Betting Odds Blog

So much for playing it safe and taking the home side. Why didn’t anybody tell me Miami is the worst team in the league. Seriously, a little heads-up would’ve been nice. But time to shake it off and look at tonight’s limited slate of games.

Cleveland +4 at Chicago o/u 197
Notes: If you want Cleveland and the points, BetJamaica, WSEX, 5Dimes and Pinnacle have it at +4.5. If you’re on Chicago, Oddsmaker looks to be the only book at -3.5.

Pick: Cleveland +4. I can see Chicago winning this game as Hughes and Gooden will be motivated and the home team has had the edge in this series (11-4 ATS over the last 15). However, I don’t see them besting the Cavs by three buckets. Even with the injuries, Cleveland has found a way to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat lately (six-in-a-row against sub .500 teams). Also, the Cavs have won four straight ATS on the back end of back-to-backs. Granted Lebron played 44 minutes last night to get his 50, but the kid is 23. Don’t be surprised if Ben Wallace abuses Gooden and Noah and finishes with 17 rebound, 5 blocks type of night.

Indiana +13 at San Antonio o/u 197.5

Pick: No play here. I’ve seen this one way too many times. You take San Antonio and sure enough, they’ll be up 14 and give up a layup at the buzzer. You take Indiana and they’ll miss that layup and lose by 14. This has stay away written all over it. Indiana is just good enough not to let the Spurs completely run away with and the score will be within 10-17 points all game. If you’re desperate for action on this one, I’d go with a small play on the under. San Antonio is in playoff mode, especially at home - under is 7-2 in their last 9 home games.

Houston +1 at Dallas 0/u: 182

Pick: Houston. This is a tricky one. I hate long streaks and something tells me Houston’s ends at 16. But no Dirk changes everything. If I was getting 2-3 points, I’d be all over the Mavericks. But right now the Rockets are a better team than the Mavs even with Dirk. Luis Scola and Carl Landry have played great in Yao’s absence, but I just don’t see the same thing coming from Brandon Bass, Devean George or Malik Allen.