A NEW MLB SEASON IS UPON US: CUBS VS. PIRATES

by MICHAELANGELO MILLER

Line Breakdown

The Chicago Cubs are 1-0 against the spread, going 1-0 Under. The Pittsburg Pirates are 0-1 ATS and are 1-0 Under.

Injuries

The Cubs have placed these players on the 15-day disabled list:

Matt Garza (P) – Side injury

Darwin Barney (2B) – Knee injury

Ian Stewart (3B) – Quad injury

The Pirates have placed these players on the 15-day disabled list:

Brandon Inge (3B) – Shoulder injury

Charlie Morton (P) – Elbow injury

Francisco Liriano (P) – Arm injury

Jeff Karstens (P) – Shoulder injury

Match-Up

The new MLB season is upon us and teams are eager to start their journey towards the Fall Classic, also known as the World Series. In their first match-up of the season, the Cubs beat the Pirates 3-1, behind a stellar performance by pitcher Jeff Samardzija. Due to injuries to starting pitchers Matt Garza and Scott Baker, Samardzija stepped in as starter allowing just two hits through 8 innings and striking out 9 players. This gave the Cubs their fist opening day win in four years. The Cubs are one of baseball’s most beloved teams and the fans must be happy to see them start the season off on the right foot.  Samardzija is now 4-0 all time against the Pirates in his short career. The Pirates faced troubles with Samardzija all afternoon as he kept them at bay with his two-seam fastball and changeup. The just couldn’t get the handle of his combinations and they were left unbalanced the whole game. They only managed two balls out of the infield the whole time Samardzija was pitching. They didn’t even score until the last inning when Alvarez (3B) singled to center and McCutchen (CF) ran it home for the Pirates but that was about the only bright spot for the team. Pirates’ pitcher, A.J. Burnett, didn’t fair too well in his season debut ending with a 4.76 earned run average, allowing 6 hits. The Pirates will look to turn things around quickly as this was but the first of a three game series. They still have plenty of time to get things on the right track and come out on top of the overall match-up.

The Cubs, as a team, have a .182 batting average with a .333 slugging percentage. The Pirates have a .097 BA with a .129 SLG.

Sources: ESPN

FOR ALL THE MARBLES: MAVERICKS VS. LAKERS

by DAVID THE MAVEN CHICOTSKY

It’s the end of the season and these final games will determine who ends up in the playoffs and who will be watching it from their couch at home.

TRACK LINE MOVEMENT – Opening line: Lakers -3, Total: 207

With Dirk Nowitzki playing well, the Mavs have made a run for it. They’ve won 4 out of their last 5 games straight up (2-3 ATS) and are now 1.5 games back from the Lakers (and the Jazz have slipped ahead of the Lakers by a half game) who are vying for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the 8th seed.

The Lakers have been a team scrambling to play well all year and now is no exception. They’ve only won 2 out of their last 6 games straight up, absolutely pounding bettors by only covering once during that stretch. The Lakers have Gasol and Blake back in the lineup, but their newest concern stems from a bone spur in Kobe’s left foot.

Pre-game Injury Report for both teams

Typically in the NBA, the home team will gain a 3 point advantage as it relates to the spread. In this game with the Lakers favored by 3 points at home, it’s the linesmakers’ way of saying that these teams are evenly matched.

These two teams have met three times this year, with the Mavs winning and covering the first game and the Lakers winning and covering both the 2nd and 3rd game. This game, both teams are coming off a day of rest. It’s the beginning of a 2-game homestand for the Lakers and the beginning of a 4-game roadtrip for the Mavs. This is one of the biggest games of the year for both teams; expect a hard-fought game worth watching.

Sources: Bleacher Report, Medicine Net

BEST IN THE WEST: LOB CITY TRAVELS TO SAN ANTONIO

by TYLER WOGALTER

Last Meeting: The Spurs defeated the Clippers 116-90 in Los Angeles on 2/21/13

Check out Line Information for this game

Two of the best teams in basketball face off in San Antonio as the Los Angeles Clippers battle the Spurs on Friday at 8:30 ET. The Spurs have won five of their last six games and sit atop the Western Conference. With only 11 games to play in the regular season, San Antonio appears to be the favorites to enjoy home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Clippers have won three of their last four and have continued scoring the rock with ease. The Clips are firing on all cylinders and look ready to make a splash in the playoffs.

San Antonio is the best team in the Western Conference, and occupies the top seed in the current playoff picture. With a 1 ½ game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs are the team to beat in the West. The Clippers are currently the 3^rd seed in the West, and trail the 2^nd seeded OKC Thunder by 4 games. The Clips only have a half game lead over the 4^thseeded Denver Nuggets and will need to keep winning ball games if they want to keep their spot in the playoff picture.

Betting Information

The Spurs are 54-17 straight up and 37-32 against the spread on the season. At home, San Antonio is 31-4 SU and 18-15 ATS. Against the total, the Spurs are 39-31 Under and are averaging 104.3 PPG, which is 4th best in the league.

Los Angeles has a record of 49-23 SU and 39-32 ATS. While playing on the road, the Clippers are 21-15 SU and 18-18 ATS. Against the total, Lob City is 39-33 Over on the year and are putting up 100.9 PPG.

Injuries

After missing three games with an injured groin, Clippers guard Chauncey Billups re-aggravated his injury on Wednesday against the Rockets. Billups is listed as day-to-day, but is not expected to play on Friday. The 2004 Finals MVP is averaging 8.2 PPG on the year.

What to watch for

Look for solid ball movement and quick, crisp passes for both teams, as this game features two of the top five teams in assists per game. The Spurs lead the league in assists with 25.1 APG, while the Clippers are averaging 23.5 APG, good for 4^th in the NBA.

Tim Duncan is proving that age is nothing but a number. The 36-year-old veteran has played phenomenal during the Spurs past six games, notching a double-double in five of the contests and averaging 23.6 PPG and 13.5 RPG over that stretch. Watch for Duncan to grab another double-double in this one.

A major reason for the success of the Clippers this season has been the play of Jamal Crawford. Believed by many to be the favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, Crawford has contributed greatly to the winning ways of the Clips this season. Watch for Crawford and his 16.7 PPG to make an impact on Friday.

The pick

With Tim Duncan playing beyond his age, a healthy Tony Parker and Gregg Popovich leading his team into the postseason, it will be a difficult task for Lob City to come into San Antonio and knock off the Spurs. Losing this one will be only the fifth loss at the AT&T Center this season, but I don’t believe that it will happen. This will be a high-flying, fast paced game, but San Antonio will pull away late and take this one, 115-107.

Source: ESPN

DAILY FREE PICK: LAKERS VS. BUCKS

by ODDSFATHER STAFF

Both teams have been getting killed on the court and have been punishing bettors as a consequence. The Bucks are in the playoffs, having all but locked up the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers are treading on thin ice as they have the Mavericks and Jazz nipping at their heels.

The news going into this game is the season ending knee injury to Metta World Peace. With Pau Gasol and Steve Blake back on the court, they still have weapons to compliment Kobe, Superman and Nash. With World Peace out for the count, the average square bettor isn’t going to want to touch the Lakers with a 10-foot pole. That’s our cue to take a closer look at the Lakers’ side.

Free Pick: Lakers +1

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

NIT SHOWDOWN: #2 MARYLAND VS. #1 ALABAMA

by JEFF ALLEN

ACC/SEC conference bragging rights are on the line as Maryland and Alabama meet in the NIT on Tuesday.

Check out Line Movement for this game.

Alabama is coming off a game where beat defending champion #4 Stanford 66-54 on Saturday – in large part due to their smothering defense. Alongside their tough defense, they controlled the pace of the game, pulling as far as 15 points ahead at one point. The key to the Alabama-Stanford game was how often and how well Alabama shot from the free throw line: 22 of 26 compared to Stanford’s 8 of 9.

Maryland shot down Denver last Thursday 65-52, ending the game on a 23-4 run. Maryland had the shooting advantage, shooting 5.8 percent better than Denver. Sophomore wingman Dez Wells had a great game, putting up 19 points. Despite going 3-7 on the road this year, Maryland lost several big games in overtime that they very likely could of won (against Florida State, Virginia and #5 Miami). The Terps were also 3-2 when playing at a neutral site – losing to both Kentucky and North Carolina by only 3 points.

Betting Information

Maryland is 23-12 straight up, 15-11-2 against the spread and 9-7 Over on the year. Alabama is 22-12 SU, 15-15 against the total and 16-4 Under on the year.

Extra Game Details

The Kiplinger Out-of-State Ranking has Maryland ranked much higher than Alabama (#6 vs. #89)

Maryland has recruited 14 McDonald’s All-Americans out of high school compared to 10 by Alabama.

Maryland has more experienced players than Alabama (15,018 minutes played vs. 13,094 minutes played).

Maryland’s rebounding leader (Alex Len, 255 rebounds) has more rebounds than Alabama’s (Rodney Cooper, 142 rebounds).

The Oddsfather’s Injury Report

Source: Sports Chat Place, Bleacher Report

THE MAVERICKS NEED WINS TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS

by DAVID THE MAVEN CHICOTSKY

With 12 games left in the regular season, the Mavericks are a couple games back from the 8-spot. They’ll need a win against the Clippers to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Track Line Movement for this game

About the Mavericks:

The Mavs are coming off a win in which they failed to cover against the Utah Jazz. Veteran guard Mike James led the team to victory behind his 7-10 shooting from the field, 3-4 shooting from behind the 3-point arc, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. The Mavericks bench put up an impressive 45 points, led by Vince Carter who had 15 points in 21 minutes. The Mavs have won 3 out of their last 4 games, going 2-2 against the spread. They’re coming off back-to-back home wins (1-1 ATS). With the 8-seed in the Western Conference still up for grabs, look for the Mavs to lay it all on the line for a win. All eyes in Mavs country are on the Lakers as they currently hold the 8-seed. The hate for the Lakers comes all the way from the top of the Mavs’ organization, Mark Cuban. For the sake of the Mavs, they’ll need the Lakers to continue to stumble.

About the Clippers:

The Clippers are coming off a game in which they beat the Nets 101-95 in a game where they were favored by 8 points. Chris Paul had a huge game, scoring 29 points behind 8-16 shooting from the field  – with 11 assists on the night. They’ve won 3 out of their last 4 games, despite punishing bettors by going 1-2-1 during this stretch. With their playoff spot comfortably locked-up, the Clippers don’t have a ton of extra motivation in this game. They’re a solid team that’s stacked with talent – with the luxury of having such a strong bench (see Jamal Crawford just to start).

Betting Information:

The Clippers are 48-22 straight up, 38-31-1 against the spread and 36-34 Over on the year. On the road they are 20-14 SU, 17-17 ATS and 18-16 Under.

The Mavs are 34-36 SU, 41-29 ATS and 42-28 Over on the year. At home they’re 20-14 SU, 18-16 ATS and 21-13 Over.

Click HERE for the Oddsfather’s injury report.

Sources: USA Today, ESPN