February 2014 – Casino Review

February 28, 2014February 28, 2014

Hot Teams Highlight NBA Action Tonight

This is that point in the National Basketball Association season where seemingly anything can happen and when it does it often looks strange. Take into account the Cleveland Cavaliers who are suddenly in shouting distance of the playoff chase. Take the Dallas Mavericks who most left for dead this season. Marc Cuban has to be thrilled where his team is not to mention the retirement of David Stern.

Both of these teams and several more are on my slate for tonight’s picks in the NBA.

Utah (+3.5) at Cleveland – Break up the Cleveland Cavaliers!! Two nights after beating Oklahoma City by ten at their place, the Cavs return home for a very winnable game against the Utah Jazz. Don’t look now but Cleveland is only 4.5 games behind eighth seed Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland has won seven of ten but hosts a Jazz team that has won two in a row and has gone a respectable 5-5 over their last ten games. With rumors swirling about Kyrie Irving’s future in Cleveland, he went out poured in 30 against the Thunder. Utah is getting some points tonight but I like the hot Cavs to cover.

Kendrick Perkins is out six weeks. What impact will his absence have on the Thunder?

Memphis (+5.5) at Oklahoma City – The Grizzlies have climbed to within one half game of Western Conference eighth seed Phoenix and now they travel to Northwest Division leader Oklahoma City.

Memphis, who has won six of ten, might be catching the Thunder at the right time. OKC is just 5-5 in their last ten games and has lost three straight. In other words, they haven’t won since before the All-Star break.

At some point, the Thunder will break out especially with Russell Westbrook back in action but they have lost Kendrick Perkins to a groin injury. I like the Thunder tonight to win but I’m taking Memphis getting the 5.5.

Golden State (-5) at New York – The Warriors continue their tour of the East Coast with a trip to the world’s most famous arena Madison Square Garden. I expected the Warriors to play better than they did in a 20-point loss to Chicago Wednesday night and I think that will motivate them this evening.

It’s hard to really know where to begin with the New York Knicks considering the season they’ve had. They lost on a buzzer-beater to Dallas on Monday night and were in Miami last evening where they were blown out 108-82 by LeBron “Batman” James who scored 30.

Despite giving five points tonight I like Golden State to cover especially with the Knicks coming off a game last night in Florida.

Chicago (+4.5) at Dallas – The relentless Bulls have won eight of their last ten outings and have won two straight. They are trying to reel in the Toronto Raptors for the third seed in the Eastern Conference but Toronto has maintained their one game lead over the Bulls by winning three straight.

The Mavs have won four straight games and are solidifying their position in the Western Conference playoff race. They currently sit in sixth, but are three and a half games back of the fourth-seeded Clippers.

This game should be very entertaining considering how well these two teams are currently playing. The Bulls are two games below .500 on the road while the Mavericks have a very nice 19-9 record at home.

I like Chicago getting those 4.5 points tonight in Big D.

February 28, 2014

Will Clippers Odds Shorten if Granger Signs

Rumors have flown back and forth from one coast to another regarding where Danny Granger will end up. The latest has the former Indiana Pacer headed to the Los Angeles Clippers. At least one source said the former All-Star has decided to head west and sign a deal with the Clippers.

The Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs all attempted to convince Granger to play for them, but it was the Clippers that offered the shooting forward the best opportunity to play a large number of minutes on a team that is contending for the NBA title.

If Granger does sign with the Clippers, it could give the club an advantage over other Western Conference opponent in the scoring column. Granger was the Pacers leading scorer prior to injuring his knee in the 2012 playoffs and missing nearly all of last season.

Odds makers at Bovada, sportsbook.com, betonline and topbet will make adjustments to their NBA title futures board if the Clippers sign Granger, as it should shorten the odds for Los Angeles.

It is expected that Granger will clear waivers on Friday afternoon. He was waived officially on Wednesday after he bought out his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He had been acquired by the 76ers from the Pacers prior to the trade deadline for Lavoy Allen and Evan Turner.

If Granger is not claimed by any team, he is able to sign with whom he wants. On Thursday Granger was in Los Angeles and was working out at a gym said the source.

If he signs, he could play as early as Saturday when Los Angeles hosts New Orleans.

If the Clippers sign Granger it will be the second signing in the past week by coach Doc Rivers of a veteran player. Earlier the team signed Glen Davis, who had many suitors. Davis’ contract was bought out by Orlando. Davis played in Boston for Rivers when they won the NBA Championship in 2008 and when they lost the finals in 2010.

The Clippers last week traded Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens to make room for possible new signings and backed out of two trade negotiations for Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert with the Knicks.

This season Granger has only played 29 games coming back from calf and knee injuries. He was averaging 22 minutes per game and 8 points. However, for his career he has averaged nearly 18 points per game.

Grangers lives in Los Angeles during the offseason and has practiced at the Clippers facility during the summer.

If Granger is signed by the Clippers, the team should become one of the favorites to win the Western Conference and battle for the NBA title. With Blake Griffin leading the team in scoring and Chris Paul just behind Griffin in scoring and handing out a league high in assists, the Clippers could be the team to beat out West.

February 27, 2014February 26, 2014

NFL Has More Important Issues Than the ‘N-Word’ to be Dealing With

Sports have often been the catalyst for social change in this country dating back over 100 years. From Jim Thorpe to Jackie Robinson to Billie Jean King, sports have been a place where changes in our social mindset have originated.

The National Football League is going to enter into this realm of social change in part because it has to and in part because it wants too. You already know about Michael Sam who will eventually become the first openly gay player in the league.

Now the NFL wants to ban its’ players from using the ‘N-word’ on the field and in the locker room. In other words, it wants it banned from any of its’ professional settings.

The N-word is a bad word. Its’ meaning is rooted in hatred and racism and I choose not to use and also teach my children that it isn’t for them to use either. While I believe it has no place in any professional environment, I see things differently in the NFL and overall for two reasons.

First, the NFL is unlike any other profession but it shouldn’t be held to any different standard. Ryan Clark of the Pittsburgh Steelers and soon to be ESPN said the Rooney’s made a point to keep it out of their locker room. It worked for a while and then came back.

Secondly, I’m a strong believe in the right of the individual. If a person chooses to use the N-word whether I like it or not should not be my business. This leads me to bigger issues for the NFL though.

The vast majority of NFL players are black. Of those, the majority come from less than normal upbringings as children and young adults. Part of the culture that these men come from allows and tolerates use of the N-word.

While most use the word not in a derogatory sense, but one of friendship, the issue should be their own.

The NFL faces a larger problem however. While it goes after its’ employees using the N-word, one of it’s’ franchises continues to use a nickname that many find just as offensive as the N-word. The question has to be asked then… Why all the focus on the N-word yet none on the Washington Redskins?

In essence, Roger Goodell and the NFL are putting the cart before the horse. How can the league justify telling one group of people what they can or cannot say yet they take no action against a franchise that uses a word just as bad to Native Americans?

Furthermore, how about addressing domestic violence (Ray Rice)? How about addressing an alleged murder how just beat someone up in jail (Aaron Hernandez)?

Former NFL official Mike Pereira tweeted yesterday than the NFL already has a rule that addresses inappropriate language on the field. He sees no reason to focus on the N-word specifically and suggests that officials actually enforce the rule as it is stated in the rule book yet they rarely do.

While I certainly hope that a day comes where the N-word will no longer be part of anyone’s vocabulary, I know that day isn’t coming soon. Asking many of these young men to stop using a term they’ve used and heard for most of their lives isn’t impossible but I think it misses the real point of the issue.

Besides, doesn’t the NFL have enough to be concerned about these days with their product both on and off the field?

February 27, 2014

Pitching Props Available on Sportsbooks Online

Pitchers and catchers have already arrived at spring training and many online betting sites have released a number of props for pitchers.

It is not easy trying to predict pitchers. Much of that is due to so many factors involved that are out of their control. Nevertheless, even though it is impossible to predict run support or injuries for a pitcher, there is some good value in the props for pitchers on Bovada, topbet, betonline and sportsbook.com.

Any Pitcher: Total Wins 21 OVER -135, UNDER +110

During the past few season a resurgence in pitching across the major leagues has taken place. However, that has not translated necessarily into more wins by an individual pitcher.

Since the beginning of the 2009 season, just one time has a pitcher recorded more than 21 victories. That took place in 2011 when Detroit’s Justin Verlander recorded 24.

One six occasions there have been pitchers that have won 21 games during that same span including last year when Detroit’s Max Scherzer recorded 21. Based upon those recent trends and nothing else the UNDER is a better play.

Highest
Number of Strikeouts: 249.5 OVER -105 UNDER -105

Only four times over the last five seasons, has the OVER on this be hit by pitchers. One of those times was last season when Yu Darvish for the Texas Rangers recorded 277 strikeouts. That was the most in any season since the 290 Randy Johnson recorded in 2004. By taking the OVER in this prop, the bettor is counting on Darvish to be healthy all season.

There is also Verlander who has recorded 2 seasons with 250 or more Ks, Scherzer who had 240 Ks during last season and Stephen Strasburg who has averaged 194 over the last two seasons while throwing for less than 184 innings each season.

Darvish will likely surpass 250 strikeouts if he can remain healthy, but the better value is with the UNDER.

Individual Wins Totals Regular Season

David Price – Win total 15

Price has pitched nearly perfect ball or subpar for the past four seasons when taking into consideration wins. He has hit 19 or more wins on two occasions and below 13 on two occasion.

The southpaw is a very talented pitcher as a Cy Young award is testament to that. However, triceps problems have nagged him. Last season he made only 27 starts. A stint of two weeks on the DL or a trade will make it tough for the talented pitcher to reach 16 wins. The value here sits on the UNDER.

James Shields: Win total 13.5

Shields has started 31 or more games for seven consecutive seasons and in his past four seasons has recorded 13 or more wins each year.

Last season he had 13 wins despite his teammates giving him less than 4 runs of support a game. Shields tied Clayton Kershaw for most quality starts in the league, which is six innings of pitching and three or less earned runs allowed.

Kansas City is expected to contend for the playoffs this season and that means Shields should have value on the OVER.

February 26, 2014February 25, 2014

Rockets, Clippers Focus of Big Night in the Association

Fans often forget that the NBA season can be grueling. It’s one thing to be able to sleep in your own bed and drive into the arena in your own car but being on the road is another thing altogether.

Each year teams like the Rockets get kicked out of their homes for as much as two weeks or more because the rodeo or some other event is in town. Right now, it’s the Golden State Warriors who can relate to this and their game with Chicago is on my slate for tonight.

Houston (+5.5) at LA Clippers – The Rockets are coming off a game late last night in Sacramento so my number will be a little off heading into their showdown with the Clippers this evening. The Rockets have strung together an impressive nine wins in the last ten games and they find themselves in the third spot out west a half game up on tonight’s opponent.

The Clippers may be pulling things together at the right time as they’ve won two straight and six of their last ten. LA went into New Orleans on Monday night and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 123-110 behind 13 assists from Chris Paul.

The assist numbers aren’t surprising considering they are 3^rd overall in the NBA in that category. Houston defeated Phoenix 115-112 behind 25 points and nine rebounds from Dwight Howard. I like the streaking Rockets and love them getting the points tonight as well.

The Blazers have had a great season behind the play of Damian Lillard.

Brooklyn (+3.5) at Portland – As difficult as the Knicks are to figure out these days, the team across town isn’t much different. The Brooklyn Nets are just a half a game from falling from the sixth spot to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Then again, they are just 4.5 games from being the third seed. Such is life in the East these days.

The Blazers are finding themselves in the fifth spot in the Western Conference but could just as easily be in the third spot by the end of the night. The good news is that they have a spread of 3.5 games between them and Golden State who is currently sixth.

The Nets come to Northern California off a 108-102 win against the Lakers. Deron Williams poured in 30 points for Brooklyn in the win. Portland returns home after a game on the road in Denver last night.

Either way, I expect the Blazers behind their top scoring and top rebounding team in the league to cover.

Golden State (-3) at Chicago – You have to hand it to the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose goes down again with a season-ending injury yet they refuse to pack it in for the second straight year. Granted, the horrific Eastern Conference has a lot to do with them being able to be where they are but still…

The Bulls are currently the fourth seed in the East and have a 1.5 game lead over fifth seed Washington. Chicago has won six of ten and did lose their most recent game against the Heat in Miami although they did tip off last night against Atlanta.

When they return home, they’ll have the Golden State Warriors waiting for them. Golden State will have to deal with the NBA’s second best defensive unit in Chicago and will look to use their offense to generate just enough.

The Warriors most recent win was a 104-96 win over Detroit in which Steph Curry led the team with 19 points. This is the second of a six-game road trip for Golden State and is arguably their toughest game outside a trip to Indiana.

Despite playing pretty solid defense themselves, I like the Bulls getting the points tonight.

February 26, 2014

Updated Futures for 2014 World Series, Division, Total Wins and Home Runs

The Major League Baseball’s regular season is just over a month away. Many of the biggest free agents are signed, including Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz with the Baltimore Orioles, in just the past week.

Spring training has started and therefore, online sites across the Internet such as Bovada and topbet are updating their futures boards for the 2014 MLB season.

Despite the fact, the Orioles added the strong arm of Jimenez and the powerful bat of Cruz, Baltimore’s price has lengthened to 40 to 1 today from 30 to 1 at the end of January.

AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays saw their odds shortened on betonline and sportsbook.com to 12 to 1 from 16 to 1.

Two teams in the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers, also had their odds shortened to 15 to 1 from 18 to 1. They are at that number with the Oakland Athletics the defending champs of the division, whose price went from 16 to 1 to 15 to 1.

Some teams also had their odds adjusted for their division, while not having their prices changed for the World Series.

On Bovada, the Los Angeles Dodgers have World Series odds at 5 to 1, which make them the favorite. To win the NL West they are 5 to 14, which was slightly shortened from last month’s 1 to 3.

The Detroit Tigers are second on the futures board to win the World Series sitting at 7 to 1. That price did not move on topbet, but the price for them winning the AL Central moved to 4 to 11 from 1 to 3.

In win totals on betonline, the Kansas Royals total increased to 82 from 79.5, while the Cleveland Indians jumped a ½ game to 80.5 from 80.

In addition, the odds for the home run title for 2014 were updated, with several adjustments worth looking at.

Chris Davis the Orioles slugger is now tied with Miguel Cabrera at 7 to 1. Davis moved from 12 to 1 to his current 7 to 1 odds. Davis is the defending champ in home runs as he swatted 53 last season to lead the Majors.

A big mover on the home run boards was Jose Abreu. His odds shorten from 100 to 1 to 40 to 1. Abreu has great power, but some other sports sites have him only hitting 24 round trippers for the season.

He could be a risky bet at the current 40 to 1 price as he is coming from a foreign pro league into MLB.

Three left-handed batters are emerging as possible good plays. Mark Teixeira, who actually hits from both sides, but will do his damage for the left hitting to the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium is healthy once again and still young enough that he could put together a good season. He is sitting on 75 to 1 and the potential for a nice profit is attractive.

Joey Votto the Cincinnati first baseman is 100 to 1 and has exceptional profit potential. Look for him to have a strong season at the plate.

Jay Bruce, a teammate of Votto, is sitting at 30 to 1 after previously being 25 to 1. He has not yet shown the power his impressive scouting reports have forecasted.

February 25, 2014February 24, 2014

NFL Thoughts for Tuesday

The last time a trade was made in the National Football League involving a head coach was when Oakland traded Head Coach Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay in 2002. If you’ll recall, late Raiders’ owner Al Davis had grown tired of Gruden’s West Coast offense and desired a more down-field passing game.

Gruden was traded for the Buccaneers’ first round draft picks in 2002 and 2003 plus a couple of second rounders and $8 million in cash. He would lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl Championship in his first season in Tampa Bay.

Apparently we were very close to having yet another head coach traded across the country as the Cleveland Browns admitted they flirted with trading for Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers.

While the 49ers have claimed this either didn’t happen or never got serious, Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslem validated the stories that had been emerging about the potential trade.

My take is that the Browns did indeed poke around and explore the possibility but I don’t think it got all that serious. Cleveland would have been in a very good position with which to negotiate because of their numerous high picks over the next couple of years.

While Harbaugh himself called the story “Ridiculous,” would the move have really been that bad for him?

The Super Bowl window in San Francisco is closing. His quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a year away from a big contract and his defense is aging rapidly at many key positions. Anquan Boldin and Frank Gore are both on the down-side of their careers despite still putting up big numbers.

In Cleveland, the defense is young and has potential while the receiving corps is pretty talented. If Harbaugh could just take his QB with him, it wouldn’t be a bad deal if you really think about it.

Furthermore, one has to wonder why the 49ers would even consider the possibility although they are claiming they didn’t. Are they perhaps tired of the near misses? Are they embarrassed by his sideline antics?

Adam Muema's NFL chances took a severe hit when he left the Combine for religious reasons.

Who knows? All I can say about this entire situation is that it isn’t happening so let’s move on.

Religion Leads to Combine Absence

San Diego State running back Adam Muema was projected to be a mid to late round draft pick in May’s NFL Draft. There’s a good chance he won’t get drafted at all after the leaving the combine before participating because ‘God’ told him to do so. I’m not in the business of telling anyone how or who or what to believe in so to each their own when it comes to religion.

It would have been one thing had Muema just said ‘God’ told him to leave and that were the end of it, but he took it further by saying “[God] told me to sit down, be quiet, and enjoy the peace,” according to U-T San Diego. Muema’s dream is apparently to play for the Seattle Seahawks and he is taking God’s message as the only way for that dream to come true.

The sad reality is that Muema is not only costing himself a shot at a decent NFL contract but he is potentially costing himself a chance to ever play pro football period. While there are certainly more important things than that out in the world, the sanity of Muema must be questioned.

I find it interesting that with all the focus on Johnny Manziel’s off-field antics and Michael Sam being gay, very little attention will be paid to a guy who probably needs the right kind of attention the most.

February 25, 2014

North Carolina at 40 to 1 on NCAA Tournament Futures

An updated futures list of NCAA Tournament odds was released this week. Despite the fact, the North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the hottest teams in the nation their price is still long.

North Carolina is 20-7 SU and 16-11 ATS. Their season has been a roller coaster ride, but having won nine straight games, the Tar Heels are on quite an upswing.

The Tar Heels moved back into the Top 25 at No. 19 this week after impressive wins against Pittsburgh and Duke last week. The Heels run of 9 straight follows a stretch of losing four of five in their opening ACC conference games.

The Tar Heels futures to win the National Championship went down from 50 to 1 to 40 to 1 this week on Bovada, topbet, Sportsbook.com and betonline.

At one time earlier in the season, North Carolina had fallen to 100 to 1 odds to win the title.

The Tar Heels have not been known this season for defense. They typically run and run some more on offense until their opponents run out of gas or they are out of the game.

North Carolina gives ups 68 points a game ranking them No. 112 in the country in that stat. However, more focus and urgency on defense has been one of the reasons for their recent resurgence in the ACC and move upward in the polls.

The foul line however has been a big nemesis all season for North Carolina. Against Duke, the Tar Heels shot just 64%. However, over the last 60 seconds of the game, North Carolina went to the foul and made all six of their attempts. The Heels turned around and hit 83% of their shots from the charity stripe the next game in a win over Wake Forest.

Three of the seven losses North Carolina has suffered this season were due to horrible shooting from the free throw line. If they can correct that on a consistent basis, North Carolina could be a dangerous team heading into the NCAA tournament.

North Carolina can still improve, but after being considered a possible NIT team to start 2014, North Carolina now looks like it could do well at March Madness. Roy Williams has his players believing in themselves, focusing more on the defensive end and hitting more of their shots from the charity stripe.

Current futures to win NCAA Tournament

Florida Gators 9-2

Michigan State Spartans 7-1

Kansas Jayhawks 7-1

Duke Blue Devils 10-1

Arizona Wildcats 10-1

Louisville Cardinals 10-1

Kentucky Wildcats 12-1

Syracuse Orange 12-1

Wichita State Shockers 12-1

Creighton Bluejays 18-1

February 24, 2014February 23, 2014

Some NBA Teams Need to Kick for the Finish Now

With 82 regular season games, the National Basketball Association is much more a marathon than a sprint but that doesn’t mean teams don’t have to kick it into high gear at times. With most teams having less than 30 games remaining, the marathon is now down to a few miles left and teams whose playoff fates are in limbo need to start kicking a little more.

Tonight I’m looking at a couple of such teams who need to put up or shut up the rest of the way.

Boston (+3) at Utah – The Celtics travel to Utah on a four-game losing streak and won just four of their last ten games overall. They currently sit eight games behind Charlotte, Atlanta and Brooklyn who are all tied for the final three spots in the Eastern Conference. The situation is not much better for the Jazz who have lost three straight games and have won just three of their last ten games.

Because the Western Conference is so much better than the East, Utah is an incredible 14 games behind the current eighth seed Dallas. This is certainly a match-up of two teams that will not be joining the post-season party but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to work on for both squads. The Jazz are four games under .500 at home but the Celtics are just 8-21 on the road this year.

I really like Utah here despite giving three points.

Davis has put together some nice games for New Orleans since returning from injury awhile back.

LA Clippers (-5) at New Orleans – The Clippers take their 15-15 road record to the Deep South where the Pelicans are waiting. The Clippers are just 5-5 in their last ten games and need to start finding some more consistency in winning games. New Orleans has lost three in a row and is 4-6 over their last ten contests but considering their youth and injuries, they haven’t been quite as bad as first thought.

The Clippers are second in the league in scoring yet rank in the middle of the pack in scoring defense and that has often been their demise as it was in their recent loss to Oklahoma City where they gave up 125 points in the loss. New Orleans is just 19th overall in scoring so the Clippers should be able to take advantage of that.

I’m never crazy about giving points on the road but I think the Clippers do so with confidence. I’ll take them to cover down in the Big Easy.

Dallas (-3.5) at New York – If anyone can figure out the New York Knicks then consider yourself the only one. The Knicks have won just twice in their last ten games and continue to drop games they should be winning and play competitively in games they probably should be getting blown out in. They are currently 5.5 games out of the eighth playoff spot in the East which isn’t a death sentence.

The Eastern Conference is so bad that even the slightest of winning streaks can make a massive difference in the standings. For Dallas, the Mavs are just a half game out of the sixth seed but are just two games in front of Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot.

The good news is that the Mavericks have won eight of their last ten and have won two straight. Further bad news for the Knicks is that they are brutal at home at 12-18 in Madison Square Garden while Dallas is one of the best road teams in the NBA with a record of 16-14 away from Big D.

I have little confidence that this is the time the Knicks will get into gear because they haven’t all season. This is another road team giving points but I like the Mavs giving the 3.5 in the Big Apple.

February 24, 2014

Mavericks Lay Short Price at Madison Square Garden

The Olympics have passed and the NBA has taken center stage once again in betting circles around the world.

The NBA on Monday night has only five games on its schedule. In one of them, the Dallas Mavericks are on the road against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Mavericks are laying a short price in the game.

In another matchup, the Golden State Warriors head to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Pistons.

The Knicks and high scorer Carmelo Anthony have one of the worst records against the spread at home this season in the NBA.

New York is 21-35 straight up and 23-33 against the spread. They continue their poor play and are burning bankrolls of bettors across the country.

The Knicks have lost 8 of their past 10 games straight up and 7 of their past 10 against the spread. The Knicks are well off the pace to make the playoffs even in the weak Eastern Conference.

Dallas this season is 34-23 SU and 32-35-1 ATS. The Mavericks have given themselves a cushion of two games in the eighth and final playoffs spot in the Western Conference standings.

The Mavericks are 8-2 SU over their past 10 games played and have been one of the best teams at covering the spread in the league.

Dallas is 20-10 ATS on the road, making them one of the best cover teams on the road in the NBA. The Knicks on the other hand are just 10-20 ATS at home, making them one of the league’s worst cover teams at home.

On Bovada and sportsbook.com, the current line has Dallas favored on the road by 3.5 points with the point total sitting on 205.

On January 5, the Knicks won 92-80 in Dallas as 6.5 road dogs, the last time the two teams met. The game finished well UNDER the point total line of 202 on topbet and betonline.

Eight of the past 12 games Dallas has played on the road finished UNDER. The total for tonight’s matchup is higher than the total for the first meeting between the two teams, which was 202 and the teams scored just 172.

The Knicks have one of the slowest paced games in the league. I like the UNDER.

Golden State vs. Detroit

The Golden State Warriors are 34-22 SU and 26-28-2 ATS. The Warriors have won three straight games and have covered in 7 of their past 10 games.

Detroit is 23-33 SU and 25-31 ATS. They have played well at home this season and are 13-18 ATS record at home.

Golden State is 10^th in the NBA in scoring. However, they are surprisingly one of the NBA’s best teams on the UNDER. The UNDER has cashed in the past three Warriors games and in 32 of the 56 they have played this season.

The teams played at Golden State back in November with the Warriors winning 113-95, which covered a 9-point spread, while the OVER cashed on a 204.5 line.

The line on this game has not been released, but I like the Warriors and the UNDER.