Written by :
Published on :
Sports Interaction's Frank Doyle is picking three road teams on tonight's NBA schedule. He brings his free NBA picks exclusive to Gambling911.com readers.
The original raptors of the dinosaur age can't have felt much more miserable when the asteroid wiped them out than their Toronto successors will feel around ten o'clock tonight when the Lakers finishing stomping them into the floor of the Air Canada Center.
Toronto is having a bad time right now - bottom of the Atlantic, 9-14 at home, and just coming off having its bell rung by two of the three best Eastern teams, Orlando and Cleveland. Now the Raptors have to entertain the Lakers, who are only the best team in the League, and who are coming off a comprehensive stomping of the Knicks in Madison Square Garden - those same Knicks who lord it 3.5 games above the Raptors in the Atlantic. There's only one way this one's going to go - Lakers -8.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
It's normally a good rule of thumb in basketball betting to bet against the line on the team that played last night against the rested team. It's hard to see that formula applying tonight when Cleveland visits New York. Cleveland isn't as dominant on the road as it is at home - the Cavs are 15-9 on the road but an immaculate 23-0 in Ohio.
But both times these teams have met this season, Cleveland has cut the Knicks to shreds. Cleveland humiliated the Knicks 118-82 in Cleveland in December and 119-101 in the Garden in November. Those games would indicate a gap in class between the teams, and a gap that's bigger than the 5.5 start the Knicks are getting tonight. Cleveland -5.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Momentum is one of the secrets to betting sports that have long seasons, like basketball or baseball. Even the best team in the league can slump; the trick is to spot the slump before the public does, hammer it, and then get out before the slump ends and the strong team starts hurting people again.
This is easier to say than to do.
However, we have an interesting exercise in spotting this trend tonight in the NBA when Miami visits Detroit. Detroit has owned Miami in recent years, and hasn't lost to the Heat at the Palace in four years. But the Pistons are playing like the NFL's Lions right now at home, and the question is, is this a slump or is it for real? The fact that Allen Iverson has made no appreciable difference to the Pistons since he joined at the start of the season would indicate that the recession is hitting the misfortunate motor city in more ways than one. Miami +4.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Frank Doyle, Gambling911.com
