Friday, 2/2/07

Tough loss on the Dukies last night. McRoberts misses a layup as time expires in regulation and Duke goes the final 9 minutes of the game without a field goal...tough. Oh well, tonight there are 3 NBA games we are looking at.

Sixers -2
First up, I like the Sixers -2 at home against Golden State. The Warriors are not in good shape and are absolutely horrid on the road (4-17). The Sixers have been playing pretty well since the trade of Iverson and release of Webber, putting together their best stretch of the season (5-3). Just for kicks, here are a few trends: Warriors are 1-6 ATS in past 7 road games, and 1-7 ATS in past 8 games agaisnt the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are 6-1 in their last 7 Friday night games. Good enough for me.

Sixers -2 (**)

Lakers +3
Next, I like the Lakers getting 3 at Indiana. I am not sure if anyone is aware of this, but the alleged rapist is playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder right now. He just put up 43 at Boston on Wednesday night and has been hinting to the media that it was only a sign of things to come. I see two blatent mismatches for Indiana that the Lakers will exploit. First, they have no one who can even pretend to guard the Mamba. Second, they have no answer for Odom. The Pacers are the worst shooting team in the NBA and they won't be able to keep up with Mamba and the Lakers. Wrong team favored in this one. The Lakers win this outright.

Lakers +3 (**)

Nets +3
Finally, I like the red hot Nets. We got what the "sixth man" likes to call 'line value' in this matchup. Prior to Wednesday, the Nets had covered 14 of 16 and the Magic had lost 8 of 9. So, of course, the Nets get hammered by Detriot and the Magic destroy the Bucks. Well, one game, a streak does not make (or something to that effect). The Magic got hot early, but are fading faster than a gold necklace bought off a "vendor" on the street. Howard is struggling mightely and they are without second-leading scorer, Mr. Glass...I mean Grant Hill. Don't look for VC to put up another 4-15 night, but do look for the Nets to extend their win streak over the Magic to 5.

Nets +3 (**)