• Home
• 2010 NCAA Results
• Introduction
• Live Odds
• Matchups

Raja Bell

NBA PICKS FOR NOVEMBER 18, 2009

Greetings folks. We had a terrible night last night with a 3-5 record. It is our first losing night in over a week. We have had a good run as of late, but we know another 3-5 night can happen at any point and we need to stay focused. The 3-5 night brings our season ATS record to 37-28-1. That is not even close to where we need to be (our goal is 65%). So, back to work….here is what we like tonight:

Cavs @ Wizards +5: The Cavs are just not covering and they are pretty banged up. Shaq is out again and there is a good chance no Anderson Varejao tonight. Even without them in the line-up, they are a good team, but this will be a tough road game. Washington has played the Cavs well in recent years and the Dog is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings. This game will come down to Agent 0 and whether he has learned to follow his instincts like he did in the past. He has been a tentative player and if the Wizards are to keep this game close, they need to Agent 0 that drives to the basket and plays instinctively. We think he will do it tonight. Plus, the Wizards may be getting Antawn Jamison back tonight for the 1st time during the regular season. Take the Wizards and the points.

Bobcats @ 76ers -4: The Sixers have been extremely inconsistent. They don’t play D andtheir front court has no clue how to rebound. In our opinion, Elton Brand has been a bust, and at best, was the wrong guy to fit in with their style of play. The Bobcats are fresh off a close loss to the Magic. Stephen Jackson looked solid in his debut. Hopefully for the Bobcats, he will be a positive force on and off the court this year. Larry Brown does have some experience successfully managing problem child players. This will be a tough game for them because the Sixers are rested and waiting for them. However, the Sixers will be without Marreese Speights tonight. Speights has arguably been their spark on offense this year. We’ll see how the Sixers respond. We think Jackson will have a solid game and keep it within 4. Take the Bobcats and the points.

Thunder @ Magic -12.5: Just when the Magic seem to get all of the pieces of their puzzle together on the court at once, they lose a major piece. Jameer Nelson is out for the next 4-6 weeks with a bum knee. This is a HUGE blow for the Magic, who struggled at times in their win Monday night against the Bobcats. However, Jason Williams will get the starting nod tonight in Nelson’s absence. He is certainly not the player he once was, but he is not terrible. We think he will surprise teams with his ball handling ability. The Thunder are legit and are off a HUGE win last night against the Heat. However, this Magic team is much, much better than the Heat team they faced last night. The Magic are rested, too. The game will come down to the front courts of each team. The Thunder, surprisingly, rebound much better than the Magic do. They also play better D. They also gave the Magic their worse loss of the season earlier in Oklahoma City. The Magic will be out for revenge and should be focused for tonight’s game. The Thunder have not lost by double digits all year and the Magic, with the exception of one game against the winless Nets, have not covered double digit spreads. We think the Thunder will have the energy needed to keep it within 12.5. Take the Thunder and the points.

Knicks @ Pacers -6.5:Man, the Knicks are so sad. The are to the NBA what the New York Mets are to baseball-overrated by the market they are in and very, very disappointing. The Knicks are winless on the road this year and probably will not get their first win on the road tonight. This Pacers team is good and really gets after the ball on both sides of the court. Danny Granger has to be an early MVP candidate and Roy Hibbert has been ridiculous in the middle. The Knicks will have no response for either. The Pacers are HOT (5 straight wins and covers) while the Knicks are not (6 straight losses and not covering in 5 of those 6 losses). The line is low because the Pacers played last night and the Knicks are rested. We don’t care. Take the Pacers and give the points.

Heat @ Hawks -7.5: The Heat looked terrible last night against the Thunder. They could not handle the size and energy the Thunder brought to the table. Things look bad for them tonight because that is exactly what the Hawks will bring at home. This team is young, athletic and fast. Each game they player better and better together. They will be a force in the regular and post seasons this year. The Heat are good, too, but they won’t have enough in the tank tonight. Look for another low scoring Heat performance. We love this line. The Hawks have covered every time they were the favorite this year. Take the Hawks and give the points.

Warriors @ Celtics -16.5: The walking wounded Warriors limp into Beantown to face a rested Celtics team. The Celtics have struggled as of late and look to avoid a 3rd straight loss. They will. We think they cover, too. Despite the spread being high, we think the Celtics are exactly what the Warriors don’t want to see right now: a rested, veteran team that is deep and plays well together. We think the game will be somewhat close until the 4th. The Celtics win big. Take the Celtics and give the points. 

Rockets @ T’Wolves +5.5: The Rockets are off a big home loss to the Suns last night. The T’Wolves are off losses to pretty much everyone. They may get Al Jefferson back tonight, but even if they do, it won’t matter. Even a sluggish, tired Rockets team will cover this spread. The T’Wolves just have no answer for anyone right now. Trevor Ariza is opening eyes with his new role as a starter. He should have a solid night again. Take the Rockets and give the points.

Nets @ Bucks -10: The Nets have yet to win this season and are a dismal 4-7 ATS. The Bucks have been been outstanding this year and are tied for 2nd in the Central. With the exception of the Warriors, the Nets may have the most injured team in the league. It will not help them on back-to-back nights against a hot, relentless Bucks team at home. The Bucks will have just too much depth. Take the Bucks and give the points.

Clippers @ Grizzlies -5: The Grizzlies look to build on their win and avenge an earlier season loss against the Clippers tonight. We don’t think it will happen. Although we love OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay, we think the Clippers have a better roster. Plus they play much better D. We don’t think thegame last night will have too much of an effect on the Clippers tonight. The Grizzlies may win, but it will be close. Take the Clippers and the points.

Raptors @ Jazz -7.5: Deron Williams is back for the Jazz. That is HUGE for them. This has been along road trip for the Raptors who were crushed last night by the Nuggets. A rested Carlos Boozer should have enough to keep Bosh in check. The Jazz should win big. Take the Jazz and give the points.

Spurs @ Mavericks -2: The Spurs finally have their bug guns healthy, but even without them, they beat the Mavericks outright earlier in the month by 9. The Spurs are just a better team and the Mavericks are soft. Not much analysis for us on this one. The Spurs are winless on the road. They will right their ship tonight. They will win outright. We love the points. Take the Spurs and the points.

Pistons @ Blazers -10.5: This is one of our favorite games of the night. The Pistons are fresh off a beatdown at the hands of the Lakers last night. They are understaffed without Prince andHamilton. Travelling to Portland for a game in consecutive nights to face a rested Trailbalzerssquad is not what the doctor ordered. Portland is just much, much better in every phase of the game right now. Until the Pistons get Prince and Hamilton, they have only two legit scoring threats. One of those threats, Ben Gordon, plays crazy at times. Andre Miller will eat him alive. This game will not be close. Take the Blazers and give the points.

As always, good luck with your picks.

Runny & Flash

NBA PICKS FOR NOVEMBER 17, 2009

Greetings folks. 2-1 last night brings our season ATS record to 34-23-1. Not great, but we are inching closer and closer to our standards. There are a ton of games tonight which equals a ton of more opportunities for us to make you scratch!! Here is what we like tonight:

Warriors @ Cavs -14.5: This is a huge amount of points to give, especially for a Cavs team that is not blowing out teams like it did last year. However, this Warriors team is starting from scratch. They may only have 7 available players tonight as Stephen Jackson (traded-thankfully for Warriors fans), Raja Bell (wrist), Andris Biedrins (abs), Brandan Wright (Shoulder) and Kelenna Azubuike (knee) are out and CJ Watson (Swine Flu) and Vladimir Radmanovic are doubtful for tonight. Ridding themselves of Stephen jackson is a great move to build this franchise in the right direction, however, they will have too little for a rested Cavs team. We regret the points, but the Cavs should cover. Take the Cavs and give the points.

Pacers @ Nets +4.5: The Nets can’t buy a win. They are the only winless team in the league. They are crushed win injuries and they are playing a Pacers team that has really turned their season around. Also, nearly all ATS numbers say take the Pacers. Then why are we even going into this game in any sort of analytical way??? Because we are taking the Nets!!! That is what our analysis says and we are sticking to it. Take the Nets and the points.

Thunder @ Heat -6.5: The Thunder have to be the surprise team of this early season. They are playing tough and even when they lose, they show you that they are on the right track. They get a tough test in Miami tonight against a Heat team that has not ventured too far from South Beach this season. The Heat have been good, but they struggled defensively their past two times out. However, the Heat will be rested and should get O’Neal and Chalmers back tonight. We think this will be a fun game to watch, but the Heat will muscle out the cover in the end. Ignore the fact that the road team is 8-0 ATS in the last head-to-head meetings. Take the Heat and give the points.

Clippers @ Hornets -2.5: The Hornets will be without CP3 for quite a while and they are in a huge donwspin. They fired their coach and pissed off their best player in pretty much one night. Tonight they get a Clipp team that they have dominated in recent years (11-1 ATS in their last 12 meetings). However, this is not the typical Clippers and this is certainly not the same Hornets team that has covered in most of those games. Losing CP3 is HUGE. It means that Baron Davis is not as old as he really is which will allow him more freedom on both sides of the ball. We love the Clippers here. Take the Clippers and the points.

Suns @ Rockets -3: We love the Suns in this one. They hit a little of a lull the past two games, but they should bounce back tonight. We don’t buy into the Rockets. We think it is a lot of smoke and mirrors. We think the Suns win this game outright. Take the Suns and the points.

Raptors @ Nuggets -8: The Raptors have been decent this year and have two of the best big men in the league. However, this Nuggets team is nasty and the Raptors have not had much luck in the Mile High city. We love the Nuggets here. They will be rested and this is a long road trip for the Raptors. Plus, they are Canadian and they won’t know what hit them-haha!. Take the Nuggets and give the points.

Bulls @ Kings +3: This is the start of the yearly “Circus Road Trip” for the Bulls as they begin their daunting travels due to the circus coming to Chicago. This is a tough first stop on the journey for them as they play a Kings team that is lovin’ the home life. Arco Arena is a tough place to play, and the Bulls have not had much luck their in recent history (2-6 ATS in their last 8 against the Kings).  We are taking the Kings. Love the points. Take the Kings and the points.

Pistons @ Lakers -9.5: The Lakers look to avoid their 3rd straight loss and are coming off two of their worse games in years. They have been terrible ATS this year (3-7) and Kobe is nursing a groin sprain. However, the Pistons may be without Rodney Stuckey, which is a waaaayy bigger concern. Pistons own this match-up ATS (12-5-1 ATS in the last 18 meetings). However, we think the Lakers right the ship tonight. Take the Lakers and give the points.

As always, good luck with your picks.

Runny & Flash

NBA PICKS for NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Greetings folks. We hope this great NBA season is treating you as well as it is us. After our terrible 2-4 start, we raised our season ATS record to 32-22-1. Not great, but certainly not bad either. We know we can do better. Anyway, on with what we love to do-make picks!! Here is what we think and are taking for tonight’s games:

Blazers @ Hawks -3.5: This could be the best game of the early season. Both teams are young and really are not getting the props they deserve. They are high energy and really know how to play as a team. The key, for us, in this game will be the Hawks D. We think they play better as a team and will limit what the Blazers will do. Also, although the Blazers are on a ridiculous run right now (6 straight wins and they have covered 7 of their last 8), they have not done it against the opponents the Hawks have. Given that this will be the 5th straight game on the road for the Blazers, we think the Hawks will have too much. Take the Hawks and give the points.

 

Bobcats @ Magic-12.5: We have been back and forth all day on this game. The Bobcats can’t score, but our analysis said they would cover. We intended on taking them and the points until the trade for Stephen Jackson went down earlier today. Not sure if this is the right move long term for the Bobcats, but we are pretty certain it will not help them tonight. Losing Raja Bell will be HUGE for Vince Carter tonight. We think he has a solid game. Look for Dwight Howard to abuse Tyson Chandler in the paint. Also, consider that the Bobcats have not covered in their last 3 games and are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 trips to Orlando. We are taking the Magic and giving the points.

Mavs @ Bucks -1.5: This is our favorite play of the night. We despise the Mavs, but love them getting points in this spot. They are 1-2 SU on back-to-back games, and they have looked their age on the road. Kidd is a shell of his former self and the Bucks are young. That said, until the Bucks start knocking off top tier teams, we don’t buy the hype. Brandon Jennings needs to drop 50+ against a contender before we believe the hype. We think the Mavs win outright. Take the Mavs and the points.

As always, good luck with your picks.

Flash & Runny

Copyright RPJ Betting Syndicate | Theme by DailyBlogTips