Bring the brooms for Monday

One professional basketball team swept away the competition in the second round; now two more will try and match them to start a new work week. Orlando and Los Angeles Lakers will attempt and do the same thing Phoenix performed yesterday and whisk away their opponent’s in four games to advance to conference finals.

The Magic are presumed to have the easier time since they have toyed with Atlanta like the Harlem Globetrotters vs. the Washington Generals. Orlando has won the three games in the series by an average of 29 points, which by NBA standards is about the same difference as a balanced budget in Washington D.C. vs. the national debt.

Orlando’s worst shooting game in the series was their last at 50.7 percent (the other two were 52.4 and 55.9 percent), while Atlanta shot attempts looked like a few of Tiger Woods drives over the weekend, making a paltry 36.8 percent vs. the Magic, however at least Woods had a back neck as excuse.

The Magic have won lucky 13 in a row (12-1 ATS) and are 13-3 ATS in road games having covered 12 or more of their last 15 against the spread over the last three seasons. Oddsmakers are taking a hit on the Hawks as the old “pendulum” theory is taking a beating with Atlanta, which is why Orlando is 6.5-point favorites after being just two in Game 3.

The Hawks are 2-13 ATS in the second round of the playoffs and 4-18 ATS off a home massacre of 20 points or more and the most telling and damning remarks come from one of their own.

When asked how well his team plays together center Al Horhord offered this.

“The chemistry, it’s OK,” Horford said, hardly a glowing assessment. “At times, it can be really good. Other times, not so good. There are ups and down. We have a lot of good guys on the team. We mesh to a certain extent. I just think sometimes, when things don’t go our way, everybody seems to crawl into their own little hole.” How could a sports bettor take the points with that cryptic statement for this TNT tilt at 8:00 Eastern?

While many basketball experts don’t recognize much of a difference between the Lakers and Utah besides the height factor, Los Angeles has on other clear edge, which is why they are the defending NBA champions.

The Lakers are maddening bunch this year as reported underachievers, merely going thru the motions too often for people’s taste. They had the third best regular season record at 57-25 and were far from domineering at +4.7 points point differential (tied for sixth overall). Their 39-50-2 spread record is a scattergood for a team of their ability, yet the one thing they do right the vast portion of the time is they make one more shot, grab one more rebound or make one more defensive stop to win games than the opposition. This carried them to Game 3 victory and 3-0 series lead even if good fortune as much as anything kept Wesley Matthews tip-in try at the buzzer out of the basket.

For all the criticism Phil Jackson’s team receives they have won five in a row and covered the number four times and have growing confidence, which is not good news for future opponents.
“Down the stretch, we made big shots. We’ve got guys that aren’t scared to take them,” Kobe Bryant said. “All across the board, guys will step up and they make them. That’s why we never really fret when it’s a five-point game or a two-point game with a couple minutes to go. “
The Lakers have no problem playing the up-tempo game with Utah and are 9-1 ATS after three or more consecutive Over’s this season.

Utah is 2.5-point favorites, with total at a series high of 207 and the Jazz are 13-4 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 this year. “If we get the ball in the basket last night in the end of the ballgame it’s a different day,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said Sunday. “But that’s part of it. You learn how to deal with the good and bad in life. There’s always going to be both at different times.”

The Jazz are 8-0 ATS at Energy Solutions Arena after a home game where both teams score 100 or more points and are 8-1 OVER in all playoff conflicts this campaign. The Lakers would prefer not to extend series and have nearly as much rest as the Suns before they meet and are 34-19 ATS as underdogs.

This contest will begin after Orlando and Atlanta complete their game and L.A. is 13-5 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3 this season.

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Is it wise to wager on Saturday’s NBA home teams?

The Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks are down 0-2 and neither is given much of a chance to come back in their respective series. That doesn’t mean they won’t give complete effort having slept in the own beds and will feel the energy of the home crowd once they hit the floor. But does either team really have enough, can they play a complete game with the minimum amount of failures and get back into the series to make it interesting at the very least. For the sports bettor, this is what to look for if you want to play these teams.

In primetime on ABC at 8:00 Eastern, Utah is looking forward to adding one more weapon to their depleted arsenal, with Andrei Kirilenko “AK47”, expected to play after missing most of two months with a strained left calf.

Kirilenko is unlikely to be a major factor, but if he can limit Kobe Bryant defensively, while invigorating the offense, that becomes a positive for the Jazz.

Utah is 35-9 and 29-13-2 ATS in home games this season and needs to make an adjustment that is contrary to how they play. Coach Jerry Sloan’s motion offense has again led to Utah being one of the top shooting teams in the NBA at 49 percent, but after awhile, you can’t keep going into the paint against the taller Lakers and have shots stamped “return to sender” continually.

Utah has had 20 blocked field goal attempts already in this series and might be better served to drive and kick out to shooters or use drive-and-stab dribble to create 10-foot shots instead of facing rejections or altered shots.

The Jazz are not going to beat Los Angeles by playing swarming defense, they have to out-shoot them. In Utah’s last 10 wins over the Lakers at home, they have had the higher shooting percentage nine times. In fact, the team that shoots the ball better is 14-1-1 ATS in Salt Lake City since Nov. 3, 2004.

The Jazz are 4.5-point favorites with total of 202.5. Utah is 18-6 ATS as a home favorite of six points or less and 15-6 OVER in double revenge situations. The Lakers are seemingly much better than Utah and appear to get bored when building any substantial lead but are 18-7 ATS after consecutive contests forcing opponent to commit 11 or less turnovers.

It’s hard to believe NBA analyst and former coach Hubie Brown is 76 years old, as he still can make watching an NBA game a pleasure, breaking down the teams and players for the more sophisticated fan, yet make salient understandable points for the casual observer. Brown also has the gift of criticizing a player in a manner that isn’t demeaning but fair, but later finding a positive about that same player later in a telecast, just like a coach.

Brown has had plenty of ammo to work with watching the Atlanta. The Hawks were a no-show in Game 1, losing to Orlando by eye-popping 43 points. As presumed, Atlanta showed much more resolve in the next contest and was tied at 83 with the Magic after three quarters.
However, NBA basketball is about performing when it matters most, the fourth quarter.

Atlanta is like a lot of NBA teams, they lacked that killer instinct to take care of opponent in the last 12 minutes and they were outscored 28-15 by Orlando in the final stanza.

For this 5:00 Eastern matchup on ESPN, Atlanta is 8-3-1 ATS off a double digit defeat and has to make up their minds they want to play all 48 minutes. This team had impressive wins in the regular season over good clubs and has to bring that same fire for all four quarters. The other component necessary to victory is Mike Bibby playing like a point guard of distinction.

Atlanta has just 28 assists in two games vs. Orlando and Bibby has a grand total of four. Coach Mike Woodson’s team to often lapses into dribbling without purpose, running down the shot clock and taking forced shot attempts. As John Hollinger of ESPN points out, Bibby’s postseason play has been the weakest of the remaining point guards still in the tournament and the Hawks are not talented enough to hide his poor play like the Lakers can do with Derek Fisher or someone else that comes off the bench in Los Angeles. Bibby’s team needs him, it’s time for his to deliver.

The Hawks are catching 2.5-points as home dogs and they will have to do better than 1-8 ATS off a SU loss if they want to continue this series beyond four games. Going up against the hottest team in the playoffs will test their fortitude, since Orlando is on 12-game winning streak and is awe-inspiring 11-1 ATS.

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Jazz vs. Lakers Series Preview

The NBA playoff scheduling often times borders on the ridiculous as Los Angeles and Utah won Game 6 matchups in their respective series and start the next round less than 48 hours later, while Phoenix and San Antonio completed their first round series the day prior and don’t play until a day later. However it’s not like the Lakers and Jazz aren’t familiar with one another with four regular season contests and meeting in the playoffs the last two years. For individual games, the home team is 18-8-1 ATS when these two get together.

(1) L.A. Lakers vs. (5) Utah

The Lakers were shown to have various weaknesses by Oklahoma City who was less than a second away from pushing Los Angeles to a seventh game, but Pau Gasol was in the right place at the right time and the defending NBA champions moved forward. Can offensive-minded Utah finish what the Thunder couldn’t?

Phil Jackson’s squad played four games to find out they needed to play like a team. This meant getting everyone involved in the offense and for Kobe Bryant to be patient with his teammates even when they were doing the team a disservice.

Russell Westbrook drove the Lakers crazy and Deron Williams can to the same, just in a different manner. Williams does not have Westbrook’s quickness, making it somewhat easier for Lakers big guys to rotate quicker on penetration. Look for coach Jackson to throw the kitchen sink at Williams, with Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and Kobe Bryant all taking turns to see what works in controlling him. If all else fails even Ron Artest could be looking in Deron’s eyes.

Gasol has the length to bother Carlos Boozer, who scored 12 points or less in three of their four matchups. This would be a huge negative for the Jazz who needs another big time scorer to keep pace with Williams.

Lamar Odom and Ron Artest have to bring more to the dance against Utah. Odom is your ultimate space cadet, playing only when he’s in the mood. Artest could be a bigger factor offensively since he doesn’t have a player of Kevin Durant’s scoring ability to worry about and though CJ Miles can have outbursts, he’s not in Durant’s area code.

Utah lost three of four to the Lakers this season and has been ousted from the postseason by L.A. the last two years. Since March 14 of last season, the Jazz have 2-8 SU and ATS record against the Lakers, with the average loss being by 14.2 per game. What can Utah do to turn the tide?

Williams needs to have similar numbers as what he had against Denver (25.8 points and 11.3 assists). This won’t be easy since the Lakers are much better defensively. That means rookie Wesley Matthews has to become an X-factor. He has to total 15 or more points per game, forcing the Lakers to use Bryant to guard him.

Paul Millsap was outstanding off the bench (17.3 PPG) against the Nuggets and similar contributions will be required. Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko could be available for Game 2 in this Western semifinal, however most reports have the first contest in Salt Lake City as more realistic estimate.

The Jazz could cover a good number of spreads in this series if Los Angeles is disinterested, but have to get over the mental part of defeating the Lakers in attempting to win games. Utah is 2-8 ATS playoff games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5, but the Lake Show is just as miserable at home with recent 4-10-1 ATS mark at the Staples Center.

If the Lakers learned one thing from playing Oklahoma City, it was they could play possession by possession in slower paced contests and still survive. Utah’s style is more to their liking and they already have the confidence to knock them off and will do so.

3Daily Winners Pick- L.A. Lakers (-400) in five over Utah (+300)

Friday evening is moving day in NBA Playoffs

One of two things happens to start the weekend in professional basketball, either a series will conclude and the winning squad can start thinking about their next series and opponent or the competing teams will return to familiar locale for a Game 7 on Sunday. This makes for real drama as a trio of series underdogs look to wrap-up or extend a series.

Atlanta at Milwaukee 7:00E ESPN

Though the hip-hop generation of NBA players likely doesn’t include many U2 fans, a song comes to mind watching Atlanta and Milwaukee the last three games, “Desire”.

The Bucks performance in pulling the 91-87 upset as nine-point favorites was unremarkable, given the fact they shot 40.3 percent for the game, were outscored at the center position 25-4 and saw various players disappear for long stretches even when they were on the floor.

Yet, if one game defines a team and its coach, it was Game 5 for Milwaukee with their desire. Scott Skiles grinded away as a college and NBA player and his less-talented contingent played like he did his whole career. This Bucks team is 14-4 ATS in home games after playing as a road underdog this season and goes for the first surprise of the playoffs.

Atlanta showed what they were made of as Josh Smith, Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford all decided individually they were going to be “the man” and went about their business trying to take their defenders one on one with passing the ball be damned. Once again the Hawks proved they are not mature TEAM and that they lack heart. Peering ahead it is little wonder this team is 1-10 ATS revenging a home loss this season.

Sportsbooks still has the more talent-laden Atlanta squad as two-point favorites, however it would take a large dosage of courage to back a team that is 1-10 SU and ATS on the playoff road the last three seasons. Milwaukee was the best spread team in the NBA this campaign and it is continuing in the playoffs. They are 20-6 ATS having covered the spread in three or more consecutive contests.

L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City 9:30E ESPN

The people of the United States are known for their short attention spans and ever increasing shorter memories. In this celebrity-status world, it’s easy to jump on the latest fad and forget about what is tried and true.

The basketball world has become infatuated with latest new kids on the block, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are young, talented, and fearless and their youth doesn’t allow them to be discouraged for long.

The eminent demise of the Los Angeles Lakers has been discussed from coast to coast on talk radio and every chatroom and blog one could stumble upon. The world had lost track of just how good the Lakers can be last playing a complete basketball game on Mar. 12 in Phoenix, 21 games ago or a lifetime in today’s hectic world.

But the Lakers came prepared, executed their game plan Tuesday evening, integrating all the parts of the triangle offense to perfection and showed why gold and purple still matters. L.A. is 26-15 ATS after failing to cover three of their last four.

Oklahoma City gladly returns home, even faced with elimination and is a one-point favorite with total of 194.5. The Thunder is thunderous 15-5 ATS off a road loss and uncanny 27-8 ATS after failing to cover the number. OKC is 13-3 UNDER at the Ford Center after wearing the visiting blue togs. The Lakers will seek to deliver the knockout blow, but are 1-9 ATS off a cover. Kobe and company are 22-8 UNDER with two days’ rest.

Denver at Utah 10:30E ESPN2

At least for a day, no negative tweets, talk or posturing out of Denver as they held off first match point against Utah at home Wednesday 116-102.

Focal point Carmelo Anthony must have made his case strong enough that he needed help as five other Nuggets scored in double figures and more importantly, the team collectively took a defensive stance, holding the Jazz to series low 45.2 percent.

“Everybody stepped up tonight and did their part,” Anthony said after the game. “With Nene going down early, ‘Frenchie’ came in and stepped up, ‘Bird’ played the way he is supposed to be playing. Everybody played their role tonight. That’s how we won.”

Denver’s more fluid offense is easily measured; they are 47-8 SU when they have 20 or more assists and 9-24 SU when fall below that figure. The Nuggets cannot afford anything less than the same work ethic and compulsion to team work if they expect to continue series and add to 7-3 ATS mark in the first round of postseason.

Utah is 8-2 ATS off a double digit defeat and did not match Denver’s intensity from last contest. “They were a lot more alive, they went after the ball a little harder than we did,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “The players off the bench gave them a big lift. Their bench people killed us.”

Utah is up a six-point home favorite, with the total at 215.5 and might face Denver club without Nene, whose been diagnosed with a sprained knee. The Jazz are 17-4 ATS off a road loss and will continue to keep the offense flowing thru Deron Williams, who became the first player in NBA history to record five straight 20-point/10-assist double-doubles to begin a series.

“Stuff was too easy (for the Nuggets),” Williams said. “We have to get back to playing our basketball.”

The odds are not in Denver’s favor with recent 1-8-1 ATS away slide, but if they want to force a deciding Game 7 at the Pepsi Center on Sunday, they will have to find a way.

NBA Game 5's are pivotal

Four teams in professional basketball have a huge stake in the outcome of tonight’s games. The winner in Milwaukee and Atlanta takes series lead and the loser faces elimination in next contest. Denver is already facing the possibility of having their season end tonight, while the gutty and determined Utah Jazz are looking to advance to next round with a win.

Home is where the heart is

The Atlanta Hawks believed they had reached a point in their growth process that they should be thought as serious Eastern Conference contenders at the very least. Instead they look very much like the Atlanta team of two years ago, still searching for true identity against Milwaukee club that has their best player on the sidelines in a suit.

It’s definitely frustrating,” guard Joe Johnson said Tuesday after the Hawks practiced for the pivotal fifth game. “We come into this situation talking so much about what we’re going to do—this and that, this and that—yet we haven’t done nothing. We haven’t done nothing we set out to do.”

Atlanta is a miserable road playoff team but returns home where the comfort level is more to their liking. The Hawks are 36-7 and 27-16 ATS at Phillips Arena, winning by 8.6 points per contest. Atlanta has won 14 consecutive home games and is 7-2 ATS in last nine.

Milwaukee is receiving different contributions, which has helped them overcome the loss of Andrew Bogut. Dan Gadzuric has given valuable minutes off the bench and Carlos Delfino buried six 3-pointers in Game 4 to help the Bucks square the series and they are 27-12 ATS after playing a home game this season.

Sportsbooks have Atlanta as nine-point favorites with total of 192 and they are 9-19 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs. opponent as a favorite. Milwaukee is far from solid sports betting wager with 2-8-1 ATS mark as playoff underdogs.

TNT has this Eastern conflict at 8:00 Eastern and the Hawks are 16-6 OVER as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points.

Rocky Mountain tall problems for Denver

The Nuggets are touchy-feely content after a day to recant their feelings about losing Game 4 and falling to 3-1 deficit against Utah. Carmelo Anthony said he was misunderstood when he was quoted as saying he couldn’t beat Utah by himself. J.R. Smith, the ultimate team player (?), tweeted his teammates are being selfish and interim coach Adrian Dantley wondered aloud how a player could score 39 points and still commit nine turnovers, like Carmelo did in last contest.

Yup, the Nuggets are now just one big happy family as they prepare for Game 5 at home. “A lot of people took what I said when I said I needed help the wrong way. But I talked to my teammates. They know what I meant,” Anthony said after Tuesday’s practice. “We talk basketball every day, so they know I’m not pointing nobody out individually.

“I’m not saying I’m playing the best I can play. I’m in there with them. We’re all losing together.”

Denver is losing on the defensive end, conceding 112.2 points a contest to the Jazz, who are shooting over 50 percent for the series. The Nuggets players should be dressed as matadors, since they let Utah players by them while holding their plastic swords. Somebody on this team needs to take the role of leadership and get his team fired up. If so, Denver improves on 26-11 ATS record at home after allowing 105 points or more three straight games.

While the Nuggets might need a team meeting with Dr. Phil, Utah is relishing its opportunity and focused on the task at hand. Deron Williams was asked about the frustrations Denver is feeling, “Let’s worry about us. Whatever they say is what they say. We’re just worried about winning this next game and closing the series out.” he said.

The Jazz are 12-2 ATS after a contest where both teams scored 105 points or more this season and Carlos Boozer won’t have any talk about what a great spot his team is in. “We’re not going to fall into the trap of thinking that we’ve won the series. We haven’t. We have a lead in the series. We haven’t won anything.” - The former Duke star stated.

Denver is a seven-point favorite and is 16-3 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. With the total at 215, the Nuggets have to play better defense and are 21-7 UNDER in the first round of the postseason. Utah is 20-7 ATS when playing only their second game in five days and is 7-1 OVER in last eight visits to the Mile High City. This true Western shootout begins right after the Bucks and Hawks.

Coaching matters during NBA Playoffs

For a lot of people, even sports bettors, they believe the NBA is a highly paid pickup game (read any number of forums), lacking the understanding of what goes into being a professional basketball coach. This is particularly true this time of year when coaches can pour all their energy into one opponent and have more time between games to assess each situation. Here is a look at what coaching has meant in three Sunday series.

Cleveland at Chicago 3:35E ABC

One of unappreciated aspects of professional basketball is coaching and game study. The head coach and assistants break down tape after each contest trying to find ways to improve or take advantage of defensive weakness.

In the NBA, Cleveland is well known for locking down opponents in halfcourt sets. Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro decided to push the ball up the floor on rebounds and made baskets for Game 3, freeing up shooters before the Cavaliers defense was in place. By getting into offense sooner, this allowed cleaner looks for Bulls players and only a Cavs three-point barrage and Chicago’s missed free throws late in the game made the contest interesting.

Chicago is a 5.5-point underdog and is 19-10 ATS after covering two of their last three against the spread and needs Kirk Henrich as three-point scorer in the offense. His long range bombs open up the middle for Joakim Noah and Luol Deng to operate.

Del Negro’s other decision was to man-up LeBron James with different defenders and let him get as much as he could earn, without the other players leaving their men for open three-point attempts. This is something James loves to do, have opposing players draw to him like magnet and he skillfully finds open three-point shooter. Chicago stuck with their plan and moved to 5-2 SU and ATS at the “Madness on Madison” location against Cleveland.

It’s now coach Mike Brown’s time to make adjustments and see if he can send the Bulls to 8-21 ATS at home after covering two or more contests.

Dallas at San Antonio 7:05E TNT

They don’t have a NHL team in San Antonio, but Manu Ginobili showed the toughness of hockey player, coming back from broken nose to help the Spurs win 94-90 as 3.5-point favorites. Ginobili’s warrior attitude was on display scoring 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

The other parts of San Antonio’s three amigos, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, scored 48 points in the victory. Duncan turns 34 years old today and has a trio of games over 20 points and Parker appears to be relishing coming off the bench just like Ginobili used to do. The Spurs have covered eight of last 10 as home favorites.

Dirk Nowitzki overcame coach Greg Popovich’s move of limiting his looks after Dirk’s screens on and off the ball. In Game 2, the Spurs doubled on-ball screens and sent another defender at Nowitzki when he tried to pick and pop. Nowitzki thwarted that strategy as Dallas offense featured more isolation action and used his patented jab-step to total 35 points on 13-23 shooting.

The Mavericks are 6-2 ATS with a day between games and coach Rick Carlisle has explaining to do for benching Caron Butler in the second half. He said J.J. Barea gave them more penetration against San Antonio, (Barea did key a 17-0 run in the third quarter) however he could not replace the 19.5 points Butler has averaged in first two games. Butler had grand total of two points Friday night.

“Coach just goes with whoever is working that night and we went with a three-guard lineup,” Nowitzki said. “It was working for a while but we didn’t seem to have enough down the stretch.”

Ginobili is expected to play and DiamondSportsbook.com has the Spurs as 2.5-point favorites, with total of 193. San Antonio is 20-6-2 ATS as a playoff favorite and Dallas is 10-4 ATS as postseason underdog of 4.5 or less and 12-4 OVER as playoff pooch. The home team is on 7-3-1 ATS move.

Denver at Utah 9:35E TNT

The Nuggets defense continues to be a non-factor and it is evident this team is adrift. Despite being severely short-handed, Utah has averaged over 110 points per game in this series, shooting over 50 percent.

Utah’s motion offense usually sets up a number of good looks at the bucket, however coach Jerry Sloan has noticed how slow and lazy (no other way to describe it) Denver has been on weakside defensive rotations, allowing the Jazz to run what appears to be a layup drill at times.
Utah is 21-10-2 ATS against team that permitted 100 or more points in last outing and Deron Williams is acting like its Thanksgiving, carving up Denver’s defense. Utah finished with 27 assists and just nine turnovers.

The Nuggets lack of urgency is unsettling and speaks volumes what George Karl means to this team. The Jazz are the hungrier team and Denver is 1-7-1 ATS in last nine road excursions.

Utah is a two-point pick and is 19-6-1 ATS when favored team by 4.5 or less and is 6-0-1 UNDER off outright win. Denver will attempt to even the series and is 7-1 ATS off a loss by 10 or more. They are 6-2 UNDER in last eight visits to Salt Lake City.

Give me your old and feeble Friday night in NBA

The Boston Celtics looked like a bunch of old geezers the latter part of the schedule, but have found playoff basketball the perfect tonic for what ailed them. San Antonio is elderly at certain positions and too small to match up with Dallas, yet they return home 1-1. The Utah team bus can officially use their handicap sticker for parking with all their injuries, yet they could go up in the series over Denver with a win tonight.

Boston at Miami 7:00E ESPN

The Heat were a popular wager twice in Boston and they came up short both times as the Celtics went back to what they do best, play defense and take good shots. Playoff basketball can do that for team, the daily grind of the regular season is replaced by focusing on the strengths and weakness of just one foe, creating a singular mindset.

Boston is 13-1 and 10-4 ATS against Miami in just over three seasons of playing the Heat. This provides a certain comfort level not easily achieved, even performing on the postseason road.
“We’re figuring their backs are against the wall and they’re thinking that if they don’t get Game 3 then this is pretty much over,” Kevin Garnett said. “I know that’s what I would be thinking so we’re going to have to be ready for that.” Garnett’s team is 19-7 ATS off a home blowout win by 20 points or more.

Miami is 7-23 ATS at home after playing consecutive road games yet is not showing panic outwardly. “Minor adjustments, of course, but energy, effort, mental, things like that. Those are the things we’ve been so good at so far this year,” Heat forward Udonis Haslem said. “We’ve got to get back to that.”

DiamondSportsbook.com has Boston catching four points, with total of 182 and they are 22-11 ATS as visitors when the total is between 180 and 189.5 points over the last two seasons. The C’s are 10-2 UNDER off a home win by 10 points or more this year. The Heat will attempt to get off the canvas and are 28-13 ATS after allowing 105 points or more, coupled with 9-0 OVER mark off an embarrassing road loss scoring less than 80 points.

Dallas at San Antonio 9:30E ESPN

Tim Duncan, he of the aching knees, having lost a step of quickness and having hops like teammate Matt Bonner (ouch), yet is masquerading as the player he was 10 years ago, averaging 26 points and 12.5 rebounds against Dallas.

The Duncan drop-step is back and the lack of quicks has been replaced with smarter positioning to release shots faster before opponent can gather itself.

“For two or three weeks there toward the end of the season, I was starting to wear down a little bit,” Duncan stated. Off the 102-88 thumping, the Spurs are 10-3-1 ATS after breaking the century mark in points.

The Mavericks have looked a little too dependent on offense from Dirk Nowitzki thus far in the series, benefitting from his near perfect 36-point performance in Game 1 and sagging noticeably when he was 9-24 from the field, totaling up 24 points Wednesday night.
Dallas is 14-3 ATS in road games off an upset loss as a favorite and needs production in the paint from their centers. In the opener Erick Dampier and Brandon Heywood totaled 15 points, in Game 2, a meaningless two points.

The Spurs are 3.5-point pick at the AT&T Center where they have covered seven of previous nine. Dallas is spirited 26-15 ATS on the road and 13-3 UNDER revenging a home loss.

Denver at Utah 10:30E ESPN2

If the shoulders of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer look a little bigger, it’s for good reason; they are forced to carry the load for Utah. Williams had 33 points and 14 assists in 114-111 upset in Denver and Boozer added 20 points and 15 rebounds as the injury-riddled Jazz tied the series.

“D-Will and Booze, they had their way,” said Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups noted after the contest.

The action moves to Salt Lake City were the Jazz are 32-9 and 26-13-2 ATS, winning by 9.5 points per game. That places the onus on Denver and they are 29-12 ATS after consecutive tilts as a home favorite over the last two seasons.

“We missed some easy shots, some lay-ups and we kind of felt it at the end. But we know what we have to do. We’ll get one over there. It’s playoff basketball.” Johan Petro said.

Denver will have turn up defensive intensity, since it has been on low wattage, with Utah shooting 54.7 and 52.9 percent in initial two contests of the first round. It will be up to interim coach Adrian Dantley to convince his players to work as harder on the other end of the floor and they are 13-3 ATS after allowing 105 points or more three straight games.

The Jazz are a two-point pick before what should be a roaring crowd and Utah is 8-1 ATS after two straight as an underdog this season. With the way this series is being played the listed total of 216 seems like forgone conclusion, however the Nuggets are is 8-0 UNDER away from home after a combined score of 215 points or more in two straight skirmishes and coach Jerry Sloan’s club is 15-4 UNDER in home whites after scoring 110 points or more.

Tuesday's Tops

Went down with 1-2 day with the Giants losing in extra innings. The Best System is on the diamond at 36-7 and Free Play is also in baseball, seeking an elusive winner. The Top Trend is on the frozen pond and involves a total. Good Luck

What I thought yesterday- Though I didn’t trust the situation, I was impressed with Utah last night winning at Denver. Guts and determination.

My math MLB underdogs are 12-6 the last four days (why am I not playing these more?) and today I have Texas, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, St. Louis and San Diego.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against AL road underdogs with a money line of +100 to +150 like Cleveland, with a low on-base percentage (.320 or less) against a team with a good bullpen WHIP of 1.350 or less, with a crummy bullpen whose WHIP is 1.550 or worse on the season. This system is winner, winner chicken dinner at 36-7, 83.7 percent the last five years.

Free Hockey Trend -2) The Phoenix Coyotes are 16-3 UNDER after a win by two goals or more this season.

Free Baseball Pick -3) I told Steve of the LCC we need a winner in this slot and he tells me Colorado Rockies will be the one.

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Hoping Kate Gosselin falls on her ego on DWTS on Monday

A good quality 2-1 Sunday brings us to today and a notch NHL system arises at 82 percent. The Top Trend was a winner against yesterday and peeks in on NL West this evening. The Free Pick hasn’t been so hot of late, but Ron gives it go in the NBA. Good Luck

What I thought yesterday- How interesting it was to watch the last two innings Ubaldo Jimenez no-hitter and watch him throw out of the stretch. Good for him for swallowing his ego and doing what was right for him and the team and just “drop and drive” his way to history books.

I did think it was sort of stupid however the Rockies TV announcers didn’t say he was pitching a no-hitter, like they were being superstitious like the players about it. Kind of a reach, just report the action.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Hockey System -1) Play On a favorite against the money line like Boston with a goalie having 91.5 percent or higher in the second half of the season, whose team has five straight games with 30 or more shots on goal. This winning system has lit the lamp with 41-9 record, 82 percent.

Free Baseball Trend -2) Matt Cain and the Giants are 11-2 after a loss over the last two seasons.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Ron of the LCC is 7-2 in last nine NBA selections and sees Denver continuing to roll against Utah.

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Home teams seek 2-0 edge in NBA Playoffs

Cleveland and Denver opened impressively on their own home courts in winning and covering Game 1 of the new playoff year. Each club will look to take a decided edge on Monday night, before packing for the road for the next two contests. Will each be the able to stir up another winner and beat the oddsmaker to boot? This doubleheader is on TNT starting at 8 Eastern Monday.

Play like a champion

The Cavaliers closed as 12-point point home favorites against Chicago and almost frittered away a 22-point lead before closing the deal. The Bulls got within seven points in the fourth quarter, before being visibility spent and falling 99-83.

Cleveland appeared bored after building humongous lead, yet is quite confident in their abilities, this year more than ever.

“We," LeBron James said, "have the look of a champion."

He might be right and the oddsmakers certainly think so making them the betting choice for futures wager to be NBA champions. The Cavs remade roster is back at full strength with Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker. Cleveland looked bigger, stronger and had more options coming off the bench than Chicago and is 14-3 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more this season.

The Bulls can take heart they outscored the Cavaliers by a point after the first 12 minutes and realistically had no reason to believe they could sweep Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.
“We can't wait to play," Derrick Rose said after scoring 28 points and handing out 10 assists. "I know I can't. This is something I live for. I think about it every minute of the day, playing against the best team in the NBA."

The loss ended Chicago’s brief three game winning streak, however they are 13-5 ATS after playing two consecutive road games this season.

DiamondSportsbook.com took into consideration the Bulls will have turnaround revenge and opened them as Game 2 underdogs of 10.5-points, with total of 191 and they are 7-1 ATS off a loss since Mar. 12. Chicago is 18-8 UNDER revenging same season loss this year.

Cleveland knows how to turn up the defensive intensity and is 13-5 ATS after two or more Under’s this season and continues to rule the first round with 13-3 ATS mark. The Cavs are 10-2 SU and ATS at home vs. Da Bulls in this battle of Great Lakes cities and is 9-1 UNDER after a cover as a double digit favorite this season.

Carmelo chewy good for the Nuggets

Denver has been floundering for some time, but once the playoff lights came on it was show time for their two brightest stars. Carmelo Anthony scored a playoff-high 42 points in leading the Nuggets to 126-113 victory. Guard J.R. Smith is like a Maserati, able to go from zero to 100 MPH in seconds.

Smith broke open a 90-90 tie game with four 3-point baskets, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the final stanza. "It felt good to get on, period," Smith said. "I couldn't hit anything. I didn't have a rhythm. It felt good to start making shots."

Denver scored 38 points in the last quarter and Anthony and Smith combined for 30 of them. That raised the Nuggets record in 14-3 ATS in playoff games since last season.

Utah has to feel the basketball gods are conspiring against them. Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko re-injured his strained left calf in practice Thursday and won't play in the series, which is catastrophic, since he was the one player on Utah roster that could at least contain Anthony.

Jazz center Mehmet Okur aggravated his left Achilles' tendon injury in the first half, slipping on a wet spot on the floor and undergoes MRI. "I felt something pop," said Okur. (Now out for the season) Utah is 3-12 ATS as visitor revenging a road loss the last two years.

Offense ruled in the series opener, with Denver shooting 57.1 percent and Utah at 54.7 percent, however too many players had wide open looks, which was both a function of exceptional ball movement and shoddy defense.

Utah is a seven-point underdog, with its roster shrinking and will have to continue to shoot the ball well and play defense with greater urgency. At the very least the Jazz are capable of covering the number and are 13-1 ATS after a road game where both teams score 100 or more points.

Denver has shown a killer-instinct when leading in a series and is 8-0 ATS in the postseason in this precise situation. The Nuggets are now is 22-8 UNDER in the first round of the playoffs and are 44-7 SU when they have 20 or more assists this campaign.

NBA Western Conference Series Outlook

In order to make the playoffs out West you had to win 50 games, something only four teams from the other conference could to. A number of NBA followers believe the Los Angeles Lakers are quite vulnerable in spite of +175 odds of being repeat champions and several teams played much better basketball to conclude the season, leaving the door ajar to speculation. Someone is still going to have knockoff Kobe and company four times to prove the Lakers are not worthy and outside of Lake-show fans, the detractors feel more than one squad is capable. All lines courtesy of DiamondSportsbook.com.

(1) L.A. Lakers vs. (8) Oklahoma City

You would have thought the Clippers were getting the No. 1 seed in the West with all the negative talk about the Lakers. Los Angeles has been getting much the same reception as Whitney Houston’s concert stops, nobody’s impressed. Andrew Bynum is not healthy; Kobe Bryant is showing the affects of compounding injuries and his shooting has been off. Derek Fisher can still make big shots, but is having trouble guarding his own shadow and the trio of Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Pau Gasol are noted “thinkers”, not always bringing A-game when needed and wanted. The Lakers have been uninspired for over a month and are 6-10 ATS and have covered back-to-back spreads once since Feb. 11.

Oklahoma City is everything the Lakers are not, young, eager and lacking playoff experience. Phil Jackson lobbed the first salvo, wondering how the NBA’s youngest scoring champ Kevin Durant gets to the line so frequently, insinuating preferential treatment from the zebras. (This from the same coach whose had Bryant and Michael Jordan during his career, I digress) But Durant took the bait and replied, professionally, yet made it more an issue by commenting. The Thunder are not all about Durant, as Russell Westbrook is among the top six point guards in the league and Thabo Sefolosha is undervalued within coach Scott Brooks schemes.

OKC did lose four of last six to draw the defending champs, however they won 50 games (48-34 ATS) and showed uncommon poise with 23-18 and 26-15 ATS road record. The Lakers won three of four, but in only meeting in 2010, the Thunder struck with 16-point shellacking at home over L.A. If the Lakers continue to play with indifference, this series will have some length to it and Ford Center faithful will be loud and proud for first taste postseason action.

3DW Pick- L.A. Lakers (-800) in six over Oklahoma City (+500)

(2) Dallas vs (7) San Antonio

This marks the fifth time the Mavericks and Spurs will square off in a Texas tussle in the playoffs with Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki on opposite benches. Without Bruce Bowen, the animosity has subsided in the last couple of years between these division rivals, but that could heat up again in this series, considering what is at stake.

Dallas had the perfect opportunity to already be a NBA champion in 2006, but gagged a 2-0 lead in the finals against Miami, losing the next four contests. Since that time, owner Mark Cuban has been patient until this season, believing the pieces were in place for title run. This year he jettisoned players he felt were no longer committed to being champions like Josh Howard and retooled roster with the likes of Caron Butler and Brendon Haywood, giving them size and more scoring versatility. Here is what is troubling about the Mavs. Despite winning 55 games and being the second seed, their score differential is only +2.7, the lowest of the Western teams in the playoffs. Dallas is sixth (among West playoff teams) in home court record at 28-13 and they were 30th against the spread at home with 10-29-2 ATS mark.

San Antonio on the other hand manufactured (in the truest since) a 50-win campaign. This is no longer Tim Duncan’s team, his aching knees and aging body are ineffective in back to back games and his post-moves are noticeably slower, not getting off shots like he used to and drawing fouls. That puts the ball in Tony Parker’s hands, but he too has been on the shelf, which led to Manu Ginobili drinking from the fountain of youth and being the leading performer in the second half. The “Spurs way” is next man up and George Hill has been invaluable at guard. In a slower series, this could mean rookie DeJuan Blair could have a bigger impact for San Antonio squad that was 6.3 points better defensively after the All-Star break.

If ever a series had seven games written all over it, this is the one. Let’s go with the upset picking San Antonio, with road team winning four times outright in this physical tight series that marks the end of Mavericks as we know them.

3DW Pick- San Antonio (+135) in seven over Dallas (-165)

(3) Phoenix vs (6) Portland

For the NBA bettor who prefers to play a streak, Phoenix is the perfect team to match the group Power Station’s 1985 hit “Some Like it Hot”. The Suns closed the season 14-2 (11-4-1 ATS) and the two defeats were a five point loss at equally hungry Oklahoma City and failing to ignite at Milwaukee on the last night of four road games in five nights. Their last six wins have been pulverizing, winning by 13.8 points a game. Phoenix tried to move Amare Stoudemire before the All-Star game, but couldn’t find the right compensation. This ended up being the reason the Suns had the best record in the NBA at 23-6 (20-8-1) after the break. Stoudemire was the second half MVP and he and Nash resembled Stockton and Malone running the pick and roll whenever they needed points. Phoenix still runs high-octane offense (110.2 PPG) but plays enough defense (11th in field goal percentage) and has solid core of frontcourt role players who do their job expertly.

It’s unfortunate, a visit this past week to Dictionary.com to look up the word “snake-bit” revealed a picture, that of the Portland Trailblazers. Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla and now Brandon Roy are all lost due to injury. Portland’s one chance is to control the action in the frontcourt and lane area with Marcus Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge. If they can maintain a steady flow of points near the bucket, that creates space for Rudy Fernandez, Martell Webster and Nicolas Batum among others. The Trailblazers do have depth and were 25-14-2 ATS on the road.

With Roy, this could have been one of the most entertaining first round matchups as Portland had taken four out five, however with the way Phoenix is playing and the Blazers without their best player, chances of upset are greatly diminished. One should not expect Portland to roll over like a dog, they can run with the Suns in short stretches and will look to frustrate Nash with ball pressure and control tempo.

Pick- Phoenix (-600) in six over Portland (+400)

(4) Denver vs (5) Utah

It took 82 games to determine who would be the Northwest Division titlist, with Denver backing in on the last day, as Utah lost at home to the Suns. It will take no more than seven games to figure who has the best team and which is good enough to advance to West semis in this rare postseason confrontation. (Last meeting was 16 years ago)

The Nuggets have been meandering without George Karl on the bench, 6-7 (3-9-1 ATS) in last 13 contests. Denver was third in the NBA in scoring at 106.5 points per game, yet has been held to under 100 points in 11 of previous 15 outings. The Nuggets front office came out at the conclusion of the season and complimented interim coach Adrian Dantley for his fine work, but Denver looks soul-less without Karl calling the shots. Denver is 13-3 ATS the last two years in the playoffs and they continue that streak if Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups exhibit leadership and the bench outplays Utah’s.

The Jazz have two components that will seal their fate either way. Andrei Kirilenko missed final nine regular season games with a calf injury and he is the only Utah player on the roster capable of making life difficult for Carmelo. Carlos Boozer’s fascinating array of moves and shots is predicated on health and his ribs are sore, which could cut his effectiveness. That leaves Deron Williams to carry even a greater amount of the load. He has an outstanding command of the Jerry Sloan’s motion offense and the ball distribution means Williams has to set the offense, not be the main scoring threat.

Utah is 32-9 (26-13-2 ATS) in Salt Lake City and 23-17-1 ATS on the road, but falling from potential No. 2 seed to No. 5, losing home court advantage will prove to be too much for unhealthy club that is 1-5 and 1-4-1 ATS in Denver.

Pick- Denver (-200) in seven over Utah (+160)

Last day of NBA regular season stuffed with intrigue

It’s the final day of the NBA regular season and rarely have so many questions been left up in the air to be determined. The specific fate of no less than nine teams has to be figured out before the playoffs begin, with eight of them moving on. Here is one-by-one game outlook at the various possibilities sports bettors have to consider.

New York at Toronto 8:00E MSG

Toronto ( 39-42) came with clutch effort at Detroit and needs to defeat New York at home and hope Chicago fails on the road to ensure third invitation to the playoffs in four years. The Raptors are fighting for bid without its best player Chris Bosh and are eight-point favorites according to DiamondSportsbook.com. Though Toronto needs the win, they are far from a safe bet with 4-12 ATS record at home in the second half of the season.

Chicago at Charlotte 8:00E

While V.P. of basketball operations John Paxson and coach Vinny Del Negro decide whether to use eight ounce or 16 ounce gloves in their rematch, the Chicago Bulls players have to win to get in the Eastern Conference postseason party. Bulls’ players have battled like Chicago management, winning nine of last 14 to be in this position and can close the deal with a victory. The Bulls (40-41) are 9-1 ATS in road games when playing against a marginal winning team like Charlotte (win percentage of 51% to 60%) this season. The Bobcats are already locked in to playing Orlando starting this weekend, but coach Larry Brown has vowed not to sit players because it wouldn’t be right and what the much-traveled Mr. Brown says can always be trusted (?).

Milwaukee at Boston 8:00E

The Bucks have found out about life without center Andrew Bogut the last two games and it is not pretty. Milwaukee has been easily defeated by Atlanta and Boston on their home floor and it doesn’t appear to be a coincidence the Bucks have shot under 40 percent in three of five games since the Aussie went on the injured list. Milwaukee can move up to fifth position with win over Celtics and Miami loss, but that would mean four more games with Boston. For tonight, the Bucks are 19-7 following a SU loss and are one-point underdogs.

New Jersey at Miami 8:00E YES

The Heat have been en fuego, winners of 11 of last 12 (7-4-1 ATS) and can wrap the No. 5 slot in the East with a triumph over non-combative New Jersey. Miami has made their own way since on March 1 they were in ninth place in the East, but 17-4 record has them poised to face bumbling Boston this upcoming weekend with a win, for club brimming with confidence. Miami is favored by 10 and is 8-2 ATS against opponent that surrendered 100 or more points in previous outing.

San Antonio at Dallas 8:00E

The Mavericks have won the Southwest Division and have one more bit of business left to complete. If Dallas is victorious over San Antonio, they capture the second seed in the West. A loss and Utah win drops them to third, which doesn’t sound like much, unless they would have to face the Jazz later in the playoffs. A Spurs loss would have them settle into seventh slot, which would place them right back in Dallas this weekend for first round of the postseason. The Spurs can avoid such a matchup with win and Portland loss, moving them to No. 6. The Spurs are 10-4 ATS in last 14 outings and are 7.5-point underdogs.

Phoenix at Utah 10:30E ESPN

This is the lone straight forward conflict that will have both teams deciding fate in head to head battle. This contest is particularly important to Utah, since a victory means they win Northwest Division title, have third seed (at least) and open up at EnergySolutions Arena, where they are 32-8 and 26-12-2 ATS and domineering 20-2 (14-6-2 ATS) since Jan.6. A loss gives idle Denver the division crown and the Jazz fall to fifth place in the conference, which eliminates home court advantage. The Suns are blazing on 12-2 run (9-4-1 ATS) and locked up home court for first round with demolition of Denver last night. A win gives them third overall and means they wouldn’t face the Lakers until the conference finals should both teams advance that far. Almost forgot, a Utah win and Dallas loss has the Jazz really ending on a high note, moving to second seed with tiebreaker in their favor.

Golden State at Portland 10:30E

The Trail Blazers control their fate with a win over Golden State, wrapping up the sixth seed. That would be terrific, but Portland has potentially more pressing problems with guard Brandon Roy suffering torn meniscus in his knee, making his availability an issue going forward. Portland is a nine-point favorite with total of 215. The higher total should work to Blazers advantage as they are 17-6 ATS when they score 105 or more points this season. An upset loss to the Warriors and Spurs win drops Portland down a notch to seventh.

Friday's Top Material

On Wednesday we came up a bit short with 1-2 record and will look to return to the winning side of the ledger. The Top Trend follows Milwaukee who is heading towards historic ATS record, already with 50 covers. Sal returns on a nice run in the NBA and lends us his Top Free Play. Friday’s Best System is 80.9 percent, including 10-1 ATS this campaign.

What I thought yesterday- I wish I had more time to watch 30 Rock, I really like that show when I get a chance to see it. Any others I should be looking for outside the sports realm?

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Basketball System -1) Play On road favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points like Utah, outscoring their opponents by three points or more a game, after a blowout loss by 15 points or more. This system recently crossed the 80 percent threshold with 38-9 ATS record, thanks to 10-1 mark this season.

Free Basketball Trend -2) The Milwaukee Bucks are 20-5 ATS after successfully covering the spread in three or more consecutive games this season, winning by 6.9 points per contest.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Sal hits a good stretch in the NBA at 6-1 and likes Portland as his best bet tonight in the NBA.

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Tuesday's Top NBA Systems

The professional basketball regular season is rapidly drawing to a close and after an off day, nine games are back on the schedule. Five of these matchups in particular have caught our attention, each with a system that has proven to be a very good winner over time, including a totals system that is 82.1 percent. Sides and totals from Bookmaker.com.

Toronto (+6, 206) at Cleveland

The system for this Eastern Conference matchup is sound, with home favorites having a +7 or more point differential 29-10 ATS against an average team (+/- 3 PPG differential), after a loss by six points or less. The problem is the Cavaliers have wrapped up almost everything they need for the playoffs, with the best record in the league a formality at this juncture. Reports have LeBron James as questionable and the line has fallen three points to present level.

Boston (-7.5, 208.5) at New York

For all the grief the Celtics have taken this year for bring too old, one constant since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen hit town has been their play on the road within the division. Boston is 21-1 and 17-5 ATS against Atlantic Division opponents and they are in favorable position this evening as well. Play Against home underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points, who allow 99 or points a game on the season, against opponent after allowing 105 points or more two straight games. This system is mouth-watering 50-19 ATS the last 14 years.

Milwaukee (+6, 189) at Chicago

The Bucks suffered a devastating loss when center Andrew Bogut had an ugly and awkward fall on breakaway dunk against Phoenix, in which he suffered a broken hand, dislocated elbow and sprained wrist. Milwaukee will have to press on without him, still trying to move into fifth position in the East. Chicago (37-39 SU) is fighting for its playoff life, trailing Toronto by a game for the last position in the conference, having won six of eight after 10-game losing streak. When the total is between 180 and 189.5 points and the home team has a winning percentage between 40-49 percent on the season, in April games, the OVER is 39-16.

Oklahoma City (+6, 213) at Utah

With just five games left, Utah and Denver are in a dead heat for the Northwest Division lead at 50-27. The Jazz get a tough opponent in Oklahoma City, who has won four in a row and six of seven and is only one game behind in the loss column to Utah and three other teams in the West. However, road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points, having covered five or six of their last seven against the spread, in a game involving two good teams (60% to 75%) are 27- 63 ATS the past five years, including lamentable 2-9 ATS this season.

San Antonio (-6.5, 193) at Sacramento

The Spurs are playing their best basketball of the season, having won five of six facing a schedule built to cause teams to fail. San Antonio laid out the Lakers on Easter 100-81 and this late-season rush has a more offensive-minded club, ranked 14th at 101.2 points per contest. The Spurs continue their three game Western sojourn in Sacramento, who is 26th in points allowed in the NBA at 104.2. Consider the total when the number is between 190 and 199.5 points and a good offensive team (98-102 PPG) takes on a horrible defensive team (102 or more PPG), after allowing 85 points or less. The play is the OVER, with 32-7 record since 1996.

NBA Systems ready to fire this Monday

The big game of the evening features Denver at Dallas, with both teams trying to hold off pursuers in division play, while looking to earn second slot in the West behind the Lakers. One of these clubs is in a better system along with three other matchups that have top notch super situations to consider on the last Monday of March. Take a gander of the wagering possibilities tonight in professional hoops.

Toronto (+8, 195.5) at Charlotte

The Bobcats have taken advantage of a break in the schedule, winning and covering three games in a row. With Toronto having lost three straight (the last two by four total points) and nine of last 12, one might expect Charlotte’s good fortune to continue, yet underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a contest involving two average teams (+/- three points per game differential) after 42 or more games, after two straight losses by six points or less are 35-12 ATS.

L. A. Lakers (-6, 201.5) at New Orleans

Los Angeles was pathetic offensively in loss to Oklahoma City, scoring 75 points on 39.2 percent shooting Friday night. The Lakers immediately came right back, converting on 57.5 percent of shot attempts at Houston in 109-101 victory the next night. When road favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points play after a road game where both teams scored 100 or more points in the second half of the season, they are 37-10 ATS the last three seasons.

Denver (+5.5, 211) at Dallas NBA-TV 8:30E

In this important battle for second place in the Western Conference, neither Denver nor Dallas is playing their best basketball. The Nuggets have lost four of five and have not covered a spread in eight games, while the Mavs are 3-4 SU and 1-6-1 ATS in previous eight outings. The Mavericks appear to still have the edge since home favorites are 40-17 ATS after failing to cover five or six of their last seven against the spread, in a game involving two teams with 60% to 75% win percentage.

New York (+11, 213.5) at Utah

The Knicks haven’t played Utah since way back on Nov. 9, losing at home 95-93 as 5.5-point home underdogs. New York opened their five game west trip by being thumped by Phoenix 132-96 two days ago. When these circumstances come together, look towards the total, as revenging teams off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more, with the total at 210 or higher, are 55-24 UNDER the last 14 years.

Elite 8 Saturday

A good comeback effort on Friday with two winners and just one loss. For Saturday we have Top Trend in the West Regional that is near perfect. Our Best system just misses the 80 percent mark, but does yield two plays that could take it over the threshold. Good Luck

What I thought yesterday- It never ceases to amaze me that in sports if you have a weakness, eventually it will be found by somebody. That was true last night of St. Mary’s, Ohio State and Northern Iowa.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3dailywinnersdailywinners

Free Basketball System -1) Play On road favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points outscoring their opponents by three or more points a game, after a blowout loss by 15 points or more. Two teams actually fit this system that is 35-9 ATS, 79.5 percent. They are the Lakers and Jazz, with this system 7-1 this year.

Free Basketball Trend -2) Kansas State is 12-1 ATS after one or more consecutive Over’s this season.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Slick Rick is 17-4 since Sunday and his play for today is Utah at -8.5 over Washington.

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Tuesday's Tops

Thought I’d change it up a touch today, seeing we’re coming so late. There was no Best System, so instead we will go with the best one I could find at almost 80 percent. Doing a repeat of Monday’s Top Trend winner, while also giving you something else to consider. After a dismal NBA campaign, I’m a hotter topic than Ann Coulter at Ottawa University and giving out my favorite NBA selection. Good Luck

What I thought yesterday- The Kansas City Royals look they will struggle again, based on what I’ve seen talent-wise in the exhibition season.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3dailywinners

Free Basketball System -1) Play On road underdogs of 10 or more points like floundering Philly, after going under the total by 30 or more points total in their last three games, against opponent after going under the total by 54 or more points total in their last ten games. This system dials up nicely at 29-8 ATS.

Free Basketball Trend - 2) Princeton is 11-1 ATS in a road game where the total is 129.5 or less this season. However, St. Louis is 9-0 ATS after three straight games where both teams score 70 points or less this season.

Free Basketball Pick -3) I’m 14-1-1 ATS in last 16 NBA (it’s monitored) plays and I’m taking Utah to win and cover in the fourth quarter.

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NBA scheduling affects playoff picture

Roughly three weeks remain in the NBA regular season and sports bettors are racking their brains trying to come up with the right answers to pick winners. The playoff chase is in high gear and many teams are scrambling for better positions or are trying to round their game into top form.

Among the many factors a NBA bettor has to take into consideration is scheduling, especially at crunch time late in the season. Every day this time of the season, nearly half the games do not have an overnight line due to one injury or another from a myriad of teams and if they are forced to play back to-back games or three in four days with travel involved, determining a winner is just that much more complicated.

While one is left to ponder these unfriendly conditions, here is what the schedule looks like for many of the contenders in each conference.

Western Conference Shoot-out

At least mathematically, 10 teams in the West still have a chance to secure a playoff spot and as this article was posted, each of them have a winning record in their previous 10 outings, proving what is at stake for all of them.

Unless the Los Angeles Lakers come down with an epidemic, they are fairly secure to wrap up the top slot out West. The second position is like the smog in L.A., not quite as clear. Denver and Dallas are going toe to toe, trying not only to keep teams from hunting them down in their own divisions, but seeking the higher seed should they meet possibly in the West semi-finals with crucial home court advantage at stake.

Both teams have seven road games left and the Mavericks have the edge in that department with 22-12 mark and brilliant 21-13 ATS record as visitors. Besides their exceptional road radiance, Dallas will be either favored or a short underdog in five of those contests.

Denver on the other hand is .500 on the road and 15-16-3 ATS in traveling uniforms. This week they open a five game road trip, visiting rugged outposts like Boston, Orlando and finishing up in Big D, possibly a real deciding matchup. The Nuggets also have a demanding close to the year- @Oklahoma City, home to the Lakers, San Antonio and Memphis and @Phoenix.

Positions four-thru eight will be not only challenge each West contender, but the wits of those putting down the cash to bet the correct side. Three teams in particular will have to literally take it one game at a time and will not have much time to do so. San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Houston all have a heavy workload with 14 games in just over three weeks. The Thunder have the most games on their own floor with eight and is 22-11 and 18-15 ATS, winning by 5.7 points per contest at the Ford Center. OKC will have to earn their postseason spot even at home, facing all contenders except for Minnesota on Apr. 4.

The Spurs have been scorching the last few weeks even without Tony Parker in the lineup. George Hill has proven his value at the point guard and they will need him and the other veterans like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to overcome a hellacious close to the year. The eight road games is hard enough (16-16, 14-18 ATS) at places like Boston, the Lakers, Phoenix, Denver and Dallas. But even when they are back home, Kobe and company pays a visit as does Cleveland and Orlando. If San Antonio doesn’t slip to eighth seed, it would appear to be a miracle, even with how well they have been executing.

Houston looks like a longshot to make the playoffs, down four games in the loss column to Portland and having eight remaining road games, all in groups of two or three. The Rockets are 8-14 as road dogs (10-12 ATS) and need a 11-3 close to even give themselves a chance.

Utah and Phoenix have both been playing solid basketball for some time and are seeking the all important first round home series as a fourth seed. The Suns have the more arduous journey with eight road games in final 12 contests, which includes a five-game trip mostly thru the Midwest. Steve Nash and the gang should at least show a profit as visitors, as they are 19-14 away from the desert, losing by less than a point a game (-0.8).

Utah’s slate is similar to the Suns, with one less roadie and one more in Salt Lake City. The Jazz travels should include being a road favorite in at least five of their stops and they will be favored in all five contests at EnergySolutions Arena.

Eastern Conference battle and positioning

The Boston Celtics have endured a great deal of criticism this season. This team is loaded with veterans, some believe a little too old. The C’s haven’t shown a great deal of heart or are just lacking in talent against the upper echelon clubs since the calendar turned to 2010. From wagering perspective their home record is their most disconcerting aspect at 21-12 and abysmal 10-22-1 spread mark. Eight of their final 13 contests are at TD Banknorth Garden and the Celtics better take advantage or they could fall to fourth seed, which would mean facing Cleveland in East semis.

Barring injuries or an unforeseen major collapse, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to back to the playoffs. The Milwaukee front office deserves a great deal of credit, adding veterans with young players to have this club in the fifth slot in the East, thanks to 14-3 sprint since Feb.19, with 12-3-2 ATS mark. The Bucks can generate further momentum by playing nine of their final 14 games at the Bradley Center where they are 23-9 and 20-11-1 ATS.
The Chicago Bulls still have a chance, but they have fallen out of favor with their 1-10 slide like Sandra Bullock’s husband. That leaves three teams fighting to avoid first round matchup with LeBron James and the fellas.

Miami, Charlotte and Toronto are bunched like bananas and the Bobcats should have the edge. Charlotte has the most remaining home games, eight of last 13, where they are 25-8 and 19-14 ATS. At present, only two of those contests will be against teams with winning records.

The Raptors are playing the poorest of the trio and are equal parts home and away for their remaining conflicts. Toronto could well be saddled with facing Cleveland, because they are the worst defensive team in points surrendered in the East.

The Heat’s biggest strength down the stretch is Dwayne Wade. Miami has eight road games left on their plate (only five at home), which sounds daunting until you take a closer look. Of those, only Milwaukee has a winning record. That leaves it up to Heat players to take grab the proverbial bull by the horns and finish sixth, thus missing the Cavs and Orlando in the opening round of the postseason. Miami is 15-18 on the road with 17-16 ATS record.

This is a great time for all NBA bettors to take stock of each contending team’s situation and think in advance how they season may play out when it comes to the schedule.

ALL Systems go on NBA Monday

While most of you have been spending the morning hours going over NCAA tournament brackets, discussing the upcoming matchups and looking at what underdogs could pull off outright upsets on Thursday and Friday, their will actually be basketball played tonight, in the NBA. Here is a look at the best systems to consider, with a pair of televised tilts as well. Sides and totals from DiamondSportsbook.com.

New York (+3, 210) at Philadelphia 7:00E MSG

The Knicks have not had many highlights to their season, but Saturday night was one of them, with a stirring 124-98 road upset of Dallas as 10.5-point underdogs, ending the Mavs 13-game winning streak. This sets up New York for totals play as road teams off a win by 10 points or more as an underdog, with the total at 210 or higher are 41-14 UNDER the last 14 years.

Detroit (+9, 195) at Boston 8:00E ESPN

The Boston Celtics didn’t show a great deal of energy in being handled by Cleveland 104-90 as seven point underdogs on Sunday afternoon. If that matchup didn’t bring out the best in the Celtics, it would not figure Detroit would either, especially playing their fifth game in a week. Home favorites with a 60 to 70 percent winning record, facing a club with a 25 to 40 percent losing record are 9-33 ATS since 1996.

Denver (-2.5, 216) at Houston

The Nuggets have reeled off six straight wins, including the last three on the road. Denver was particularly impressive at its last stop in Memphis, where they scored 125 points, shooting 58 percent from the field, winning by 17 points. The Nuggets are second in the NBA in scoring at 107.4 points per game and teams that average more than 102 points a contest, against a decent offensive team (98-102 PPG), with a line of +3 to -3 after a blowout win by 15 or more are 32-9 ATS the previous five years.

Washington (+11, 202) at Utah

The Jazz have walking wounded and it showed defensively in their last game against Oklahoma City, falling 119-111, as the Thunder shot 60 percent as team. Oddsmakers don’t seem to be too concerned Utah won’t bounce back at home, since the Jazz lead the NBA in field goal percentage at 49 percent. In this confrontation, look to play on teams that shoot 48 percent or better and conceded 55 percent or more in last outing, to be a spread winner with 32-9 ATS record since 2005.

L.A. Lakers (-8, 225) at Golden State 10:30E ESPN

Pau Gasol has been publicly critical of Kobe Bryant’s ball distribution tactics. Bryant to his credit has keep his mouth shut, knowing his team needs Gasol later in the post-season and blasting him won’t resolve the issue. The Lakers have won their last two games and have had a break in the schedule which has allowed for more down time and just practice. Road favorites off a road win against division rival playing four or less games in 10 days are 10-3 ATS the last five seasons.

New Orleans (+2.5, 203.5) at L.A. Clippers

The Hornets continue to falter, losing seven of eight and haven’t covered the spread once in this stretch. New Orleans was hammered in the desert yesterday 120-106 and travels to Los Angeles trying to break the drought. NBA teams off a road loss by 10 points or more, against opponent off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more (Clippers lost by 30 at San Antonio Saturday) are 66-34 OVER in next contest.

Top NBA Monday Systems

Changes will be occurring in Charlotte as an ownership bid has been made, headed by one of the NBA’s best players ever. Tonight’s question does that lift the burden off the Bobcats to finally take down Dallas for the first time ever? The numbers point to no, at least as far as system plays are concerned, as we review the possibilities on an NBA Monday. Sides and totals from DiamondSportsbook.com.

Dallas (+2, 192) at Charlotte

The Bobcats will officially have a new ownership group led by Michael Jordan once the league approves them. Until then, the next order of business is doing something they have never done, beat Dallas. Charlotte is 0-11 (4-6-1 ATS) against the Mavericks since joining the league and faces a club that has won seven in a row and is not in a favorable position tonight. Play against teams when the line is +3 to -3, who are average defensive team (43.5-45.5%) against a weaker defensive team (45.5-47.5%), after three straight games allowing a shooting percentage of 47 percent or higher, since they are 27-6 ATS the last 14 years.

Orlando (-4, 196) at Philadelphia

The Magic have been playing their usual solid defense, holding last six opponents to 95.5 points per game, however the offense has been a little stagnant, averaging 97 points a contest in last five tries compared to season average of 101. Look to play against (7-24 ATS, L5Y) teams after five or more consecutive Unders, who are a good offensive team (98-102 PPG), against an average offensive team (92-98 PPG) after 42+ games.

New York (+11.5, 211) at Cleveland

The Cavaliers have won three in a row, shooting over 50 percent as a team, while the Knicks have lost nine of 10 and dream about tendering LeBron James a contract in the off-season. For now, play Over on home teams when the total is greater than or equal to 200, off two or more consecutive road wins, with a winning record on the season, playing a losing team. This situation is 61-22 since 1996.

San Antonio (-2.5, 195) at New Orleans

At times this season, it’s been almost hard to believe this is the San Antonio Spurs coached by Greg Popovich. Take their last four games in which they have allowed 109 or more points three times. Nevertheless, teams like the Spurs who are road favorites and ordinary defensive team (92-98 PPG), taking on poorer defensive team (98-102 PPG), after a combined score of 205 points or more two straight games are 47-18 ATS, including 4-1 against the spread this season.

Portland (+1, 195) at Memphis

Portland concludes their five game road trip in the mid-south off a mauling of division partner Minnesota 110-91. Given the total on this contest, look to play Under on road teams when the number is between 190 and 199.5 points, off a win by 10 points or more over a division rival. In the last five seasons, this system is 72-33.

Denver (+2.5, 221) at Phoenix

Both teams suffered defeats against conference rivals yesterday, ending winning streaks. Phoenix is 22-7 SU at Planet Orange (home court) winning by eight points per game and appears to be in the better spot. Home favorites having successfully covered the spread in four or more consecutive games, in a game involving two good teams (60% to 75%), are 20-3 ATS the last three years.

Utah (-6, 202) at L.A. Clippers

Los Angeles has lost three of four to the Jazz at home, including Feb. 9 matchup 109-99 as five point underdogs. This places the Clips in a negative predicament since home underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points, revenging a home loss of 10 points or more, with a winning percentage of between 40-49 percent on the season, are 9-30 ATS.