Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 2/9 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel

Los Angeles at Florida
The Panthers look to take advantage of a Kings team that is coming off a 3-1 win at Tampa Bay and is 1-7 in its last 8 games following a victory. Florida is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Panthers favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Florida (+105). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Game 1-2: Dallas at Columbus (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 11.175; Columbus 11.009
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas (-115); 5
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-115); Over

Game 3-4: St. Louis at New Jersey (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 12.497; New Jersey 11.358
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-110); 5
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-110); Under

Game 5-6: Winnipeg at Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 11.974; Washington 10.291
Dunkel Line & Total: Winnipeg by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-175); 5
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+155); Over

Game 7-8: Montreal at NY Islanders (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 11.371; NY Islanders 11.707
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Islanders by 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: NY Islanders (-125); 5
Dunkel Pick: NY Islanders (-125); Under

Game 9-10: Tampa Bay at NY Rangers (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 12.146; NY Rangers 10.707
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: NY Rangers (-200); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+170); Under

Game 11-12: Toronto at Philadelphia (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 11.256; Philadelphia 11.734
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia (-160); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-160); Over

Game 13-14: Nashville at Ottawa (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.370; Ottawa 10.353
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Nashville (-125); 5
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (-125); Over

Game 15-16: Los Angeles at Florida (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 11.532; Florida 11.927
Dunkel Line & Total: Florida by 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-125); 5
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+105); Under

Game 17-18: Vancouver at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 10.762; Minnesota 11.623
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-140); 5
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+120); Under

Game 19-20: Calgary at Phoenix (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 11.383; Phoenix 12.319
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix (-160); 5
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-160); Over

[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, February 9

LA LAKERS at BOSTON, 8:05 PM ET
LA LAKERS: 1-9 ATS after scoring 90 points or less 2 straight games over
BOSTON: 17-7 UNDER off a home win by 10 points or more

GOLDEN STATE at DENVER, 9:05 PM ET
GOLDEN STATE: 34-20 UNDER in road games after allowing 105 points or more
DENVER: 14-4 UNDER after playing 2 consecutive games as a home favorite

HOUSTON at PHOENIX, 9:05 PM ET
HOUSTON: 17-6 ATS after playing 3 consecutive games as an underdog
PHOENIX: 8-18 ATS against Southwest division opponents

OKLAHOMA CITY at SACRAMENTO, 10:35 PM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY: 50-37 OVER as a favorite
SACRAMENTO: 10-0 OVER in a home game where where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, February 9

DALLAS at COLUMBUS, 7:05 PM ET
DALLAS: 7-0 SU off a loss against a division rival
COLUMBUS: 13-20 SU at home when the money line is -100 to -150

ST LOUIS at NEW JERSEY, 7:05 PM ET
ST LOUIS: 0-12 SU in road games after playing 2 consecutive road games
NEW JERSEY: 15-2 SU in February games

WINNIPEG at WASHINGTON, 7:05 PM ET
WINNIPEG: 8-20 SU as a road underdog
WASHINGTON: 16-22 SU after a win by 2 goals or more

MONTREAL at NY ISLANDERS, 7:05 PM ET
MONTREAL: 2-11 SU after having won 2 of their last 3 games
NY ISLANDERS: 9-4 SU after playing a game where 4 or fewer total goals were scored

TAMPA BAY at NY RANGERS, 7:05 PM ET
TAMPA BAY: 2-10 SU in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more
NY RANGERS: 16-6 SU when playing their 3rd game in 5 days

TORONTO at PHILADELPHIA, 7:05 PM ET
TORONTO: 8-3 SU in road games revenging a road loss versus opponent
PHILADELPHIA: 9-15 SU after a low scoring home game where both teams scored 1 goal or less

NASHVILLE at OTTAWA, 7:35 PM ET
NASHVILLE: 21-14 SU in road games after allowing 4 goals or more
OTTAWA: 0-7 SU in home games after 4 or more consecutive losses

LOS ANGELES at FLORIDA, 7:35 PM ET
LOS ANGELES: 21-10 SU in road games when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
FLORIDA: 10-29 SU as a home underdog of +100 to +150

VANCOUVER at MINNESOTA, 8:05 PM ET
VANCOUVER: 35-17 SU as a road favorite of -200 or less
MINNESOTA: 25-17 SU vs. division opponents

CALGARY at PHOENIX, 9:05 PM ET
CALGARY: 4-13 SU after a road game where both teams score 3 or more goals
PHOENIX: 24-12 SU after a 3 game unbeaten streak

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NCAAB
Short Sheet

Thursday's Top College Basketball Trends

SAN JOSE ST is 0-12 ATS after a combined score of 155 points or more (vs Fresno St)

ARIZONA ST is 0-9 ATS as a favorite (vs Utah)

N TEXAS is 9-0 ATS after a conference game (vs Fla International)

DENVER is 1-12 ATS at road when the line is +3 to -3 (vs Fla Atlantic)

IDAHO is 19-3 ATS in home games when playing only their 3rd game in a week (vs New Mexico St)

MURRAY ST is 0-9 ATS in home games off a win against a conference rival (vs Tennessee St)

N ARIZONA is 2-13 ATS after playing a game as an underdog (vs Weber St)

[Udog]

NBA

Thursday, February 9

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Game of the day: Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics
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Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics (-3.5, 177.5)

THE STORY: The NBA's most historic rivalry takes place again on Thursday when the Boston Celtics host the Los Angeles Lakers. Both traditional title contenders started the season slowly. While the Celtics are playing their best basketball of the season, the Lakers are still struggling to find their game. Boston has won nine of 10, including a season-high five in a row. The Lakers have lost their last two contests after winning three straight.

LINE: Books opened Boston as high as a 4-point favorite, but that has been bet down to as low as -3. The total was posted at 176.5 points and has climbed to 177.5.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE LAKERS (14-11, 11-14 ATS): Kobe Bryant moved into fifth place on the NBA’s career scoring list in Monday's loss to Philadelphia. To reach the feat, Bryant passed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. Los Angeles is 1-2 on its six-game road trip which also has stops in New York and Toronto. The Lakers have looked very ordinary this season, particularly on the road where they are 3-9. Coach Mike Brown will return from his one-game suspension for making contact with an official in Saturday's loss to Utah.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (14-10, 12-12 ATS): Paul Pierce moved past Larry Bird into second place on Boston's all-time scoring list in Tuesday's win over Charlotte. Rajon Rondo's return has been the biggest thing to happen to the Celtics in the last week. Rondo had 14 assists for the second straight contest on Tuesday and didn't commit a turnover in 33 minutes. He's averaging 11.7 assists and 7.3 points in three games since returning from a wrist injury. Rondo, who missed eight games with the injury, is averaging 9.8 assists and 3.8 turnovers this season.

TRENDS:

* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings in Boston.
* Under is 6-1 in the last seven meetings.
* Lakers are 6-14-1 ATS in the last 21 meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Lakers C Andrew Bynum had 20 points and 20 rebounds Monday. He's averaging 20.8 points and 13.2 rebounds in his last four games.

2. Celtics F Kevin Garnett has made 26 of 40 shots from the field and is averaging 20.3 points in his last three games.

3. The teams split their two meetings last season with each winning on the road.

PREDICTION: Celtics 98, Lakers 96


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[Udog]

NHL

Thursday, February 9

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NHL betting: Top 4 teams helping hot under trend
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With the trade deadline looming at the end of the month and teams already starting to look ahead to the playoff picture, every goal is becoming more and more crucial.

Maybe that’s part of the reason why the under is likely the hottest bet in professional sports over the last month. Ahead of Wednesday night’s action, 61.1 percent of NHL games in the last 30 days have played under their respective totals.

Here are four teams that have been filling under bettors’ pockets this season.

All stats current through Tuesday’s games.

St. Louis Blues – over/under record: 12-29-11

When you’re playing for Ken Hitchcock, you’re going to be responsible defensively on the ice or you’ll spend a lot of time in the press box. This team is buying into his system. Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak are offering healthy competition for each other in goal and the offense is producing 2.2 goals per game with a power play that ranks 22nd in the league. Oddsmakers are going to keep setting 5-goal totals for Blues games and they’ll keep playing under.

Los Angeles Kings – over/under record: 11-30-13

The Kings continue to struggle offensively with a league-low 118 goals for and a power play that’s clicking at a 15.7-percent clip. Goaltender Jonthan Quick is a Vezina Trophy candidate with a 1.85 goals against average, a .935 save percentage, and six shutouts, so don’t look for the Kings to give up many goals moving forward. Total bettors should keep a close eye on the offense though. The Kings have scored at least three goals in three of their last four and do have the talent to break out at any time, especially if they can swing a deal for another sniper in the next few weeks.

Calgary Flames – over/under record: 19-31-3

Just three Flames have at least 13 goals this season – Jarome Iginla (20), Olli Jokinen (13) and Curtis Glencross (18). The club hoped trading for Mike Cammalleri would help kickstart the offense, but he has just two points in eight games with Calgary and the team continues to have trouble getting pucks to the net, ranking 25th at 27.6 shots per game. The Flames still have solid goaltending with Miikka Kiprusoff and with this lack of offensive firepower, the only way they can stay competitive is to try to win 2-1 games. They had played under in six of their last seven ahead of Wednesday’s action.

Winnipeg Jets – over/under record: 21-33-1

The Jets are another team that’s trying to grind out wins to remain in the playoff picture. They have scored two or fewer goals in seven straight games and Blake Wheeler leads the team with only 36 points in 53 games. Be careful playing under when this club is on the road though. The Jets have been a fantastic home bet all season, sticking to Claude Noel’s defensive model, but they’re terrible on the road and both Chris Mason and Ondrej Pavelec may fade down the stretch. This club has traveled more than any other this year and you have to think that's going to catch up with their legs eventually.


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[Udog]

Covering the bases: Best MLB stats prop bets

Believe it or not, Spring Training baseball is just around the corner.

Sportsbooks are starting to turn their attention to Major League Baseball, including PinnacleSports, who have released some interesting stats prop totals for the upcoming baseball season.

We take a look at the odds and provide our two cents on each prop.

Highest home run total from a MLB batter - Over/Under 44.5

Last year, Toronto’s Jose Bautista sent 43 balls over the fence, following a 54-home run effort in 2010. In this era of outstanding pitchers (and less steroids), the big fly just isn’t as prominent.

The two other top home run threats, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, are on different teams in different leagues, facing foreign American League pitchers for the first time. Ryan Howard is coming off an Achilles injury, and pitchers are well aware of what Bautista brings to the plate now.

With a lot of question marks surrounding baseball's best sluggers, the under seems the sharper play.

Pick: Under 44.5


Highest win total for a MLB pitcher – Over/Under 21.5

Remember the immortal words of Crash Davis in Bull Durham,

“If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back on your shower shoes and the press will think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you're a slob.”

Under those conditions, we had only three “colorful” pitchers in the show last season and a league full of slobs.

Justin Verlander posted one of the most memorable seasons by a pitcher ever, not only winning 24 games, but the AL Cy Young and the AL MVP – something that hasn’t been done since Roger Clemens 25 years ago.

Verlander was the first pitcher to top 21 wins since Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb back in 2008. Clemens followed his 24 wins in 1986 with 20 in 1987 and never passed the 21-win mark for the remainder of his career.

Pick: Under 21.5


Highest total of RBI for a MLB batter – Over/Under 133.5

Matt Kemp finished tops in the majors with 126 RBIs last season, with Fielder finishing in second at 120.

But now, Fielder is in Detroit and hitting around Miguel Cabrera, who led baseball in RBIs in 2010 with 126. Depending on where those two are hitting, it could be a RBI race between the two new Tigers teammates.

Pick: Over 133.5


Will the top batting average exceed .348 (must win batting title)? – Yes/No

Cabrera posted a stellar .344 BA last summer, edging Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Young, who both hit .338.

Young’s Texas teammate Josh Hamilton blew that out of the water with a .359 BA two years ago, but his off-field issues seem to be piling up. Joe Mauer did even better than that in 2008 with a .365 average but injuries are taking their toll on the Twins catcher.

Cabrera looks like he has the best shot, since adding Fielder to Detroit’s lineup, and Jose Reyes might threaten that total at some point this season if you buy the hype in South Beach. But there is a drought of great hit-for-average bats out there right now.

Pick: No


Highest strikeout total for a MLB pitcher – Over/Under 251.5

Verlander and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw were K machines last season, posting 250 and 248 strikeouts respectively. But are oddsmakers getting a little carried away with this total?

Verlander is capable of even bigger numbers, fanning 269 batters in 2009, but will likely be limited with the Tigers trying to save his best stuff for a late-season/postseason push. Kershaw came out of nowhere, catching many hitters off guard. There is more tape out there on him, so we expect his strikeout numbers to drop.

Perhaps the biggest wild card when betting this prop is the performance of Tim Lincecum, who suffered a bit of a World Series hangover last summer. Lincecum has a new deal in place for this year and will be pitching a bit more pressure free.

Even in this era of big-swingers and fire-ballers, the under seems the safer wager.

Pick: Under 251.5