10 Unit Play. Take #614 Indiana Fever over Atlanta Dream (7:30p.m., Friday, July 11 Prime) WNBA GAME OF THE YEAR Just refuse to believe that the Fever will play this bad again in game 2 of Caitlin Clarks return. They could not do anything right on Wednesday and now find themselves below the .500 mark and need this win especially since it is at home. The Fever matchup well with the Dream, as they have won 6 of the last 8 meetings. Indiana still ranks high in offense and if they can keep the Dream off the boards, it should be enough to earn this much needed victory at home. Atlanta shoots it just at 42.9% on the season and Indiana is a strong team guarding the arc. The metrics favor Indiana and we are getting a couple of points value with how bad they played on Wednesday. In professional sports I always like to play a team after a rough outing, as these are pros and expect a big bounce back by the more desperate team in this game. Atlanta is just 2-3 in their last 5 games including a loss to Dallas, the worst team in the league.

7 Unit Play. Take #616 Phoenix -1.5 over New York (10p.m., Friday, June 27 ION) The line has shifted to towards the Mercury, as they will enter this home game having won 5 straight games. One of those wins came against the Liberty, a team that will enter this game having lost 3 of their last 4 games. Then throw in the fact that Jonquel Jones is out for this game and that is a major void for New York going forward in games. Phoenix is 6-2 at home this season and 9-6 ATS overall. They have beaten New York two of the last three games and tonight they have the better talent in this game.

7-unit Play. Take #703 Montreal Alouettes -2 over Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Friday, June 27th, 7:30 p.m. CFL+)

Hamilton’s defense has been a turnstile through two games, surrendering a CFL-worst 435 yards per game and 33 points per contest. The front seven has been especially soft, allowing 5.6 yards per carry and failing to generate consistent pressure. That’s a problem against a Montreal offense that’s been humming, even with a quarterback change. Davis Alexander left the last game with a hamstring injury, but veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson stepped in—a two-time East All-Star who looked sharp. Whoever steps behind center will be running an offense averaging 35 points per game and featuring one of the league’s most efficient ground attacks, led by Sean Thomas Erlington (5.0 YPC) and a physical O-line that’s controlled the trenches all season.

Hamilton’s offense hasn’t been able to mask its defensive issues. Bo Levi Mitchell is putting up volume and leads the league with 320 passing yards per game, but the run game is non-existent—just 49 yards per game, dead last in the CFL. That one-dimensionality has made them easy to scheme against, especially with a shaky offensive line that’s allowed too many clean looks for opposing pass rushers. Montreal’s defense, which has forced 10 turnovers and held opponents to 18.7 points per game, should feast.

Despite Montreal’s dominance on both sides of the ball, the line has quietly shifted from -2.5 to -2, suggesting some market interest in the home dog. Hamilton is coming off a bye and playing at Tim Hortons Field, where they’ve historically been more competitive, except against Montreal, who have won and covered four out of their last five trips to Hamilton. Montreal’s edge in the trenches and turnover margin make them the more trustworthy side until proven otherwise.

We like to take a good team off a bad loss and the Thunder certainly qualify tonight. They were down big and we just think they took a mulligan in that one to save their energy for Game 4 here. They can get a win here then have a close out game at home in Game 5. We took the Timberwolves in Game 3 as we thought they would have one strong game. But OKC has been pretty dominant in this series and we think they bring their A Game to not let this series slip away.

I would consider this almost a must win for the Knicks tonight. A two-game hole when you were the home team would be catastrophic. Indiana rallied in Game 1 for a shock win when the Knicks had a comfortable lead. New York got complacent and we just don’t think that happens again. It’s telling that the oddsmakers have made them an even bigger favorite in Game 2.

The NBA Playoffs are a completely different game than the regular season. OKC stormed through the regular season with the best record in the league and they were one of the best ATS teams in league history and cashed tickets on better than 67 percent of their games. We kind of wondered what they were doing there down the stretch of the season as they were giving 100 percent every game when they already had the No. 1 seed locked up. We think Golden State taught the league a lesson in 2015-16 when they had the best regular season winning percentage of all time but didn’t win the title. Teams need to manage the regular season, especially down the stretch. They need to save energy, mentally and physically, for the postseason. Well, here OKC is in the Western Conference Finals, and kudos to them. But they haven’t looked like the same team that was rolling over everyone in the regular season. They are just 4-8 ATS so far in the playoffs. They let a pretty bad Memphis team, that shouldn’t have even been a playoff team, hang around in Games 3 and 4, and the Grizzlies covered both games. A Denver team that on paper looked much worse than the Thunder took them to seven games, and OKC was 2-5 ATS in that series. The Thunder don’t have a lot of playoff experience. This WCF is uncharted territory for them. Minnesota was here last year. OKC has a quick turnaround which will be a big benefit for the well-rested Timberwolves. Minnesota is a legit championship caliber team in our eyes. They are 8-2 ATS in these playoffs. Games 1s have been tricky this playoffs for the higher seed at home. Indiana beat Cleveland. New York beat Boston. Denver beat this OKC team. Golden State beat this Timberwolves team. The Warriors also beat the Rockets. We think this will be a close game but we think the Wolves have a legit chance for the outright win. The Wolves have covered four of the last five meetings, and they have won two of the last three visits to OKC. That includes an OT win in the last meeting in February, as Minnesota won outright as a 12-point dog.

Denver has been competitive in every game in this series except Game 2 where they got down big early and threw in the white flag to conserve energy for Game 3, which they proceeded to win. They had been coming off a grueling 7-Game series against the Clippers and we can give them a mulligan for that game. Overall we think the Thunder are a bit overrated in the playoffs due to their regular season results. The playoffs is a different animal entirely. And Denver has been playing some of their best basketball of the season in the playoffs. They know what it takes to win this series. We don’t know if they will win it, but they should play another hard fought game here and we expect this one to be a close one.

We had Minnesota in Game 3 and they lost by the hook on a garbage three at the end of the game. That one came after a missed shot and an offensive rebound from the Warriors. Minnesota played pretty bad in that game and they still should have covered. We expect to see a better performance here as they don’t want this series to go on for too long. They are a much better team with Curry sidelined. They have all the momentum in this series after losing Game 1 and they have the chance to close this series out in Game 5 at home with a win here. We get the feeling we might see the best game of the series so far from the Wolves, and it seems that the Warriors might have given their last gasp in Game 3, and it still wasn’t enough.

The Warriors did not look good without Curry in the lineup. With Klay gone and Curry out, the Warriors just don’t have that clutch aspect that they had during the prime of their dynasty. They have some have some good players but Butler hasn’t had time to acclimate to the team in the way that he can be a true leader. That takes at least a full season. We think there is a good chance that Minnesota will be the West’s representative in the Finals this year and we think they will make a statement here and reclaim home court advantage.

Even though Denver suffered a very embarrassing defeat in Game 2, they didn’t need to win that game. They accomplished their goal in the first two games, splitting and stealing home court advantage. They obviously didn’t play like Game 2 mattered much, and after they got down a decent amount they gave up. But overall Denver has played some of their best basketball of the season in the playoffs and they came up big when they needed to against the Clippers in the first round. This is a crucial game and we think they will show up here and give 100% effort.

We have always liked the Clippers for the series and will go with them for Game 7. We think it will be a close game but LA is the better all around team and they will do what it takes to win this one. We think both teams will get their share of the total, as these games have been generally highs scoring and this is the lowest total of the series.

The home team has won every game in this series except for Game 1 when the Warriors got a leg up in this series and we think that will continue tonight. Everyone saw the Game 5 beatdown in Houston. Bettors want to jump on the Rockets here. The core of the Warriors has all the experience and they have closed out many a team at home in their careers. They know what need to be done here. Houston seems a year away and a couple more pieces from being a serious threat. We think there is a great chance that the Warriors are firing on all cylinders here and that they win this one by double digits.

The Pistons played well in Game 5 and staved off elimination but we think that was their last gasp and we don’t see the Knicks letting this one get to Game 7. This should be another close game but New York is the much better team and they will find a way to get it done. They won both games here in Detroit, so the atmosphere won’t faze them. And Game 5 was a wakeup call for them. They didn’t play well but were still within striking distance of a win. We see a very focused effort tonight, and the Knicks should have one of their better games of the series. They know they need to avoid Game 7 with tougher opponents on the horizon, and we don’t see them slipping up again.

The Clippers have been the better team in this series and are a couple unlucky bounces from already being done with this series. Denver won Game 4 on a very lucky play with a missed shot at the buzzer and they had a player in the right spot to get a slam dunk at the buzzer. We think LA will come out more focused than ever for Game 5 after losing that one in heartbreaking fashion. Denver has some injuries piling up on their already thin roster and this team needs every role player to step up as this has pretty much been a one man show that has got them this far. The Clippers are a complete team and playing as well as any team not named the Thunder down the stretch of the season. We think they bring their A Game tonight and win this one comfortably.

We think the Lakers are overrated. They always are. They are the biggest public team in the NBA since the 80s, and their lines are normally shaded. They have a good team this season, no doubt, and Luka will be a force for years to come. But he came in a little late in the season to fully gel with his teammates. Minnesota started off slow as they needed time to gel, but they are a complete team now and a true championship contender. Game 3 is always a big one, and we expect them to rise to the occasion tonight. They have won four straight against LA at home.

The Clippers could easily be up 2-0 in this series. They are the better team despite the seedings. The Clippers are a team built for the playoffs. They are only the lower seed because of injuries early in the season. But this is the best Clippers team in the history of the franchise and they are a true championship contender. Besides OKC, they are probably playing the best basketball in the league right now. We think home court will reign supreme tonight and we expect the Clippers to pull ahead in the fourth and win this one pretty comfortably.

We think this is an extremely fair price for the Celtics tonight. They didn’t even play their best in Game 1 and won by 17. We think they should do even better tonight. They can play lock down defense as well as the Magic or maybe better, and they are a much stronger offensive team. Tatum is out here for Game 2 for the Celtics, but this team has incredible depth and they went 8-2 in games he missed this season. Strangely, those two losses were against the Magic, but Boston had large injury reports in those two games, both in Orlando. They are much healthier here, and at home, and they have plenty of players to make up the slack for Tatum. And this team knows the importance of closing this series out early against a much inferior opponent, so we don’t think they will let up here and we expect a strong team performance all around. The home team has won and covered now in eight straight meetings, and we expect that trend to continue here, at least for one more game.

The Sharks are a team we backed on the puckline a lot early in the season as we knew they were better than the market had them ranked. But they have shipped off some good players and they are clearly planning for the future. We faded them on the puckline last night, and they really faded in the third period against the Flames in a 5-2 loss. This is not a deep Sharks roster, so this is going to be a real tough back-to-back for them when they already looked like they ran out of gas last night. This team hasn’t been good on back-to-backs lately with their depleted roster. Their last B2B was at the end of March when they faced their biggest rival, the LA Kings, in LA, after a home matchup with the Rangers. They lost 8-1. And if they can’t get excited for a matchup against their rival, what will happen here against Vancouver? And unlike that last back-to-back, both of these games are on the road here, which makes the B2B even more difficult. Neither team is going to the playoffs, but the Canucks are a much better team, and they are catering to the home crowd tonight and want to give them a victory. The Sharks don’t really have much motivation here and are probably looking forward to a day off tomorrow before their final home game on Wednesday at Edmonton. We could see them giving max effort in that one, but not this road matchup against Vancouver. The Canucks have won four of the last five meetings at home by multiple goals, and we think there is a great chance that this one is a bloodbath on the ice tonight in Vancouver.

Calgary kept their playoff hopes alive with a massive 4-2 win over the Wild last time out, and this team seems determined to make the postseason. Minnesota hasn’t secured their spot either, so that win was impressive. Calgary finishes the season with Vegas and at the Kings, so this is absolutely a must win. These teams played Monday, at San Jose, and the Sharks got a goal with less than 30 seconds left to win on the puckline, and they had a man advantage. Calgary has won by multiple goals in three of the last five meetings at home, and with the familiarity

The Clippers have won three straight in this series and five of seven. We feel they match up very favorably to the Kings. That’s not to mention that the Clippers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They are playing at a Championship level right now. The Kings don’t have anywhere near that kind of ceiling. Sacramento is locked into the play in tournament, while the Clippers are in the regular playoffs as of the start of action today but have two play in teams (not the Kings) hot on their trail so these last games of the season are the most crucial for them. LA has some players on the injury report tonight, but this team has great depth so they will have a chance to win comfortably with the team they field tonight. The Kings haven’t had much home court advantage lately as they have won only one of their last six home games, and that win was against Portland. We think LA keeps their momentum going tonight.

This is a key game for the Western Conference and the Timberwolves are currently in the play in tourney but one game out of the playoffs. Memphis is that team that they are one game behind. Minnesota had a tough start to the season but things have mostly come together at the right time for them, and they are the better team in this matchup. They are healthy and rested and we expect a strong performance tonight.

Minnesota has won four straight meetings by multiple goals. We have been big on fading San Jose on the puckline lately, and it has been paying often as this team loses steam and prepares for the offseason. The only reason they cashed the puckline last time out vs. Calgary was a late 6-on-4 situation, and even a bad team like the Sharks can usually convert in that scenario. The Wild have won six straight meetings, five by multiple goals. The Wild have played a Murderer’s Row of opponents lately, so they will relish this opportunity for an easy win.

The Clippers are playing as well as any team in the league right now and they are one loss from dropping into the play in, so this is the most important game of the season, just like their next game will be. We think they demolish the Spurs here. San Antonio has had an incredibly tough season, and this team as much as any is looking towards next season. They lost their coach and best players, and they just need a reset. They have been competitive in some matchups, but they have lost five of their last eight games by double digits.

Calgary has won five straight in San Jose, and four of those have come by multiple goals. The fight has seemed to have left the Sharks, who are losing more and more games by multiple goals after being one of the better ATS teams most of the season. They have lost five straight, and three of those have come by multiple goals, including last time out in a 5-1 home loss to the Kraken. Early in the season this Sharks team had a lot of good vibes and they were improved on the ice this season. But as the losses piled up the morale started to go down, and here we are as the team is already looking towards the offseason and next season. Calgary has an outside shot at the playoffs. But they need wins and help. This is basically a must win for the Flames, and we think they bring their A Game and win big, leaving nothing to chance.

The Spurs have been horrible on defense down the stretch. This team has dealt with a lot of bad luck this season from the coach all the way down to their two best players. If any team wants the season to end and focus on next year, it’s these Spurs. And that porous defense is not ideal against one of the best offensive teams in the league. The Spurs are coming off a win at Denver where any good player the Nuggets had was out, and they should be Fat and Happy and we don’t see them putting in much effort here.

10 Unit Play. Take #905 Atlanta (+1.5 RL) over Los Angeles (10:10p.m., Monday, March 31 MLB.tv) I am not ready to give up on the Braves and feel they will have a bounce back series after losing 4 straight games in San Diego over the weekend. The Braves still have a strong offensive lineup and I feel they can take this game down to the wire. Tyler Glasnow got hurt at the end of the 2024 season and this will be his first start back in a regular season game. The Braves are the more desperate team and that will show in this game.

10 Unit Play. Take #636 Michigan State over Ole Miss (7:09p.m., Friday, March 28 CBS) It might not always be pretty, but Michigan State will find away to pull away late and win this game by 8-10 points. The Spartans were the best team in the Big 10 this season and have great depth that will cause problems for Rebels in this game. Ole Miss did not finish the season strong and they played two teams that were nowhere near as good or well coached than the Spartans. Chris Beard has already proven he was a great hire, but his team’s run will end in the Sweet 16.

We like to back a good team off a bad loss, and that is what we have here as the no-hope Predators came into Carolina last game and won easy. Every team, even championship contenders, have a bad game. But they usually come back strong and focused in their next game. Carolina have won nine of the last ten meetings, and eight of those wins came by multiple goals. Montreal has looked pretty bad lately and they have given up 12 goals in their last two games. One of those was last night in Philly, so they are on a B2B here, and that’s not a good situation against a focused Hurricanes squad.

The Magic have been playing really well lately. They have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and now all of the sudden their offense is clicking. They have scored 110 or more in seven of their last ten, and they have had a couple games against bad defenses where they scored in the 120 range. Well, the Mavs have been playing some of the worst defense in the league recently and this team has given up 120+ in eight of their last 10 games. It’s safe to say that they haven’t covered many games giving up those types of point totals. If Orlando can keep playing like they have, they have an outside shot of playing their way out of the play in tournament and into the regular playoff field. They need to win almost every game, however, and they need to especially win against no hope teams like Dallas who are waiting for the offseason to begin.

10 Unit Play. Take #627 BYU over Alabama (7:09p.m., Thursday, March 27 CBS) Alabama has not been the same team this season and I believe BYU is a better offensive version of them. The Cougars are riding high after scoring a ton of points in their first two games of the NCAA tournament. They have lost just one time since February 9 and I feel they have a great chance to win this game straight-up. If BYU can jump out early look for them to control the game and Alabama will feel the pressure.

The Clippers have been playing championship caliber basketball recently and this is a team no one will want to face in the playoffs if they stay healthy. You can tell the Knicks miss Brunson a lot as their offense isn’t working well and they have been overall inconsistent. They don’t have a performance recently that was extremely impressive and they have been beating the teams they should but losing to solid teams. They lost to the Clippers earlier this month in a low scoring game. The Clippers have won and covered in four of five meetings.

Lay the goals here comfortably. The Blackhawks had another disappointing season, and despite a bright future with Bedard, this team doesn’t have much to play for as we get close to the end of the regular season. That lack of competitiveness has shown, as they have lost six straight entering this matchup, and they have lost by multiple goals in five straight. The Blues have won four straight and six of eight, and they have impressive wins in that stretch at LA Kings, at Minnesota and they have covered the puckine in three of their last four. If the season ended today, the Blues would be in the last wild card spot in the west. But to say their playoff spot is safe would be a fallacy. They are one point ahead of the Canucks and two points ahead of the Flames. Utah is also in the mix. So this is almost a must win at home against one of the worst teams in the league. We expect, with the way St. Louis has been playing recently, they will bring their A Game here and win by multiple goals. They have won eight of the last 10 meetings, and seven of those wins were by multiple goals.

All the sudden the Clippers are looking like a championship caliber ball club. If they keep playing like this and enter the postseason healthy, this is going to be a team no one in the west will want to match up against. They have won seven of eight and covered in six of those games. They have had two days rest after absolutely decimating the Cavs at home on Tuesday. Memphis has been one of the best ATS teams this year but has covered in only two of their last 10. They have been overvalued by the oddsmakers and have not matched their early season play. They are also banged up, while the Clippers are healthy.

Montreal has won the last two meetings outright and they have covered the puckline in three straight meetings. The Canadiens are not only a very solid home team, but they have been an excellent ATS club this season at 37-28 ATS. Florida has a losing record ATS. Montreal is back home after a four-game road trip, and they have won three straight at home, including a 4-0 drubbing of Carolina. The Panthers have been particularly poor ATS on the road recently, and they are 1-5 ATS in their last six road contests. Florida is also probably a little overvalued here on the moneyline and puckline as they have been at home a lot in recent games and they are more vulnerable on the road in general.

The Hurricanes are the biggest favorite on the board today, and for good reason. Detroit has been playing horrible hockey lately, despite a win last time out vs. Buffalo, and this team has generally been horrid offensively. They have scored two goals or fewer in five of their last seven games. Even when the Wings are playing well they never seem to perform at Carolina as the Hurricanes have a long streak of covering the puckline at home in this series. Carolina have won five straight and are coming off puckline wins over Tampa Bay and Winnipeg. They are taking a big step down in class here.

It seems as if the Jimmy Butler trade has paid off for the Warriors and they are playing as well as any team in the league right now. They have won and covered in seven of their last eight. They have scored double digit road wins in three of their last five away from home, and those wins were over the Knicks, Hornets and Kings. Two of those were playoff clubs. It seems obvious that the Nets won’t make the play-in tournament and this team is fading down the stretch. They have lost five straight coming into this one. They have lost their last three games by a combined 54 points, and none of these teams were nearly as good as the Warriors. Brooklyn is one of those strange cases where they have played better on the road than at home this season. The fans haven’t had much to cheer about, and most in the building tonight will be there to see the Warriors stars in person. Brooklyn has given up 120+ in three of their last four, and that is not a good sign against a Warriors team that has been playing extremely well offensively.

Columbus is one of the best ATS teams in the league so it’s scary to go against them here on the puckline, but we think this is a bad matchup for them. They have lost six straight in this series, and the Panthers covered the puckline in four of those games. Florida has a goal differential of +20 in those six matchups. Columbus is coming off a beatdown at Tampa Bay, and this matchup won’t be any easier. Florida is one of the hottest teams in the league, and they are covering the puckline in a lot of their recent wins.

Wins have been hard to come by for San Antonio and this team received a blow when Wemby was ruled out for the season. But that shock has passed and the Spurs still have a decent team. This is definitely a winnable matchup for them and we expect them to take care of business tonight. The Nets have suffered consecutive blowouts. They haven’t stayed within this number in any of their recent losses. The Spurs have won and covered in the last two meetings and three of the last four. Not sure what the motivation level will be for this Nets team tonight, but we are confident that the Spurs need a win and they should play hard in front of the home fans tonight.

The Blazers always seem to play well here. In fact, they have won and covered in five straight visits. We expect more of the same tonight. We really like this Blazers team. They have some amazing talent and they play hard on a nightly basis. This is a team that is probably not going to make the play in tournament this season but they are still going to play hard down the stretch and they are a team we are buying into. The Wizards are just outright a bad team and they are likely tanking a bit for the remainder of the season. This team is by far the worst team in the NBA, and they have a horrible ATS record despite very generous odds from the bookmakers.

This game is the second of a back-to-back for the Spurs played in Austin, down the road from their home in San Antonio. The Spurs got some horrible news yesterday that Wemby has been shelved for the season in his second season. This team was mediocre with him but they will be pretty bad without him. And it might make awhile for new addition De'Aron Fox to gel with his teammates. The Spurs played great on Thursday in their win over the Suns. But we saw them give a lot of effort there against a conference opponent, so we have to question not only their stamina here with a sudden lack of depth but also their motivation against a nonconference opponent. Oftentimes when a top player goes down, the rest of the team will step up for a game but there is no doubt losing Wemby hurts this team badly. Detroit has been playing excellent basketball and they are a legit playoff team in our eyes. This is their first game back after the break and they will have a lot of energy. We liked the Pistons here even before the news came out of San Antonio, and we like them even more now.

This is the last NBA game before the all-star break. Both teams are on a back to back and looked good on Wednesday, as the Jazz blew out the Lakers while the Clippers blew out the Grizzlies. But Utah doesn’t win often and we don’t see them replicating their play from last night. We have to figure that the Jazz are happy with their performance against the Lakers and ready for the All-Star Break, while the Clippers are dangerously close to slipping into the play in tournament section of the standings and need every win they can get. They are healthy and last night’s dominant win over the Grizzlies tells us this team is back playing well after some poor play to start the month. The Clippers match up well against the Jazz and have won five of the last six meetings. All those wins were by double digits, and four were absolute blowouts, including last Saturday, where the Clippers barely broke a sweat in a 20-point victory. LA has superior depth to handle the B2B even though Utah gets this one at home. But LA knows they have some time off coming up and should produce a strong effort tonight.

Memphis has been tearing the league up with wins and a high cover rate, including a win and cover at Phoenix on Tuesday. But now they are on a very tough back-to-back against a rested Clippers team that matches up extremely well with them. Los Angeles hasn’t played since Saturday, when they scored a 20-point win over Utah. The Clippers have won four straight in this series and six of the last eight. Before that Utah game, the Clippers had a bad stretch of play, but it looks like they are back on track now, and this is a good matchup for them to keep the momentum going. LA also has a very high cover rate this season and they are quietly getting the job done on the court and at the betting window.

10 Unit Play. Take #109 Kansas City Chiefs over Philadelphia Eagles (6:30p.m., Sunday, February 9 FOX) Not going to go into much detail, but the fact is I just cannot bet my money against Patrick Mahomes. It has worked well in the last two Super Bowls, and he just does whatever is needed to win the game in front of him. I like the Chiefs’ defense especially their pas rush and they proved against Buffalo that they could stop the tush push. Until we are proven otherwise, we will bet our many with the two win defending champions.

Orlando has won two straight meetings and three of four, and all the wins came by 10 or more points. Orlando has only two wins in their last eight games. But they have just finished a six-game road set and the friendly confines of home should be good for this team as they are 15-9 on the season here at Kia Center. The Spurs haven’t been much better with three wins in their last 10, and this is a very tough road B2B after they lost in Charlotte last night as a double-digit favorite. Not only is this a B2B with both games on the road, but Orlando is a strong and physical defensive team that should wear the Spurs down late. Orlando has dealt with so many injuries this season but are relatively healthy now. We expect a strong showing from the home team tonight.

The Blackhawks have won only two of their last eight. But this is probably one of the few teams in sports where morale victories mean something, and Chicago has had quite a few of those lately. They lost to Edmonton, Tampa Bay and Carolina at home, all in overtime. They lost by two to Minnesota only on a Wild empty netter and were in that game all the way through. They beat the Lightning on the road and also the Knights at home. They also lost by only one in a road matchup against the Hurricanes. While it may not show in the standings, this team seems to be turning a corner to where they could actually be a good team next season. Nashville is the big road favorite here, but the reality is that the Predators have been wildly disappointing and are in reality only five points ahead of the Hawks in the standings. They are among the three worst road teams in the league, along with these Blackhawks and the Sharks. They have lost five straight overall entering this matchup.

The Pistons are on a back-to-back, but in our opinion they are being punished too much by the oddsmakers. They have been pretty solid in recent back-to-backs, and they are facing a Hawks team that is banged up, missing their best player, and in an absolute tailspin, having lost eight straight games. Detroit has been building some momentum and has won and covered in two straight, and this is a great spot for them to make it three in a row. They match up well with the Hawks and already have two wins against them this season. The most recent meeting was less than two weeks ago in Atlanta, a 10-point Pistons win. Atlanta had to rally big time in the fourth quarter with a 29-17 quarter just to make the final look respectable. In that game, Capela notched a double-double and him and Young combined for almost 30 points, and both players are likely to miss this game tonight. The lack of rest shouldn’t faze the Pistons and we expect a comfortable win tonight.

7 Unit Play. Take #645 Wisconsin over Northwestern (2p.m., Saturday, February 1 FS1) Wisconsin struggles when teams have multiple big men that are good and I do not see Northwestern fitting that bill. The Wildcats have been struggling against good teams, losing 3 of their last 4 games including a home loss to Rutgers last time out. Wisconsin beat that same Rutgers by 12 points earlier in New Jersey. Wisconsin can score points this season averaging 82 points per game and I am just not sure Northwestern can come close to getting that mark. Lay the small change with the better team today in Evanston.

Cleveland is one of the best teams in the NBA at not only winning games but covering them also, and it is very tough to go against them for wagers. We think it is justified tonight, however, and we think the Cavaliers are vulnerable. The Hawks have lost six straight and are very desperate for a win. They have played well in their last two games, however, with covers at Minnesota and vs. Houston, as they have had a tough schedule lately. The Cavs are on a back-to-back, while the Hawks are rested. Cleveland has won and covered two straight, but before that they were on a rare three-game losing streak without a cover, so they aren’t playing their best overall right now. The Hawks have also won and covered in three straight meetings. For our personal wagers, we might sprinkle a little on the moneyline also.

10 Unit Play. Take #104 Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills (6:30p.m., Sunday, January 26 CBS) Buffalo has the momentum but Kansas City is the back-to-back champions, and they are playing this game at home. They also have the best playoff quarterback still playing and a great defense that can get to the quarterback, especially in the fourth quarter. We have ridden Kansas City the last few years and see no reason to stop using them with this low number. The Bills defense thrives on turnovers and if the Chiefs can take care of the football, they will grind out this victory. Buffalo beat Kansas City earlier this season, but Baltimore beat Buffalo earlier and we saw how the rematch went last Sunday night. The Chiefs have won 3 straight playoff games against the Bills. Just cannot in good faith put money going against QB Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.  

The Mavs have tons of injuries across their lineup and even if some of the questionable players hit the court, this team will be severely shorthanded tonight. The Timberwolves have been a bad team to bet on most of the season, but we have found if we pick the right spot for them that it can be advantageous and this looks like a good spot for them to pick up a comfortable win. They have had some losses lately as they have had a very tough schedule, but they have played well even in the losses and this team finally looks like it is gelling a bit with the roster additions. They have won and covered the last two visits to Dallas, and we think this could possibly be a 10-point-or-more victory.

The Ducks are the perfect team that you can ride on the puckline all season. They are only 18-22-6, so the public wants no part of betting on them, but they are the top team at covering the puckline on the season at 30-16. One of the rare games they didn’t cover was on Saturday against this same Panthers club. And not only is this a revenge spot since they just played, which is traditionally a strong spot for the losing team, but Anaheim gets this one at home after a long road trip. And another advantage is that sometimes the home team is in a bad spot after a long road trip as players have to attend to personal matters and might not have their mind 100 percent on the game, but that should not be an issue here as the Ducks have had two days off. And that Saturday 3-0 result for Florida included two third period goals, including an empty netter, so the match was pretty close throughout. Florida has dropped three of their last five, so they aren’t in top form right now. Before Saturday’s game, four of the previous five meetings were decided by a single goal, so these teams normally play a tight game. We think that will be the case tonight, and the Ducks have a strong chance for the outright win.

10 Unit Play. Take #394 Buffalo Bills over Baltimore Ravens (6:30p.m., Sunday, January 19 CBS) This is far and away the most anticipated matchup of the year. This is also a rematch from a meeting earlier this season and I expect the Bills to even up this series at one game apiece. Just do not believe Baltimore will be able to run through Buffalo like they did last week and in the first meetings this season. Buffalo has got to key on stopping the run and the Ravens will not have a healthy Zay Flowers for this game (he may play) but I do not see him being a factor. The weather and stadium favor the Bills greatly in this game. QB Jackson does not like the cold weather and was wearing a stocking cap in the first meeting despite it being in the low 60s. Tonight it will be in the single digits. Buffalo is 9-0 this season at home and now is the time for QB Allen and company to break through and advance to the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens defense has shown improvement but they have not faced anyone like Josh Allen during the later half of the season. Baltimore was 1-2 and Buffalo was 3-0 when they first met on September 29, meaning Baltimore needed that game more. That is not the case today, and the Bills Mafia will allow them to break through and win this game. Home underdog is too good to pass up.

Usually when teams face each other in consecutive games, you can always bank on the losing team to put in a better effort in the second meetings. But in a weird scheduling quirk, the losing team, in this case Memphis, played another game against Minnesota on Saturday after their Thursday matchup with Houston, so that shifted their focus and lessened the revenge angle. Houston has been off since that game on Thursday, so they have a big rest advantage, which is crucial at this point of the long NBA season. They also have won and covered in five of the last six meetings. We think the Rockets are slightly better than the Grizzlies on a neutral court, so a rested Houston team at home should take care of business tonight with a comfortable win.

10 Unit Play. Take #283 Notre Dame Fighting Irish over Penn State Nittany Lions (7:30p.m., Thursday, January 9 ESPN) Just do not trust Penn State and their coach to win this type of game. They have had a cakewalk to reach the CFP Semifinals beating SMU in Happy Valley and Boise State in Glendale. The Irish took down a very physical team in Georgia last Thursday and they are the more battle tested team in this matchup. The Irish have a great offensive line that should be able to negate much of the pressure from Penn State. They also have a dual threat quarterback that is due for a strong game after struggling against Georgia last Thursday. Norte Dame is on a 33-11 ATS run (1 push) in their last 45 games. They have found the next big young coach in Marcus Freeman and I see them marching onto the Championship Game in Atlanta in 11 days. James Franklin gets tight in big games and that will show its face again on Thursday.

The Thunder have been amazing this season and an ATS machine, but they don’t win and cover every game, and this looks like a rare matchup that could see them struggle. They took care of business against a Harden-less Clippers squad on Thursday, and that was a physical game, so this is a tough back-to-back while the Knicks are rested. Despite the fact that New York has four more losses than do the Thunder, we think they are the more complete team and more of a championship threat this season. Brunson could return for the Knicks tonight from his minor injury that caused him to be a late scratch from the Jazz game. But the Knicks, now essentially healthy, have a deep roster even if he doesn’t play. The Knicks play has been as good as any team in the NBA lately, and they have the major rest advantage tonight.

10 Unit Play. Take #265 Baylor Bears over LSU Tigers (3:30p.m., Tuesday, December 31 ESPN) TEXAS BOWL. COLLEGE BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR The line movement in this game has been telling, as LSU opened as the favorite, but the sharps were having none of that. Brian Kelly is a good coach, but he was not hired to play in the Texas Bowl. He was hired to make the playoffs, and his teams have not come close to achieving that for 3 years. Despite having better talent in most of his bowl games, he is just 6-9 ATS, including an ATS loss last season to Wisconsin. Baylor has a former LSU assistant as their head coach in Dave Aranda, and he was on the hot seat this season before a remarkable run to close out the regular season, winning 6 straight games (6-0 ATS). Their best performance during this streak came in their last game, beating Kansas 45-17 and preventing them from becoming bowl eligible. Baylor has won 4 of their last 6 bowl games (4-2 ATS). Baylor has the momentum in this matchup, and they will win this game by double digits, putting Coach Kelly squarely on the hot seat for next season.

The Pelicans have been one of the worst teams ATS, while the Clippers have been very profitable as a betting team on the season. But we think this is a bad spot for the Clippers and the Pelicans are at a good Buy Low point in certain spots. No one is betting on New Orleans now as they have used up all of bettor’s good will. Two of their best players are out, and they have had lots of injury problems, the same ones that have plagued this team for the last couple years. But this looks like a game the Clippers likely won’t give full effort for. They just played one of their main rivals, Golden State, and they have played recent games against Dallas, Memphis, Minnesota and Houston. They have the Spurs and the Thunder on deck. If there were a game they might overlook, this looks like it. The Pelicans seem to always play well against the Clippers, and they have won and covered in seven of the last eight meetings. We have been picking the Clippers a lot this season and we stated in this space at the start of the season that we thought LAC was a playoff team even if Kawhi didn’t return. But we don’t like them in this spot and especially as a big road favorite.

7 Unit Play. Take #630 UCLA Bruins over Gonzaga Bulldogs (4p.m., Saturday, December 28 FOX) UCLA owes us one after blowing a 16-point lead last week against North Carolina. This team is talented, they just need to clean up a few things (free throws) which they should be able to do in this game. Gonzaga is not as strong as they have been in recent years and playing UCLA always seems to go right down to the wire. In fact, 3 of the last 4 meetings have been decided by 4 points or fewer. UCLA allows just 58.4 points per game (7th best in the country) and that should be enough to get us a cover in this game.

These teams played last week in Boston, so this is a quick revenge spot for the Magic. Orlando is missing some players, but the guys that are on the court tonight will be able to keep this game close. The Magic can be excused for their blowout loss in Boston, as they are 7-10 on the road this season, but they will give their blood, sweat and tears here at home as they are 11-2 at the Kia Center this season. Boston has their big Christmas matchup against Philly on tap, while the Magic don’t play until Thursday, so they can leave it all on the court here. The Magic have covered the last three meetings at home, and we think this could be a flat spot for the defending champs.

5 Unit Play. Take #122 Seattle Seahawks +3 over Minnesota Vikings (4:05p.m., Sunday, December 22 FOX) TOP NFL PLAY OF THE WEEK Minnesota is coming off a short week and Seattle will be desperate to not drop two straight home games to NFC North teams. The Vikings have lost 5 straight Week 15 games (0-5 ATS as well). Seattle has beaten Minnesota 7 of the last 8 meetings. They are the more desperate team and all signs point to QB Smith playing in this game.

10 Unit Play. Take #217 Tennessee Volunteers over Ohio State Buckeyes (8p.m., Saturday, December 21 ABC) Just feel the mode at Ohio State has not recovered from their embarrassing home loss last time out to Michigan. I am still not certain Ryan Day will return next season and I expect the Vols to make the Buckeyes one dimensional in this game. The Volunteers are not known for a strong defense under Coach Heupel, but that is what they have become this season. This total is the lowest of the four first round games and laying over a touchdown would be a tough ask if the total points is only expected to be in the mid-forties. Take the points with the hungier team that wants to make a statement that they are back.

10 Unit Play. Take #639 Arizona State Sun Devils over Florida Gators (3:30p.m., Saturday, December 13 SEC Network) NONCONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR. Arizona State has been the surprise of the country in football and their basketball team has been turning heads as well. They are 8-1 on the season with their only loss at Gonzaga, one of the toughest teams in the country. They have decent wins over Santa Clara, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, and their best win is against Saint Mary’s. Coach Hurley always appears to be on the hot seat, but appears destined to make the NCAA Tournament come March.

Florida is undefeated at 9-0 and they are ranked No. 9 in the country. This damage has been done against a cupcake schedule and I cannot find one team on their schedule that will likely make the NCAA Tournament at this point of the season. The Gators have not left the state of Florida this season, as this game in Atlanta will be their first trip out of state. I am not that impressed with the Gators stats on offense and most of their points are coming via volume not great shooting. Arizona State is a much better 3-point shooting team, and they hold their own with the Gators in field goal and free throw percentage. I just do not believe Florida will be able to run away with this game unless they really shoot it well from the arc, something they have not done much of this season. This is a neutral site game, and I do not see either team making a living on the free throw line and expect this to be a griding game, something Florida has not experienced this season.

The Sixers are getting healthy and starting to gel as a team and we think this team is trending upwards. They have won four of five and covered five straight. This was one of the worst ATS teams of the league but they look to be turning it around, and tonight they face a team they have basically owned. The Pacers have been horrible ATS and are one of the coldest teams in the league for covering lines. They have covered just 8 out of 25 games this season, and it looks to us like they are overvalued once again.

Toronto has been one of the best ATS teams this season but this is a bad spot for them. The Heat are playing some of their best basketball of the season and they have won and covered three straight, all against playoff-type teams. Toronto enters on a three-game losing streak. Most importantly, they are missing Barnes tonight and this is their best player. He posted a double-double and shot over 50 percent from the field in Toronto’s home upset of the Heat earlier this month. We often say revenge is an overrated handicapping factor in pro sports, but we think it does come into play when the teams have met recently.

The Mavs have won three straight at OKC, including in their playoff series last year that they won in six games. Dallas was the No. 5 seed and they weren’t intimidated and they won’t be tonight. In what should be a playoff type atmosphere, Dallas has shown that they can get the job done here and they have all the experience in crunch time here. Dallas has now won five of the last six meetings overall. The Thunder’s only win in that span was by a mere 4 points in Dallas. Both teams have been playing well recently but Dallas has been a bit better as they enter on a seven-game winning streak where they covered all but one line, and that was last time vs. Toronto where they barely missed the cover. The Thunder have lost only two games at home this season, but one of those was to the Mavs a few weeks ago. Dallas matches up very well with OKC and they have the star players to excel in this high pressure atmosphere. They also seem hungry after losing the Finals last year and an NBA Cup would be a nice consolation prize, so we have no doubt they will come to play tonight. We expect a close game win or lose, and this one could very well come down to who has the ball last.

7 Unit Play. Take #136 Arizona Cardinals -2.5 over Seattle Seahawks (4:05p.m., Sunday, Sunday, 8 CBS) The Cardinals need this game if they have visions of making the playoffs. Nobody in the NFC West has been able to separate all season long and thus I do not see Seattle winning this game and pulling away from the field. Seattle still cannot run the football, and they will struggle to do that against this strong Arizona rush defense. QB Smith had an emotional game last week against New York (former team) and playing their second straight road game will doom them in for this game.

10 Unit Play. Take #120 Oregon Ducks over Penn State Nittany Lions (8p.m., Saturday, December CBS) BIG 10 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Penn State must be shocked that they made it to Indianapolis, but I see them losing this game by double-digits. Both teams are likely in the playoffs and are playing for a top seed and bye. Coach Franklin has struggled in games against top teams and Oregon is the No. 1 team in the country. Oregon has scored 30 points in 23 of their last 24 games and I just do not believe Penn State can keep up with them. Oregon got over a big hurdle last week beating Washington and I see them winning the Big Ten in their first season.

These teams played on Friday in Charlotte and the Hornets gave the Knicks quite a scare, with New York winning only by a single point. That prevents any surprises here, in our opinion, and gives the Knicks the opportunity to play a well-rounded game and not overlook this banged-up Hornets team. Charlotte is without Ball and Miles Bridges tonight and this team that will take the court isn’t much more talented than a G-League squad. The Knicks, in our opinion, are one of the four best teams in the league. They are getting healthy, too, and might get Achiuwa back tonight. Before that close game on Friday the Knicks had won the previous four meetings by 14 or more points, covering in all four.

The Celtics are definitely not in playoff form right now as they have covered only one of their last seven games. We think this is an inflated line also. Brown and White missed yesterday’s game against the Cavs, and Boston faded down the stretch in that game and they looked fatigued. That was a big game for Boston, and this is a letdown spot. Miami has revenge for their playoff series loss last season, and this is their first crack at Boston, so we think they will want to play their best. Yesterday’s game was definitely bigger for Boston than this matchup with the Heat, and Boston might be missing a couple key players. Miami have been their typical regular season selves and have been pretty average, but we think this is a matchup where they will bring their A Game, and this spread is simply too large.

The Clippers have won four of the last six meetings outright and they have covered in four of the last five. This looks like a very public line tonight. The Celtics have been winning but they haven’t been covering these inflated lines. They have covered just two of their last eight games. Both teams are on a B2B, so no advantage either way, and the Clippers have nice depth. LA is a team that is 11-6-1 ATS this season. They can be a nice moneymaker all season as they play some of the best defense in the league and don’t have any household names on the current roster except James Harden, who the public sees as washed up. But they play hard every night, and this team is a playoff quality squad right now and that is without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. They have won five straight, and their last four opponents were all likely playoff teams. They rolled over Philly yesterday without breaking a sweat, so they should have nice energy here. Boston had a much tougher matchup as they needed a lot of energy down the stretch in a tight win over the Timberwolves.

10 Unit Play. Take #270 Green Bay Packers over San Francisco 49ers (4:25p.m., Sunday, November 24 FOX) The 49ers are leaking oil this entire season and they are not the same team that they have been the last couple of years. The are really banged up on both sides of the football and their players that have returned (CMC) have yet to produce much this season. Now QB Purdy is on the injury report and Nick Bosa left the game last week and their defense fell apart without him. Green Bay is coming off an emotional win last week against Chicago and look for them to carry that momentum into this game (they should have lost to the Bears). The Packers have already lost two home games this season and a neutral site game and they do not want to suffer all of 3 loses at Lambeau Field this season.

Minnesota has got off to a slow start and haven’t been good ATS but this is a game they will be up for and this is a legit NBA Finals preview. Minnesota will get things straightened out and this is a very good team. They have covered three straight vs. Boston and this is a Get Right game for them and we think they challenge for the win. Boston has only covered two of their last eight games and they are overrated by the oddsmakers right now. Just can’t pass up this juicy line today.

Awesome start for Cleveland. You can’t really take anything away from them. But they haven’t played the toughest schedule. And Boston is still the better team. We feel like the sportsbooks are begging the public to load up on Cleveland here with this line. Don’t fall for the trap! Boston has also been incredible and they are 11-3 on the season and have played a road heavy schedule. That is impressive considering many champion teams take awhile to get into the groove of the season with a smaller offseason than most clubs. This will be a playoff type atmosphere and no doubt a game the Celtics will want to win, so we think they will bring their A Game here, and there aren’t many teams that can beat Boston when playing their best.

The Sharks have covered the puckline in 8 of the last 10 meetings, and they have won two of the last four outright. They always play the Rangers tough and New York normally underestimates San Jose. The Sharks have won five of their last eight games and they have been playing better than expected and certainly ahead of oddsmakers and bettors expectations. They have covered the puckline in six of their last seven games. They are 10-7 ATS against the puckline this season, while the Rangers are a mediocre 7-7. New York has lost two of their last three, including home blowout losses to Winnipeg and Buffalo. So they aren’t in the same stellar form they started the season with. They are probably in a letdown spot over their last match vs. the Jets as they played hard all game but it wasn’t enough. The Sharks made some solid moves in the offseason and they have their excellent rookie back in the lineup, and we like the value here with the plus-money puckline with their impressive recent performance and their strong history in this series.  

The Rangers own this series and they are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. Two of those matches came this season, as the Rangers won both by multiple goals with a +6 goal differential. Detroit is not a very good team. They have won a couple games lately, so they are Fat and Happy as they say. They probably won’t give the maximum effort to be competitive here on a back-to-back (the Rangers are rested and healthy). Those wins came against the Blackhawks and Sabres, so the Wings will take a big step up in competition here. The Rangers have enjoyed a very strong start to the season. They haven’t lost much and they have been excellent on the road. One of their losses came last time out, also to Buffalo, and that was an embarrassing result. They can clearly put that one in the rearview mirror with a solid performance here. 

8 Unit Play. Take 221 Toronto Argonauts +2 over Montreal Alouettes (3p.m., Saturday, November 9 CFL+) CFL Playoff Game of the Year This game marks the third consecutive season that these two teams have met in the Eastern Divisional Finals. Montreal reminds me a little bit of the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The Alouettes jumped out to a 5-0 record and eventually ran that up to a sterling 10-1 mark. However, it seems that the offense left after Labor Day, and the team limped home the last 6 weeks with a 2-4-1 record. It's not often you see a football team with the best record in their league with the lowest total yards in offense, but that is exactly where Montreal's offense (335.8 ypg) resides. The Als' QB, Cody Fajardo, season has taken a similar path as the team he leads. In the last six games of the regular season, Fajardo threw for 1,133 yards with 6 TDs and 2 INTs. Toronto comes into the Division Championship game on the opposite side of the spectrum, as they are 4-1 over their last 5 games, including last week's 58-38 drubbing of Ottawa in the opening rounds of the playoffs. They are led by the reigning CFL Player of the Year, QB Chad Kelly. The only quarterback hotter than Kelly since Labor Day was Bo Levi Mitchell. The Args' gunslinger racked up 2,165 yards with 13 TDs and 6 INTs in his last six games, including Toronto's playoff win. What will make Kelly's passing so much more effective is Toronto's ability to run against Montreal. The Alouettes have the 3rd-worst rush defense in the league, giving up 115.9 ypg on the ground. Montreal's rush defense allowed 173.3 ypg to the Args ground game in the three meetings this season between these division rivals. If Toronto can establish a powerful ground game, Kelly's play-action passes become more effective and lethal. Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games against the Alouettes and 4-1 SU in the last 5 visits to Montreal. Kelly had a horrific game last year in the playoffs, where he threw 4 picks en route to a 38-17 loss to Montreal. He exorcised one demon last week with his performance and will complete his personal redemption tour on Saturday with a Toronto victory. 

The Thunder have been great both SU and ATS, but the word is out now and we think their numbers will start to become inflated. We think this one definitely is. We had this one handicapped on the other side of the key NBA betting number of 7 (the point where the losing team stops fouling at the end of the game). The Rockets won their last visit here in OT and have covered in three of the last five meetings. Houston has a very good team this year but they are a bit under the radar compared to OKC. So they still hold line value. They have won four of their last five, including double-digit wins over the Spurs and Knicks in their last two. They have been solid on the road this season. We expect a close game here and we think Houston will get the easy cover.

Miami has covered only one of the last six meetings (one push). We think the Wizards will be a scrappy team this season that will cash some big spreads as an underdog. Miami doesn’t deserve to be this big of a favorite. This team is known for the playoffs and not the regular season, where they are a slightly above average team that will once again likely be competing in the play in tourney. They have covered only one game so far this season. The Wizards have some injuries here, but they will still fight hard with the roster they have on the floor, and they should be confident after consecutive wins over the Hawks.

10 Unit Play. Take #378 Washington Huskies over Southern Cal Trojans (7:30p.m., Saturday, November 2 BTN) BIG 10 GAME OF THE YEAR Not sure Doc ever envisioned his Big 10 Game of the Year featuring Washington and USC, but conference realignment has made the Big 10 a coast-to-coast conference. Both teams play much better at home. And if this game is close, I just feel USC will find a way to lose it. That is something they have done a lot of lately, and this is a game that the folks in Seattle want in a big way. The host team has covered the spread in all 8 games for USC this season. USC is playing on the road for the second time in three weeks. Washington has a strong rush defense and played much better than the final score indicated last week at Indiana. But this game basically comes down to Coach Lincoln Reily and how soft his teams have been, especially at USC. Coach Riely is 8-20 ATS in his last 28 road games when he is favored (lost all 3 in 2024). He is 2-8 as a road favorite in his last 10 conference games. Washington beat Michigan this season in Seattle, and they have not lost at Husky Stadium in 2024. USC is allowing a ton of yards over their last 3 games, and Will Rogers is capable of putting up big numbers in this game (needs to convert in the redzone). Washington has had success against USC, winning 5 of the last 8 meetings, and they will win this one by close to double digits. USC has been stuck in neutral for most of this season and will go another week without a road victory. The Husky’s need this game to become bowl eligible later in the season and they will get it.

Both teams are on a back-to-back and we think that zeros out any advantage for Utah. Usually the road team has it rougher, but the Kings had the short flight from Sacramento last night while Utah came in from Dallas. Both teams got in around the same time to Salt Lake. And the Kings are an athletic team and it’s very early in the season, so we think the back-to-back is a non issue for them. And they pulled their starters early in their first win of the season last night vs Portland in a blowout. The Kings have owned this series. They have won six of the last seven meetings. They have covered three straight and scored a blowout in their last visit to Utah. They have had a real tough schedule to open up the season, but this team should be racking up wins all season long and should be one of the top seeds in a strong Western Conference.

Tonight begins a new era for the Clippers, as they play their first game in the Intuit Dome. They have played second fiddle to the Lakers for years at Staples/Crypto.com, so it’s about time they have their own arena. As we all know, Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely and we might not see him for months, if at all. We think the team will forge ahead with the thought process that he won’t be back to lead the team any time soon. But the Clippers made some great moves in the offseason and this team is highly underrated right now. This looks like a team that will play excellent defense and compete hard on a nightly basis. Phoenix is running it back with a similar team as last year that was one of the worst ATS squads in the league and it looks as if they are once again starting the season overrated. The energy should be amazing tonight and we think the home team will feed off of that.

10 Unit Play. Take 309002 North Dakota State Bison +1.5 over South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8p.m., Saturday, October 19 ESPN2) FCS GAME OF THE YEAR The FCS's version of Alabama-Georgia goes off tonight when the S. Dakota State Jackrabbits travel to the FargoDome to take on the N. Dakota State Bison. S. Dakota St. is #1 in the country and the hosting N. Dakota St. is #2. The Jackrabbits are 6th in the FCS averaging 39.0 ppg off of 439.8 yards per game of total offense. They lead the FCS in yards per carry with an impressive 7.3 average and 15 TDs. N. Dakota State is 5th in the FCS with 3,109 total yards of offense and 13th in scoring offense with 35.3 ppg and 9th in scoring defense, allowing 17.6 ppg. They are lead by the 4-year starter Cam Miller, who is poised to become the NDSU all-time leader in passing yards as he currently has 7,974 and trails the leader Easton Stick by 719 yards. Miller's impending achievement becomes even more impressive when you realize that caliber of talent the Bison have produced at QB (Carson Wentz and Trey Lance most recently). Miller has the accuracy of a sniper, completing 121-158 76.6% for 1,504 yards, with 12 TDs and 0 INTs through 7 games. SDSU has won the Dakota Marker (the annual trophy) for the last four regular season meetings, as well as in the 2022 FCS Championship game. This game feels like Miller gets to exorcise his Jackrabbit demons. While SDSU's defense is still quite good, they're giving up 200.7 ypg through the air, 32 more yards than last season, while their passing output has decreased from 222 to 194.7 ypg in 2024. NDSU's offense is more potent than Incarnate Word, who put up 351 passing yards and 419 total yards, along with 24 points. The Bison have been a scoring machine when they get into the redzone, converting 72.9% of those trips into touchdowns. Cam Miller has a dangerous go-to man in WR Bryce Lance, who has hauled in 35 catches for 418 yards and 5 TDs. That connection is part of the reason that the Bison have a 58% conversion rate on 3rd-down, 2nd-best in the FCS and when they need to, 8-12 (75%) on 4th-down conversions as well. While they don't do this often, NDSU averages 47.4 per punt. With the emotions of this massive rivalry game running rampant, I like taking a seasoned veteran leader like the Bison's QB Cam Miller who will be able to keep their cool. Take the home dog North Dakota State and good luck!

8 Unit Play. Take #188 LSU Tigers +3.5 over Ole Miss Rebels (7:30p.m., Saturday, October 13 ABC) COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE YEAR Ole Miss won this game last year in a shootout (55-49), but I just do not believe they are that much better than a 4-1 LSU team. Playing a night game in Baton Rouge is always a challenge for the visiting team and we will take the points on Saturday night. LSU is 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games when they have single SEC revenge (lost to this team in the previous game). The loser of this game will likely not be able to make the SEC Championship Game and since this game is at home it is more important to LSU. The stats may favor Ole Miss on defense, but keep it mind LSU has played a much more difficult schedule and does not have a bad home loss to Kentucky on their schedule. Both teams will have their moments on offense, but I just trust Brian Kelly more as a head coach, especially when adversity hits. The home team has won 10 of the last 12 games in this matchup, including the last 4. Finally, LSU has won 6 straight home conference openers.  

Vegas looked in mid season form in their season opening win here on home ice against Colorado, one of the best teams in the NHL. Now they go down a tier and play a Blues team that has had a heavy schedule to start the season. This is already their third game. And not only are they on a back-to-back, but they played in overtime at San Jose last night as they needed a furious comeback that expended a lot of energy. St. Louis let San Jose see the back of the net early and often last night, so we think this Knights team will so some damage tonight and should have no problem putting up a big scoreline.

10 Unit Play. Take #286 Kansas City Chiefs over Cincinnati Bengals (4:25p.m., Sunday, September 15 CBS) Don’t want to overreact to Week 1 of the regular season and Cincinnati has been known to lay eggs under Zac Taylor in the opening game. The Chiefs are the two-time defending champions and are coming off extra rest and I feel they will win this game by double digits. The Bengals have a lot of issues with their wide receivers and Joe Burrow played a terrible game last week. Cincinnati has been Kansas City’s nemesis for years and thus I feel the Chiefs will make to avenge those losses. Look for the Chiefs to get a lead in this game and use their fourth quarter pass rush to put away the Bengals.

6 Unit Play. Take #193 Indiana Hoosiers -3 over UCLA Bruins (7:30p.m., Saturday, September 14 NBC) TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAY Both teams have new coaches, but Indiana hired a former head coach that has experience running a successful program and is a Nick Saben disciple. UCLA hired a former player with no head coaching experience and no coordinator coaching experience. Indiana returned a ton of game experience from last season and UCLA was lucky to win at Hawaii in Week 1. Indiana has not played anyone through two games, but I feel the way they are playing will build confidence for this program. UCLA has a brutal schedule and may go over a month without winning a game. Coaching will be the difference in this game.

10 Unit Play. Take #186 Florida Gators over Miami Hurricanes (3:30p.m., Saturday, August 31 ABC) TOP PLAY OF THE WEEKEND. This might be a make-or-break year for Coach Billy Napier but I am not a big fan of Mario Cristobal either. Florida did win a similar game in 2022 as a slight underdog against Utah in their home opener. QB Graham Mertz had a bounce back season in 2023 but this team fell apart when he was injured later in the year. He is back and should give them a stable offense. Miami has a solid QB in Cam Ward and returns a ton of talent, but that talent just finished 7-6 last season including losing 4 of their last 5 games. The Gators have been a great play as an underdog covering the spread in 19 of their last 27 games. Florida has won 2 of the last 3 games against Miami including a 23-point victory the last time these two teams met. Florida has a brutal schedule this season and this is a game they must get. We expect them to win straight-up with the home crowd playing a major part in their success.

10 Unit Play. Take #617 New York over Seattle (10p.m., Friday, August 30 ION) WNBA GAME OF THE YEAR Sometimes it is best not to overthink things. New York is the best team in the league and has the best starting five in the league as well. New York lost last time out and now I feel they will be hungry not to lose two straight road games. Settle has been a sinking ship of late, going 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games overall. New York is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. The Liberty have beaten the Storm five straight games and Breanna Stewart will be up for this game and her return to Seattle. With Minnesota clawing, the Liberty cannot take games off if they want to be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

10 Unit Play. Take #785 Toronto Argonauts over Calgary Stampeders (7p.m., Sunday, August 4 CFL+) Toronto is too good of an historic team to have this type of record against Calgary. They cannot afford to take this game lightly and should come out strong early in this game. Now, the good. This Argonaut team is the only team this season to defeat the defending Grey Cup champions, Montreal. The Argos are first in rushing with 124.4 yards per game and second in scoring offense with 27.7 ppg. Calgary, meanwhile, is second to last in offensive scoring with just 23.6 ppg and third to last in defensive points allowed per game with 28.1 ppg surrendered. They are also second to last in defensive yards allowed, giving up 383.9 yards per game. While Toronto's history against Calgary is definitely cause for alarm, the Argonauts are simply a better team. Toronto's recent history on the road is also promising, as they're 14-5 SU in their last 19 road games. Anytime we can grab the better team AND points, we'll do so and let the chips fall where they may. Take Toronto plus the points and good luck!

7 Unit Play. Take Kansas City Royals (-1.5 RL) over Chicago White Sox (2:10p.m., Wednesday, July 31 MLB.tv) Not much analysis is needed for this play. The White Sox have lost 16 straight games and traded away much of their talent at the trade deadline. Believe it or not, the White Sox could have won the first two games of this series but gave away late leads in both games. Kansas City is due for a comfortable win and it will come today.

We think the extra time off benefited Boston more, especially since they start this series at home. Boston has been one of the best betting teams for several years as they normally cover when they win, and we love that we are getting them for Game 1 on the other side of the key NBA betting number of 7. We think the offenses will be ahead of the defenses to start this series off, and that also benefits Boston.

We loved the Pacers in Game 1 and they let that one slip away at the end of the game but we like them even more in Game 2. Indiana has played free and loose this entire postseason and we just feel like they aren’t going to dwell on that missed opportunity and that they will just come out and play their game here in Game 2. We don’t think it was a fluke at all that Indiana almost won Game 1 and this game should be close, too. The oddsmakers made only a small adjustment on this game from the last one, and we still think there is excellent value. We are going to sprinkle a little on the moneyline here, because, remember, the Celtics lost Game 2 to both Miami and Cleveland, and the Pacers are a much better squad than those two clubs.

7 Unit Play. Take #624 Los Angeles Sparks over Washington Mystics (10p.m., Tuesday, May 21 League Pass) Both teams are winless on the season and thus we will side with the veteran coach in Curt Miller. The WNBA needs their young starts to be showcased and expect the Sparks to win this game and home and energize the fanbase. The Sparks beat the Mystics two of the three games in 2023 and the Mystics are just not the same team without Elena Delle Donne. The Sparks have an extra day of rest and the Mystics are on a road trip, that will be the difference tonight, as the home team wins this game 7-9 points.

This spread is ridiculous for Game 1. The Pacers are battle tested in this postseason and they have a real chance in this series. A double digit spread for Game 1? We will bite! We think they match up well with Boston and this is not going to be an easy series for the Celtics. We think Indiana keeps it close in a high scoring Game 1. We think this is a very public line tonight and the Pacers should bring their A Game tonight.

These teams always find a way to Game 7 and we think the Clippers will leave everything on the floor tonight. There are big issues for LA as a franchise if they bow out in six games in the first round and this team is built to withstand an injury to one of their two stars. They have won two of three in Dallas and we think they won’t be intimidated here. Dallas can be streaky and we don’t see them dominating two straight games. And the Clippers know if they can somehow win this series that Kawhi could be back at some point in Round 2 and then they would have a serious chance at a championship run. We see a close, high-scoring game here and LA has a legit chance to win in our opinion.

The Celtics have rolled in three of the four games of this series but this is an elimination game and the Heat will leave it all on the court. They have the better coach at the end of their bench and we think he will cook up a game plan to keep them competitive with the limited players they have on the court. Boston is probably due for a letdown game, especially after losing Porzingis for a good chunk of the second round. We consider a double-digit win a blowout, and we can het blown out here and still cover. But we think the Heat will play hard and with pride here and keep this within double digits.

Just don’t see the Heat getting blown out by Boston in consecutive games. This total is crazy low at 203.5 at the time of this writing. With such a low total, every point for the underdog is more valuable. We agree this will be a low scoring game and we think the Heat will keep this competitive on the strength of their defense. This Miami team is banged up right now but they play with a lot of heart and are well coached. They will have a plan coming into this game and they aren’t going to just roll over tonight. And we have to remember that it is the Heat who have played in two Finals in recent years while this super team from Boston has been to only one. It’s telling that the bookies have not adjusted the line since the Celtics covered in Game 1 and we think the public is all over Boston here and we will side with the sportsbooks and count on the Miami defense to pull some tricks out of their sleeve and keep this one competitive.

Some say that Dallas will dominate this series and it will be an early end for the Clippers and another disappointing season. But we see this series being long and drawn out, like these teams always tend to do when they meet in the playoffs, The Mavs normally get the early jump on LA, then the Clippers rally late in the series. With word Kawhi Leonard may be able to come back later in the series, this script could play out again. But here for Game 1 we see the Mavs dominating. They are incredibly hot heading into the postseason and they have the upper hand here. The Clippers sputtered down the stretch. We think they will figure some things out later in the series, but Game 1 will be all Dallas.

This is a very important game for the Pacers. They need to win here to stake their claim to a playoff spot and avoid the play in tournament. If they make the playoffs, they will have plenty of time off before their first round matchup. So they have to go all out here. Atlanta plays mid week in their play in game and all their focus is on that matchup. They don’t want to expend too much energy here or risk injury. And Indiana is a team that can really pour on the points, so we don’t think they will have any trouble getting the cover here.

It’s fade city for Utah tonight. We sometimes mention a team being Fat and Happy. That is when a poor team gets a big win that wasn’t expected and they usually rest on their laurels and come out flat in the next couple contests. This is the case for Utah tonight as they are on a back-to-back after winning in Houston last night as a double-digit underdog. Utah has a very thin roster with injured starters and this is a very tough back-to-back, no matter who plays for the Clippers. LA has a very deep roster and they have something to play for as seeing is still a factor for the first round. This win for Utah last night was their first in 14 games, and they have covered only four games during this stretch despite very generous odds from the bookies. These teams played here earlier this month, without Kawhi, and the win and cover were never in question for LA. We think this will be a one-sided game from the opening tip.