Brandon Lang
FRIDAY
10 DIME - Pacers
5 DIME - Blazers and Florida Atlantic
PACERS - Follow me here: The T'Wolves were just run off the Target Center floor by the Warriors, a team that likes to push the tempo of the game. Now tonight they host the Pacers, another team that likes to get out on the break and run. Bad news for Minnesota, already 2-10 SU and 3-9 ATS at home, 3-21 SU on the season. Pacers have been a pretty solid play on the road this year at 8-5 both on the floor and versus the oddsmakers to lay the points with them here.
TRAIL BLAZERS - Vegas ain't giving the T'Blazers any respect. This is a cheap price considering they've won and covered 9 straight. One of those wins was at Denver on December 16th as a 8 1/2-point underdog; they won outright 116-105. Nuggets are coming off a 112-111 win against the Rockets at home last night but they failed to cover as an 8 1/2-point home chalk. That's five straight losses against the spread. Make is six in a row tonight.
FLA ATLANTIC - If you've never seen the Florida Atlantic Owls play before, then you've likely never heard of them until they etched their way into the Bowl picture last month. If you have seen ? or heard of ? them, then you know the treat you're in store for when nuzzling up to the television set tonight for the New Orleans Bowl. Forget the fact coaching legend Howard Schnellenberger wears the headphones for this team, and that it's led by the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year -quarterback Rusty Smith ? let's focus on the fact Memphis made the postseason by the skin of its Tiger-teeth at 7-5. They somehow managed to win five games by three points or less to become bowl eligible, but get this ? they were 0-2 against Sun Belt teams. Memphis' 11th-ranked defense will learn all about the Owls, right along with most of you tonight