Betting Odds Blog

I’ll admit the Tournament is a great concept and can yield some exciting finishes, but the college game produces such a low quality level of basketball. Therefore, I’m sticking with the NBA until the Sox and A’s come to the rescue next week.

Denver -5 at New Jersey o/u 225.5

Pick: Denver -5. Laying five on the road is never fun, but the Nuggets need this game bad to keep pace with the Warriors for the 8th seed in the West. New Jersey has something to play for too, but they just don’t have the bodies to matchup against the Nuggets. Denver plays zero D, but they can do something the Nets can’t - score 130 with ease. Denver is coming off two straight road losses and I have a feeling George Karl ripped them a new one during their day off. Say what you want about the dysfunctional nature of this team, but theyhave some true competitors in Camby and Iverson. Look for those two to set the tone. Also - Kenyon Martin should be up for this game as he’ll be playing against his old team.

Golden State -4.5 vs. Houston o/u 207

Pick: Over 207. I believe this is my first o/u play of the year. I usually try to stay away from playing the totals - mainly because it’s so random and usually comes down to either garbage points or free throws in the fourth quarter. However, this is a nice line for a Warriors game and is worth a shot. Golden State scored 100 or more in like 200 straight games and Houston is due for a 90-100 point game after two straight horrible shooting games against Boston and New Orleans. With Yao healthy, the Rockets usually concentrate on exposing the Warriors’ lack of size inside, but with him out, I think the Rockets will be more willing to run with the Warriors. Much like the Nuggets, Golden State basically lets you get any shot you want on the floor, so look for T-Mac to have a big bounce-back game and for Alston and Scola to chip in with nice 50% plus shooting in support.