Jazz at New Orleans Hornets
The Stingers head back to the Hive to host the Jazz in another payback special on tap Friday night. This time it?s with nasty revenge, we might add, as New Orleans has taken it on the chops twice against Utah this season. The first loss was a 99-71 shellacking in Salt Lake City, the lowest production of the season by the Hornets. The second was a 110-88 beating, also in Utah, earlier this month. The Jazz just hosted, and beat, Detroit at the Delta Center Wednesday night, setting the table for tonight?s fray. That?s because NBA road teams are 11-22 ATS when going into revenge of more than 15 points after playing the Pistons, including 3-13 ATS as dogs. With Utah is 3-7 SU & 2-8 ATS away on Fridays off a home game, we'll stay at home with the Hornets here tonight.
Alex Smart
Montreal Canadiens -122.0
The Montreal Canadiens enter into this tilt against the Buffalo Sabres , having lost 3 straight meetings in this series ,out scoring them during that span by a lopsided 11-3 count. I know the Habs have revenge on board , and are in good form, as is evident by winning 4 of their L6 , but the Sabres are no push overs at home, and will be ready to continue their domination of the eastern conference foes. Final notes & Trends: Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, 10-3-2 with a 2.29 goals-against average in 15 career starts against the Canadiens. Montreal has also lost 21 of their 29 games in upstate NY. Home team s 7-1 L8 meetings in this series. Play on the Sabres
Brad Diamond
Play on: Philadelphia over Golden State
Sixers an amazing 11-2-1 ATS since January 26th and, finally getting attention nationally and on the Las Vegas highway. However, it is always dangerous when an east coast club takes on a west coast swing, while in the midst of a winning streak. Still, I must back the game Philly group who will need to play solid perimeter defense to cover the number, because this is not the hapless Orlando long range bombers hoisting
Great Lakes
Miami at Seattle
Play on: Seattle Supersonics
The Seattle Supersonics are playing better of late going 6-3 ATS in their last nine games, and 12-8 ATS vs the Miami Heat since 1996. The Seattle Supersonics is also 4-1 ATS as a favorite this year, and 8-4 ATS when playing on Friday Nights this year. We look for the Seattle Supersonics to roll over the Miami Heat for the home ATS Win & cover tonight.
Stephen Nover
Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets
PICK: Memphis Grizzlies
REASON FOR PICK: Hakim Warrick is playing well. Rudy Gay is having a breakthrough season. Hey, it's hard to find positive things to say about the Memphis Grizzlies.
Memphis has dropped 12 of its last 13. Houston has won its last 13 games. But this being the NBA, you have to zig and zag. This is a letdown spot for the Rockets. Look for Memphis to cover this large spread.
The Rockets buried Washington in their last game on Tuesday, 94-69. The Rockets were playing for the first time knowing Yao Ming would be out for the season. The Rockets were fired-up because of that. They also were catching the Wizards playing in their fourth game in five nights and off a buzzer-beating upset road victory against New Orleans.
I don't see the Rockets having that kind of emotion in their second game without Yao, especially with a nationally televised home game against Denver on Sunday up next. It will be hard for the Rockets to take the Grizzlies seriously and without Yao, they no longer have the talent to bury bad teams unless they're on their "A" game.
Allen Eastman
Take Toronto Raptors ?10 over Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers look to avoid a fourth straight loss as they visit the Raptors but a victory in Canada is not likely for Indy. Toronto has won three straight games and has already clinched its first season series win over the Pacers in seven years. They?ve also beaten Indiana four straight times at home and have won their last four home games by a margin of at least 17 points.
John Fina
Selection: Columbia -8 (-110)
Today Columbia will be on the road as they take on Harvard. We will lay the points with Columbia! Columbia has the much better defense. Columbia (at home) is allowing opponents to score an average of only 66.6 points per game, while Harvard (on the road) is allowing opponents to score an average of 79.9 points per game. This means the Columbia defense is allowing opponents to score an average of 13.3 points per game less then the Harvard defense. In addition, we already know Columbia can beat Harvard. In fact, Columbia is a perfect 4-0 ATS In their last 4 meetings against Harvard. Lay the points!
Take Columbia -8
TONY WESTON
The Nuggets are only 2-3 SU and ATS their last five games, but it?s not because of a lack of offense. No, in those five games the Nuggets are averaging 117 points per game, about 10 points more than their 107.6-point-per-game season average.
Now they get to take on a Clippers team that?s averaging only 83.6 points per game their last three games where they?re 0-3 SU and ATS.
The last time these two teams met was Nov. 30 when the Nuggets destroyed the Clippers 123-107 in Denver.
The Nuggets, who are 17-12 ATS at home, will be able to take advantage of a poor offensive team in the Clippers, who are only 11-14 ATS on the road this year.
Denver will have an easy go at it against the Clippers.
Take the Nuggets at home.
3♦ NUGGETS (1♦ to 5♦ Scale)
MATT RIVERS
For Friday take the Pacers up North.
These teams just played a few nigths ago at Conseco and it was the Raptors who won by four points and just barely covered the number. I had a comp play there on the Pacers and came up short. I admitted then and still admit that Toronto is the far superior team but I will still try my hand with the underdog in this spot as well.
No doubt Toronto is a solid squad that is once again headed to the playoffs. They are led by a stud in Chris Bosh and Indiana is a reeling franchise who is once again without its best player in Jermaine O'Neal but this number is a bit much and I do not mind some of the parts that the Pacers have to offer. Danny Grander, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Jamaal Tinsley and a few others are better than their terrible 22-36 mark indicates and in this revenge spot why not grab double digits plus!?!?!?
Indiana has dropped three in a row and six of seven and really have no motivation except for revenge so call me a sucker but I will make a small play on them at this gargantuan price!
