Steve Merril’s MLB Baseball Betting + Handicapping – Pitchers Preview
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
Baseball begins this week and below is a list of play-on and play-against pitchers for the 2010 MLB season.
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
Baseball begins this week and below is a list of play-on and play-against pitchers for the 2010 MLB season.
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
The 2009 College Football season is here and there is once again value in Over/Under season win totals. There are always teams that surpass or fall short of lofty expectations set by the oddsmakers. When trying to find value, you must group games into three categories…sure wins, sure losses and question marks. Ideally you want to find more sure results when deciding which side you fall on.
Got time to bet on the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals begin this Thursday, June 4th in Los Angeles. Below is a look at some key numbers in the matchup between the Lakers and Magic.
16.7
This was the regular season scoring average for Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson who averaged 16.7 points in the 42 games he played in before injuring his shoulder against Dallas on February 2nd. Nelson was ruled out for the rest of the season after having surgery on February 19th, however the Magic’s extended playoff run has given him extra recovery time and the team might now activate him for the NBA Finals.
Below is a look at some of the hottest bets this week, covering an array of different sports and events.
NBA
DENVER NUGGETS
Despite their 105-103 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Denver Nuggets still got the pointspread win as a 6½-point road underdog. The Nuggets are now 10-0-1 ATS in their eleven NBA playoff games this season.
Regular season dominance
The Lakers were a perfect 4-0 straight-up in the four head-to-head meetings during the regular season and this is a bad sign for the Rockets as teams that were swept in the regular season (3+ games) are 0-25 all-time in a NBA playoff series.
Odds: Los Angeles is currently -900 to win this series, while the Rockets are +700.
Nuggets at Hornets (-2½, 193) –
Game 4 – 8:35 pm ET (NBA-tv)
Line movement
The oddsmakers opened the Hornets as a 3-point favorite, but the early money quickly moved the line down to 2 ½ by Sunday afternoon. This is a full two points less than the line in Game 3 which saw New Orleans as a 4½-point favorite.
Bulls at Celtics (-8, 196) – 7:05 pm ET (TNT)
Tale of Two Teams
The Bulls pulled the upset in Game 1 as an 8½-point underdog and they covered from start to finish as they never trailed by more than five points the entire day. Chicago became a better team in late February after they acquired John Salmons and Brad Miller from the Kings. Salmons averages more than 36 minutes per game and finished the regular season ranked second in scoring (17.6 ppg), while Brad Miller averages more than 27 minutes per game and is fifth on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg).
Bulls at Pistons (-4, 196) – 7:35 pm ET (NBA-tv)
Playoff Positioning
The good news for Chicago and Detroit is the fact they have both clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The bad news is that they will have to face Cleveland, Boston, or Orlando in the first round. Chicago (40-40) is currently 7th in the conference and one spot ahead of Detroit (39-41) who is currently seeded 8th. The Bulls could surpass Philadelphia for the 6th seed, but can not move any higher.
Below is a look at the most important NBA game in the Eastern Conference tonight.
Orlando Magic (-3, 194) at Miami Heat – 7:35 pm ET
Playoff Positioning
The Magic have clinched the Southeast division title and a top three seed in the upcoming playoffs; however Orlando is still battling with the Boston Celtics for the overall #2 seed and home court advantage in a probable second-round matchup.
Controversial bid
When the 34 at-large teams were announced for the NCAA tournament, the most controversial bid went to Arizona which extended Wildcat’s NCAA-leading streak of tournament appearances to 25 in a row. Arizona was just 19-13 straight-up and many felt that a non-BCS team such as San Diego State, St. Mary’s-CA, or Creighton should have been dancing.
Below is a look at the top matchup in the NBA for Monday night:
Nuggets vs. Suns (-3½, 236½) – 10:05 pm ET
Playoff Positioning
The Nuggets are currently in first place in the Northwest division and one game ahead of Portland in the standings. As a division winner, the Nuggets would automatically earn a top three seed in the Western Conference playoffs and would actually face Portland if the playoffs began today.
Rockets vs. Hornets (-3½, 182) – 8:05 pm ET
Playoff Battle
The Western Conference is once again the dominant conference in the NBA this season with seven of the current eight playoff teams with a win percentage of 61% or better, compared to the weaker Eastern Conference that has just three teams with a win percentage above 58%.
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
The Florida Gators are two years removed from a national championship and they are now firmly on the bubble with a strong chance of missing the Big Dance for the second straight season. Florida plays a must-win game on Thursday night in the SEC tournament versus Arkansas, so now is an excellent time to take a closer look and to decide if the Florida Gators are for real.
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
March is upon us and there is nothing like making a last minute push for an at-large bid. One team that is gaining some “bubble” notice is Rhode Island as the Rams have won six straight and are 10-1 straight-up in their past eleven games overall.
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
One of the biggest losers coming out of the Bracket Buster Weekend was Davidson who couldn’t defend their home court against the Butler Bulldogs and lost outright 75-63 as a 4½-point home favorite. Davidson is now a bubble team that might need to win the Southern Conference tournament in order to ensure their spot in the field of 65.
By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports
The month of February is a time for bubble teams to start separating themselves from the pack. This year’s bubble includes Florida State who has been one of the surprise teams in the nation with a current 19-6 straight-up record and a 6-4 ACC mark, but the question still remains if the Seminoles are they for real?