OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Writer Vegas Matt previews the Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz.
The Boston Celtics (42-15) and Utah Jazz (32-28) both made big moves prior to the NBA trade deadline last week with an eye on the future, although how each team plays the rest of the regular season will likely dictate whether they are viewed as winners or losers. Of course only one of them can win this game on Monday night, and the oddsmakers obviously think the Celtics (-4) are in much better shape than a Utah team that remains in disarray.
Not only did the Jazz send All-Star point guard Deron Williams to New Jersey in a blockbuster trade last week for rookie Derrick Favors and point guard Devin Harris, but they are still dealing with the sudden departure of head coach Jerry Sloan. The team was once as high as third place in the Western Conference playoff race but has since fallen out of the mix to the ninth spot after dropping 15 of its last 20 games, going 6-14 against the spread during that stretch.
Meanwhile, many experts were surprised when Boston traded center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for forward Jeff Green, who the Celtics had originally drafted in 2007 before dealing him for Ray Allen. Despite recovering from a knee injury, Perkins was seen as one of the major cogs inside that gave Boston a significant advantage over most teams in the Eastern Conference and helped the Celtics match up better than anybody against the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, they simply have another wing player in Green who can score.
Green scored seven points off the bench in a 99-92 road win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, his first action with his new team. Center Nenad Krstic was also part of the deal with the Thunder and contributed nine points and six rebounds as the team's starting center. Boston failed to cover the 8-point spread and has not beaten the line in two straight games.
The Celtics crushed Utah 110-86 in the last meeting between the teams back on January 21 behind 21 points from Kevin Garnett and 20 from Paul Pierce. Jazz center Al Jefferson was traded for Garnett just prior to the 2007-08 season and had a terrible game against his former team, scoring just seven points on 1 of 11 shooting. Jefferson has played much better recently though, averaging 27 points in the last five games. Utah has covered four of the past six meetings with the OVER cashing in the last three games between the teams.
Top expert pick on this game: It's a very strong card led by on ESPN tonight as Kansas State takes on Texas. That is a Wise Guy. Also get two Major plays from the NBA. Center of the Handicapping Universe is way ahead for the season in both and the gap gets a bit wider tonight. Boston vs. Utah is among the Majors.
The fans at ARCO Arena will be treated to a game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings when they take their seats on Monday.
Last time out for Los Angeles, they were a 99-92 loser as they battled the Celtics at home. The Clippers covered in the match as an 8-point underdog, while 191 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
Last time out for Sacramento, they were a 120-92 loser as they battled the Grizzlies on the road. The Kings failed to cover in the match as a 11-point underdog, while 212 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
The Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets will both be gunning for a victory on Monday when they meet at Pepsi Center.
In their last action, Atlanta was a 90-83 winner on the road against the Trail Blazers. They covered the 5?point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (173) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.
The Nuggets were a 107-106 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Trail Blazers. They covered the 7.5?point spread as underdogs, while the total score (213) made winners of OVER bettors.
The Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz will both be gunning for a victory on Monday when they meet at EnergySolutions Arena.
Oddsmakers currently have the Celtics listed as 5-point favorites versus the Jazz, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
Last time out for Boston, they were a 99-92 winner as they battled the Clippers on the road. The Celtics failed to cover in the match as an 8-point favorite, while 191 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
Utah was a 120-116 loser in its last match on the road against the Pistons. They failed to cover the 4.5?point spread as favorites, while the total score of 236 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.
The Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets will both be trying to pick up a win on Monday when they battle at Prudential Center.
Oddsmakers currently have the Suns listed as 2½-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
Phoenix was a 110-108 winner in its last match on the road against the Pacers. They covered the 2.5?point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 218 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.
The Nets were a 123-108 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Rockets. They failed to cover the 8.5?point spread as underdogs, while the total score (231) made winners of OVER bettors.
Current streak: lost 5 straight games.
The Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards will both be trying to pick up a win on Monday when they battle at Verizon Center.
Last time out for Chicago, they were an 83-75 winner as they battled the Bucks on the road. The Bulls covered in the match as a 3.5-point favorite, while 158 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
Washington was a 105-99 loser in its last match at home against the Mavericks. They covered the 10?point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 204 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free NBA picks Monday on the Denver Nuggets (-6) hosting Atlanta.
Reasoning: Trading away 'Melo obviously was not a great thing for this Denver franchise because in the long run they will not have that superstar force but a lot of pieces came their way from the Knicks and believe it or not the Nuggets have been very good in the early post Anthony era. I'm not sure if they will keep it up but guys like Gallinari, Chandler and Felton are quality players to go along with JR Smith, Kenyon Martin, Nene and the Bird Man. They are 2-1 straight up and a perfect 3-0 against the number so far since the trade including beating Boston and Memphis and covering in the overtime loss on the road against LaMarcus Aldridge and the pretty good Trailblazers.
It is asking an inferior team a lot to be laying half a dozen to a solid Atlanta Hawks squad but tonight's visitors are playing on a ridiculously rough back-to-back and it will catch up with them. Anytime anybody is playing for the second straight night in the altitude of the Pepsi Center they are a total go against, no matter what. The legs just aren't going to be there and the boys from Hotlanta are also playing for a third time in four nights and a fifth time in eight days. Being on the west coast the entire time also is a negative and hitting the wall a bit isn't out of the question in the slightest in said spot.
I really do like Joe Johnson and Al Horford and Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford and this Hawks team as a whole. They are even clearly better overall than the Nuggets at 35-23 and should win 50 plus for a second straight season. But the situation is not a good one for the visitors and in the end we are going to see them pretty much run out of gas and lay a big fat juicy egg thanks to every single fatigue factor on the planet going against them on this night.
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OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has an NBA pick Sunday is on Golden State (-2.5) at Minnesota.
This Minnesota Timberwolves franchise is just terrible, absolutely terrible. I really thought there may be some hope here as Kevin Love started to blow up and be great but it just hasn't happened for the team as a whole and right now there's not even a close second for the worst team in the entire NBA and that includes the Cavaliers.
Golden State certainly isn't going to win the title in the near future and were just pummeled on Friday night at home by the Hawks but I like what the Warriors are starting to build and certainly believe they walk off the court tonight as the winner. Monta Ellis is a great scorer, Stephen Curry is really good, Dorell Wright is becoming pretty good and David Lee is a former All-Star who is no joke down low. None of these guys may be what Love has become but that certainly hasn't translated into wins pretty much all season long for Minnesota and I don't see how anything changes today.
It's almost as if the 'Wolves are getting worse by the day and when Darko Milicic is one of your better players you know things just aren't very good. Kurt Rambis' boys have now lost seven in a row and are a putrid 13-46. They don't even compete all that often and even at home truly have no business of being able to run with these Warriors.
Nothing about this game is rocket science. Minnesota is a bad team and just should not win this game or many games the rest of the season.
The Missouri Tigers and the Kansas State Wildcats will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at Bramlage Coliseum.
Oddsmakers currently have the Wildcats listed as 4½-point favorites versus the Tigers, while the game's total is sitting at 149.
Missouri won its last outing, a 77-59 result against Baylor on February 23. They covered in that game as an 8.5-point favorite.
In their last action, Kansas State was a 61-57 winner on the road against Nebraska. They covered the 2?point spread as underdogs.
The Bowling Green Falcons and the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at Millett Hall.
Oddsmakers currently have the RedHawks listed as 7-point favorites versus the Falcons, while the game's total is sitting at 132.
Last time out for Bowling Green, they were a 70-60 loser as they battled Ohio on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 9-point underdog.
Miami (Ohio) lost its last outing, a 72-55 result against Akron on February 23. They failed to cover in that game as an 8-point underdog.
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at STAPLES Center.
Oddsmakers currently have the Celtics listed as 7½-point favorites versus the Clippers, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
The Celtics were an 89-75 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Nuggets. They failed to cover the 4.5?point spread as favorites, while the total score (164) made winners of UNDER bettors.
Los Angeles lost its last outing, a 108-95 result against the Lakers on February 25. The Clippers failed to cover in that game as a 10.5-point underdog, while the 203 combined points took the game OVER the total.
The fans at Bradley Center will be treated to a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks when they take their seats on Saturday.
Oddsmakers currently have the Bulls listed as 4-point favorites versus the Bucks, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
The Bulls were a 93-89 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Heat. They covered the 2.5?point spread as underdogs, while the total score (182) made winners of UNDER bettors.
In their last action, Milwaukee was a 114-108 loser on the road against the Knicks. They covered the 7?point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (222) was profitable news for OVER bettors.
The New Jersey Nets and the Houston Rockets will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at Toyota Center.
Oddsmakers currently have the Rockets listed as 9-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
New Jersey lost its last outing, a 106-96 result against the Spurs on February 25. The Nets covered in that game as a 11-point underdog, while the 202 combined points took the game OVER the total.
Last time out for Houston, they were a 124-119 winner as they battled the Cavaliers on the road. The Rockets failed to cover in the match as a 6-point favorite, while 243 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
The fans at FedExForum will be treated to a game between the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies when they take their seats on Saturday.
Oddsmakers currently have the Grizzlies listed as 10-point favorites versus the Kings, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
In their last action, Sacramento was a 110-98 loser on the road against the Bobcats. They failed to cover the 6?point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (208) was profitable news for OVER bettors.
In their last action, Memphis was a 104-95 winner on the road against the Timberwolves. They covered the 3.5?point spread as favorites, while the combined score (199) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.
The Dallas Mavericks and the Washington Wizards will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at Verizon Center.
Dallas won its last outing, a 118-99 result against the Jazz on February 23. The Mavericks covered in that game as a 10.5-point favorite, while the 217 combined points took the game OVER the total.
In their last action, Washington was a 121-113 loser on the road against the Heat. They covered the 15?point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (234) was profitable news for OVER bettors.
The Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Last time out for Utah, they were a 95-84 winner as they battled the Pacers on the road. The Jazz covered in the match as a 6-point underdog, while 179 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
Detroit lost its last outing, a 110-94 result against the 76ers on February 25. The Pistons failed to cover in that game as a 11-point underdog, while the 204 combined points took the game OVER the total.
OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a winner Saturday is on San Diego State (-3.5) to BYU.
There is no doubt that Jimmer Fredette is insanely great and a guy who can lead the Cougars to a victory in any single game. But with the Aztecs being pretty much great and in a revenge situation I just don't see them letting that happen at home.
Steve Fisher's squad is legit. Yes BYU is as well and they proved that in the first meeting along with pretty much every single other game this season but now going away from Provo is not going to result in a Cougar sweep.
SDSU is a few victories away from a number one seed in the tournament and this is one of those few victories that they will need to get. Kawhi Leonard is a star and there is a quality-surrounding cast led by Malcolm Thomas and D.J. Gay. These guys are an amazing 27-1 and have truly smacked around all comers, whether on the east coast the west coast or wherever. The team is extremely experienced and senior laden and at home should be able to defend their home court for sure in this revenge situation. To be honest with you I don't see the Aztecs right now losing to anybody at home and BYU is borderline great with a superstar in Fredette but they aren't the same dominant force on the road and will get somewhat exposed today outside of their cozy comfort zone with altitude.
The Cougars will compete as the Aztecs did on the road for the bulk of the first meeting but in the end it's asking a bit too much as San Diego State gets a well deserved school record 28th victory somewhere in the neighborhood of around 10 points.
For more information: Seriously, are you kidding me with this? There is a nighttime game that is just beyond silly and I will take monster advantage of it with the biggest play that I have in my entire arsenal. I implore you that if there is ever one time to listen to what I have to say this is that time.
OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick Friday is on the New Jersey Nets (+11.5) at San Antonio.
Rivers reasoning: I'm on a little bit of a fade San Antonio kick and it paid off in the first game after the All-Star break and I'm going to go back to that well today.
Obviously New Jersey is not close to what the Spurs are and may never be. But I do believe that Greg Popovich' squad is going to run out of gas a bit here as the season starts to wind down and to get around a dozen points, even with the Nets, is enough to give it a go.
I love Deron Williams and I can see him make a splash early on. Throw in a quality big man in Brook Lopez and New Jersey should be at least competitive in most games now. They definitely don't match up with the big three in Parker, Ginobili and Duncan but it's not like those guys are kids anymore and aren't going to play 48 minutes apiece. We'll see some good but not great players like Neal and Blair and Jefferson in the mix who certainly can hold their own and help lead the Spurs to the victory but Pop's squad is not 46-10 good and I'll take my chances with the competent enough Nets to stay within single digits.
This could be a 15 point game at the half, that's certainly not out of the realm, but in typical NBA fashion we could without a doubt get the back door as Avery Johnson keeps his starters, including Williams, in longer as they try and get some time together and get in a rhythm. All in all the Spurs aren't as good as their record and I'll take my chances with the Nets and their new superstar point guard.
Top expert pick on this game: Nets against the spread.
The Iona Gaels and the Saint Peter's Peacocks will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Yanitelli Center.
Iona won its last outing, a 77-57 result against Liberty on February 19. They covered in that game as a 6.5-point favorite.
Saint Peter's won its last outing, a 71-67 result against Loyola of Chicago on February 19. They covered in that game as a 4.5-point underdog.
Current streak: won 5 straight games.
The Siena Saints and the Fairfield Stags will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Arena at Harbor Yards.
Siena was a 71-60 winner in their most recent outing at home against Maine. They covered the 5.5?point spread as favorites.
Fairfield was a 76-69 winner in their most recent outing at home against Austin Peay. They covered the 6?point spread as favorites.
The fans at Nutter Center will be treated to a game between the Detroit Titans and the Wright State Raiders when they take their seats on Friday.
In their last action, Detroit was an 84-76 loser on the road against Drake. They failed to cover the 1?point spread as underdogs.
Wright State won its last outing, an 82-56 result against Hofstra on February 19. They covered in that game as a 5.5-point favorite.
It's the New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers point spread preview. With new addition Carmelo Anthony in tow to go alongside fellow All-Star Amare Stoudemire in the frontcourt, the New York Knicks (29-26) will look to break a nine-game series losing streak against the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-47) on Friday. Anthony has averaged 36.5 points in his previous two trips to Cleveland and hopes to build on a memorable debut at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday after arriving in a blockbuster trade with Denver.
The former Syracuse star scored a team-high 27 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in his first game with the Knicks, leading them to a 114-108 win over Milwaukee. But Anthony was not the team's only new player who thrived at the Garden, as point guard Chauncey Billups totaled 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds. New York won its third consecutive game straight-up and will now try to cover three in a row away from home.
The Knicks went all in to get Anthony and Billups, trading four of their starters to the Nuggets late Monday for two All-Stars. They also got to keep rookie guard Landry Fields, who has shown promise and should be able to learn a lot from the veteran Billups. The main concern right now is a lack of depth inside since former reserve Ronny Turiaf has become the team's starting center.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have beaten New York nine straight times, including a 109-102 overtime victory earlier this season without departed star LeBron James. They have earned seven of their 10 wins at Quicken Loans Arena and got rid of another pair of James' former teammates on Thursday when they dealt point guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for point guard Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick.
Davis probably will not arrive in time to make his first start for Cleveland but could contribute off the bench in relief of Ramon Sessions, who is averaging 19.7 points and 9.2 assists in February as the starter. The Cavs have covered three of their last four games, starting with a 126-119 overtime win against Davis and the Clippers two weeks ago that broke their NBA-record 26-game losing streak. He scored 26 points and dished out seven assists in that game.
If past history is any indication, bettors should expect another high-scoring game between these two teams. The OVER is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings and has cashed in the past five games overall for Cleveland along with 12 of 14. The Knicks have surprisingly seen their last two road games go UNDER the total along with three of four overall.
The Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers will meet on the court at Rose Garden on Friday in a battle of division rivals.
Denver was an 89-75 winner in its last match at home against the Celtics. They covered the 4.5?point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 164 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
Last time out for Portland, they were a 106-101 loser as they battled the Lakers at home. The Trail Blazers failed to cover in the match as a 2.5-point underdog, while 207 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
The fans at Amway Center will be treated to a game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic when they take their seats on Friday.
Oddsmakers currently have the Magic listed as 7-point favorites versus the Thunder, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
In their last action, Oklahoma City was a 109-105 loser on the road against the Spurs. They covered the 7?point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (214) was profitable news for OVER bettors.
Orlando lost its last outing, a 111-105 result against the Kings on February 23. The Magic failed to cover in that game as a 14-point favorite, while the 216 combined points took the game OVER the total.
The Loyola Marymount Lions and the Santa Clara Broncos will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Leavey Center.
Oddsmakers currently have the Broncos listed as 8-point favorites versus the Lions, while the game's total is sitting at 144.
Last time out for Loyola Marymount, they were an 84-75 loser as they battled Portland State on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 2-point favorite.
Santa Clara was a 78-68 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Portland. They failed to cover the 6?point spread as underdogs.
The Arizona State Sun Devils and the UCLA Bruins will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Pauley Pavilion.
In their last action, Arizona State was a 71-69 winner at home against Washington State. They covered the 2.5?point spread as underdogs.
UCLA was a 76-72 loser in their most recent outing on the road against California. They failed to cover the 1?point spread as favorites.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the St. Mary's Gaels will both be trying to pick up a win on Thursday when they battle at McKeon Pavilion.
Oddsmakers currently have the Gaels listed as 4-point favorites versus the Bulldogs, while the game's total is sitting at 145.
In their last action, Gonzaga was a 70-53 winner at home against San Francisco. They covered the 15.5?point spread as favorites.
In their last action, St. Mary's was a 75-65 loser at home against Utah State. They failed to cover the 5?point spread as favorites.
The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Northwestern Wildcats will both be trying to pick up a win on Thursday when they battle at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Oddsmakers currently have the Wildcats listed as 4½-point favorites versus the Nittany Lions, while the game's total is sitting at 131.
Penn State lost its last outing, a 76-66 result against Wisconsin on February 20. They covered in that game as a 11.5-point underdog.
Northwestern won its last outing, a 70-64 result against Indiana on February 19. They covered in that game as a 3-point underdog.
The fans at Regional Special Events Center will be treated to a game between the Morehead State Eagles and the Murray State Racers when they take their seats on Thursday.
Morehead State won its last outing, a 71-65 result against Indiana State on February 19. They covered in that game as a 3-point underdog.
In their last action, Murray State was a 72-47 winner at home against Evansville. They covered the 7?point spread as favorites.
Current streak: won 9 straight games.