Ted Sevransky comp
Memphis Grizzlies +7.0
Mon Jan 28 '08 8:05p
From a ?spot? perspective, it doesn?t get much worse than the spot Dallas finds themselves in tonight as they travel to Memphis. The Mavs are playing on the second night of back-2-backs, coming off a tough, physical win against the Nuggets yesterday. On deck for Dallas during this East Coast swing? Three consecutive games against the three division leaders in the Eastern Conference, with Boston, Detroit and Orlando on tap. In between the tough home win against Denver and the three tough road games is this contest against a team that they?ve beaten eleven consecutive times. Clearly, we can expect a less than stellar effort from Dallas this evening.
The Mavs haven?t exactly been blowing out the Grizzlies in recent contests, despite their run of straight-up success. The first meeting this year, in Dallas, was an easy Memphis pointspread cover as they lost by only three points as 14 point underdogs. Recent home meetings show a one point Grizzlies loss and a five point loss in overtime, either of which would be enough to cover this pointspread. The Grizzlies are coming off a win over the Clippers without leading scorer Pau Gasol in the lineup. They are worthy of support again here, where Gasol ends up suiting up or not. Take the Grizzlies.
LT Profits comp
Utah Jazz -2.0 (-110)
Mon Jan 28 '08 9:05p
Things are apparently not well with the San Antonio Spurs right now, and visiting the Utah Jazz does not seem like a recipe for improvement.
The Jazz are a fantastic 18-3 straight up at home this season while winning by an impressive average of +12.8 points per game, and they are a sparkling 22-8-1 against the spread in their last 31 contests stretching back to last season. They are also a hot club right now, as they have won four straight and seven of their last nine after a 97-89 road win at Houston last night, and they have won eight straight at home.
The Spurs appeared to be in a spot to assert themselves on Saturday, as they figured to make a statement vs. a New Orleans Hornets team that owns the best record in the Western Conference. Instead, San Antonio scored a grand total of just 51 points over the last three quarters of a 102-78 blowout loss, the worst home loss of Tim Duncan?s career. They must now go on a long road trip as the rodeo comes to the Alamo Dome, and the Spurs have a losing 8-9 SU record away from home this season while going a poor 6-11 ATS.
Finally, the home team has dominated this head-to-head series while going 10-1 in the last 11 meetings, and given these clubs home/away splits this year, look for more of the same here at this cheap number.
NBA Free Pick: Jazz -2
Alex Smart comp
Dallas Mavericks -7.0
Mon Jan 28 '08 8:05p
Dallas enters into this tilt against their hosts Memphis having won 11 of their L/13 games overall. The Grizzlies are at the opposite end of the proverbial performance spectrum, having lost 14 of their L/18 overall SU. With these two teams operating at different levels right now it will be an easy decision to back the visiting team this evening. Final notes & Key Trends: The Dallas Mavericks have owned the Memphis Grizzlies in the recent past, winning 8 straight meetings in this series and have won 6 straight visits to Tennessee. Injury update: Grizz injury prone star Pau Gasol is currently suffering with a sore back, and may not play. (503) Dallas to win and cover
Larry Ness comp
Game: Cal Poly SLO at Pacific Jan 28 2008 11:00PM
Prediction: Pacific
Reason: Pacific fell to 12-19 last season, after DOMINATING the Big West the previous three seasons with 76 wins. However, it hasn't taken head coach Bob Thomason long to "reload" as the tigers enter this game 14-5 and 5-1in the conference. Two junior guards, holdover Johnson (15.4-4.7 APG) and Miami-O transfer Troyer (12.9) have led the resurgence. Up front, the 6-7 Brown (11.4-7.1), 6-8 freshman Nunnally (8.1-5.1) and the 6-6 Ford (3.8-3.7) complete the starting lineup. Freshman guard Kirby (5.1) adds depth to the backcourt, while the 6-8 LeDuc (7.5-3.3) offers help inside. Cal-Poly is struggling, having lost eight of its last 11 (7-11 on the season) and while seven players average between 7.1 and 9.2 PPG, not a single player is in double digits. While Pacific is 7-1 at home this year, Cal-Poly comes in 1-7 SU and 2-4 ATS on the road, sporting an 0-9 SU and 2-7 ATS mark this year when getting points. Lay it with Pacific.
Ben Burns comp
Game: San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz Jan 28 2008 9:05PM
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs
Reason: The Spurs had yesterday off after losing 102-78 vs. New Orleans on Saturday. The Jazz, on the other hand, played last night at Houston, "upsetting" the Rockets by a 97-89 score, while listed as slight underdogs. Those results should favor the visitors this evening. The Spurs are 4-1 SU/ATS the last five times that they were coming off a double-digit loss and 18-9 SU/ATS in that situation the past three seasons. Note that the Spurs are also 32-5 SU the last 37 times they were coming off a game in which they scored 85 points or less, going 24-13 against the number. Meanwhile, the Jazz are 3-8 SU and 4-7 ATS when playing the second of back to back games this season. Looking back further and we find the Jazz at just 4-12 SU/ATS the last 16 times they played the second of back to back games. Additionally, note that the Spurs are 10-3 SU/ATS the last 13 games in this series. Consider backing the defending champs.
Robert Ross comp
Game: Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Hornets Jan 28 2008 8:05PM
Prediction: New Orleans Hornets
Reason: Denver in a tough scheduling spot having played and lost last night in Dallas. It did get the cover, its third straight. New Orleans though has won and covered eight in a row. Home clubs with six or more consecutive covers are 29-8 ATS since 1996 when playing a road team with 2 or more consecutive covers. Take New Orleans!
Tom Freese comp
Game: Cal Poly SLO at Pacific Jan 28 2008 11:00PM
Prediction: Pacific
Reason: Pacific is 22-9 ATS at home off 3 or more straight wins. The Tigers are 9-1 straight up and 8-2 ATS their last 10 home games vs. Cal Poly. The Mustangs are 1-9 ATS vs. a team that averages less then 14 turnovers a game. They are 0-4 ATS off a straight up win and they are 0-5 ATS their last 5 games vs. a team with a win percentage of over 60%. PLAY ON PACIFIC -