GOING FOR 28 STRAIGHT WINS: HEAT VS. BULLS

by DAVID THE MAVEN CHICOTSKY

All eyes are on the Heat as they need 6 more wins to break the longest winning streak in NBA history; they look to take down the Bulls on Wednesday 8:05 PM EDT on ESPN.

During their 27 game winning streak the Heat have gone 16-11 against the spread, putting extra coin in the pocket of bettors. They’re coming off back-to-back games in which they covered. The Heat face a Bulls team that has gone 3-4 straight up and 3-3-1 against the spread in their last 7 games.

The Oddsfather’s Injury Report

Even if the Bulls had their star Derrick Rose on the court, they still would be big dogs against a Heat team with momentum in their sails.

Keep in mind that Dwyane Wade has sat out the past two games, which didn’t stop the Heat from wiping the floor with the Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic.

During the 27 game win-streak LeBron James has been the stone-cold nuts, putting up 27 points (57.5% from the field and 37.4% from 3-pointland), 8.1 rebounds, 8 assists, 1.9 steals and 1 block per game. Go ahead and make room on the mantle for his second straight NBA MVP award.

Track Line Movement for this game.

The Bulls are definitely rivals with the Heat, as they’ve been a thorn in their side in the past. Two of the biggest market teams will clash in what will be a display of defensive intensity (Bulls) and all-around basketball excellence (Heat).

In the first time these two teams met this year the Bulls won and covered on the road in Miami, 96-89 – in a game where the Heat were favored by 7 points and the total was set at 189 points. The second matchup had the Heat winning and covering in Chicago 86-67 – the Heat were favored by 3 points and the total was 186 points.

Betting Information

The Heat are 56-14 straight up, 37-33 against the spread and 34-34-2 against the total. They’re 24-11 SU, 19-16 ATS and 19-15-1 Under on the road. The Over has hit in 3 out of the last 4 Heat road games.

The Bulls are 38-30 SU, 28-37-3 ATS and 39-29 Under on the year. At home they’re 19-16 SU, 10-24-1 ATS and 24-11 Under. The Under has hit in 3 out of the last 4 Bulls home games.

Source: Bleacher Report

DAILY FREE PICK: 76ERS VS. JAZZ

by ODDSFATHER STAFF

The 76ers will be wrapping up the 4th and final leg of their road trip – they just finished beating and covering against the Kings 117-103 in a game in which they were 3 point dogs.

The Jazz are finished with their 3 game road trip in which they lost all 3, but covered in them all. It looked like they had a chance to win last night against the Mavericks, but slowly let the game get out of site – ultimately losing 113-108.

Neither team has had a day off to rest their legs, that’s one reason the total is set so low at 192 (opened at 191).

Track LINE MOVEMENT for this game.

The 76ers have covered in back-to-back road games, while the Jazz failed to cover in their last home game against the Knicks.

Free Pick: 76ers +7

BEST IN THE WEST SPURS HOST STRUGGLING JAZZ ON FRIDAY

by TYLER WOGALTER

Last Meeting: The Jazz defeated the Spurs 99-96 in Utah on 12/12/12

Line: Spurs -11.5, Total: 199

Matchup

The dominant San Antonio Spurs will host the sluggish Utah Jazz on Friday at 8:30 ET. Aside from the Miami Heat, no team has played better basketball this season than the Spurs. Even with the loss of Tony Parker for the past 8 games due to an ankle injury, the Spurs have continued to prove their dominance as the best team in the West. Going 6 for 8 without Parker, the Spurs are also in the middle of a three game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Jazz have lost 10 of the previous 13 contests and find themselves on a two game skid. With only 14 games to play in the regular season, the Jazz will need to win a majority of their matches down the stretch if they want to play ball in the postseason.

The best record in the Western Conference comes with perks, such as home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Spurs are currently sitting in the top seed in the West, have a 2 ½ game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder and have the comfort of knowing that any series must go through the AT&T Center. Utah, who were in the playoff picture as recently as last month, are on the outside looking in. The Jazz are 1 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the 8^th and final spot in the West.

Betting Information

The Spurs are 52-16 straight up and 37-29 against the spread on the season. At home, San Antonio is 29-4 SU and 18-13 ATS. Against the total, the Spurs are 37-30 Under and are averaging 104.5 PPG, which is 4^th best in the league.

Utah has a record of 34-34 SU and 33-34 ATS. While playing on the road, the Jazz are 10-25 SU and 13-21 ATS. Against the total, Utah is 36-31 Under on the year and are putting up 97.8 PPG.

Injuries

After missing 8 games, Tony Parker is listed as possible, but unlikely for Friday’s game. The Spurs All-Star point guard practiced in 5-on-5 drills and could be able to suit up against the Jazz. Parker is averaging 21 PPG and 7.6 APG on the year.

What to watch for

No team is better at finding open teammates this year than the Spurs. San Antonio leads the league in assists, averaging 25.3 APG. Look for the Spurs to spread the ball around, even if their best point guard is forced to sit another game.

While his team may have caught a case of the slumps, Al Jefferson hasn’t let the Jazz’s recent woes stop him from balling. Jefferson is leading his team in both points and rebounds and has gotten a double-double in 3 of his past 5 games. Look for Jefferson and his 17.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG to make an impact in this one.

By securing 3 rebounds on Friday, Tim Duncan will leap frog Shaquille O’Neal for 13^th all-time in career rebounds with 13,100 boards. Watch for Duncan to keep moving up the career rebounding list on Friday, as well as score his usual 17.2 PPG and 9.9 RPG.

The pick

Even though the Jazz got the better of the Spurs the last time they played, the result of this one will be completely different. Utah has lost 7 straight road games, while the Spurs have won 4 consecutive home contests. San Antonio is a veteran team on a mission and will continue their pursuit of the top spot in the West with a win on Friday, 111-96.

Source: ESPN

NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND BETTING: MISSOURI VS. COLORADO STATE

by JEFF ALLEN SPORTS

Missouri looks to put last year’s stunning upset to 15^th-seeded Norfolk State to rest when it faces Colorado State in an NCAA Tournament 8-9 game on Thursday night.

Line: Missouri -3, Total: 142.5

ATS Information

The ninth-seeded Tigers didn’t match the 30 wins they put up entering the tournament a year ago, but they’re still a well-balanced veteran team. They have dropped two of their past three, SU, despite being favored each time, and were just 6-10 SU away from home on the season. And while Colorado State enters having won three of four SU, the Rams have failed to cover in their past three games and have lost five in a row SU (1-4 ATS) as an underdog.

Missouri couldn’t quite duplicate last season’s success despite a move from the Big 12 to the weaker SEC. After shooting 39.8% behind the arc a year ago, the team shot just 34.0% this season. And after featuring a deep rotation of scorers on the perimeter in 2011-12, they couldn’t find a consistent outside threat this season. PG Phil Pressey (11.6 PPG, 7.1 APG) has struggled to shoot all year (37.6% FG, 31.6% threes), especially on the road (36.1% FG, 27.5% threes). The Tigers did feature a more conventional frontcourt this season though, with PF Laurence Bowers (14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG) coming off a redshirt year and C Alex Oriakhi (11.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) transferring from Connecticut. Slashing wing Keion Bell (11.1 PPG, 52.8% FG), a transfer from Pepperdine, had some moments in February (five 20-point performances in nine games that month) but really cooled off since then, going for a total of seven points on 2-for-10 FG and 0-for-5 from three over two SEC Tournament games. And head coach Frank Haith has just one NCAA Tournament win in his eight seasons as a head coach with both Missouri and Miami-FL.

Colorado State is arguably the best rebounding team in the tournament, finishing second in the nation in offensive rebounding rate and first in keeping opponents off the offensive glass. Unlike a lot of mid-major programs, the Rams have an elite big man in Colton Iverson (14.7 PPG on 60% FG, 9.8 RPG), a 6-foot-10, 260-pound transfer from Minnesota who had 24 points and 16 boards in the Mountain West Tournament semifinal loss at UNLV. The Rams are efficient offensively thanks to the second chance points, but like Missouri CSU doesn’t shoot well from the perimeter, hitting just 33.2% of its threes on the season. Senior combo guard Wes Eikmeier (12.7 PPG) led the team in shot attempts for a second straight season, but made just 37.6% FG. He managed to get to the line with regularity over his past three games, where he’s an excellent free-throw shooter (90.2% on the season, 21-for-22 in past 3 games). That allowed him to score 17.0 PPG despite making just 31.7% FG.

Source: Statfox

NBA: CLIPPERS (35-16) AT MIAMI (32-14)

by LUCAS COMBS

Last Meeting: 11/14 – The Clippers defeated the Heat in LA, 107-100.

Line Movement

When: Friday, February 8^th at 5PM PT

Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

The Match-Up

Lebron James and Dwayne Wade combined for 63 points Wednesday as the Heat held off a streaking Houston Rockets squad 114-106. Chris Paul (knee bruise), Chauncey Billups (ACL), Jamal Crawford (sore shoulder) and Blake Griffin (hamstring) are all listed as questionable for the Clippers Friday. That means the “other” LA basketball team could be without (what looks like) their four best players against arguably the best team in the league. The Clippers snapped a 3 game losing skid Wednesday in Orlando, winning 86-76.

Betting Information

Against the spread, Miami is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games and has only lost two games in nearly a month. The Heat are 5-2 ATS against Pacific division opponents, but 22-24 ATS overall (12-11 ATS at home). The LA Clippers are 12-7 ATS versus teams with winning records but 12-14 ATS on the road (28-23 ATS overall). LA is 1-3 ATS in their last 4 games.

Concerning the total, Miami is 24-22 Under (12-11 Over at home) and the Clippers are 26-24 Over (14-12 Under on the road). LA is 10-3 Over versus teams that score 99 points or more.

“We’ve got to get healthy”

Chris Paul expects this year’s Clippers squad to win a championship. But the Clippers won’t sniff a championship, unless the Clippers get healthy.

Injury Report

Source: Sports Illustrated

THE BEST (THE THUNDER) VS. THE ELDERLY (THE LAKERS)

by LUCAS COMBS

When: Sunday, January 27th at 1230PM PT

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Line: -3.5 Thunder

Total: 206

Line Movement

Match-UP

The Oklahoma City Thunder (34-10) will be in LA Sunday to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (18-25). Both teams are coming off bounce back wins after suffering losses. The Lakers’ recent win over the Utah Jazz snapped a four game losing streak and provided a little light at the end of what has been a pitch black tunnel. The Thunder beat the Seattle Sonics, err, the Sacramento Kings Friday, 105-95. This will be the teams’ third meeting of the season. The Thunder won the previous two meetings – the first at home, 114-108 and the second in LA, 116-101.

Betting Information

Like the Lakers’ overall record, the purple and yellow have also been dismal against the spread (17-26 ATS, 11-12 ATS at home) and 2-9 ATS as underdogs. The Thunder have been solid against the spread (26-16 ATS, 12-8 ATS on the road) and are 7-3 ATS against Pacific Division opponents.

Concerning the total, the Lakers are 22-20 Over (12-10 Under at home) and the Thunder are 21-21 (12-9 Under in road games). The Lakers average over 99 points per game and the Thunder are 10-3 Over versus teams that average 99 points or more per game, so an expectation of a high scoring affair may be accurate.

Hope Dies Hard

BREAKING NEWS! Kobe Bryant’s teammates like it better when Kobe passes them the ball. The Lakers beat the Jazz Friday riding Bryant’s game-high 14 assists. Pau Gasol and the other members of the elderly squad aka the LA Lakers, were praising Bryant’s play. Shocker. Win a game and suddenly everything is hunky-dory. In other news, the zombie Sonics, err, the Okahoma City Thunder just might be the best team in the NBA, ranking in the top 10 in just about every statistical category. The cane-walking Lakers don’t rank so highly in just about every statistical category. Let’s wait and see how Kobe’s sudden unselfish play resonates a little after noon today, shall we?

Injury Report

Source: LA Times