Monday Trends and Indexes 03/03

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel


Dallas at Utah
The Mavericks look to rebound from their overtime loss in L.A. yesterday, but face a Utah team that has won 15 straight at home. The Jazz are the pick (-6 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has Utah favored by 8 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Utah (-6 1/2). Here are all of today's games.

MONDAY, MARCH 3

Game 701-702: New Orleans at New York
Dunkel Ratings: New Orleans 123.623; New York 116.250
Dunkel Line & Total: New Orleans by 7 1/2; 198
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 703-704: Dallas at Utah
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 119.781; Utah 128.081
Dunkel Line & Total: Utah by 8 1/2; 207
Vegas Line & Total: Utah by 6 1/2; 204
Dunkel Pick: Utah (-6 1/2); Over

Game 705-706: Philadelphia at LA Clippers
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 119.982; LA Clippers 115.323
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 4 1/2; 181 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia by 2 1/2; 188
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-2 1/2); Under

[Udog]

NHL
Hot Lines


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Ice picks: Monday's best NHL bets
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Boston at Washington (-125, 5 1/2)

Boston has won its last five trips to the nation's capital since losing there on Dec. 11, 2003. Overall, the team has won eight of the last nine matchups against the Caps, the lone defeat coming in overtime on April 10, 2006.

The Bruins will try to keep all of their winning streaks intact as they look to close the four-point gap on fifth-place New Jersey in the Eastern Conference.

"I think everybody's in a playoff mode now," Julien said. "Every team that's in the race is thinking that way. And there doesn't seem to be many teams packing it in."

Washington, which is six points behind eighth-place Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the East, is looking to rebound from a 3-2 home loss to last-place Toronto on Saturday. Alexander Ovechkin gave the Capitals a one-goal lead in the first period, but the team struggled the rest of the way.

"This is a lesson for us," said Ovechkin, who snapped a season-high, seven-game goal drought. "We know how we have to play, and we started a little bit to change our game in the second period. We know what we have to do, and we just don't do it."

Ovechkin, the league's leading goal scorer with 49, was held pointless in the last meeting with Boston after he had three goals and four assists in the previous eight matchups. Ovechkin is on the verge of his second career 50-goal campaign, a mark he reached in his rookie season of 2005-06.

Pick: Bruins


Ottawa at Anaheim (-135, 5 1/2)

While a division title would be their top choice, finishing no lower than fourth in the conference would assure the Ducks home ice in the opening round of the playoffs. They clinched all four playoff series at Honda Center last season, including a 6-2 win over Ottawa in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals.

Mathieu Schneider and Niedermayer each had a goal and an assist in Anaheim's 3-1 victory over Calgary on Friday.

"This was the type of game we're going to have to play in the playoffs,'' goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "It was a game where everybody needed to be involved. Our toughness needed to be there, the power play was good and our penalty-killing was good. So I'm pretty happy with the way we answered them.''

Giguere has played a huge role in Anaheim's resurgence, going 8-1-0 with a 1.44 goals-against average and one shutout in his last nine starts. He was 4-1-0 with a 2.21 GAA and one shutout in last season's Stanley Cup finals.

The Ducks played Friday without captain Chris Pronger, who is expected to miss about a week after undergoing jaw surgery.

After losing their first game under new coach Bryan Murray, the Senators ended a three-game skid Saturday with a 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh.

Captain Daniel Alfredsson had two goals and an assist for Ottawa, which plays its next four games on the road, where it has lost five of six (1-4-1).

"All I asked the guys to do was play their positions better, move the puck quicker and play with some emotion,'' Murray said. "Now hopefully we can ride the crest of that little bit of fire when we go out west."

Martin Gerber ended a personal four-game losing streak Saturday, stopping 25 of 29 shots. Gerber, who spent his first two NHL seasons with the Ducks, did not make any postseason appearances last season for the Senators.

Pick: Ducks


Montreal at San Jose (-135, 5 1/2)

Scoring hasn't been much of a problem for Montreal (36-21-9), which is opening a four-game swing against Pacific Division opponents. The Canadiens are among the top three teams in the NHL with 3.11 goals per game.

They've been even better recently, scoring 13 goals in their last three games while allowing only four. Montreal, though, didn't need big production to get past New Jersey on Saturday, winning 2-1 to move into the top spot in the Eastern Conference before Sunday's action.

"It is a pleasant surprise for us and for a lot of people,'' center Saku Koivu said. "There were some question marks for this team because of the young players coming from the minors, but those guys have done an excellent job coming in here and wanting a big role, not being happy just to be in the lineup."

One of the most important young players is the goaltender Montreal will count on as it tries to secure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Canadiens dealt former All-Star Cristobal Huet to Washington prior to the trade deadline, leaving 20-year-old rookie Carey Price as the team's No. 1 netminder.

The strong play of the fifth overall pick in 2005 made Montreal comfortable in trading Huet, and Price has embraced the opportunity, winning all three starts and posting a 1.33 GAA since Huet departed.

Pick: Under

[Udog]

NBA
Hot Lines


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Pick 'n' roll: Monday's best NBA bets
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New Orleans at New York (no line yet)

Coach Byron Scott feels the New Orleans Hornets may have overlooked a seemingly overmatched opponent in losing their last game. He hopes they avoid doing that again Monday when they visit the lowly New York Knicks.

The Hornets (39-19) are third in the Western Conference, two games behind co-leaders San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost ground Sunday with a listless effort in a 101-84 defeat Sunday to Washington while both the Spurs and Lakers posted victories.

The defeat, which came after wins over Phoenix and Utah, was New Orleans' fourth in six games and the second to the injury-riddled Wizards in a six-day span as the Hornets were swept by the Wizards for the first time since 1989-90.

Scott felt a lack of respect contributed to the losses.

"That's the problem, they think they can't get beat by this team twice," Scott said. "And that's why we got our butts kicked both times. That's to be just point-blank with your guys. I just don't know if these guys respected them enough."

Pick: TBD

Dallas at Utah (-6, 204)

The Dallas Mavericks have struggled against some of the Western Conference's best teams recently and now they have to visit one of the most difficult arenas for visitors this season.

The Mavericks look to snap the Utah Jazz's 15-game home winning streak Monday night when the teams meet for the third time this season.

Dallas (39-21) is in seventh place in the West and hasn't helped itself recently, splitting its last four games. Those two losses came against the top teams in the West - 97-94 to San Antonio on Thursday, and 108-104 in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

"You're playing the best in the West, so you want to be considered a team that can compete with those guys," Jason Kidd told Dallas' official Web site.

The Mavericks now visit the Northwest Division-leading Jazz (38-22), trying to become the first team to win at Utah since Boston on Dec. 29.

The Jazz, tied with Dallas for the league's best home record (25-3), have won 15 straight at EnergySolutions Arena since that 104-98 loss to the Celtics. It's their longest home winning streak since a 19-game stretch in 1995-96 matched a franchise record.

Utah returns home Monday after splitting a pair of road games, losing 110-98 to New Orleans on Friday before beating Memphis 113-92 on Saturday. The Jazz had seven players score in double figures and shot 57.0 percent from the field in that win, which improved them to 13-19 on the road this season.

"It's a road victory and road victories are hard to come by, especially this year," said Deron Williams, who had 13 points and 19 assists. "We'll take them any way we can get them."

Pick: Dallas


Philadelphia at Los Angeles Clippers (2 1/2, 188)

The Philadelphia 76ers have defeated some of the best teams in the NBA during their recent surge. They might not have to work as hard for a win Monday when they visit the struggling Los Angeles Clippers.

The 76ers (27-33) have risen from the depths of the Eastern Conference to put themselves in the ***** of the playoff picture by going 9-3 since Feb. 5. That stretch includes an 84-76 win over Dallas, a 101-89 victory over Orlando and Saturday's 119-114 win at Phoenix.

Philadelphia shot 56.7 percent from the field in its latest victory, thanks in part to 30 fast-break points and 52 points in the paint.

"To come in and play the way we played tonight is pretty big for us," said coach Maurice Cheeks, whose team is averaging 24.5 fast-break points over this 12-game stretch.

"We're trying to push the tempo. We try to rebound the basketball and get into the open court and that's one of the things we tried to do was get into the open court - every time they missed a shot, trying to push the ball up the floor and get some easy baskets."

Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller have keyed Philadelphia's recent success. Iguodala was 15-for-23 from the field and had 32 points against the Suns. He's shooting 49.1 percent in the Sixers' last nine wins.

The Sixers will try to do so by taking advantage of the reeling Clippers (19-38), who have dropped five straight to fall further out of contention in the West.

Los Angeles is shooting 39.2 percent from the field and getting outscored by an average of 16.8 points during its skid. The Clippers shot 34.8 percent in a 103-73 loss to Detroit on Saturday.

Pick: Philadelphia

[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel


Ottawa at Anaheim
The Senators have dropped seven of their last 10 and have to hit the road against an Anaheim team that has won five straight at home. The Ducks are the pick (-140) according to Dunkel, which has Anaheim favored by 2 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-140). Here are all of today's games.

MONDAY, MARCH 3

Game 51-52: Boston at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 11.949; Washington 10.758
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+110); Under

Game 53-54: Ottawa at Anaheim
Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 10.081; Anaheim 12.414
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 2 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-140); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-140); Under

Game 55-56: Montreal at San Jose
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 10.911; San Jose 11.956
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-130); Under

[Udog]

NCAAB
Short Sheet


Monday, March 3rd

Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 7:00 EST ESPN
Pittsburgh: 6-0 Under Away off BB conference wins
West Virginia: 9-1 Under as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points

Texas Tech at Kansas, 9:00 EST ESPN
Texas Tech: 0-6 ATS Away off win by 6 points or less
Kansas: 14-1 Over vs. conference

Fresno State at Utah State, 9:00 EST
Fresno State: 1-12 ATS off conference game
Utah State: 0-7 ATS off BB home wins

Pepperdine at San Francisco, 10:00 EST
Pepperdine: 6-0 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less
San Francisco: 1-8 ATS at home when the line is +3 to -3

St Mary's CA at Portland, 10:00 EST
St Mary's CA: 7-0 ATS after allowing 80+ points
Portland: 2-13 ATS playing with revenge

Loyola Marymount at San Diego, 10:00 EST ESPNU
Loyola Marymount: 1-10 ATS off a road game
San Diego: 18-5 ATS after playing as favorite

Santa Clara at Gonzaga, 11:30 EST ESPN2
Santa Clara: 11-3 Under as road underdog
Gonzaga: 0-6 ATS at home off BB DD conference wins

Added Games

Western Carolina at UNC Greensboro, 7:00 EST
Western Carolina: 0-7 ATS in March
UNC Greensboro: 9-0 Over after covering 2 of their last 3

Weber State at Sacramento State, 10:00 EST
Weber State: 7-0 ATS off road loss
Sacramento State: 19-8 Over revenging road loss

Write-In Game

Virginia at Georgia Tech, 7:00 EST
Virginia: 0-6 ATS playing with one or less days rest
Georgia Tech: 22-9 Under after scoring 85+ points

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet


Monday, March 3rd

New Orleans at New York, 7:35 EST
New Orleans: N/A
New York: N/A

Dallas at Utah, 9:05 EST NBATV
Dallas: 47-19 UNDER against Northwest division opponents
Utah: 18-9 ATS as a home favorite

Philadelphia at LA Clippers, 10:35 EST
Philadelphia: 30-16 ATS when playing their 3rd game in 4 days
LA Clippers: 0-8 ATS in home games when playing their 3rd game in 4 days

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet


Monday, March 3rd

Boston at Washington, 7:05 EST
Boston: 16-9 SU second half of the season
Washington: 5-10 SU in a home game where where the total is 5.5

Ottawa at Anaheim, 10:05 EST
Ottawa: 7-13 ATS in non-conference games
Anaheim: 10-1 ATS after playing 3 consecutive home games

Montreal at San Jose, 10:35 EST
Montreal: 6-1 SU in road games off a home win
San Jose: 0-8 SU in home games off a road win

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends (Updated)

NBA


Monday, March 3

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Tips and Trends (Updated)
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New Orleans Hornets at New York Knicks (7:30 PM ET)

New Orleans will try to bounce back from losing to Washington for the second time in 6 days against a team the Hornets have enjoyed success against. They have beaten the Knicks 5 straight times, winning their last 3 trips to Madison Square Garden. Peja Stojakovic is averaging nearly 30 points in those last 3 games in New York. EDGE: HORNETS
New York hopes to have Zach Randolph (17.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game) back after he missed Saturday's loss to Orlando with a sore right foot. If Randolph can't go, Jared Jeffries could get his second straight start. Jeffries had just 3 points and 6 rebounds against the Magic. EDGE: HORNETS
Hornets are 24-9-1 ATS in their last 34 road games.
Hornets are 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Knicks are 6-22 ATS in their last 28 Monday games.


Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz (NBA | 9 PM ET)

Utah has won 15 straight home games, going 10-5 ATS during that stretch. It's the team's best streak at home since the 1995-96 season, and the Jazz are tied with Dallas for the best home record in the NBA at 25-3. EDGE: JAZZ
Dallas has struggled away from home this season with a 14-18 mark after dropping 6 of 8. The Mavs are coming off a disappointing road loss to the Lakers on Sunday despite pushing the game to overtime on a 3-pointer by Dirk Nowitzki in the final seconds. EDGE: JAZZ
Mavericks are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Jazz are 26-11-1 ATS in their last 38 home games.
Home team is 16-5-1 ATS in the last 22 meetings.


Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 PM ET)

The 76ers are 9-3 since February 5th. That stretch includes wins over Dallas, Orlando and a 119-114 win at Phoenix on Saturday. EDGE: 76ERS
The Clippers have dropped five straight, and Los Angeles is shooting 39 percent from the field while getting outscored by an average of 17 points during its skid. The Clippers shot just 35 percent in a 103-73 loss to Detroit on Saturday. EDGE: 76ERS
Clippers center Chris Kaman returned last game, after missing four games because of a sore lower back. He had 13 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes, but said he was “rusty." The Sixers held Kaman to a season-low four points on 2-for-10 shooting in the teams' first meeting Feb. 9th. EDGE: 76ERS
76ers are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall.
76ers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Clippers are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 Monday games.

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[pm530]

College Basketball - Tips & Trends (Updated)

NCAAB


Monday, March 3

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Tips and Trends (Updated)
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Pittsburgh at West Virginia (ESPN | 7 PM ET)

This is the second meeting between the teams this season after Pitt escaped with a 55-54 win back on February 7th when Ronald Ramon hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Panthers have won the last 4 meetings with West Virginia, including the last 2 trips to Morgantown. EDGE: PITT
Pitt is 7-3-1 ATS in its last 11 Monday games.
West Virginia is 22-10-1 ATS in its last 33 home games.
Pitt is 11-4-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings.


Texas Tech at #7 Kansas (ESPN | 9 PM ET)

The Jayhawks are fresh off a 14-point win over their rival Wildcats on Saturday. Brandon Rush led Kansas with a season-high 21 points, as the Jayhawks look to move into sole possession of first place in the Big 12. EDGE: KANSAS
Kansas should have a major edge inside. The Jayhawks outrebounded Kansas State, the nation's fifth-best rebounding team, 41-34 on Saturday. Kansas averages 39 boards per game, third in the Big 12, while Texas Tech is 11th in the conference at 31 per game. EDGE: KANSAS
Texas Tech has four wins against ranked opponents this year, and junior guard Alan Voskuil is fresh off an 18 point game against the No.5 Texas Longhorns on Saturday. Voskuil has been hot lately averaging 19 points in his last six games as well. EDGE: TEXAS TECH
Texas Tech has never won in nine trips to Lawrence, losing its last five visits by an average of 29 points. EDGE: KANSAS
Texas Tech is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games against the Big 12.
Kansas is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 home games.
Kansas is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.


#23 St. Mary's at Portland (10 PM ET)

St. Mary's is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 Monday games.
St. Mary's is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Portland is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games overall.


Santa Clara at Gonzaga (ESPN2 | 11:30 PM ET)

The Gonzaga Bulldogs look to win the WCC crown outright for the sixth straight season. A Gonzaga win or a Saint Mary's loss to Portland would give the Bulldogs yet another outright WCC crown. "We don't want to share the WCC title," said sophomore guard Matt Bouldin, "We want to keep this streak going." EDGE: GONZAGA
The Bulldogs have won 14 of16 and nine straight at home since falling to then-No. 8 Washington State on Dec. 5th. Gonzaga is 51-3 at home since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004. EDGE: GONZAGA
Santa Clara is the only WCC team to beat Gonzaga at home in the last four seasons. The Broncos defeated the Bulldogs 84-73 last season. "It is one of the toughest and most fun places to play," Santa Clara senior forward Mitch Henke said, "We are definitely going to be fired up going in there." EDGE: SANTA CLARA
Mitch Henke matched his season high with 21 points in the Broncos last game. He's averaging 18 points and shooting 64 percent from the field and 63 percent from 3-point range in his last three games. EDGE: SANTA CLARA
The UNDER is 7-1 in Santa Clara's last 8 road games.
Gonzaga is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games overall.
The OVER is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings.

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[Dennis14072]

Thanks Guys, good luck tonight!